Heritage and Warbonnet Locomotives

Train#1 is BNSF westbound military train loaded with various military vehicles and equipment. It is departing Amarillo at high speed on the Dalhart subdivision. We have cameras on both sides of this train as it goes by. Train #2 is the local 204 Job shoving its entire train into a classification track at the BNSF North Yard in Amarillo where the power ties up at the yard office. The brakeman rides the last car as the train is placed into the classification yard. The power on this train is two C44-9W BNSF locomotives in the red & silver Santa Fe Warbonnet paint scheme. These locomotives were acquired in the BNSF/ATSF merger in 1995 but have never been repainted. They have "BNSF" stenciled on the side of the cabs and the locomotives are very faded and worn looking, but they run strong, and the exhaust looks very clean. Train #3 is a westbound double stack coming into downtown Amarillo's South Yard for a crew change. As he comes into view another double stack on the next Transcon mainline is already rolling west after a its change.

While waiting for a Red & Silver Ex-Santa Fe Warbonnet to be removed from the point of a Geo Train, we watch an assortment of yard activities. Track side in Amarillo is deep with standing water due to seven inch of rain in the past two weeks. Soon, ex-Santa Fe C44-9W #717 is removed from GEO Train and comes into our view in Amarillo's South Yard. We follow 717 to North Yard where it is placed on a siding. Sitting on a siding in North Yard is a short train with two BNSF Diesel locomotives, followed by two FRA Geometry Cars., units DOTX 123 and DOTX 219. These cars are very rarely seen in Amarillo even though they travel 30,000 miles per year on the nation's railroads. We meet up with 717 again, and yet another Red & Silver Warbonnet BNSF 676 is coupled to BNSF 1016. These two units move towards 717 and couple into a three-units-consist. Don't miss the exciting and rare railroading action of the Warbonnets and FRA cars in downtown Amarillo.

A Norfolk Southern container train westbound into Amarillo's South Yard does not stop for a crew change. Most Transcon trains running through Amarillo stop for a crew change.

Union Pacific Heritage Locomotive 1943 "Spirit of the Union Pacific" arrives in Amarillo on a very cold day in October 2023. The special locomotive was leading 109 loaded grain cars to Amarillo's huge Vitterra Grain Elevator Facility. While waiting for the 1943 to arrive on the Boise City Subdivision, our camera crew encountered eight BNSF Double Stacks and one BNSF Grain Train on the Transcon. Our camera crew was positioned at the junction between the two lines and were able to capture all the action from one location. Some very tense moments occurred with the BNSF Grain Train as it departed Amarillo. A stray dog decided that he needed to get to the other side of the Transon and got extremely close to the fast-moving train. Our camera crew was concerned that they would be seeing the dog's death under the wheels of the train while filming. The dog was not killed or injured by the train ultimately, but it was very touch and go for several moments. When the 1943 arrives at the elevator site, you will witness ground crews helping the train crew with switching duties, disconnecting the two locomotives on the rear of the train, and other rarely seen details of transferring 6,241 feet of grain cars into five 1,800 ft. storage tracks. Finally, we move our cameras from the mainline side of the elevators to the street side (Old Route 66) to see the grain cars fill up the last two spurs. Don't miss this rare opportunity to see Union Pacific's "Spirit of the Union Pacific" place its entire train into one of the largest grain facilities in the nation.

day in October 2023. The special locomotive was leading 109 loaded grain cars to Amarillo's huge Vitterra Grain Elevator Facility. While waiting for the 1943 to arrive on the Boise City Subdivision, our camera crew encountered eight BNSF Double Stacks and one BNSF Grain Train on the Transcon. Our camera crew was positioned at the junction between the two lines and were able to capture all the action from one location. Some very tense moments occurred with the BNSF Grain Train as it departed Amarillo. A stray dog decided that he needed to get to the other side of the Transon and got extremely close to the fast-moving train. Our camera crew was concerned that they would be seeing the dog's death under the wheels of the train while filming. The dog was not killed or injured by the train ultimately, but it was very touch and go for several moments. When the 1943 arrives at the elevator site, you will witness ground crews helping the train crew with switching duties, disconnecting the two locomotives on the rear of the train, and other rarely seen details of transferring 6,241 feet of grain cars into five 1,800 ft. storage tracks. Finally, we move our cameras from the mainline side of the elevators to the street side (Old Route 66) to see the grain cars fill up the last two spurs. Don't miss this rare opportunity to see Union Pacific's "Spirit of the Union Pacific" place its entire train into one of the largest grain facilities in the nation.

Coal trains routinely run through Amarillo on the Transcon. The coal trains originate in the Powder River Basin coal mines and come through Amarillo on their way to the Gulf Coast or points in the southwestern United States such as Arizona. They typically stop for a crew change at Amarillo's Junior Tower before proceeding west, where they dump the coal at one of several power plants. This video highlights a 124-car coal train arriving in Amarillo's South Yard with a 25th Anniversary Heritage Locomotive on the point. The actions was filmed in the late afternoon and the sun was getting very low making a beautiful scene for the coal train to arrive and depart in.

The BNSF Heritage Locomotives have a special paint scheme to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the BN/SF merger . Only ten locomotives have this special paint scheme. On March 9, 2023, BNSF Heritage Locomotive #6017 arrived in Amarillo on the point of a Q-train. It stopped at Junior Tower for a crew change and then continued west. While waiting for 6017 to arrive, there was plenty of BNSF action on the mainline in Amarillo's South Yard. See BNSF Heritage Fleet Locomotive 6017 at Amarillo's Junior Tower and watch it depart westbound as it continues its journey west.

Northfork Southern Railroad Heritage Locomotives are locomotives that have been painted in an honorary paint scheme of a now-defunct railroad that merged with or were acquired by the Norfolk Southern. NS Heritage Locomotive #1070 honors the history and heritage of the Wabash Railroad. It is one of 20 SD70ACe locomotives that received heritage paint schemes that were acquired or merged with Northfork Southern. In this video you will see NS 1070 on the point of a BNSF Double Stack train leaving Amarillo Texas. At the time of its departure, all four mainlines of the Transcon in the Amarillo vicinity were filled. Not only filled, but other trains were waiting on the outskirts of Amarillo at red blocks until the congestion could be cleared up. We have other Heritage locomotives featured in our video collection.