CPKC Out and Back

I was working in the yard when I heard a northbound approaching. A quick pit stop and grab a soda later, and I was on my way. There was a 181 going north as I got into town, but far enough ahead of me, and moving well enough to beat me to Gentry. I got ahead of him at Y City Rd south of Decatur, and pulled up for the shot, to see an approach as I crossed the tracks. Hell have an approach medium at 216-8 in Decatur, and will take the siding at Dorsey.

The 181 I chased was not far behind, and I shot it here crossing Y City Rd, passing the old paddock. Hes slowing for the signal, and will take the siding in another five minutes or so.

The 181 has passed, 39 stack platforms and 28 autoracks, leaving the block occupied. The signal is still lit, an indication there is more going on.

I went to the crossing on Mt Olive Rd, north of Dorsey siding, to wait for the meet. I wasnt to be disappointed; the southbound showed in five minutes, a grain train behind a UP/KCS power set. Hes passing MP 213 with 93 cars.

The DPU, a now common mixing of KCS and CP power, pushes the 93 hoppers south along Wolf Creek

The grain train having passed, the 181 was cleared out of the siding, and approached my position next to Wolf Creek.

A wider look at the northbound and the creek, the light just enough to keep the train out of shadow.

In a recent set in the "The Chase Is On" album, I have a shot of my Toyota RAV4, a 2013 that I recently gave up to my wifes son, who was needing a newer car. This is what replaced it, a 2024 Subaru Outback Touring XT. I plan on doing a lot of touring and chasing in it. Its next to the lead unit on the 181 train at Wolf Creek

Theres a short, but stiff grade coming up into Decatur that usually slows a heavy unit train, such as this one. He must have been inspired, as I usually catch them by Y City Rd, that we saw earlier. It was not to be. I went all the way down to Floyd Moore Rd before I caught him. The grain train rounds a curve along Ark 59 approaching Gentry

The yellow is lit as the signal flashes-see next frame-for the grain train to take a restricting at North Siloam Springs.

The yellow is fading out, to return shortly. The train will arrive momentarily.

The grain train makes its way uphill into Davidson Rd, passing the large trackside tree, and an oblivious horse in the adjacent pasture.

A quick turn and burn, and I beat the train, slowing for the switch at North Siloam, and I was able to get the train passing the Cobb feed mill in fading light, just catching the last sun.

The grain train rolls slowly down the main, about to cross Jefferson St. The northbound will be rolling up the siding shortly.

I quickly moved to Lincoln Av, getting the DPU as it rolled over the crossing there, much to the relief of the waiting motorists, who had to wait on a slow moving train.

The northbound now rolls into view, passing the Siloam Springs water tower, which is just to the south of the crossing in this telephoto view

The northbound, the 261 train, rolls under a sky turning pink as the light fades.

I heard a southbound from the house, and took off. I cant get through Siloam and still catch one of these trains, so I usually take Ark 59 south and US 62 to Westville, which allows me to get the across the field farm shot most of the time. It worked today, I caught this southbound grain train here in bucolic splendor rolling 100 cars of midwest grain toward Mexico.

The power on the grain train rolls south, having crosseed CR 690, and passed the patch of hay bales in this view looking south toward the Ozarks.

The DPU on the grain train rolls south past a lone tree in the pasture north of CR 690

The grain train rolls away toward downtown Westville, passing this long view at the Arkansas Ozarks.

I like the shots at Baron, since there is a long tangent approaching from the north, allowing several views here. Sometimes I dont get them all; even with a 65 MPH speed limit on US 59, its two lane, and there are an amazing(to me) number of people who are content to run 50 MPH there. So I dont always get the tele shot. Still, the shot is pretty good there, and I did OK for getting sandbagged by a slowpoke en route.

A closer and wider angle view of the northbound.

The signal at CP North Stilwell is still showing red as the 181 approaches, waiting for the dispatcher to reverse the switch, and clear the signal. It will go momentarily.

The switch at the north end of the siding has cleared, and the 181 will be on its way north

The end of the 181 is almost on the main, its racks wobbling through the turnout.

A little closer to all on the main track

The last car of the 181 train rolls through the switch.

The train is now fully on the main track, and rolls away toward Kansas City and Chicago.

The 181 rolls across Barren Fork Creek in the late afternoon sun. This was the last shot Id get, as Id promised my wife Id be home for dinner by 1900. A good way to end. Id get a surprise at Watts, but that would be a quick shot and run.

When I got to Watts, there was a grain train in the siding, holding for the 181. I didnt have time to wait for the meet, but did get the waiting southbound. The leader had been on a northbound empty train a week earlier.

Up at 7th St, the DPU holds on while the train waits.

I had heard a horn from the house, and took off for my usual quick ride to Westville. I was getting set up for the southbound I knew about, when I heard a train call the signal for Westville. Turned out to be the 181. The southbound was at Watts, waiting on this guy, who is now passing me going north, with a pair of KCSM GE"s leading 64 stack platforms, 6 autos and 27 articulated auto racks.

The 181 rolls past the H J Baker feed mill

The 181 rolls through a pastoral scene north of Westville, with a long view toward the Ozarks in the background.

The hay bales draw the eye to the power on the northbound 181

The 181 rounds the curve at Chewie Rd, slowed to the 30 MPH speed restriction for the hard S curve.

The 181 rolls north past one of the large trees flanking the right of way, its train stretched out along US 59.

The telephoto brings in the long wall of double stacked containers as the train rolls over the Ballard Creek bridge. It will shortly be taking the siding at Watts for the meet with the southbound grain train that was my original quarry.

The 181 now heads around the curve to see an approach signal at 238-0, indicating there will be a red over yellow when he gets to CP South Watts in a couple of minutes. Hell run through the siding there to meet the southbound grain move.

The crew on the grain train is on the ground to watch the 181 roll past, looking for anything that might be awry.

The 181 starts up the siding, passing the head end of the grainer as the grain trains crew observes.

I took the chance that the 181 would make decent time through the siding, and I could get a shot on the Illinois River, which has perfect lighting this time of day. I bet right, and got a good shot here, and was able to get down toward Westville to shoot the grain train, too.

The grainer dodges the clouds as it passes the barn and hay bales north of Westville.

There are several shots at Baron for different length lenses. This shot is a tele view, 250mm, that gives you the stretched out train and a view of a large trackside tree, which at this date has not started to green up. One of my great frustrations with the KCS is the lack of colorful trees. Almost no redbuds, and few Bradford pears for spring color.

A closer up look has the train rolling past MP 250, the white concrete post to the left of the train, and the "lift plow" sign as it approaches the crossing.

The wide angle shot here is of the train passing signal 250-0, which KCS relocated here from an earlier position a bit to the north a few years ago, which made it much more accessible for the C&S forces. They did a similar move a couple miles south with the signal at MP 252, which was moved from a position on an embankment, to the crossing just south of that milepost.

After Baron, there arent any good photo spots til you get into Stilwell, but there is the bridge over Barren Fork Creek, a plate girder affair that connects to a through truss. Its better for a northbound, or a southbound with a DPU, which is what we have here. I wont beat him to the next spot, a county road crossing about 1.5 miles south, but the shot here is worth doing. The two unit DPU, a pair of CP Golden Rodents filling out this all CP, all GE power consist, rolls south, seen from adjacent US 59.

There used to be a body shop here. Adair county picked up the property when the shop folded, and now uses it for a maintenance base for road equipment. The tracks here are on a short steep grade, coming out of a speed restricted curve that slows them considerably. Its kind of a straight on shot, but an easy one. The slow speed also makes getting ahead of the train for a shot at the signals at CP North Stilwell easy, or passing the station, about 1.5 mile south.

The dispatcher said the grain train was to meet a northbound at Stilwell. I was hoping for an actual train, so was sorta disappointed when it turned out to be just four lite engines, now in the siding as they are about to meet the southbound. Oh well....though one of them did turn out to be notable.