Bill Compton picked me up at 5:30 AM and we drove north straight to the BNSF Yard in Bakersfield where we spotted the Central of Georgia Norfolk Southern Heritage Unit 8101 on BNSF's M BAKBAR1 31A train and hoped it would go east while we were in the mountains today.
We started our journey east after we checked Union Pacific's Bakersfield yard then stopped at the railroad crossing on the San Joaquin Valley Railroad.
San Joaquin Valley Railroad GP28 1829, ex. KYLE 1829, exx. Helm Leasing 2001, exxx. Union Pacific 2061, exxxx. Missouri Pacific 2001, exxxxx. Texas and Pacific 851, exxxxxx. Texas and Pacific 571, nee Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf 701, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1964.
From here we drove to Caliente but there was a lack of trains and we soon learned of a work window until 1:00 PM between Marcel and Cable from Bill's radio so knew we would have a long wait. I called Let's Talk Trains, the Internet Radio Show, and gave my report.
First, the track inspector came through Caliente on his way east then we heard a train climbing the grade.
Union Pacific 5378 South came by and stopped as it had set off the detector to the west due to a tarp hanging off the eleventh car. From here we proceeded to Sandcut to wait for trains.
Union Pacific 5445 South.
BNSF 5457 South. We decided to go see what was going on at the BNSF yard in Bakersfield.
Norfolk Southern Heritage Unit ES44AC 8101, painted for Central of Georgia, built by General Electric in 1991. As part of its 30th anniversary celebration in 2012, the company painted 20 new locomotives in the color schemes of predecessor railroads.
These pictures are better than not getting it at all! We had a stack train leaving so Bill and I drove to east of Bena to catch him.
BNSF 6508 South. We then made our way to Tunnel 2.
BNSF 6508 South.
Union Pacific 7404 North. Next we drove to Bealville.
BNSF 4483 North. We returned to Caliente.
This home has railroad memorabelia in the yard.
BNSF 4483 North. We had a green signal and went back to Tunnel 2.
BNSF 7556 South, after which we started the trip home, arriving there at 7:30 PM. It had been a good day of railfanning.
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