Wish You Were Here ... EXTRA edition - Rain Day - GEVO's and PHL Leased MP2000C ... Posted on: 02/21/2005 - Re-Posted: 01/05/08
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Wish You Were Here - EXTRA edition 02/21/05:
Had the day off work today thanks to the Presidents, spent the first part of the morning playing Microsoft Train Simulator now that I finally figured out how to add new engines and rolling stock... it was fun, got to do some railfanning while it was dumping rain outside in the real world. Along came a break in the storm so I headed down to the Los Angeles harbor area for some photos. Shooting pictures during storm breaks can often provide very dramatic sky for your backgrounds, but today the rains and the engines selection provided the drama.
Heading south down Alameda Blvd. the clouds got darker and the south end was being hit hard with a downpour of rain. PHL 42 was backing down to CP Sepulveda to start work on a stack train at the classification yard south of Dolores.
First photo subject of the day was a new GE ES44 otherwise known as a GEVO engine standing for GE's Evolution series engine. UP 5360 was tied down just north of the Del Almo overpass along Alameda Blvd. It was awaiting a new crew to come and take it the rest of the way south to the UP's Dolores engine facility.
Down at Dolores yard these two GECX lease engines were being used to move a train of empty well cars into ICTF.
Down at Dolores yard these two GECX lease engines were being used to move a train of empty well cars into ICTF.
First photo subject of the day was a new GE ES44 otherwise known as a GEVO engine standing for GE's Evolution series engine. UP 5360 was tied down just north of the Del Almo overpass along Alameda Blvd. It was awaiting a new crew to come and take it the rest of the way south to the UP's Dolores engine facility.

Heading south down Alameda Blvd. the clouds got darker and the south end was being hit hard with a downpour of rain. PHL 42 was backing down to CP Sepulveda to start work on a stack train at the classification yard south of Dolores.
Over at the Watson Wye was a brand new GE ES44DC BNSF 7663. It had brought in a short stack train down the Alameda Corridor and was awaiting a crew change.
Just across the Alameda Corridor from PHL 42 was an eastbound BNSF ethanol train pulling out of the Lomita Ethanol facility in Carson, CA. - Still raining. By the time I had made a quick check of the PHL B Yard and made my way through construction traffic on Anaheim Blvd to PHL A Yard, the rain had stopped. MPEX 6201 was spotted near the engine house. 6201 is a unique MP2000C built on a six axel platform to be used for switching. PHL has it on short term lease.

Just across the Alameda Corridor from PHL 42 was an eastbound BNSF ethanol train pulling out of the Lomita Ethanol facility in Carson, CA. - Still raining.
By the time I had made a quick check of the PHL B Yard and made my way through construction traffic on Anaheim Blvd to PHL A Yard, the rain had stopped. MPEX 6201 was spotted near the engine house. 6201 is a unique MP2000C built on a six axel platform to be used for switching. PHL has it on short term lease.

Over at the Watson Wye was a brand new GE ES44DC BNSF 7663. It had brought in a short stack train down the Alameda Corridor and was awaiting a crew change.
Once the new crew was on board they headed up the BNSF Harbor Sub. I am guessing they were taking the stack train to Alcoa or somewhere near there to store the train. I had never railfanned the Harbor Sub since by the time I started heading over to this area the Alameda Corridor had replaced this once busy route. Here the crew stopped the train just before crossing the Western Avenue grade crossing. I got stuck waiting for the train to cross the grade and was not able to get any other pics. The train stopped near the Exxon Mobil plant in Torrance. Feeling a bit let down after not getting anymore photo ops of 7663 I headed back to Alameda to try my luck with the remaining light. Here is UP 3847 coming through CP West Thenard on the Alameda Corridor. This train just came from Terminal Island.
Last photo of the day is of PHL 42 again. Seen here after switching cars around for a stack train near Sepulveda Ave.

Feeling a bit let down after not getting anymore photo ops of 7663 I headed back to Alameda to try my luck with the remaining light. Here is UP 3847 coming through CP West Thenard on the Alameda Corridor. This train just came from Terminal Island.

Once the new crew was on board they headed up the BNSF Harbor Sub. I am guessing they were taking the stack train to Alcoa or somewhere near there to store the train. I had never railfanned the Harbor Sub since by the time I started heading over to this area the Alameda Corridor had replaced this once busy route. Here the crew stopped the train just before crossing the Western Avenue grade crossing. I got stuck waiting for the train to cross the grade and was not able to get any other pics. The train stopped near the Exxon Mobil plant in Torrance.

Last photo of the day is of PHL 42 again. Seen here after switching cars around for a stack train near Sepulveda Ave.