A Day of Railfanning at Modesto (1/14/12) - A Warbonnet Dash 9, Ferromex SD70ACes, and More!

This was my first time going to Modesto to railfan and it was worth it to go! I rode San Joaquin train #712 there from Emeryville with Dan (Amtrak116) and as soon as my train left the Modesto station, I almost immediately got a 70mph BNSF Z-train and two manifests! The highlight of this day though came at the end when I caught BNSF's M-BARRIC manifest with TWO Ferromex SD70ACes in the consist...one leading and the other serving as a rear-end DPU! Symbols below are in order of appearance:

Train #1: Amtrak San Joaquin train #712, my ride from Emeryville, departs Modesto with cab car #8314 leading and F59PHI #2015 pushing at the rear.

Train #2: BNSF's Z-NBYWSP Z-Train hauls ass through Modesto doing at least 70mph with ES44DC #7414 in the lead.

Train #3: BNSF's M-STOBAR manifest rolls through Modesto with C44-9W #4474 in the lead and a Warbonnet C44-9W serving as one of the rear-end DPUs. Listen to the awesome whine of the DPUs' traction motors working hard!


Train #4: BNSF's H-VAWBAR manifest rolls through Modesto with C44-9W #4796 leading and a repainted ex-ATSF C40-8W serving as second-in-consist.

Train #5: Amtrak San Joaquin #701 arrives at and departs the Modesto Amtrak station with P42DC #92 leading.

Train #6: Amtrak San Joaquin #714 arrives at and departs the Modesto Amtrak station with cab car #8309 leading and P42DC #24 pushing.

Train #7: BNSF's Z-WSPNBY Z-train hauls ass through Modesto with C44-9W #4479 leading with a nice horn salute. This train was doing about 75mph and created such a wind that it knocked Dan's tripod over. Railfan fail!

Train #8: BNSF's Z-STOWSP Z-train hauls ass through Modesto with ES44DC #7338 leading.

Train #9: Amtrak San Joaquin #713 arrives at and departs Modesto with F59PHI #2009 leading.

Train #10: BNSF's M-BARRIC manifest rolls through the Modesto Amtrak station with not one, but TWO Ferromex SD70ACes in the consist...FXE 4065 serving as second-in-consist and FXE 4040 serving as one of the two rear-end DPUs! If you look closely, you will also see a rather wobbly hopper car in the consist as well.

Train #11: Amtrak San Joaquin #716 arrives at and departs the Modesto Amtrak station with cab car #8301 leading and P42DC #24 pushing.

Train #12: Amtrak San Joaquin #715, my ride back to Martinez from Modesto, arrives at the Modesto Amtrak station with F59PHI #2014 leading.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Z-NBYWSP
• M-STOBAR
• H-VAWBAR
• 701
• 714
• Z-WSPNBY
• Z-STOWSP
• M-BARRIC
• bnsf
• Burlington
• Northern
• Santa
• fe
• Amtrak
• california
• San
• Joaquin
• amtk
• cdtx
• c44-9w
• gevo
• es44ac
• es44dc
• es44c4
• ferromex
• sd70ace
• fxe
• emd
• ge
• p42dc
• f59phi
• Modesto
• CA
• Cab
• Car
• BNSF
• Railway
• GE
• Evolution
• Series
• Train
• Trains
• Railroad
• Pacific
• Station
• Line
• Freight

[ERIKA6949]

I uploaded an 8 minute cell phone video today of a BNSF double stack train in Emeryville going to the Port of Oakland last month. Do you know where they come from? It was going about 10 mph not 70 I guess because it's so long. You know a lot about trains so maybe you can fill me in! Thanks :(

[CaliforniaRailfan101]

@ERIKA6949 It all depends on the location as to how fast the trains go. Emeryville for example is next to a yard, so the trains have to slow down because at track speed, it can take them about a mile (or more) to stop because they are so heavy. It's mainly about how much a train weighs and that depends on what it is hauling. Grain trains for example are extremely heavy and therefore need to slow down really early. Amtrak trains don't need to slow down as early because they aren't as heavy.

[JgordonAmtrak1]

Awesome vid, good action, love the k5la on 1st cab car on AMCAL, Dam man how fast do stack trains go out their 70! he was rolling, the fastes they go here is 55-65mph, nice horns, love how up and bnsf does dpu on alot of , nice k5la on p42 92, i love it out their i wana visit! Stack train was hauling ass! Those stack trains haul ass out west! Nice catch on ferromex! wish it was leading, wow & FXE & BNSF DPU!

[CaliforniaRailfan101]

@JgordonAmtrak1 Most of the stack trains that go through Merced are hotshot Z-trains and they usually do around 70mph through there. The going-away shot that I got of that train consisting of all piggybacks...that train was doing about 73 or 75mph. I too love how UP and BNSF use DPUs, especially when they use more than one! As for the Ferromex SD70ACes, they were the highlight of my day and made a great last freight train catch!

[JgordonAmtrak1]

Cool man i plan on visiting CALI in the future maybe your area

[CaliforniaRailfan101]

@JgordonAmtrak1 Cool! Let me know when!

[BNSF7776]

Sweet stuff

[kodachrome9319]

All BNSF locomotives set for 70MPH overspeed, so it couldn't have been doing 75.

[NorCalRails32]

Excellent video! Man those BNSF freights fly in Modesto!

[Amtrak116]

Very nice, vid! glad you could make it...

[ERIKA6949]

@CaliforniaRailfan101- Thanks for the info! Do you know approximately how often those trains run every day? (The BNSF & UP not the Amtrak)

[ERIKA6949]

Love it, love it, love it!! BNSF are my favorite trains!! What kind of camera do you use and where are the trains coming from and going to? Just curious..... Thanks for the videos! :)