20-JAN-2006
January - POTB Hill Job
The Hill Job passes an MOW train while heading towrads Banks, OR on a sunny morning at Buxton, OR.
25-FEB-2006
February - Portland & Western Military Train
On Feb 25 and 26, I found myself assigned as the engineer to the Military trains that were being loaded in St. Marys. This was the power of the train that brought the cars to us.
27-MAR-2006
March - Weyerhaeuser Woods Garbage Train
Still new to the area, and enjoying the motive power of the Columbia & Cowlitz and Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad, I made many morning trips to Rocky Point and Ostrander, WA. This is one of the best shots I got of a Weyerhaeuser train on the massive timber bridge.
20-APR-2006
April - "My 9"
The unit that Kyle refers to as my 9, the LLW SD9 4433, originally "came" to me in March, and for several weeks that month, I worked in Linnton, OR on various jobs, mostly the Linnton Day Switcher. We are doing a quick air test behind 7-Eleven in Linnton before heading to the W Yard to interchange a bunch of cars to the BNsf.
09-MAY-2006
May - An Olympic Month
Apparently Jeff and I agree on this train. Some stupid UP train heads north on the BNsf Seattle Sub mainline with UP 2002, the other Salt Lake City Olympic Torch Relay unit. I shot 2001 many years ago on the point of CSXT train Q216 in Cumberland, MD.
24-JUN-2006
June - A Visitor from back home, and four from the great white north
During June, a friend and former co-worker of mine from the Maryland Midland Railway came out west with his family. They were driving from the Oregon Coast to Central Oregon and came through Portland. I met up with them and they followed me through the Columbia River Gorge, stopping here and there to shoot the BNSF action that came along. As I was leading him to US 97 so that he could get to Madras, we came upon this train, a UP QHKRV on the UP Portland Sub mainline preparing to take the connector up to the BNsf's Oregon Trunk Subdivision for it's run down to Chemult to get back on UP rails. Here we see the train cresting the small grade and going into the siding at Moody, OR while meeting another UP train.
28-JUL-2006
July - PNW Coal, The Way It Should Be
July was an extremely difficult month to decide on, but this train ended up winning. A loaded Centralia, WA-bound coal train is seen in the super elevation on the big curve at Kalama, WA. Thanks to Drew Mitchem for the heads up on this bad boy!
19-AUG-2006
August - One of a Kind
Earlier this day, I headed out to take some photos. It was nice out, and I didn't see a point in wasting it. I later found that Kyle and Jeff were going to meet at Kalama, so I made that my destination as well. I arrived well before everybody else and caught this lashup, going the other way, in crappy lighting on the M SPOLVJ1 18A. A few hours later, and with Kyle and Jeff present, the train gods smiled upon us and sent the lashup back on the M LVJSPO1 19A, turned on the wye and in great lighting. The 7812, and sister 8000 (IIRC) were painted in this scheme by the BN, and now only the 7812 remains.
26-SEP-2006
September - "Big Red"
I think Kyle came up with the nickname "Big Red" for the Columbia Basin Railway during one of our other outings. Here we see them, on the old BNsf Granger Sub, returning from Granger, WA with Mt. Adams in the background.
11-OCT-2006
October - The Fun Train
BNsf train G FUNINB1 10A is seen just west of Roosevelt, WA with an amazing lashup. We chased this train from Pasco, WA to Stevenson, WA. I'm not sure if the crew was annoyed or what, since they kept talking to us on the scanner.
05-NOV-2006
November - Flashing Back
Believe it or not, I was the engineer on this. "Well what is it?" you may be asking, well it is the Portland & Western's Harbor Turn! We were ferrying this unit over to Linnton, and I just had to stop for some photos.
10-DEC-2006
December - Dashing Through The Snow
During the FoamersNW Pengra Pass gathering, Amtrak 11, the northbound Coast Starlight is seen blasting under the signal bridge at Mowich, OR. Kyle and I were adventurous enough to walk 2/10ths of a mile to get this shot, while everybody else shot it at the crossing, where there wasn't any snow along the track.
