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Barstow, California BNSF Classification Yard
May 19, 2019 02:36:06   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
Yesterday, I loaded up the car at 3:00 A.M. and drove to Barstow, California to catch the sunrise and to photograph the BNSF Classification Yard. The Yard has very high security with cameras and RR police everywhere and the railroads will not give you permission to go on their property mainly for safety, liability and other concerns.

It was a very windy day in the desert on Friday. The sustained winds were almost 30 MPH with gusts to 45 MPH when I was on bridges and hills. My heavy duty tripod was too heavy to safely lug uphill and my lighter tripod was too light to be of use. I used my monopod because it doubles as a hiking stick, but it was only marginally helpful when it came to steading the camera. The only thing that saved the day was high shutter speed and VR lenses for my Nikon D800. In any case, I got the necessary shots for my project.

These photographs are part of a series I have been working on that covers the railroads from Long Beach Harbor through the Cajon Pass and to Barstow.

Two trains approaching Barstow at dawn
Two trains approaching Barstow at dawn...
(Download)

The train in the background is headed to the Cajon Pass and on to LA or Long Beach Harbor
The train in the background is headed to the Cajon...
(Download)

Another train approaches Barstow from the Cajon Pass
Another train approaches Barstow from the Cajon Pa...
(Download)

The BNSF Classification Yard. The two humps are on the left.
The BNSF Classification Yard. The two humps are on...
(Download)

A closer look
A closer look...
(Download)

4636 leaves the yard and heads East
4636 leaves the yard and heads East...
(Download)

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May 19, 2019 06:23:34   #
Guyserman Loc: Benton, AR
 
Looks like you caught a rolling boxcar in your "hump" yard photo. Nice picture. Hump yards are fascinating. 30 or more years ago I used to visit one in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

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May 19, 2019 06:24:53   #
Plieku69 Loc: The Gopher State, south end
 
Looks great. The BNSF has a smaller yard in Guernsey, Wyoming for all their east bound coal trains. I am thinking I need to leave Denver tomorrow and head that way.
Ken

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May 19, 2019 06:54:46   #
russelray Loc: La Mesa CA
 
I was there on May 8 and again on May 12. I usually wind up in Barstow every six months or so. I could sit at the historic Harvey House Depot all day long and watch BNSF, UP, and Amtrak trains roll through. You can go onto the N. 1st Ave. bridge and get some great shots of the trains that go through the yard, and if you go to the Harvey House Depot you can park and walk around, getting great sunset pictures of trains and the N. 1st Ave. bridge.







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May 19, 2019 07:24:35   #
RSPB Loc: New York
 
Thanks for posting these- if we ever get to California will definitely look up this place. We have a hump yard about an hour and half south of us in Selkirk ,NY that we visit often. Used to have a bridge over the middle of the yard that we could stand on to take pics, but they tore it down a few years back. Only had the RR police approach us once and ask for ID while we were taking pictures and video. One of the recent issues of Trains Magazine had an article about the dismantling of a number of the humps in yards - they may soon be a thing of the past.

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May 19, 2019 07:54:10   #
Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina
 
Very nice!!! I grew up around the east and westbound humps at Conway just west of Pittsburgh. The P&LE also had a hump at Gateway yard near Youngstown, Ohio. EL at Marion, Ohio and the N&W at Bellevue, Ohio. CSX has Queensgate in Cincinnati, still I believe too. Much of railroading has turned to blocks and unit trains.

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May 19, 2019 11:19:46   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
Guyserman wrote:
Looks like you caught a rolling boxcar in your "hump" yard photo. Nice picture. Hump yards are fascinating. 30 or more years ago I used to visit one in North Little Rock, Arkansas.


Your eyes are better than mine. Can you pinpoint for me where the boxcar is in the photo? All I can make out is strings of cars.

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Jun 5, 2019 20:20:03   #
DickC Loc: NE Washington state
 
A nice group!!

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