September Railfanning Trip - 6

Hi, We arrived at the Arkansas Oklahoma yard in Shawnee, OK a few minutes after 8:00 AM having been told by the railroad's Road Foreman that a crew would switch here and then head into Oklahoma City. 

All was quiet so we set about taking some roster shots of the pair of GP30s sitting in front of what appeared to be the yard office.

After about 20 minutes the engineer came out of the yard office and prepared to go to work.  We talked to him for a few minutes and were told the crew would switch in the yard for about two hours and then switch the mill a few blocks east of the yard before heading to Oklahoma City.  After getting some photos of the crew switching (above and three below) we headed over to the mill and set up for a shot.

We waited for 2 1/2 hours at the mill before returning to the yard to see what was happening.  Nothing.  The crew, the two GP30s that had been switching and the GP35 that had been sitting by itself were gone.  We asked an employee if the train had left for Oklahoma City and were told it had, light engine.

Fortunately the engines were only making about 10 MPH and we caught up to the units before they reached Mcloud where we stopped for our first shot of them (above and below).

Our next stop was the town of Harrah (above and 2 below).

Our final shot of the light engines was at Choctaw and this would be the only moving train we would see this day.

We stopped at McAlester and got a couple of back lit photos of a GE Super 7 B-23 (not shown) and then moved on to Wilburton, the A-OKs headquarters.  There we photographed an SW8 sitting on a work train,

another Super 7 B-23 (above and below)

and another GP30.

The railroad's office car was sitting near a grade crossing diagonally across from their Office.

The Road Foreman also told us that a coal train would load at Red Oak either Thursday or Friday and head west (this was Wednesday).  We found the power sitting right next to the highway (above and below).  The A-OK has three of these former BNSF B40-8Ws and only one has been repainted.

Thanks for looking.