David and Big Engine

When possible, David and I head out on Sundays to visit the playground and take pictures of trains. Usually this trip will also include Krispy Kreme, as an incentive for David to join me. Yesterday the weather was great, albeit cold, for being out of the house and enjoying what January in Seattle has to offer. I would have never expected an up-close encounter with the BNSF...

After making our usual rounds through SODO, we headed down to prime photo opportunities along Airport Way South where the BNSF often stores their big diesels. The time was late afternoon, with low-horizon sun shining straight on the side of four engines sitting quiet. Since sunshine is unusual for our area, I took the opportunity to snap as many photos as I could with as many setting combos as possible on my Olympus digital. As an added bonus a GP28 ambled by on its way south. Photo ops were everywhere! After taking a few more I headed back to the truck, where David was taking photos of the GP28 through the window, to see how his pictures looked. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the GP28 was now headed back our way on another track. The conductor got out and threw the switch to put the old diesel on a siding and the engine rumbled down the line next to us. The conductor waved and walked over to the truck.

"How would like to take a look inside that big engine over there?" he said, pointing at BNSF 5490. While David was kind of shy about doing it, I grabbed this chance to say "YES!" and the three of us headed towards the engine.

Turns out the crew used BNSF 1521 - affectionately called "an old junker" by the Conductor - for getting down to the big line of engines, so they could turn them around for a return trip to Chicago. As we got closer we could see there was still snow on the front, plus an unexpected view of something bloody. "Looks like they hit a cow or something," said the conductor, pointing at the greyish hair and goo stuck to the hitch. David took a big step to get up on the nose of 5490; the Engineer said, "he looks like a railroad man already!"

Inside the engine, the conductor pointed at a big black button on the control stand. "Press that button," he said to David. 'HONK!! ...ding...ding...ding...ding...'

"Now press the yellow button there," he said. David did and the bell stopped.

The Conductor talked about what it took to run this big engine and how engines like these were all computerized now. He explained that they would be taking this line of four engines up to a Y in the track and turning it around. The crew would run this train from Seattle to Wenatchee, at which point another crew would take over. Was this engine always designated as the lead for this run, I asked? He said because this one was equipped with video equipment that it ran ahead of the others, which were not outfitted yet. I asked him if he made trips to Chicago.

"Used to do that, but now I just work in the yard. Money's better out on the road, but it's no life for a family man."

The view out of the cab was without equal; it also made my truck look like a Matchbox die cast. The GE C44-9w engines are truly big...bigger than anything out on the road according to the Conductor. We thanked the crew for their hospitality and took a few more pictures before we headed back to the truck. Eventually the Engineer got the fourth and third engines in the line fired up, and the big diesels ambled off to the north for a turnaround. We were able to pace them for a short while as we headed north ourselves.

David and I enjoyed this trip more than most, and for good reason!

Waitin' For The Boat, Part II

It would appear that the ARR engines that are in Seattle currently have been sold to make way for four brand new engines! Here's a short bit about it:

Alaska Railroad Picture of the Week

Waitin' for The Boat?

Alaska Railroad GP49s 2802 and 2809 are currently sitting at the BNSF Stacy Yard in Seattle. It's common to see power from the Last Frontier in the area, since many of their units have been rebuilt here. Why these ones are here, I'm just not sure.

But they sure make a great pair in the sunshine!

Train Shirts for Kids

When it comes to finding any train shirts online for kids, there's apparently few choices. And those few choices all include Thomas the Tank Engine. What's a kid to do if he doesn't want to wear something from the Island of Sodor?

My solution was to draw my own trains and put them online.

I started TrainShirts.net to fill the gap between Thomas shirts and...well...the rest of the kid-friendly-train-shirts that don't seem to exist. CafePress has been a great resource for me since 2002, and they allow store owners to upload original designs and offer them online. Aside from trains, I've had a few other offerings up for a long time. It's more fun than anything, but it also provides my sons with an endless supply of original shirts that they can wear to school and the Y.

Aside from providing designs with catchy phrases, there is also an entire section of designs that are simply pictures. Stop by the store and check out the designs. If you have any suggestions for new designs let me know.

Enjoy! KDC