Eastern Railroad Discussion > Spare brake stick at Lofton yard, Memphis

First, thanks to halfmoonharold for showing me a quick an easy way to convert and size a photo.

I've been chasing trains all of my life and am fortunate to live near a busy siding on the Austin sub of the UP. I've never really thought about the time and effort and patience it takes for the great pictures that appear on Train Orders.

I was visiting Memphis and came across a brake stick on the eastern most part of the Lofton yard where the UP and BNSF tracks converge before they head east over the Mississippi river. The quality of the shot isn't great but I've never seen a brake stick set out for use as a spare. The picture was taken with a phone and I had to extend my arm over the fence to get a decent angle. No trespassing occurred.

There is a beautiful park there with a great bike path that follows alongside the UP bridge as it travels over the river. And it lights up at night. Alas, the Arkansas side was locked out on the path due to spring time flooding.

 

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Believe this photo is just a few feet east of the Mississippi River railroad bridges, correct?

Lofton Yard is just the name of the restaurant  and bar near the tracks.  There is no Lofton Yard name on the railroad.

Also, the BNSF and UP converge to go west across the Miss River. not east.

Hope you saw some trains around Kentucky Street.

gmojim
 

That area (which is really a couple of blocks to the east) is actually called Loflin Yard, and I presume it got its name from the old Loflin Safe and Lock Company that occupied a building on the southwest corner of Florida St and West Carolina Avenue for decades.  The brake stick is Union Pacific's and is there because of the trains that often have to tie down at that location due to being too short on hours of service time to make it to a connecting railroad (namely the CN).  I hope you enjoyed your stay in my former hometown!