Steam & Excursion > 4014 photos from AZ

Three months later, I'll get around to posting a few photos of the Big Boy's easbound trip through Arizona.
Disclaimer:  Several photos have been photoshopped to remove distracting people & vehicles.

First three are from 10/16/19.

1:  Viewed from one of the surrounding hilltops, 4014 works upgrade into the (not very impressive) Estrella mountains.  In the foreground is the former right of way alignment that was bypassed...I want to say sometime in the 1950's, but don't recall for sure.  I'm sure someone on here knows the correct date.

2.  Viewed from the same spot, the train is just about to the west switch of Shawmut siding.  A few grave markers are mixed in with the brush in front of the train.

3.  I wasn't planning on battling the pacing traffic jam on AZ 238 to try to catch up to the train after I got down from my hilltop perch, but the dispatcher helped me out by routing the train into Shawmut siding and stopping it there to be overtaken by an eastbound stack train.  That gave me plenty of time to catch up and get this view of the train as it waited.

Three more photos to follow.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/20 16:26 by Nomad.

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Next three are from 10/19/19, after 4014 and crew had taken a day off the trip for display in Tucson.  No photoshopping done on these three.

4. 4014 rounds the bend and approaches the two bridges and waiting crowd at the Cienega Creek nature preserve.  I previously posted a wider view from this spot which can be seen by clicking this link.

5. In contrast to the scene at Cienega Creek, I almost had to myself the spot I found a few miles west of Dragoon.  Just myself, one other railfan, and a local husband and wife were here.

6.  Same spot.  The local resident told me this curve was once the scene of a derailment and explosion of a bomb-carrying SP train.

It was a lot of fun chasing this impressive piece of machinery.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/20 16:28 by Nomad.

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Image # 6 is quite impressive!

Looking good, really nice selection that also shows the crowds that came out.

Rich