Queen Creek​
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While it is true that the Phoenix-Mesa Megalopolis is a "town nurtured by the Espee," Queen Creek really is the true railroad town.
This little village was founded in 1919 and grew along the SP Main Line to Phoenix. The Queen Creek Farms Company was formed by C. H. Rittenhouse and was responsible for the construction of the railroad station to ship the goods from the farms and village.
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Although the depot has long since been demolished, Alliance Lumber is the only one of the original industries that survives to the present day and receives shipments of lumber from Union Pacific, delivered by their LKK30 freight train.
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There is also a 1.6 mile long siding that allows two long freight trains to pass each other, although it is used by the LKK30 if they ever have to serve Queen Creek, so they can run around the cars for the journey north.
A grain train waits with UP SD70AH-T4 3071 and UP ET44AH 2723 doubleheading.
UP ES44AC 5343 is the distributed power unit on the rear of the grain train.
Stranger in a Strange Land: KCS ES44AC 4822 trails on the outbound MPXTU freight train.
MPXTU gets ready to leave for Tucson, being powered by a quadruple-header of UP SD70AH 9101, KCS ES44AC 4822, UP AC4400CW 5774, and UP AC4400CW 5609.
5609 produces a noticeable amount of smoke as it trails on the MPXTU.
Having been trapped in the siding for so long, KK30, headed by GP40-2 1451 and GP60 1035, ties up at Germann. The crew will return the next morning to take the train back to Mesa.
UP AC4400CW 5611, UP ES44AC 7832, and UP SD70ace 1988 (the MKT Heritage Unit) lead the MPXTU past Germann Siding.
Roster shot of UP 6310, which is one of the few ex-SP units to still have SP paint.
UP 6310 has weird numberboards which only have the first three digits in its number, so they read "631" instead of "6310."
UP AC4400CWs 5632, 6310, and 5829 sit at the head end of the MHNPX as they wait for a track warrant and permission to continue their journey to Phoenix.
MHNPX leaves Germann Siding.
UP SD70ace 8339 brings up the rear of the train.
BNSF 7860 and 1055 sit at Germann Siding with an empty autorack deadhead in tow.
A closeup of BNSF 1055, which still retains the 1996 "Heritage One" paint, comprised of Orange and Green for Great Northern (GN) and Yellow for Santa Fe (ATSF), two of BNSF's predecessors.
UP 8159 leads an inbound manifest past Germann Siding.
UP 8952 arrives with the MHNPX and meets the MPXTU.
With the inbound in the clear, NS AC44C6M 4564, rebuilt from C44-9W 9257 leads the way to Tucson.
UP 8119 meets UP 8227 at Germann Siding
The LKK30 switches Alliance Lumber near Schnepf Farms. Once they're done here, they will shove back to Germann Siding, move the engines to the other end of the consist and head north.
The LKK30's power backs down onto their consist to complete the turnaround.