SOO 6622 rolls east through Brookfield, WI when EMDs ruled the roost on the CP roster. November 25, 1995.

As George noted this kind of "high glint" was brutal to try and work in the slide film days. I do have to give the assist to the wildfire smoke which took some edge off the light and warmed things up a little earlier than normal. One of the fun things about the East-West main is that it's littered with signals, not the classics like found in Nachusa but the block signals add a little interest nonetheless. August 11, 2018.

PJCME2-29 flies by at 71 mph behind SD70ACe 8734.

Chester Subdivision milepost 17.59.

Fountain Creek Bridge at Fountain Road.

Fountain, Illinois, USA

Stickered for their old Pleasant Prairie destination, the aluminum coal gons continue to rack up the miles. August 10, 2024.

With the shutter just narrowly beating a cloudf*cking, a pair of Dash 9's take a manifest on the Sunset Route through Rosenberg. The equipment at the left was staged for the double-tracking effort on the Glidden Sub between Sugar Land and Missouri City, a little east of here.

Eastbound UP Manifest

UP C44-9W #9559

UP C44-9W #9523

Rosenberg, TX

September 19th, 2015

I think the most glorious view and most glorious pass I rode in the Alps Divide Ultra Challenge was L’Authion.

It was already on the third day. The day after the rain drenched Via del Sale. From Tende on the tarmac road lead south and down towards Breil-sur-Roya and from there up via a small tarmac ribbon up to La Maglia where it soon gave way to a great gravel / off-road track. Which led all the way up towards and then alongside just below the green grassy ridgeline with great views onto the blue mediterranean.

After quite a while it finally meets a small and quiet tarmac road again. It’s the circuit de la découverte de l’Authion. A small ring road coming from and leading back to the Col de Turini which we climbed to the highest Point of L’Authion at 2026 masl. From there I prepared for the descent and only after the next curve another, even more awesome view over all the Alpes Maritimes and the far coast line opens.

I hadn’t expected this at all! What a spectacular panorama. Top star rating!

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#AlpsDivide

#fromwhereIride

#ridewithaview

#bikepacking

#Colcollector

#weitradeln

#cycling

#Authion

#Seealpen

#AlpesMaritimes

The coal loads were the last train I would shoot here before moving on. Unlike the previous trains this one took the "old" bridge across the lake. This structure has seen a lot of work as part of this project with a lot of new components and the removal of the section of through truss towards the middle.

It was great to visit this bridge and see some movements. I've made four trips across it on the Empire Builder, all nocturnal (as the schedule dictates). I'm not sure why but I have a tendency to wake up from my slumber when crossing Lake Pend Oreille. The track sounds a little different under the car and a glance out the window reveals only a few distant lights twinkling over on the shore. In 2021 I tracked the journey by occasionally checking my location on my phone, day or night. My suspicion was confirmed when I my "dot" appeared surrounded by water on the way across the lake (inset). An interesting sensation for sure. September 5, 2023.

SR Unrebuilt Pacific 4-6-2 34092 City of Wells comes off Ribblehead viaduct on 13-11-82

As can be seen quite a viscious wind was blowing from the west.

The usual Health and Safety laws were operating and no photographers were harmed - unless of course anyone knows differently

Today of course even preserved railways are ending their photographic permits with no right to roam

After waiting for a local to clear the main ahead, the engineer on Amtrak train #2 has the throttle wide open to get back up to track speed at the east switch of Sugar Land siding southwest of Houston. In less than a year this wouldn't be a delay as the new main on the right would be fully in service.

While normally the eastbound Sunset makes its way through Sugar Land by 10 in the morning, today's trip has it more than 7 hours late due to a 4 hour delayed departure while holding for a tardy Coast Starlight in Los Angeles, plus the added delays from UP after having missed its slot across the Sunset Route.

If you look real close, you'll notice an FRA track inspection car between the locomotives and the baggage car.

AMT2 02 (EB Sunset Limited)

AMTK P42DC #10

AMTK P42DC #154

Sugar Land, TX

August 4th, 2015

Northern Rail Class 142. Redcar.

While watching the remote job a train from the east pulled into the other end of Global 3. After that a westbound BNSF train was cleared across the diamonds. Somewhat belatedly, I decided to roll the dice on perhaps that train having a meet at Chana (travelling without ATCS insights). The light was getting nice but there was nothing to be found at Chana so I dropped back down to Ashton. I was pleased to find an approaching westbound as soon as I got back to the UP. The lead unit however was underwhelming. Murphy's Law dictates that with CN in my backyard, I would go to northern Illinois and find a roached out CN GE running on the UP. It makes me appreciate the decent EMD offerings of the Minneapolis Sub but come on.

With towering thunderheads forming in the west I wanted to nab this land barge manifest in good light. Keeping ahead of it I sought a shot west of Frankin Grove. As has been known to happen, I set up and waited, waited, waited. I wasn't far ahead of the train and was left to wonder if the train lost it's air or some similar tragedy. I walked back to the truck before seeing the headlight come into view. There was no problem getting back into position again with the train making not much above walking speed. There was no mechanical difficulty and an NS GE buried way back in the train as a second motor. Instead they were killing time with an opposing Z train coming east on the close track that will need to clear the plant at Nachusa so this guy can crossover to main 1 and continue the trip west.

I was curious if I'd ever caught the 2230 on the Minneapolis Sub. A quick search showed that I did see this once almost 10 years ago. Interestingly, the day I saw it was the day I took delivery of my truck, now all these years later I see it a second time, this time during my inaugural outing with the new camera. I'm not sure what that means (likely nothing) but I found it interesting. August 10, 2023.

Class 25 D5185 is pictured departing Loughborough central on the Great Central railway. The 25 was hauling a service to Leicester north, and an interesting selection of diesel traction can be seen in the background. Two class 31's, 1 class 45 and a Deltic, all in full sun too.

Somewhere in my collection I have an old CB&Q postcard that describes this route as "Among the vine covered hills". There are few places where this is still in evidence quite as much as the stretch north of Glen Haven, WI. The vines and trees haven't greened up just yet but it won't be long as a warm afternoon sun seems magnified by the placid waters of the big river. April 10, 2016.

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

GM 084 passes through XW 188, Newrath no. 1 level-crossing with 3 empty timber wagons on the 0755hrs wagon transfer from Waterford to Limerick.

Viewed from OBKW 144B.

Click here for a video of 084 running light through Ballybrophy taken in 2012.

© Finbarr O'Neill

Friday, 13 March 2026

2611+2612 pass through Killacloyne between Glounthaune and Carrigtwohill working the 0815hrs Midleton to Cork commuter service.

As part of the ongoing Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme, the Youghal branch from Glounthaune to Midleton will be doubled. The existing single line will become the up line. The new down line between Carrigtwohill and Midleton was laid in 2025, but not yet connected at either end. The new down line between Glounthaune and Carrigtwohill is being laid this year, which can be seen here at Killacloyne.

© Finbarr O'Neill

Alta Via del Sale. In torrential downpour. For the whole day from 9 am to nightfall.

It was Alps Divide Day two for me. This weather was forecasted, but the extend and intensity was extraordinary. And it’s not me saying this. This came from quite a lot of very experienced people. Even people living in the UK and in Scotland and who have participated in events like Silkroad Mountain Race. E.g. both @Jennytough and @nielcopeland said this rain had broken the scale.

And wow - I literally rode through rivers running across the trails. At times just one side, at times on both sides. And it was chunky. As usual, the photos don’t do the real roughness of the surface justice. It was no mellow riding. It wouldn’t have even on good gravel surface as I did 3.400 meters of climbing on that day. But indeed it was a constant search for rideable lines over the chunky trails. Right through the middle of the streams running down the trails or next to it.

As long as I was moving and moving upwards the temperature weren’t that much of a problem. But for the descending parts the wet body had few reserves. Still not at the halfway mark, after quite a bit of a descending part and still 20 km from the next rifugio (i.e. more than 2 hours away) I was shivering so hard once stopped. Luckily I found a small opportunity to pull out my puffy jacket under a bit of shelter and put in on under my rain jacket. It took a while to stop shivering after staring to move again, but I finally could comfortably „swim“ all the rest of the Via Sale. It took me until well after dusk, when the rain finally subsided a little above Tende but gave way to dense and wet fog.

This was quite the experience.

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#AlpsDivide

#whatevertheweather

#bikepacking

#weitradeln

#ViaSale

#Rain

Motorcar 10000 on route Nº 66 on its way through the 'Borinage' the by that time still flourishing industrial (heavy industry) area around Charleroi and main source of income for a flourishing Wallonia (Belgium's French speaking part). The decline of that industry also meant closure of most tramlines. Wallonia prosperous in terms of economy and Flanders poor opposite today's situation.

PCC 7119 on route Nº 44 at the Sint Katelijne square, the exit to a temporarily end station of the East-West pre metro line. Pre metro, translated as advantage subway, is what Brussels builds at the end of the sixties and seventies (still building) In the first place a tunnel for the tram and later heavy rail or remaining light rail only.

a Northern 158 bound for Blackpool. This is the L&Y Calder Valley route at HallRoyd Junction. The photographer is facing Hebden Bridge, with Todmorden behind, and the tunnel is Millwood Tunnel. The unit is about to take the Copy Pit Line to Preston.

37190"Dalzell" Identified this.

Back again. Another work session including camera and phone. By evening I could tell there would be more westbounds than my last visit. I walked over just on time to catch this manifest between tree shadows and cloud shadows. Fountain City, WI, July 23, 2017.

Here is another project - cleaning out, sprucing up, dusting off, and organizing the games and puzzles. We are definitely not board here, and we are definitely not playing games with this de-cluttering project!!

I'll highlight my favs for you, you highlight your favs for me :)

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

When this river town was my home I'd regularly make the short walk to this spot after work. Car tracing was a thing back then. I would log on and trace 100 intermodal spine cars. Among that 100, a few would be on that days ZCHCSTP, ZCHCSSE or ZCHCPTL and have hit the scanner for La Crosse. I'd keep tabs on those cars until they'd pass the Winona Jct. scanner. Once they did it was time to head out the door. There was a little more variety back then and you could see more of the train wrapping around this curve.

Now I'm back painting and installing carpet in my old house between renters. Every so often I'll pull out my phone and take a look at the ATCS display for the (now all CTC) St. Croix Sub. At a glance I see what's happening and where. After a busy day things are getting quieter on the BNSF with a lone westbound making it's way out of North La Crosse. I go back to work for another half hour, check again and the train is going through Winona Jct. Time for a break. Just like old times I grab the camera and head over to the boat landing. Another glorious evening as folks relax on a patio and along the shore while a manifest rolls upriver.

Fountain City, WI, July 8, 2017.

A westbound TC&W train is about to cross Humboldt Ave. on the old Milwaukee Road double track across south Minneapolis. The old mainline didn't see much action by this time and the westbound TC&W freight was about the most reliable move to be found. In a few years the TC&W would be rerouted up to Cedar Lake Jct. and across the river on BNSF to reach St. Paul and this trackage would be removed and the corridor transformed into the Midtown Greenway bicycle path. This stretch from Uptown to Hiawatha Ave, is also under consideration as a future light rail route.

December 12, 1994.

LMS 8F No. 48624 heads a local service to Rothley on the Great Central railway.

This image seems to be a bit out of the ordinary for me, but I like it nonetheless. It was one of those shots that I took to just see what happens in the camera. In other words, I wasn't expecting much or trying to capture anything in particular. I might have even taken it without stopping my walk.

Sometimes I have the most fun and feel the most contented when I'm not thinking about composition or light or focus or all those other things that agreeably make a photograph a quality one. You know, the pics that get the most comments and faves. Heh : ) The quest for that photograph is a bit of a devil in disguise. For me, while I enjoy capturing beauty with a camera, that process can deprive (and possibly deprave) the senses, the essence, of me being outdoors.

But what do I know? Perhaps it is possible to simultaneously experience both conditions of joy - to be in the natural element while deftly photographing it. Instead of feeling discord amongst two varying priorities, maybe one could (or should?) realize that they can be congruous, maybe even augmentative. Again, I don't know.

However, I do know many others who claim photography graciously forces them to pay attention to the world around them. But can it eventually go to the other extreme? Can one become so focused on "the shot" that consciousness of the external world is forfeited in favor of an attempt at mastery of an instrument of luxury?

Obviously, I have some exploring to do.

Een plan T treinstel in Deurne, als stoptrein onderweg van Venlo naar Den Haag.

With all the money that has been spent over the last 23 years it's nice that this vestige of C&NW signalling is still hanging on at the Nachusa crossovers. Since my last visit the searchlights on the neighboring C&I have been replaced. August 11, 2018.

Tuesday, 28 January 2014

ICR #48 (22 048) arrives at Little Island with the 1745hrs commuter service from Cork to Midleton. Click here for a set of photos of the train in Midleton by Fred Dean.

The ICR formed part of the 1200 Heuston - Cork earlier in the day. Click here for a photo of the service at Kildare by the Wanderer.

© Finbarr O'Neill

via Instagram ift.tt/1RtNstL

Are ya feelin' alright?

A trio of General Electric ES44C4's run elephant style past Galesburg's Peck Park. Westbound BNSF 6856 is just clearing a work zone as they near the speed limit for town of 30m.p.h. This is the junction of the BNSF-Chillicothe subdivision (Ex-Santa Fe Transcon) double track mainline (lower) and the BNSF-Mendota subdivision, (BN mainline) which is also the start of the BNSF-Barstow subdivision atop the overpass. (Above) This would be the 1st of 3 trains in about 3 minutes.

* * * YouTube - youtu.be/OQ64BXTqeds * * *

An empty auto repo train parallels traffic on busy US 90A southwest of Houston. The grading to the left was part of a just-started double-tracking project on the Glidden Sub that was finished in 2016.

ASPLDR 08 (Autos- Spring, TX to Laredo, TX, Reposition)

NS C40-9W #9035

UP SD70ACe #8558

Sugar Land, TX

August 8th, 2014

BNSF 6871, GE ES44C4

BNSF 7620, GE ES44DC

BNSF 1108, GE C44-9W

153334 and 153364 depart from Malvern Link and pass the common on 20-5-19

This is the first day of the new timetable and having got rid of the 150's to Northern there is increased use of Class153's to cover the period that class170 and 172's are receiving attention.

The working is the 1V30 1550 Birmingham New Street to Hereford West Midlands Trains service

Tank engine 1501 on shunting duties at Bewdley South Signal Box as 43106 Flying Pig passes with the 3.40 p.m. train from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster on the Severn Valley Railway (SVR) on Sunday April 13th 2014. 1501 has just returned light engine from Kidderminster after returning there with the Severn Valley Limited dining train. The Flying Pig is carrying a wreath in memory of the mother of one of the footplate crew.

It was back to the Wisconsin side and despite some promising indications on ATCS the first place I was able to set up was Maiden Rock. This can be a tough place to shoot with some very large trees between the tracks and the river casting long shadows. The sun angles were pretty good this day and I was trying to line up a shot of an imminent eastbound. Somehow the towering mountain of plowed snow just behind me nearly escaped my attention. Just in the nick of time I scrambled up the pile and lined up a shot of this well-worn Dash 9 as it passes through "downtown" Maiden Rock. After this the line was pretty quiet within striking distance so I closed out a fun day of shooting and headed for home. February 18, 2017,

The tunnel boring machine at the end of the Caighei tunnel (2,618 meters), on the new not-so-coastal railway.

The single shield TBM is a Herrenknecht S-193 with a diameter of 11,840 mm. To discover the wonderful world of the TBM visit www.herrenknecht.com

The old Savona Ventimiglia railway was a "temporary" single track line since 1872, and its dualling was in the electoral promises of every politician since then (now they must find something else).

Anyway the project of this part of the new line, from Andora to San Lorenzo al Mare, leaves me very perplexed. On a total of 18,825 meters there are 16,224 meters of tunnel and 1,438 meters of bridges. This leaves 1,163 meters of tracks running at ground level.

To find these 1,163 meters the line had to be displaced near the hills, looking for places without too much buildings: now, who will reach Diano Marina (and Cervo, and San Bartolomeo al Mare, since their stations are suppressed) will be welcome by... the sewer depurator. Not a great business card indeed!

So, why the politicians (I'm sure engineers would have a better view of the problem) don't make a full underground line?

The old railway was a sort of Berlin Wall cutting in half all the towns on the coast, but the new one is not much better. The road system of some valleys is totally overturned (and this don't means "improved"), "temporary" roads are becoming almost permanent (I hope they wouldn't be "temporary" like the previous railway) and the heavy traffic of trucks is almost unbearable, specially on our narrow roads. Of course who decided the location of the new railway don't live here...

I hope to show you a photo of the new railway before digital photography becomes obsolete.

The photo was made with the prime lens Jupiter 21M, 200/4 @ f:8 on vibrating tripod (there was another steamroller like that in the photo working just under me).

La fresa alla fine della galleria Caighei (2618 metri) sulla nuova ferrovia non molto litoranea.

La fresa a scudo aperto è una Herrenknecht S-193 con un diametro di 11.840 mm. Per scoprire il meraviglioso mondo delle macchine TBM (Tunnel Boring Machines) visitate www.herrenknecht.com

La vecchia ferrovia Savona Ventimiglia era un tratto "temporaneo" a binario unico fino dal 1872, e il suo raddoppio è stato nelle promesse elettorali dei politici sin da allora (ora dovranno trovare qualcos'altro).

In ogni caso il progetto di questa tratta della nuova linea, tra Andora e San Lorenzo al Mare, mi lascia molto perplesso. Su un totale di 18.825 metri ci sono 16.224 metri di galleria e 1.438 metri di viadotti. Questo lascia 1.163 metri di binario a livello del suolo.

Per trovare questi 1.163 metri la linea ha dovuto essere spostata tra le colline, cercando siti non troppo urbanizzati: ora, chi vorrà raggiungere Diano Marina (e Cervo, e San Bartolomeo al Mare, visto che queste stazioni sono state soppresse) riceverà il benvenuto da parte... del depuratore fognario. Non un bel biglietto da visita!

Quindi, perché i politici (sono certo che gli ingegneri avrebbero avuto una visione migliore del problema) non hanno optato per una linea totalmente sotterranea?

La vecchia ferrovia era una specie di Muro di Berlino che tagliava in due le città sulla costa, ma quella nuova non è molto migliore. La viabilità di alcune valli è stata sconvolta (e questo non significa "migliorata"), le strade "temporanee" stanno diventando permanenti (spero non siano "temporanee" come la ferrovia precedente) ed il traffico di veicoli pesanti è quasi intollerabile, specie sulle nostre stradine. Naturalmente chi ha deciso la dislocazione della nuova ferrovia non vive qui...

Spero di potervi mostrare una foto della nuova ferrovia prima che la fotografia digitale diventi obsoleta.

La foto è stata fatta con la focale fissa Jupiter 21M, 200/4 a f:8 su cavalletto vibrante (c'era un altro rullo compressore come quello nella foto che lavorava proprio sotto di me).

We've taken to calling it "CRPA weather" (Center for Railroad Photography & Art) after the conference we try to attend each spring. Around January-February we'll RSVP and book a motel room, that starts the daydreaming about traveling and nice weather since the conference is nearly in May. Sadly, almost without fail the weather turns out to be a taste of winter in the middle of spring, winds, rain, snow and plenty of clouds. The good news is that the indoor conference becomes a welcome respite. This year was marked by biblical rains. We made a point of seeing a little Metra this year. As we reached the fringe of Chicagoland the tail end of the evening rush on the Union Pacific North West line was our target, clouds be damned. April 28, 2017.

Step back from the edge and for a few hundred feet before the trail turns back to doubletrack and loose rock, there's sand. An easy transition band between the "canyon zone" and the "mountain zone", wish the whole trail could have been like this.

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Spring Break 2015: "and finally, the tortoise"

April 4, 2015: An overview of Snow Canyon from Red Mountain; moving camp to Las Vegas.

Class 33 D6535 heads through Woodthorpe on the Great central railway, hauling a Leicester north-Loughborough. This was my second attempt at a pan shot. My first attempt was pretty woeful. But feel there is an improvement with this one.

Amtrak GE P30CH (Pooch) # 710, with a 9 car northbound train is seen departing the Staples Mill Road station at Richmond, Virginia, during July 1976. The train is heading to Washington D.C., on the double tracked RF&P mainline. These GE locomotives were first ordered by Amtrak because they could provide HEP service for the new Amfleet cars.

A rather tired looking BR Blue 45041 "Royal Tank Regiment" is pictured at Quorn and Woodhouse railway station on the Great Central railway. The Peak was hauling the 11:15 service from Loughborough-Leicester north during the railways autumn diesel gala.

Like some others, I too regard baretable trains as roster shots with clutter behind them but with power like this it was still worth shooting. Looking back at my shots from my old lunch spot this mid-day baretable seemed to be a semi-regular occurrence. Winona Jct., WI, October 10, 2002.

Dreamy double track in Kyrgyzstan approaching the anything but dreamy 30 km hike-a-bike section over Suyek Pass (4020m).

A pair of GEVO's lead a B-DENSBD south out of the trench in Littleton as it departs the Denver area for the Joint Line.

Friday, 17 May 2013

In the pouring rain, CAF DVT 4006 leads the 1620hrs InterCity service from Cork to Dublin Heuston through Mourneabbey, propelled buy GM 217.

© Finbarr O'Neill

This scene is now the end of doubletrack, the Rail-America-esque Fortress scheme SD70M-2s are elsewhere, but the downtown of Stuart, FL looks the same. September 2012.