A cleanish UP piggy-backer approaches tunnel 2 in the late afternoon light with an ACE up front
Inspection train time
The UP train again at Cable
A BNSF train descends into Bealville with a scorched hillside above tunnel 5 as a backdrop
Cable
Cable
Cable (haze)
Cable (flowers)
Cable. This is getting monotonous
Between Marcel and the loop
Woodford
Clear Creek
UP work train in the late light approaches the crossovers at Sandcut
After the blockage clears, a parade of trains heads east from Bakersfield
A tasty BNSF train approaches Tunnel 5 from a slightly different angle
Another decent train led by a BNSF wedgie coasts through Woodford. Another slightly different shot
Then I head up and wait above tunnel three for the downhill above and as an opposing train roars uphill below me it goes into emergency, so I head back to investigate.
I don't think this is supposed to be here
Pop
Waiting, waiting
The back half of the train reverses to clear the road crossing and shortly afterward, the memorial day railfan circus of 15 cars arrives. So I guess that's the end of this trip. After an eternity, the entire back half heads slowly back to the Allard crossovers a mile behind it and then forward to drop the car into the siding in the right of this pic. If this was my model railroad, I'd have run the top half up to Cliff, tied down the second half, uncoupled and run the helper locos plus the two cars ahead 50 yards ahead, backed into the loop and dropped the car off in the siding, picked up the back of the train and taken it up to Cliff to join the front half. And I wouldn't have taken two hours to do it. Then, I don't have rules or unions to deal with in N scale...