Western Railroad Discussion > Turning a blocked U.P. grade crossing into a rare photo opp

I was on my way to a middle school football game late Tuesday afternoon when I stumbled onto a Union Pacific Railroad local working a CSM Bakery Products plant on the north end of an industrial spur (former ATSF Railway Leavenworth branch) in Bonner Springs, Kan. The local already had Santa Fe Road blocked only a couple of blocks from the Bonner Springs High School football stadium where the game was to be played.

Unlike some other motorists who were turning around to take a detour, I decided it was a golden opportunity to shoot some pictures and a video clip. A four-axle EMD GP engine was in charge of the local.

Photo One shows the general scene when I first spotted the local, which had already started its various moves.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/16 06:11 by JoCoLB.

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Let's get to the action. Here is a video clip of the train starting to shove some cars into the bakery plant.

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This view shows the head end portion of the train on the industrial spur lead on the east side of Santa Fe Road.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/16 05:57 by JoCoLB.

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The industrial spur is stubbed off a short distance north of the CSM plant track. This provides a good spot to park the caboose or shoving platform before switching takes place. This view shows two empty hoppers next to the caboose after being pulled from the plant site. 

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Here is a better side view of the caboose. I snapped this picture through the windshield of my car on leaving the area. 

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There is a rather steep incline for the local to negotiate as it moves in and out of the CSM plant just off of the lead.

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Here's my parting shot as I headed on to the ball game after the train cleared the crossing. 

I'm happy to report that my grandson's team won their football game, 22-18.  With the game victory and bagging this unexpected series of photos, I considered it a double good day.

(Photos by Larry Byers, 6-18-15)

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I've been told the four-axle U.P. #730 is a former Missouri Pacific Railroad engine. 

JoCoLB Wrote:
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> I've been told the four-axle U.P. #730 is a former
> Missouri Pacific Railroad engine. 

     MP  2230

What model is it?
 

JoCoLB Wrote:
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> What model is it?
>  

EMD GP38-2. Btw, the strobes on the cab roof denote that it's a remote control locomotive.

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