View allAll Photos Tagged Tier4
ET44AC 3320 leads six units and train L017 past LORAM railgrinder RGS6 at West Deshler.
CSXT 3320
CSXT 4474
CSXT 4780
CSXT 964
CSXT ????
CSXT ????
As the morning sun peeks over some low-hanging clouds, an empty BNSF grain empty rolls through the S-curve at CP Rusk on the Houston West Belt. Located just east of Downtown Houston, this is one of the last remaining searchlight installations in the Bayou City.
X PTNFRM9 22G (Empty Grain- PTRA North Yard [Houston, TX] to Fairmont, NE)
BNSF ET44C4 #3856
BNSF Dash 9-44CW #5235
BNSF ES44DC #7721
Houston, TX
October 23rd, 2025
EMD SD70AH-T4 3035 and GE ES44T4 2717 idle away at Bonner Springs awaiting their turn to run into the yard. With 8-10' of white stuff on the ground and more still coming, the DS was already complaining about switches not lining and locking.
Who knows how long the guys were going to sit here so I snapped a few frames with the D800 and my iPhone (shot shown here) and came home and put a pot of chili on for later tonight. It's gonna get cold tonight folks.
March 21, 2021: A CSX ET44AH GE engine sporting the YN3B paint scheme leads loaded CSX Coal Train N302 (Evansville, IN-Stilesboro, GA) through a shadowed tunnel of trees in the Georgia woods along the CSX Cartersville Subdivision at Atco (unincorporated) in Cartersville, GA. The train is headed to Georgia Power's Plant Bowen in Stilesboro.
After being dragged out of Englewood Yard by a yard crew, UP 3003's new crew bides their time here at Lyons. They'll be ready to go shortly, and will soon drag the rest of their train around the Carr St Connector here at Tower 26. A quick journey ahead down the West Belt to get out of the Houston Terminal, then they'll be off running down the Texas coast.
MEWFO 09 (Manifest- Englewood Yard [Houston] to Formosa Plastics [Point Comfort, TX])
UP SD70AH #3003
UP SD70ACe #8760
Houston, TX
February 9th, 2025
On a warm October morning in central Houston, UP 2657 rolls eastward past Niles Jct on the Freight Main of UP's Houston Sub. The ex-SP searchlights here are on borrowed time; the replacement Vaders have been standing since March.
MSALI 13 (Manifest- San Antonio, TX to Livonia, LA)
UP C45AH #2657
UP C45ACCTE #7853
UP SD70ACe #8595
Houston, TX
October 14th, 2024
CN 3005 rolls across the rural railroad crossing of Alberta Highway 575 with its two-mile train of double-stacked containers. Rolling hills dominate central Alberta, and from this vantage point it's pretty easy to see trains coming as CN's Three Hills Sub mostly skirts along the high points of these hills.
Q18831 (Intermodal- Brampton Yard [Toronto, ON] to Calgary Logistics Park, AB)
CN EF-644t / ET44AC #3005
(Mid-Train DPU) CN GF-643j / SD75IACC #8316
Grainger, AB
August 26th, 2025
CN 3064 is on the head end of CN 394 through Paris Junction with another GE mid train on a hot May day.
If it was a Tamper I could have had a better title and tag line...
BNSF 3706 leads a five pack of SoCal Captives through downtown Oro Grande, as a solo Regulator creeps up to the MoW spur just off to the left before they call it a day.
UP's Pierce Yard in northeast Houston is a real-world example of a model railroader's staging yard. It's often used to stage trains to get them out of originating yards (like Englewood) until power or crews are available to get the train out of town.
Here, a light power move from Englewood rolls on the East Belt towards Pierce to pick up the cars of the MEWWC that had been staged the day before. After getting the train put together and air-tested, they'll be on their way to California.
EEWPIM 30 (Engines- Englewood Yard to Pierce Yard, Move)
UP C45AH #2638
UP C45AH #8169
UP C44ACCTE #5502
UP C44AC #6772
UP C45AH #2675
Houston, TX
October 31st, 2022
On an otherwise cloudy afternoon, golden sunshine beams down on Chaney Jct in central Houston as a CPKC train with a UP leader barrels west on the Passenger Main of UP's Houston Sub.
CPKC M274 (Manifest- Jackson, MS to Sanchez Yard [Nuevo Laredo, TAM])
UP C45AH #2629
(DPU) KCS AC4400CW #4590
Houston, TX
September 16th, 2024
This manifest could be seen approaching for a good 5 minutes, but despite it stretching back to the horizon, the rear including 2 helpers, cannot quite be seen.
This is the Mojave Desert, California, and close to the Colorado River and the border with Arizona, photograph taken from Park Moabi Road, near Topock.
The leading units were 3864 ET44C4, a Tier 4 emissions locomotive, and 5926 ES44AC, there were two mid train helpers, and two more on the rear, Friday 23.9.16
A gorgeous Colorado sunset provides a great backdrop for our train as it runs down the final few miles to Bond.
CWEAX 15
With a long train in tow, UP 3056 trundles through Chaney Jct as it heads for Houston's Englewood Yard, just a few miles ahead. Running 1x1x1, this monster manifest will take nearly 10 minutes to pass as it rolls through (and blocks crossings in) the heart of Houston.
UP Manifest
UP SD70AH #3056
(Mid-Train DPU) UP C45ACCTE #7780
(Rear DPU) UP C45ACCTE #7490
Houston, TX
September 18th, 2024
The conductor of BNSF's H-DENPVO gives the crew of the UP coal load CWEAX a nice wave as their respective trains meet at the west end of the siding at Dotsero.
To Viejo.
A San Bernardino to Mission Viejo train 807 rolls through Yorba Linda with SCAX 941 providing the power for the five car mixed equipment train. This Metrolink was the only train that had the locomotive on the correct end, on my morning expedition above the tracks of the San Bernardino Subdivision.
Amidst the sound of squealing wheels as a westbound Fort Worth train creeps closer and closer to West Colton, the faint roar of twelve cylinder General Electrics became louder and louder and now here we are. As Union Pacific 2680 comes into view along the side of some heavily tagged boxcars (granted it's more uncommon to one's that aren't tagged to all hell) as an ILAG1 makes it's way up through the various curves in San Timoteo Canyon.
Mertolink Train 857 rolls up to the Searchlight Signal at the top of the hill at Corona with a beefy looking six car train-set as the train heads for Oceanside. From here the train will make a quick stop at the West Corona Station before continuing downhill into Santa Ana Canyon where at Atwood the train will diverge onto the Metrolink's Orange Subdivision and start to head South.
Last cheesy snow themed title until winter, I promise...
Another view of BNSF 3702 and company taking the Stockton, California to Chicago, Illinois salad shooter around the loop on a picturesque winter day, hopefully al the late rain and snow make for a really good spring season.
UP 2597 rolling east out of the fog bank that had enveloped most of W Linwood this morning with a long manifest train in tow that would eventually block me from getting out and having to take the really long way out of here.
Yes I also shot this one from the ground at 500mm for those of you keeping track at home. Lot's of fog this AM and the trains were a plenty, but the fog killed off a couple of trains that went by after sunrise, but before we had sun enough to shoot.
With a long string of empty tank cars on the drawbar, UP 3088 rolls northward with an ethanol train headed back to the Midwest for another load. The train is on UP's Galveston Sub, about to cross under the South Loop (IH 610).
As has been UP's routing for empty unit trains the last few years, the train will hang a left at Tower 30 ahead to take the Harrisburg Sub across the south side of Houston. It'll then turn north at Spence Jct to run up to Eureka for its route out of town.
UETGUM 07 (Unit Ethanol- Galveston, TX to Doulom, NE)
UP SD70AH #3088
UP SD70AH #9006
UP C45ACCTE #7741
Houston, TX
August 7th, 2025
New CSX Tier 4 GEVO 3320 gleams in the evening sun as it leads train L017 west towards Chicago on the old Baltimore & Ohio mainline at Deshler, Ohio.
CSXT 3320
CSXT 4474
CSXT 4780
CSXT 964
CSXT ????
CSXT ????
Former EMDX SD70ACe-T4 demonstrator #1502 leads this northbound UP stack train as first of UP's Tier 4 class, although considered just another SD70AH by the railroad. The train is joining UP's Springfield Sub at "Q Tower" in East St. Louis, IL while a southbound stack train waits for the light and permission through single-tracked "Hole in the Wall."
I can have fall colors, and I can have sun...but I can't have both.
Different angle, same place, same train.
Other stupid thing to notice is the trucks get dirtier the further you go back, they only stay shiny and sliver for so long. And while the high speed boxcars on the head end make a good buffer from the plain white containers, granted other than the graffiti these aren't exactly super colorful..
Paved paradise and started doing land devolvement, new challenge photo at the top of Beaumont near the old Southern Pacific location of Nicklin is to attempt to hide the ever developing Shadow Creek neighborhood, as this was a failed attempt since the trees still have some more growing to do. This shot is usually done in a wider format to show off a big sweeping curve and the mountains in the distance although, with the large amount of home that create a eyesore that shot really isn't for me.
Anyway here's Union Pacific 2680 again rounding out the last mile or so in it's climb to the top of Beaumont Hill with a modest 8700 feet of train, with a Big Yellow C45AH to make for a nice leader.
Running several hours late and now in perfect morning sun, UP's "89 Local" to Texas City rolls through southeast Houston.
The train is seen here passing an old GH&H signal mast, from when this joint MKT-MP line had ABS on its northern end. This mast formerly held Signal 98, which was the first signal northbounds would see when coming into Houston. The ABS signaling was removed by UP in the late 80's or early 90's.
LHB89 06 (Local- Houston to Texas City, TX, and return)
UP C45AH #2576
South Houston, TX
August 7th, 2025
At the end of 2024, CPKC put in an order to Wabtec/GE for 170 new Tier 4 ES44AC's. Deliveries began in April 2025. Here's one of the newest, CP 7522, at less than a month old. It's pulling a loaded grain train down the Houston West Belt as it heads for Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.
Normally CPKC trains utilize UP's Houston Sub between Tower 26 and West Jct to get through the Houston Terminal. But there's some flexibility when there's congestion, like in this case where this train is taking the West Belt to UP's Harrisburg Sub via T&NO Jct in order to get through the Terminal.
South GH&H Jct is where UP's Galveston Subdivision breaks off from the West Belt to head to Galveston Island. That line was built by the Galveston, Houston, & Henderson Railroad, later jointly owned by the MP and MKT before eventually coming under UP ownership.
CPKC 392 641
CP ET44AC #7522
(DPU) CP AC4400CWM / DRF-44 #8045
Houston, TX
September 28th, 2025
The heavy snow has resumed as the trio of GEVO's roll through Rollinsville on their way down the Moffat.
OWUSJ 27
As the last rays of sun shine down, UP 3024 sits at Booth Yard in the Port of Houston with the daily transfer from PTRA Pasadena to UP's Settegast Yard. The train is sitting on the Booth Yard Lead, which swings across the Strang Sub ahead at Tower 208 to access the East Belt at Tower 85. From there the train can shoot straight north up the East Belt to Settegast Yard.
MPTHO 07 (Manifest- PTRA Pasadena Yard to UP Settegast Yard)
UP SD70AH #3024
Houston, TX
June 7th, 2024
June 8, 2018: A colorful set of locomotives pull Norfolk Southern loaded ethanol train Ns 64H (Chicago, IL-Westover, GA) through the C-Line Junction at CP Green in Silver Creek, GA. The train is being lead by a GECK (General Electric) Tier 4 ES44AC Demonstrator, followed by a Canadian National SD70M-2 EMD, and a Norfolk Southern SD60M EMD.
Watch video of the train here:
With a long train in tow, UP 3056 trundles through Chaney Jct as it heads for Houston's Englewood Yard, just a few miles ahead. Running 1x1x1, this monster manifest will take nearly 10 minutes to pass as it rolls through (and blocks crossings in) the heart of Houston.
UP Manifest
UP SD70AH #3056
(Mid-Train DPU) UP C45ACCTE #7780
(Rear DPU) UP C45ACCTE #7490
Houston, TX
September 18th, 2024
With its long train of containers stretching into the distance, CN 3005 heads south on the Three Hills Sub as it rolls through the last few miles to the Calgary Logistics Park.
Q18831 (Intermodal- Brampton Yard [Toronto, ON] to Calgary Logistics Park, AB)
CN EF-644t / ET44AC #3005
(Mid-Train DPU) CN GF-643j / SD75IACC #8316
Kathryn, AB
August 26th, 2025
Slowing to a crawl in preparation to enter the yard ahead, CN 3005 crosses the last railroad crossing before CN's Calgary Logistics Park. It's been a long day traversing the Canadian prairie, but this train crew's day is almost done as they'll tie down just outside Alberta's largest city.
To my American self, the Canadian crossbuck is pretty neat. While Canada did previously use a crossbuck with writing on it, very similar to the sign used in the US, it was phased out in the 1980's to promote a sign able to be used universally in English and French-speaking provinces.
Q18831 (Intermodal- Brampton Yard [Toronto, ON] to Calgary Logistics Park, AB)
CN EF-644t / ET44AC #3005
(Mid-Train DPU) CN GF-643j / SD75IACC #8316
Conrich, AB
August 26th, 2025
If it fits it sits....
So it's like the meet at Garnet, Nevada form the last set, expect this time the Z-train is going west and the Manifest is the eastbound. As Union Pacific 8003 starts to throttle up after cresting the one precent grade out of Las Vegas at Erie, while Union Pacific 2656 sits and waits it out.
The only other differences worth noting other than the light being substantially better, is that the Salt Lake City, Utah to Long Beach, California (ICTF) Z-train is a slamming two and a half miles of train across the desert floor. The trains seemingly excessive length meant that it could only stop if needed at a whopping five places since it left Milford, Utah, all of which are considered to two main track CTC islands. The Manifest which isn't nearly as long comes in at eighty-six hundred feet as the hunk of junk barley fit into the eighty-eight hundred foot siding here at Erie. After the SC clears up here the Manifest will sit and wait for a bit more as two more westbounds needed to get out of Arden, where unfortunately this train had to set out at. Single track railroading mixed with some PSR is not the fastest combo in the transportation world. Then again I'm not complaining, as this made for the easy golden hour shooting in the southern corner of the Sliver State.
M WILNTW1 09A Williston to Northtown passes by with shiny Tier 4s as Douglas (far left) films the scene.
A401 rolls west through Bellevue past the recently renovated elevator, which used to be a classic red color. One of CN's newer ET44ACs leads the way.
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Your stepping into a world where people say "California has a Mediterranean climate", only to not realize that it's like Libya not Italy as we see here. One of the only parts of San Timoteo Canyon that had some spring vibes going on was at the wall of trees by the second San Timoteo Canyon grade crossing just below Hinda. As Union Pacific 2680 and company pull 8700 feet of mixed container grab all out of the LA Basin for destinations in the Midwest and East Coast with cars for Council Bluffs, IA (mixed marine) up against the power followed by a fairly big cut (27 cars) for Union Pacific's newest domestic ramp in Minneapolis, the rest of the train was interchange for the CSXT and NS, whole train looked like a box of melted crayons.....