T.G.'s Photography Blog

On a partly cloudy morning in East Syracuse, New York, I was waiting at on the western end of CSX's DeWitt Yard for Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited. While waiting, I was able to catch two other trains at the yard. CSXT 112 and CSXT 5350 leading Q560-01 The first train I caught was Q560-01, a daily manifest freight train that runs from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Selkirk, New York. Along the trains journey to Selkirk, it makes a stop at DeWitt Yard to drop off and pick up cars. Below, at Bridge Street, Q560 comes around the curve on Track 1 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision (STS) at CP285. Behind the bridge and train are the old New York Central coaling towers .  CSXT 112 leads Q560 at CP285 Below, CSXT 112 and CSXT 5350 lead train Q560-01 onto the New Lead, from Track 1 of the STS. The block signals on the cantilever signal bridge control the yard's departure lead tracks. Q560-01 eastbound on the New Lead at DeWitt Yard Q115 being switched by CSXT 3390 and CSXT 479 While train Q560...

CP 5982 and CP 5776 - Gorham, IL Canadian Pacific (CP) 5982 and CP 5776 lead a trailer train under the old signal bridges at Gorham, IL. The train was heading north on Union Pacific's (UP) Chester Subdivision, and it would eventually make its way to the St. Louis area, via Dupo, IL. Both of these locomotives were built as EMD SD40-2 models . CP 5982 was built in January, 1981, and CP 5776 was built in February 1976. These signal bridges date from the days when this line was a former Missouri Pacific (MoPac) line, before the Union Pacific acquired the MoPac in 1982. While both of these signal bridges look to still be visible on Google Maps' satellite view, many of the old MoPac era signal bridges along this line are now gone. The signal bridge in the background (middle right of the photograph) is a cantilever type signal bridge . This train was a surprise, and quite a different sight from the standard parade of Union Pacific Amour Yellow locomotives that haul tra...

BNSF 9833 works as the distributed power unit (DPU) on an east bound coal train, while a Norfolk Southern train and another BNSF train wait their turn to roll through Birmingham Junction .  The BNSF's Brookfield Subdivision and Norfolk Southern's Kansas City District share tracks between North Kansas City, Missouri and Birmingham, Missouri. Way back when I took this image, Birmingham Junction was easily accessible. The last time I was there around 2013 or 2014, the access road, from which I took this image, was closed off and no trespassing signs were posted. This image was captured on Kodak 400 Royal Gold film and scanned on a Nikon Coolscan film scanner. The resulting scan was saved as a Nikon NEF RAW file, which was then post processed in Adobe Camera RAW and Adobe Photoshop. Photo taken: Spring 2001. Birmingham, Missouri.

AMTK 186 - Maplewood, MO With three  Superliner cars  in tow, AMTK 186 and another Amtrak locomotive lead Amtrak's Ann Rutledge west on Union Pacific's Jefferson City Subdivision. In the distance, a DPU on an eastbound coal train is splitting the signals that guard the crossovers at  Control Point D007 , which are just to the east of Canterbury Avenue. These days, Amtrak trains that run between St. Louis, Missouri, and Kansas City, Missouri, are called the Missouri River Runner trains. The Ann Rutledge originally ran between Chicago, Illinois, St. Louis, Missouri, and Kansas City, Missouri. Amtrak trains running between Chicago and St. Louis are now known as Lincoln Service trains. Photo taken: February 27, 2006. Maplewood, Missouri.

In this view from St. Paul Station MBTA 3881 rolls inbound (away from the camera) down the middle of Commonwealth Avenue, on the Green Line's B Branch. Photo taken: June 3, 2017. Boston, Massachusetts. Photo © Tom Gatermann

Green Line Train - Pearl/Arts District - Dallas, TX A DART Green Line train departs the Pearl/Arts District Station. The next stop is the station in Deep Ellum. In the distance is a Red Line train that recently departed the station and is heading into the core of downtown Dallas. Photo taken: May 2, 2017. Dallas, Texas.

After waiting for a new crew, Union Pacific 6510 gets the green signal to proceed south under the old cantilever type signal bridge , on UP's Chester Subdivision at Dupo Yard. This old signal bridge was still standing the last time I was in Dupo, circa 2014. It is located along Main Street, at Lindeman Avenue.  Photograph taken on November 2, 2005, at Dupo, Illinois.

Signs seem to be everywhere along Canadian National's Dundas Subdivision between the VIA station and the Thames Street crossing. This view is looking eastward from the station platform. The Dundas Subdivision runs between Bayview Junction in Hamilton, Ontario (to the east) and London, Ontario (to the west). Photo taken: Ingersoll, Ontario. September 18, 2015. Photo © Tom Gatermann

A Union Pacific double-stack train passes under one of the old Santa Fe style signal bridges along BNSF's Marceline Subdivision . Today, I believe that all of these old signal bridges are now gone, having been replaced with newer tri-color modular block signals that sit atop signal poles alongside the tracks. These signal bridges, I thought, always added a nice touch of framing when photograph trains along this line. May 26, 2005. Wyaconda, Missouri.

GO Transit 239 A cab control car, GO Transit (GOT) 239, brings up the rear of a commuter train heading to Toronto Union Station on the Union Station Rail Corridor. The train was heading to Union Station to pick up passengers for the ride home during the afternoon commuter rush . In the distance is GO Transit 562, which was waiting to push its train into the station. The yellow bridge over the train is a pedestrian bridge located between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue. In the background of the photograh is part of Rogers Centre. Photo taken: July 10, 2014, at Toronto, Ontario.

Seen here heading south is Union Pacific 844, as it leads a train under the old MoPac signal bridge at Rhymer Road and Illinois Route 3, just north of McClure, Illinois. June 4, 2011. North of McClure, Illinois.

Autoracks - Maplewood, MO Autorack cars on a westbound Union Pacific train enter the curve along Greenwood Blvd., near the Sutton Blvd. crossing, on UP's Jefferson City Subdivision. In the distance one of the signals can be seen for the crossovers at Control Point D007 (mile post 6.9) on the subdivision. The train was only just beginning it trek across the state of Missouri from St. Louis to Kansas City. The Jefferson City Subdivision runs from Gratiot Interlocking, near downtown St. Louis, to River Junction, in Jefferson City, MO. Once the train gets to Jefferson City, MO. it would take UP's Sedalia Subdivision onward to Kansas City. Photo taken: October 18, 2005. Maplewood, Missouri.

Cab control car - GOT 211 - Signal Bridge A cab control car, GO Transit 211, is on the end of a train heading east toward Toronto Union Station, on the Union Station Rail Corridor (USRC). The train is passing under the signal bridge to the east of Bathurst Street. Photo taken: July 12, 2013, at Toronto, Ontario.

August 14, 2008. Hinsdale, Illinois. This view is looking east down the BNSF's Chicago Subdivision, through the signal bridge at the Metra Highlands Station. In the distance three sets of head lights can be seen on approaching Metra Commuter trains, as well as part of the signal bridge at Western Springs, IL. To the left the top of the Western Springs Water Tower can be seen, and even further away is the Sear's Tower. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

April 28, 2012. Diggins, Missouri. BNSF 6201 leads an empty coal train north on the BNSF's Thayer North Subdivision, at Box School Loop Road. The train is about 20 miles from Springfield, MO. From there it will continue on to Kansas City, and then on to the Powder River Coal Basin for another load of coal. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

August 23, 2005. Southeast of Wright, WY. In this image the entire length of a Union Pacific coal train can be seen, as it rolls north on the BNSF's Orin Subdivision in the Powder River Coal Basin. The lead locomotives are just over the slight hump near the two block signals in the far distance. This was taken alongside Hilight Road, somewhere between Hwy 450 and Edwards/Reno Road. Photo © Tom Gatermann

October 17, 2008. Fort Madison, Iowa. A Union Pacific trackage rights train is about to pass under the old Santa Fe style signal bridge at Fort Madison. The train is heading westward on BNSF's Chillicoth Subdivision. The signal on the right is indicating that another train has been lined west on the right-hand main. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

November 10, 2006. Maplewood, Missouri. Union Pacific 3629 (SD40-2) leads train west on the UP's Jefferson City Subdivision. In the background to the left of the train you can see one of the signals for the control point and crossovers at Maplewood, MO. Photo © Tom Gatermann.

Union Pacific 7247 and CSXT 7527 sit just east of the signals at the old Tuxedo Park station, on the Union Pacific's Jefferson City Subdivision. Photo taken: October 31, 2006. Webster Groves, Missouri. Photo © Tom Gatermann

December 24, 2011. Thornhill, Vaughan, Ontario. A Canadian National (CN) train rolls east on the CN's York Subdivision at Hilda Avenue. Photo © Tom Gatermann.