A selection of shots taken between 27 and 31 October 2000, my first visit to Tehachapi in over a year. Lots of nice spots and more BNSF helpers on downhill trains, but fewer interesting consists and a real mix of weather and light (the Saturday evening was the end of daylight saving time). Another disturbing trend is way too many UP yellow and BNSF orange and yellow locos By the way, BNSF: the 70's are over!
Pics taken on Fujichrome 100, Ectachrome 200, and a few at the end on Fuji 100 print film. For the first time ever, I used a tripod for almost all shots on the first few days. Highly recommended! All pics copyright Darryl K Bond, but you can use them for non-commercial purposes as long as you give me all the credit and and let me know.
| At Caliente, UP Dash-8 9392, awaits a downhill as encroaching high cloud covers the sunset. |  |
| Early Saturday morning sees a heavy coal train threading its way around the Allard hoseshoe, which is part of the long Bealeville loop. The horseshoe is quite deep, as evidenced by most of this long train being out of sight to the left. Four big AC units are helped at the rear by an SD70M, Dash-8 and a repainted tunnel motor. |  |
| Same train, same spot, same half light. |  |
| A string of double stacks and trailers follows 4 pumpkin patch Dash-9s through the curves at the western (downhill) end of Bealville. Despite the optical illusion created by an elevated position, the train is actually on a continuous uphill. |  |
| Slightly further uphill, a BNSF manifest with a refreshing lack of post-merger colour trundles gently downhill. |  |
| Another uphill train is headed by an impressive quantity of locomotives, something that has become rarer in recent years. As the number of modern, high horsepower locos has increased on both BNSF and UP, a large number of smaller, older and leased locos have been released for other duties, sold or returned to lessors. |  |