New California trip!

You read it right, plans for a new California trip in June is now underway! Here is how it goes:

Thursday: There are many possibilities, and you will decide which one in the next long poll!

• Burbank International Airport Metrolink/Amtrak station.- I only added this because my mom will be there.
• Pomona, CA-A giant trash can, but great for trains.
• Cajon Pass-The busiest freight mainline in all of Southern California.
• Corona, CA-Closest to home, busy line, what else do you need to know?

Friday: Back to Fullerton again! I shot this video back in December:

Saturday: Back to Carlsbad again!

Spring, TX video

I took these Monday the 12th.

Videos from Rosenberg!

On the first clip on the first video, it is Richmond, TX. The rest are in Rosenberg.

On this video, in the last clip, the car is the FRA inspection car. I am not 100% sure what it does, but I think it inspects the track. There is only one of this kind, and I caught it COMPLETELY by surprise! 

Wayside horns for dummies

Boo!

First of all, seriously, wayside horns ARE for dummies. They are basically fake horns that are put in "quiet" zones, which are also for dummies. But, if they are going to put these up in a "quiet" zone, then they might as well not make it a quiet zone. They are no-good boxes of ear-pain. Little or no railfans come to crossings with wayside horns, here is why:

1. The sound quality is horrible. My cat could make a fake horn better than wayside can.

2. They are supposed to warn drivers, just like train horns would. And cause ear pain, even with all windows shut tightly? Yeah, right.

3. They don't even use the correct sequence. Regular trains do a crossing sequence of long, long, short, long. Simple. These just go HOOOOOONNNNNKKK, HOOOOONNNKKKK, from the time the signals start up until the train comes. I have even been to a few places where the horn even honked ten times before the train came, and twice after. What does it do when the crossing malfunctions? I don't even want to know.

4. They take away the joys of railfanning. This does not just pertain to quiet zones, either. Railfans want to hear real horns, not a tape recorder inside a megaphone. The K5HLL is my least favorite type of horn. I find it better then these artificial horns.

Stay tuned for our next episode: Quiet zones for dummies!

Rosenberg, TX

Tomorrow, I will be railfanning Rosenberg, TX. None of these videos are mine, they were filmed by YouTube user jrahrig:

A UP train in Rosenberg:

A BNSF train in Rosenberg:

The BNSF Rosenberg local in Rosenberg:

For those of you who know about the Sunset Route that goes through San Timoteo Canyon in California, this UP line is the same line. These videos were shot at the platform at the Rosenberg railroad museum. That is where I will be taping the trains, also. Wish me luck, and I will post my Rosenberg, Spring, and another Fullerton video tomorrow or Friday.

Fullerton, AGAIN again!

6,000 views!

Party!

Poll

Well, after a disappointing poll with only four votes, Beaumont won. I might give Rosenberg a second chance, though...

Fullerton, AGAIN!

New poll: YOU decide my next trip!

Yep! You decide my next day/multi-day trip coming up here in March!

Choice A: Beaumont, TX: I have never been here, I don't know what to tell you ,I just know that there has to be a busy interchange because many tracks spike out of Beaumont.

Choice B: Rosenberg, TX: Long-term readers of my blog know that I railfanned and took videos of trains at Richmond, TX. Well, here is the city where that BNSF line and a UP line meet!

Choice C: Spring, TX: I threw this in with an "Oh, what the heck" attitude. I don't think this would be the best trip, but this is the place I know the most about.

Choice D: Saginaw, TX: This puts the "multi" in multi-day trip. We live near 300+ miles from Fort Worth. Saginaw is about two or three miles north. However, Saginaw is also where the complete BNSF headquarters lies. When we went to the headquarters, I was hoping for a tour or more of a guest-type museum. We got a museum, but a very small one. I got myself a hat at the gift shop, though. Also, Saginaw is THE best bet if you need to catch a train to live.

Any more questions? Google it, or if it is small, ask me! The poll will run for 1 1/2 weeks starting tonight. It will end Wednesday, March 6th.

Through the passes Day ONE part 11

Getting back to that, yeah

Cameron Canyon Rd., Cameron

The relay box

A signal with a Western Cullen Hayes electronic bell

Fullerton!!!

Finally, a long video from Fullerton is ready for you!

La Mirada local in Fullerton

Watch the video in YouTube for the description.

Inactivity

Sorry for the lack of posting... I have not been really into making videos lately.

Last one from Hill 582

Last one before Fullerton!

A few from Hill 582

The first two trains we saw, including the M-BARWAT:

And a few more, including the Christmas officer special, and a 3-way meet. The clip I play the first 14 seconds of the video is actually the intro I will use on the rest of my December trip videos.

Here it is!

Just as I promised! My first December trip video just finished uploading! Taken from part one: Cajon Pass in Devore:

Long and slow I know.

Blogging while railfanning

I will try to post live updates WITHOUT pictures, as that failed in June. I will try to post once every two hours. I may not be able to post from Hill 582, as it is on a dirt access road in the middle of the Mojave Desert. I will be able to post at the station platforms, though, as they are all in towns. Here is a sample

Title: 2:00 P.M. Fullerton update.
Last posted at: 12:02 P.M.(all times Pacific).
# of freights since last update: 9
# of Amtraks since last update: 4
# of Metrolinks since last update: 1

The posts will look kind of like that. I will make updates at every even hour. That means that I will post at 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, and 10:00.

This is the last post I will make before Hill 582 on Monday, and I would like to say thanks to any railfans who are willing to join me on my trips, and I wish everyone a safe and happy holidays!

Changes

I completely forgot we will be going to a family dinner Wednesday night, so Hill 582 will be Monday, Riverside will be Wednesday.

Final Roster for December trip

Yep, here it is:

1.Riverside: I found an extra spot so we can do this on a weekday instead of that Sunday.
2.Fullerton: Yep, I bumped Fullerton up to part 2 instead of 3. And it is still on the day I want also(that Tuesday).
3.Hill 582: On Cajon Pass, that hill gives great vantage point.
4.Carlsbad: This does not seem like the grand finale type of trip, but I decided to make it the same day my grandfather gets the Christmas turkey. We will also leave at around 5:00 or so, to watch the Texans on Thursday night football(go Texans!).

As always, it will stay this way unless something sudden happens, such as an illness or my flight getting cancelled. If something does happen, they will go away in this order:
1.Riverside
2.Hill 582
3.Carlsbad
4.Fullerton

If I could use paint, I would try to make a logo for this... oh well...

By the way, the Riverside poll ends next week... just saying.