Sign of the Times -- Union Pacific Freight Train at a Railroad Crossing in Caliente, California Tank Top

This Union Pacific ET44AH is a 432,000 pound beast. It's 12-cylinder engine produces over 4,400 horsepower, transferred to the track by six electric motors turning 12 wheels.

The General Electric Evolution Series (GEVO) series was designed to be a cleaner running locomotive, but although the engines run clean, the body is another story. Most road locomotives are spared the graffiti that decorates many a freight car, but the unavoidable dirt and grime they collect still give people with something to say a place to write it. In this picture from October of 2020 you can see that someone has written a single name in the dirt on this engine, and someone else felt the need to add a single word to it.

The General Electric introduced the GEVO series of locomotive in 2003 to meet new U.S. emissions requirements. GE released six new models to keep up with changing standards. The ET44AH leading this train was introduced in 2012, and puts out the same power as the decade-older ES44AC...

I have been photographing the things I see for over thirty years. A resident of San Luis Obispo County, I'm lucky to have many excellent photo destinations within a few minutes' or hours' drive. Beyond the local area, I have traveled throughout California and the western United States, visited far away American destinations such as Chicago, New York, Florida, and Alaska, and international destinations in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. My photography varies from Architecture to Industrial Art to Nature to Wildlife and I'm sure you'll find something suitable for your home or office. Visit my blog