Bill Compton picked me up on a rainy morning and we drove out to Ash Hill via California Highways 22 and 91, Interstate 215 and 15 with the rains ending after Cajon Summit. We then proceeded to Barstow and onto Interstate 40, exiting at Nebo Road where we spotted our first train of the day.
The perfect way to start a trip is with a rainbow.
Union Pacific 8361 West with Norfolk Southern ES40DC 7385 and C40-9W 9669. From here, we went east on National Trails Highway then back onto Interstate 40 to Ludlow where we took Old Route 66, also known as National Trails Highway, to Ash Hill, pulled off and went to the parking spot above the cut.
BNSF 6613 West.
The Old Woman Mountains to our northeast.
BNSF 7442 West.
BNSF 7005 East.
BNSF 4179 East with Norfolk Southern 4026.
BNSF 6211 East.
BNSF 6999 East.
BNSF 7056 West with DPU 5465.
BNSF 4068 West.
BNSF 8047 West with DPUs BNSF 4830 and 4242.
BNSF 8377 East.
BNSF 6270 West with Canadian National ES44AC 2881.
BNSF 4360 West.
BNSF 6578 West.
BNSF 7661 East with PRLX CW44-6 648.
We drove west to Ludlow and climbed up the hill west above the town.
BNSF 7973 West with Canadian National 3059 with DPUs 4168 and 3767.
BNSF 8068 East. We then drove west on Interstate 40.
Nearing Newberry Springs, it looked as though we might have a dust storm but it cleared as we approached.
Then a neat cloud formation appeared. We exited Interstate 40 at Hidden Springs Road and went into Daggett.
At Daggett, BNSF 9002 East under the neat cloud. Bill stopped at Barstow to buy himself lunch before we went onward then nearing Victorville, one goes under the Mojave Northern Railroad and in all my other trips, it had been an empty railroad until today when we spotted a headlight coming our way. We exited Interstate 15 at Stoddard Wells Road and took Victorville Quarry Road to a grade crossing with the Mojave Northern tracks, parked and waited. Our wait turned out to be only a few minutes.
Cemex SD60 2125, ex. Union Pacific 2125, nee Chicago and North Western 8051 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1986, at MP 4 of the Mojave Northern Railroad. I was very happy that I finally was able to photograph this railroad.
The storm ahead! We took Interstate 15 back to Cajon Pass and re-entered the storm we left this morning then took Interstate 210 to California Highway 57 to Interstate 5 and exited the car pool lanes into my neighborhood, where Bill dropped me off at home. I watched my Pittsburgh Penguins defeat Montreal Canadiens 6-1 then wrote this story.
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