For BNSF grain train G-SWECNJ3-07D (Sweetwater, MT to Fresno, CA) the route to Fresno from Sweetgrass, MT is not swift. In order to reach Fresno, it passes through Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Oklahoma, before reaching the southern transcon at Amarillo. The Sweetgrass trains are always a treat to catch as they typically contain foreign power. We see the loaded grainer passing Bealville, CA

Tags:   KCS 4663 ES44AC GEVO GE General Electric Diesel Locomotive Engine Rail Railroad Train Freight Train Grain Train Cargo KCS Kansas City Southern Kansas City Southern Railroad CPKC Canadian Pacific Kansas City UP Mojave Subdivision Bealville, CA Kern County Tehachapi Mountains Southern California California

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UP 6387 leads a long loaded heavy freight down the east slope of the Tehachapi Mountains near the community of Mojave, CA

Tags:   UP 6387 AC4400CW C44AC GE General Electric Diesel Locomotive Engine Rail Railroad Train Freight Train Cargo UP Union Pacific Union Pacific Railroad UP Mojave Subdivision Mojave, CA Kern County Mojave Desert Tehachapi Mountains Southern California California

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This was worth staying up late for! For the first time ever, I witnessed the Northern Lights in Northern California. While the show was not as amazing as the northern half of the US experienced, it was still a sight to behold. Thankfully many people were out to experience this amazing occurrence.

Tags:   Sky Night Lights Aurora Aurora Borealis Northern Lights Sebastopol, CA Sonoma County Bay Area North Bay Northern California California

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Catching foreign power on freight trains in Northern California can be a tall order. When they appear, almost every journey occurs on a weekday or in the middle of the night. On Cinco de Mayo, things changed!

Norfolk Southern 4143 is in charge of the Longview Junction, WA to Fresno, CA BNSF manifest. The train passes a small patch of wildflowers at Pleasant Grove, CA, along UP's Sacramento Subdivision.

Tags:   NS 4143 AC44C6M GE General Electric Diesel Locomotive Engine Rail Railroad Train Freight Train Cargo NS Norfolk Southern Norfolk Southern RR Norfolk Southern Railroad BNSF BNSF Railroad BNSF Railway Burlington Northern Santa Fe Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad UP Sacramento Subdivision Pleasant Grove, CA Sutter County Sacramento Valley Central Valley Northern California California

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Something took a wrong turn at Atlanta. Norfolk Southern paid a visit to the Mojave Desert in this hot April afternoon. NS 3659 leads the westbound Q-SMRSBD3-20X up the stiff grades out of the Mojave Valley at Klinefelter, CA, just west of Needles.

Tags:   NS 3659 ET44AC GEVO GE Diesel Locomotive Engine Rail Railroad Train Freight Train Cargo Intermodal Intermodal Train NS Norfolk Southern Norfolk Southern RR Norfolk Southern Railroad BNSF BNSF Railroad BNSF Railway Burlington Northern Santa Fe Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad BNSF Needles Subdivision Klinefelter, CA Needles, CA San Bernardino County Mojave Desert Southern California California

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