27 photos included after text.

The Needles area is the location for some very interesting photos on the Transcon.  The BNSF has a small yard in town which is mainly used for short-term storage, and Needles is the traditional crew change point.  Photos are possible at the depot, but with the angle of the tracks, photos are only good of east bound trains in the afternoon.  You also can not get very much variety in photo composition around the yard area because of the many trees, fences, buildings and other obstructions you would have to contend with.  Photos are pretty much the "coming at you" shot.

Just outside of town on the interstate either east or west, is a whole different story.  Good photo locations to the east are the Topock siding itself, the Colorado River Bridge from both the east and west sides, the Park Moabi Road bridge over the tracks, and near one of the two wooden trestles.  To the west of Needles, CA is the place where route 95 goes to Las Vegas and the locations of several good photo locations nearby.  These would include Java, Klingfelter, Ibis, and Arrowhead Junction.

(I included the locations west of Needles, CA to Arrowhead Junction even though they would technically be in the Needles Subdivision.  This was done to give a complete presentation of what to expect around Needles, CA.)

TOPOCK

Topock is about 13 miles to the east of Needles, CA at the first exit in Arizona at the Golden Shores Oatman Road exit #1 on interstate 40.  Exit here and travel north on Golden Shores Oatman Road and continue to follow it as it turns back toward the west for a short distance.  Just after the guard rail on your right will be a dirt road that will go up a slight hill.  Follow this road to another dirt road that will turn to the left and travel up a hill to the top of a large cut.  Look for three telephone poles on the top.  This is Topock siding.  Set up camp for the morning as this where I like to start my days around the Needles area.

There is an "S" curve to the right that is great in the mid mornings summer or winter.  To the left you will see an unobstructed view of east bound trains after they have gone over the Colorado River Bridge.  From the top of the cut, that photo is best in the early morning of winter only because that is the only time the nose of the engines is lit by the sun.  Other photos are also possible farther down the dirt road and they are better in the mornings in summer or winter.

You should see the many different photo possibilities that are very close by.  In fact, you can get an entire mornings worth of photos without any duplicate angles.  Use the many props like the bridge itself, the Marina, The water tower and the white support structures for background interest.  Have fun.

COLORADO RIVER BRIDGE EAST SIDE

Photos of the Colorado River Bridge are better in the late mornings of summer, or mid mornings of winter, and the best angle from the east side is at another location.  Go back to the Golden Shores Oatman Road and turn right.  Just before it goes under the tracks (less than 1/4 mile), there is a boat storage facility.  Park in the open lot, and walk counter-clockwise around the storage area next to the fence surrounding it.  This will take you to a large open dirt area that you can get some great late morning photos of trains as they cross the river.  The bridge is spectacular.

COLORADO RIVER BRIDGE WEST SIDE

Photos from the west side of the river are more varied because you can get trains in both directions.  This area is great in the mid mornings to mid afternoons both summer and winter.  Get back onto interstate 40 and travel back toward California to The Park Moabi Road exit located about 1 mile from the river.  Turn and head north for .6 mile to a stop sign.  (Along the way you will cross over the tracks and I'll get to that, right after this.)  Turn right on a remnant of the old Route 66, and continue for 1.5 miles to where it goes under the tracks.  Stop and park here.

Get your gear, and get ready to climb toward the tracks.  There is a large rocky hill across the road from you.  Find the best way up this hill to the top of the cut.  Once you are at the top you will see an area next to the barbed wire fence that many railfans before you have created.  This is another great location to photograph east bound trains as they approach the bridge, in the mid morning in summer or winter.  Moving a little back down the rocky hill away from the tracks gives a fantastic view of the bridge and west bound trains going over it.  (Some of you will undoubtedly see the much easier way to get  to the top of that cut by using a different slope, but because of my conviction not to encourage anyone to cross on a railroad bridge, I am not mentioning it).

PARK MOABI ROAD OVERPASS

Remember that bridge over the tracks on Park Moabi Road?  Go back to it for another photo location.  This is another place to get photos of trains in either direction.  West bounds will be in a long cut so the angle will be "tight", but on the other hand, photos of east bound trains as they negociate a sweeping curve are really nice.  These photos are best in the mid afternoon in summer or winter.

TRESTLE

If you were to go back to the stop sign for Route 66 and turn left, after .5 miles the road will go under the tracks.  Just past the tracks is a dirt road that will take you .3 miles to the dry creek bed that the trestle crosses over.  Just past that wash is another cut that is worth climbing up onto for photos of trains in either direction.

NEEDLES DEPOT

Around noon is a good time to get back to the town of Needles, CA for some lunch and photos around the depot and yard.  Exit interstate 40 at exit #142 where there is the best(?) selection of food choices in Needles.  There is a Denny's to the south and a McDonalds and Jack-in-the-box towards town to the north.  The depot itself is 2 blocks north and 3 blocks to the east.  Photos around the yard and depot are limiting because of the amount of trees, buildings, fences and other obstructions you have to contend with.  East bound trains approaching the depot are only of the "coming at you" variety, but you can get plenty of sideview photos of engines and cars from an open dirt lot just west of the depot as they slow for a crew change.

It is very possible that you might get approached by a special agent if you are photographing from the open lot.  That lot is BNSF property, and they might talk to you.  Just be polite, and if asked to leave, just go to one of the many other (better) locations that I'm telling you about.

Just to the west of Needles are some dirt roads that will take you to several places that you could get photos of trains as they approach Needles, but I have not explored them yet.

Another place that I have not explored, is where the interstate crosses over the railroad tracks .6 miles from exit #142.  On my next trip, I will explore these locations.  Promise.

JAVA

To get to Java, You need to be on the Route 95 to Las Vegas.  That exit is not numbered, but is .9 miles from exit #142 in Needles.  Go only .3 mile to a dirt road to your right that will go .5 miles to Java.  I have not gotten any photos here either because of the telephone poles that are in the way.  I heard it from reliable sources, that the BNSF plans to remove those unused poles by the end of 2009.  I do believe that you can also get to where the interstate crosses over the tracks from Java on a dirt road that is somewhat next to the tracks.  Add that to my "next time" list.

KLINGFELTER

This good photo location is 1.7 miles from the interstate, so only 1.4 miles from Java.  You will know you are at Klingfelter because the tracks will be directly next to the road.  Many photo angles are possible here so have fun exploring.  The angle of the tracks makes photos at Klingfelter best in the mid to late afternoons in summer, or winter.

IBIS

Only another 3.8 miles north on Route 95 is a dirt road that will take you to Ibis.  Follow this road as it winds its way .9 miles to the tracks.  Ibis is the eastern location where the tracks seperate from each other for a short distance before they reconverge at Arrowhead Junction, the grade crossing for Route 95 to Las Vegas.  Photo angles are abundant around Ibis and are good all day depending on what side of the tracks you are on.

ARROWHEAD JUNCTION

Arrowhead Junction is not a junction at all, but rather the grade crossing for Route 95.  This is where the north track rejoins the south track and climbs a slight grade to get there.  Photos at Arrowhead Junction are best in the late afternoons of either summer or winter.  Be on the south side of the tracks in the winter, and the north side in summer.