New Years Eve 2008 railfanning, at BNSF Needles Subdivision...

What is your idea of an outstanding New Years Eve? If you're a fan of honky tonk, you'll probably spend the evening at Joe's Place, tossing down a few brewskies, and feeding quarters into the jukebox so you can achieve the Wurlitzer Prize for the evening. Or if you're a little more upscale, you might find yourself watching the ball drop at Times Square. But if you're a little crazy, maybe even a nut job, and quite low tech, you'll find yourself railfanning BNSF's busy Needles Subdivision, near the semi-ghost town of Needles, in the middle of the Mojave Desert, basically in the middle of nowhere.

Photo: BNSF #5304 leads a eastbound double stack auto, and auto parts train at mile post 694.7, as I snap the photo at exactly 07:44 in the Wednesday morning of December 31, 2008.

Photo: BNSF #5084 leads a westbound container train at mile post 694.7 where all of these photos were taken. It's 08:01 in the morning, and the light doesn't favor a west train, yet I can't resist the poetic nature of this shot.

BNSF's Needles Subdivision is probably the busiest mainline railroad on the North American Continent, as its double-tracked, very high tech, and averages about 80 or so trains a day. So what you have is a very busy railroad running many trains through some of the most hard-core desert that you can ever imagine. Despite the fact that the railroad runs through California's Mojave Desert, the whole area is easy to get to, as most of the line is just a few miles from busy Interstate 40, and very near the remnants of historic Route 66.

Photo: BNSF #7557 leads a eastbound double stack train, as we photograph the action from Sand Hill, which is located on the east side of the tracks, and offers an outstanding vantage point for photography. Heck, you can even four wheel up to the top of the hill.

Photo: My brother Paul, in his natural environment, surveys the sight, as he looks to the west at mile post 694.7, near Ludlow, in the Mojave Desert. Paul and I are both hard-core railfans and desert dogs, so a trip to BNSF's Needles Subdivision works well with both of us.

So why not watch railroad action on New Years Eve? You're out in the fresh air, amid georgous desert scenery, and you're treated to big-time railroading, BNSF style.

On this trip, we shot the photos at mile post 694.7, which is easily accessible, as it's only a mile or so west of Ludlow. Beware: If you venture off old Route 66, you must have a four wheel drive vehicle, or you will become seriously stuck! Steep grades, sharp rocks and most of all, loose sand await the unprepared railfan, so be prepared.

Photo: BNSF #7688 leads an eastbound trailer train, as we snap the photo from the hill on the west side of the tracks, at mile pot 694.7. In my photographic oninion, this is the best location for photos on the Needles Subdivision.

Photo: BNSF #7681 leads the eastbound "oilcan" train past our strategic vantage point, on the hillside west of the tracks.

If you're a party animal, Ludlow isn't the place to be on New Years Eve, as the entertainment prospects are slim to none. Heck, you even have to bring your own bottle, as the town is dry, and the nearest watering hole is at Newberry Srings, 35 miles to the west. But if you're interested in high-tech, big-time railroading, with lots of action, Ludlow is the place to be on New Years Eve.

Photo: BNSF #4161 east leads a typical train of double stack containers. Check it out, as you can see the whole train in the photo. The speed limit at this location is 79 mph, and this train is probably doing 60 mph, as this photo is snapped.

Photo: Same location, different train, later in the day, as BNSF #7668 leads a double stack train east, at 14:35 in the afternoon. Happy New Year, from just a mile west of Ludlow, California!

The photos that I've published are only a fraction of the action that we observed during the morning and afternoon of December 31, 2008. All shots were taken at mile post 694.7, which is about a mile west of Ludlow. In my humble photographic opinion, this is the best photo location on the entire Needles Subdivision, but like everything else in life, that's subject to the individual's opinion. In the 8 hours or so that we spent by the tracks, we observed exactly 26 trains, which isn't bad for a New Years Eve in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

Photo: BNSF #5370 leads a eastbound double stack container train, as I photograph the train, with the small hamlet of Ludlow, California in the background. The straight line is Interstate 40, and the Bristol Mountains appear in the background of the photo.

When it got too dark to photograph the railroad action, we retreated to our comfy digs at the Ludlow Motel, and enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Ludlow Coffee Shop. I'm not sure what 2009 looked like when it came in, as I was sound asleep, dreaming of all the fantastic railfan action that we'd witnessed, on BNSF's busy Needles Subdivision.

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