Needles Subdivision Railfanning

Quite possibly some of the best footage that we have taken on the Needles sub is shown in this 2 hour video! So many scenes with upwards of 6 trains in the same shot. Look closely and you can see trains stacked up for over 20 miles in some of the shots from Bolo Hill.
We begin our video with an extremely rare treat- going old school on Union Pacific's Yuma subdivision with a SD60M triclops leading an eastbound auto rack! In this day and age dominated by GEVOs and ACes, who would have ever thought that such power would lead in 2018?
We then packed it up and headed out to the Needles sub for some good old fashioned transcon action and we were not disappointed! We concentrated on the area along Rte 66 from Amboy to Needles and were treated to train after train after train. Highlights include beautiful vistas of the Amboy cinder cone, trains climbing up and out of Needles, and a traffic jam on Bolo Hill, which is just east of Amboy. You will see BNSF's track inspection train (OBARNEE) racing up the Hill with 2 trains in the background including one descending the hill at Siberia over 15 miles away. You will see a hot westbound Z-train climbing the east side of Bolo Hill with 2 eastbounds in the background.
Finally, to go full circle and get back to the old school we were lucky to encounter the Arizona and California headed to Cadiz to interchange with the BNSF. This quite possibly is the last time you will ever see a solid lashup of only the ARZC green and cream locomotives since they are actively repainting all of their units into G&W orange. Sit back and enjoy the sound of these old timers coming into Cadiz to drop their train off and pick up a different set of cars to head back to Phoenix.
Oh and don't forget to look for the BNSF engine leading Amtrak's westbound Southwest Chief through Riverside!
Pay close attention to the following shots and you will see multiple trains in the same scene, some as far away as 20 miles! A sharp eye will reveal all of these trains. The scenes include:
29:00 2 trains at Cadiz
32:39 3 trains at Cadiz
1:12:53 2 trains at Cadiz
1:22:36 2 trains at Bolo
1:24:16 2 trains at Bolo
1:29:40 3 trains at Saltus
1:30:54 3 trains at Saltus
1:38:20 4 trains at Cadiz
1:40:45 3 trains at Cadiz
1:42:31 3 trains at Cadiz
Other highlights include:
3:51 A UP SD60M triclops in charge of the AMLLD
12:05 A BNSF bare table train runs on the Arizona & California from Phoenix to Cadiz
1:12:00 Amtrak's Southwest Chief led by a BNSF freight engine
1:43:47 Quite possibly the last run of a solid set of Arizona & California green and cream locomotives
||Equipment List||
|||Photography|||
Canon 7D Mark II - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Canon 5D Mark III - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Manfrotto MT055XPRO3 Tripod - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
I use hexagonal plates for my tripod mounts, though your usage may vary with those
|||Video|||
Canon XHA-1S - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Bogen 3040 Video Tripod - No link, but it's relatively easy to find on eBay for about $150
|||Misc|||
ATCS Monitor - groups.io/g/ATCSMonitor
Uniden Bearcat BC245XLT - wiki.radioreference.com/index...
Final Cut Pro X - www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/

[@Muggar62]

Spectacular stuff . . . Awesome man . . .

[@HighRail62]

I watch a lot of train videos on you tube and from all across the country. None is more capitivating than these. Thanks for taking the time to post!

[@denisetindall3313]

I like train videos on RUclips🌷

[@paulcartlidge751]

Fantastic video ,the scenary is breathtaking

[@paekokstationmaster5032]

Great work as usual Zac and some different spots as well!

[@RailfanJunction]

Thanks Station Master!

[@Nicola636128]

Excellent video, great locations.

[@bnsfman1188]

Wow! I didn’t know UP had a tri-clops with the blue banner across the front!

[@RailfanJunction]

It was a total shock to catch it leading. Notice the angled stripes on the cab. Between this and the nice wings, it made for an unforgettable leader. Thanks for watching!

[@railyardfilms6491]

Sounds from needles so sweet

[@kgirl4078]

Great vid, these locations are just beautiful. Thanks for sharing your views :-))

[@RailfanJunction]

Thanks Kathy! I figured you would like the vistas.

[@kgirl4078]

Yes very much :-))

[@Sacto1654]

Gawd, I haven't heard a Nathan P3 in who knows how long....

[@enriquehernandez5871]

Me gustan todos los videos

[@RailfanJunction]

Thank you!!

[@upstatenewyorkrailfan6775]

Awesome video!♥️👍

[@RailfanJunction]

Thanks! It was fun to make.

[@WideWorldofTrains]

Great video cool taht a CSX unit is at 1:19:15 love the scenery too. I know someone who lives in Quartzsite AZ where the scenery is similar

[@RailfanJunction]

Thanks! I've been through Quartzite once and it looked very interesting. Sadly, without trains I just keep on driving ;)

[@norfolksouthernguy9350]

great video dude yeah i say you hit the jack pot lol ok know i wanna move by the needles sub but i live in indiana

[@calvingrondahl1011]

Impressive video... container trains are super long now and in need of some editing to fit on You Tube.

[@sdrailproductions]

Nice video

[@RailfanJunction]

Thanks!

[@JoeyLovesTrains]

What location are you at for the clip at 22:02 ?? Part of my thinks it’s the meteor creator in Arizona, but idk.
Edit: I can see that you’re looking at Cádiz California, but I’m not sure where you are.

[@gfandwrr1]

Beautiful scenery. I would have rather had the descriptions you posted above as captions as the video was rolling. Honestly I found it got boring.

[@tjtrainzCSX]

This is def one of your best collages I've seen. A building America triclops leader and a BNSF Geep on a hot Z train, is this 2018? Lol

[@RailfanJunction]

Thanks! That train with the Geep was actually on the Arizona & California and was a repo train moving empty containers and trailers from Phoenix to LA. Apparently, Phoenix gets a lot of inbound traffic but does not originate much so they regularly have to move empty containers out on these trains.

[@tjtrainzCSX]

RailfanJunction sweet to know. Im hoping in 2020 i'll be able to take the Southern California trip I'm planning.

[@tjtrainzCSX]

At 1:09:45 what is that spot with the still standing Searchlight signals?

[@RailfanJunction]

That spot is at Highgrove, which is just north of Riverside. The other direction in that shot is the triple bridges over the I-215 where the BNSF main goes from 3 tracks to 2. Highgrove is where the BNSF SanJac Industrial trackage splits off and heads south. That is why the signal bridge is for 4 tracks there.

[@tjtrainzCSX]

Cool, thanks. Just didn't think any searchlights was left on the San Bernardino Sub, just knew it had to be knew San Bernardino itself.

[@bundaevalana]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@RailfanJunction]

Thank you!

[@Vinny-gd2is]

40:00

[@olafmichelson8017]

blah

[@Vinny-gd2is]

1:01:51