I'm not familiar with the area to know which direction the photo is looking, but you'll notice that the MRL unit's headlights are not on, so it's definitely not the front of the train.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
With all of the lumber on the train, I think it is safe to assume it is an eastward train.
"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
Thanks everybody on the information! I am so happy that there is a resource such as this for people like me who have many questions about railroading!
Check out the Balfour and Colucci Creek Southern Railroad, my proto-freelanced N scale model railroad, at bccsrailroad.weebly.com or on Youtube on my channel, N Scale Train Boy.
-Dennis
Thank you guys so much! I was just wondering.
According to the caption the train is eastbound/uphill. You are looking at the downhill end, and the locos are working hard enough to keep clean stacks. Heavy diesel smoke is a result of poor combustion. If the engine is loaded up there aren't any cool spots, so combustion is much more complete.
If you get a map view of Caliente you'll notice that it really is a rather long hairpin. If you had been the cameraman, the Loop would have been up over your left shoulder.
Chuck (EX-Californian modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Also if you look at the picture, the loco is at the rear of the train, pushing. It is not the lead loco.
j.........
MRL has gone over Tehachapi Pass eastbound, once that we're sure of. NS and CN locos show up on every other BNSF train. Brother Husman explained why.
As for location, that's the uphill side of the Caliente hairpin. If you look hard at the right edge of the photo, right next to the darker green trees, you can see a bit of the lower level track this train traversed about five minutes earlier, heading in the opposite direction.
The Loop is several twisting, turning miles ahead (and uphill) and the actual summit at Tehachapi is several tunnels farther along.
(Yes, I lived in the area.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Just so N Scale Train Boy knows what is happening in that picture. At some point before the picture was taken, the MRL used a BNSF engine to operate one if its trains on its railroad. That meant the MRL owed the BNSF for the use of the engine (measured in "horsepower hours"). To pay the BNSF back for the use of the BNSF engine the MRL let the BNSF use one of its engines. While that is an MRL engine it is not an MRL train, or crew and the MRL has no rights to operate on Tehachapi, as soon as the hphrs are paid back the BNSF will return the engine to the MRL.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
NorthWest Well, you won't lose any money then... http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=419978&nseq=3 This is certainly a rare event though, which has only happened about one other time that I know of. It is extremely rare for MRL power to escape their railroad to others.
Well, you won't lose any money then...
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=419978&nseq=3
This is certainly a rare event though, which has only happened about one other time that I know of. It is extremely rare for MRL power to escape their railroad to others.
The Loop is located between Bakersfield and Mojave, in southern California. That's a mighty long haul from Montana!
Not impossible that a unit painted for MRL could have gone over that particular hill, but I wouldn't bet any of MY money on it.
Chuck (Mojave Desert resident modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)