Ludlow Adventure 2011 - The Report

[chris_wlkr]

Well regardless of the abnormal cold winds we had all weekend and below average temperatures I had a great time returning to one of my favorite places to camp and chase trains from.

Over the 3 day span I shot 851 photos. Pretty sure that is an all time high count for me. Not all of them rail photos though as some time was spent on Route 66 relics.

I have a lot of photos to edit, but wanted to get this thread started off.

Here is a 7 image stitched panoramic of an eastbound stack train starting the climb out of Ludlow heading for the grade crossing at National Trails Hwy (Route 66). This was shot after we broke camp Sunday morning.

   

Feel free to add in your best images and share your experiences.

I will add more images when I get them edited.

Chris

[jeff]

Despite the cold weather at night and in the early morning, this year's trek out to the Mojave Desert
was once again a fantastic trip. This marks the first year, in several years, where the EZ Hut was not
deployed and the entire railfanning event was "Roam and Foam". Attendance was strong again...
we had five campers at Ludlow, and numerous motelers at the Ramada in Barstow.

Train activity was high according to my observations, but we did have regular lulls that always seem
to plague the railfan community. Most times is was more like a parade than a lull. We hit some locations
that are old favorites, and also found a few new angles that were some how missed in previous years.

I am looking forward to seeing what quality imagery others have captured. I am also looking forward
to share my perspective as well. I will start my offerings off with a shot from Minneola, just east of Daggett.
I will get to the main bulk of my photos later tonight or in the next few days...


~ jeff


Eastbound at Minneola, MP 731 on the Needles Subdivision.
   

[kenszok]

I agree with Chris and Jeff.

In spite of the weather, the trip was great because of being in the company of friends. It was different, but a good experience by all as far as I can tell. I always seem to find the Needles sub a very photogenic place. I have lots of shots to work through as I believe is another thing many of us share.

I am looking forward to other reports and perspectives.

I will leave one shot from the grade crossing at Pisgah which shows an eastbound manifest continuing on through the Mojave Desert.

   

[Holloran Grade]

I had a good time and this was the first time that I have been out in this area for the specific purpose of railfaning.

It was also nice to shoot with people you know.

Ken and I have often shot together over the years, so that was cool.

The area is very photogenic and it was nice to put some things together that involved the Mojave Desert proper, rather than Cajon which is actually a border between the Mojave and the coastal chaparral.

It was also cool that we hit the place in the spring of a particularly wet year since the desert floor was quite green and there were flowers everywhere.

I found the area between Lavic and Cadiz to be particularly interesting and it would be cool to spend a year photographing it as I have done Cajon and Fullerton.

Now for some pictures.....

Click on the link below the image to get information about the picture.

Coming into Cadiz



http://www.flickr.com/photos/36722129@N0...hotostream

Climbing Out of Ludlow



http://www.flickr.com/photos/36722129@N0...hotostream

Holding the Main at Minneola



http://www.flickr.com/photos/36722129@N0...hotostream

BNSF 6670 & 6671 at West Amboy California



http://www.flickr.com/photos/36722129@N0...otostream/

Facing the Sun at Lavic



http://www.flickr.com/photos/36722129@N0...hotostream

Roys Cafe



http://www.flickr.com/photos/36722129@N0...otostream/

Taking the Turn at Lavic



http://www.flickr.com/photos/36722129@N0...otostream/

Tanks at Cadiz



http://www.flickr.com/photos/36722129@N0...otostream/

And there is this one that I got on the way up the Pass.

Nearing the Summit



http://www.flickr.com/photos/36722129@N0...otostream/

*******************************************************

And here are a few that I borrowed from my buddy Bill Stonewall.

Fullerton comes to West Amboy.

   

Camp Ludlow by moonlight.

   

Opps, the wheels are cut off.

   

I have many more and will put them up as I get through them.


TCS - Now do you get it?

[mkstarks]

Looking forward to the rest of the images gents.

[bastatim4294]

(04-12-2011 04:42 PM)mkstarks Wrote:  Looking forward to the rest of the images gents.

[chris_wlkr]

Okay.. well I have made it through most of my Friday images so I will post a few and get this train rolling again.

I picked up Ken at his place and we rolled over to Pepper Ave to meet up with Jeff. What was planned to be just a short meet up and bail turned into an hour and a half of great image capturing.

My first capture of the journey was of the GATX plant switcher. GMTX 7000.... this cool looking engine was built on a former SW1200 frame. I like that it retained the look of a traditional switch engine.

   

Uncle Pete had both of their switch engine set's working the east end so we got to see both sets. Here is one of them with UP 3559 leading the pull east.

   

UP 5356 pulled a train into the yard after coming off the Mojave Sub

   

Two other trains were lined up and waiting for crews as UP 3559 shoved back and lined up with them.

   

Jack Ball # 44300 was dressed for the weather and happy to be seeing trains again after a few winters spent in a nightstand drawer.

   

[chris_wlkr]

Still hanging at Pepper Ave ....

UP 8138 was the first of the two trains to get the green out of the yard.

   

UP 4054 was on the trailing end of a set of engines that pulled east of Pepper to change tracks.

       

UP 9460 was on the other end.

   

UP 4779 pulled east with a small cut of cars around the same time GMTX 7000 was pulling cars around the GATX yard.

   

UP 4779 shoves back against another cut of cars.

   

[chris_wlkr]

The GMTX 7000 continued working around the GATX yard doing much of the same in the other image.

       

Jeff arrived and proceeded to capture some of the action. Seen here with Ken also.

   

We decided to wait here for HG since he was close by and then we would caravan up the hill.

The clouds were really amazing the entire time we were there. I captured a few cool shots that I wanted to share.

               

[chris_wlkr]

After HG arrived we started up to Cajon Pass and exited at Kenwood to follow Route 66 and the tracks. We spotted an eastbound so we stopped near the stone arch bridges to wait for the eastbound with good light. Unfortunately we also met a westbound on the outside track which screened out the eastbound shots most of us had planned.

Here is my shot of the westbound..

BNSF 7281 leading a full train of autoracks down the C.Pass.

   

Then it was up to Summit where we found another westbound and some leftover snow from the night's storm.

Here is the eastbound we meant to capture heading towards Summit with some of the snow left on the side of the hill cut in the shade.

   

From here we traveled Summit Valley Road to Hesperia and then zig zagged our way to Victorville to re-connect with Route 66.

I spotted this abandoned building near the Riverside cement plant that I wanted to photograph so I stopped the caravan.

   

While we were there, BNSF 7558 rolled bye with a stack train. Here is Ken capturing the train passing.