Elliott Barber Photography

Elliott Barber Photography Coming soon... Hello! Thanks for stopping by. My name is Elliott. I have been a fan of US railroads since I was a child. It's just in my blood. Enjoy!

In fact, my earliest childhood memories revolve around my Father's trips to various states to photograph trains. At a very young age I was given a camera, and the passion was kindled. I have spent the better part of my life, whether in the company of good friends or with my Father/mentor, chasing and photographing trains. I do, from time to time, enjoy taking photographs of nature, landscapes, and

aircraft. However, trains... Trains will always be my first choice. I hope you can see the passion in my work. I am constantly trying to push myself, and will always strive to become an even better photographer. So take a moment and look through an album or two. I enjoy sharing my work, and welcome comments.

Sand, Sea, and Lightning...UP 1995 leads the Fort Worth to West Colton manifest through the California desert, skirting ...
06/03/2026

Sand, Sea, and Lightning...

UP 1995 leads the Fort Worth to West Colton manifest through the California desert, skirting the Salton Sea.

My favorites from a fruitful Thursday. Apparently, someone decided I had captured enough images by the time the train approached Cabazon.

May 21, 2026

-------------------------------------------------
©Elliott Barber Photography
-------------------------------------------------

Winter in Ely...It has a remarkable way of blurring the line between past and present. Steam hanging in the cold desert ...
06/01/2026

Winter in Ely...

It has a remarkable way of blurring the line between past and present.

Steam hanging in the cold desert air. Nevada Northern 81 powers the rotary snowplow train through the yard before stopping near the depot to await its next assignment. Crew members go about their work much as railroaders did generations ago.

The faces have changed, but the railroad remains.

That's part of the magic of the Nevada Northern Railway. Many museums are collections of preserved equipment or static displays. Not here. This is a living railroad where history still moves under its own power, whistles still echo across the valley, and every so often you're reminded that the past isn't nearly as far away as we sometimes think.

The people, the equipment, and the dedication to the preserving the stories of those that came before make Ely less a destination and more a time machine.

February 20, 2026

-------------------------------------------------
©Elliott Barber Photography
-------------------------------------------------

05/18/2026

With power to spare...

BNSF's Barstow to "San Jacinto" manifest snakes along the Box Springs Mountain Reserve. The short mixed freight has loads that are destined to be switched at their respective industries by the San Jacinto Local. A couple visitors from the Great White North are lending a hand as they work upgrade, the homes and trees of the 'Belvedere Heights' in Riverside visible in the background.

Extra special duty...Nevada Northern's EMD SD-9 may not have been the headliner for the weekend festivities, but it sure...
05/18/2026

Extra special duty...

Nevada Northern's EMD SD-9 may not have been the headliner for the weekend festivities, but it sure was hard to not point your camera at. Sporting a beautiful red, white, and blue commemorative scheme NNRY 250 pays homage to the railroad's previous diesel scheme while celebrating America's semiquincentennial.

February 20-22, 2026

-------------------------------------------------
©Elliott Barber Photography
-------------------------------------------------


Plenty of action...The rain has let up, but the action hasn't. A westbound intermodal skirts the West Colton departure y...
05/13/2026

Plenty of action...

The rain has let up, but the action hasn't. A westbound intermodal skirts the West Colton departure yard as all three 'trim' jobs prepare trains and a handful of outbound trains await their turn to leave.

January 13, 2017

-------------------------------------------------
©Elliott Barber Photography
-------------------------------------------------


Time to go... BNSF 717, displaying its heritage with “Santa Fe” proudly adorned on the nose, notches up and begins pulli...
05/07/2026

Time to go...

BNSF 717, displaying its heritage with “Santa Fe” proudly adorned on the nose, notches up and begins pulling the string of outbound empties. With the sun threatening to peek out from beneath the clouds soon, I wanted to follow the train as it made its way through Box Springs Canyon before rejoining the mainline in Highgrove. However, responsibilities dictated that I continue on in the opposite direction. It was time to go. After taking some photos of it earlier in the day tied down and idle, I was happy to at least get the chance to catch it moving before I had to leave.

Had a chance to shoot the breeze, and some aircraft, with as well.

April 21, 2026

-------------------------------------------------
©Elliott Barber Photography
-------------------------------------------------



Gettin' close...Having already attended to the other customers on today’s switch list, the “Jack” heads for Grove Lumber...
05/04/2026

Gettin' close...

Having already attended to the other customers on today’s switch list, the “Jack” heads for Grove Lumber. They’ll spot the inbound loads, pick up the empties, then head back up the San Jacinto Branch to tie down for the day.

Today, BNSF 3189—an EMD GP50 built as ATSF 3836—is teamed up with two yellow & blue spartan cab GP60 variants: BNSF 161 (ATSF 4002) and BNSF 196 (ATSF 4038). The trio looks right at home lumbering around the farthest operational reaches of the branch line. Code lines, jointed rail, and “cigar bands” help transport you back to a time when this was just another day on the Santa Fe.

July 28, 2016

-------------------------------------------------
©Elliott Barber Photography
-------------------------------------------------


Pullin' the empties...BNSF 717 takes charge of the afternoon transfer job, pulling the empties from the last few days of...
04/29/2026

Pullin' the empties...

BNSF 717 takes charge of the afternoon transfer job, pulling the empties from the last few days of interchange along the San Jacinto Branch. The crew is busy making their final preparations before heading out. They won't go too far, pulling to the northern most switch and then waiting for a signal to continue on. The afternoon traffic rush has already begun, so they'll need Metrolink to clear before proceeding.

April 21, 2026

-------------------------------------------------
©Elliott Barber Photography
-------------------------------------------------


Hangin' with Uncle Pete...Approaching the yard I stumbled upon what appeared to be the West Colton–North Platte as it wa...
04/25/2026

Hangin' with Uncle Pete...

Approaching the yard I stumbled upon what appeared to be the West Colton–North Platte as it was pulling onto the BNSF connector. With UP 6310—formerly SP 264—in the consist, and a Tier IV emissions-compliant EMD SD70AH on the point, it quickly became the focus of the outing.

Wanting nose light and space to include the entire lash-up I settled for a well known spot and waited for them at Blue Cut. Then I quickly got ahead of them and set up at CP Walker. Their sluggish pace, coupled with track work and a 25 mph restriction east of me, provided the opportunity to catch them one last time as they rounded the big sweeping curve entering Summit.

As I meandered down the Pass, heading for home, I heard the UP dispatcher come on the radio. He was giving someone a line up to Loma Linda. I decided to investigate and found this modest little “High & Wide.” Not the most photogenic location—it’s littered with trash and what seemed to be a small homeless encampment—but… meh, what the hell? Kinda fun to find the less-than-ordinary. So I did what I could to capture the train and exclude the garbage.

For the parting shot: a clean Wabtec rebuild leads a westbound stack train saturated with pink Ocean Network Express containers. They're snaking their way westward, about to duck under the highway in Beaumont, CA.

April 23, 2026

-------------------------------------------------
©Elliott Barber Photography
-------------------------------------------------

Photobombed...On a less than perfect day Santa Fe 672 is a ray of sunshine as it leads an Eastbound 'Z train' through Bl...
04/23/2026

Photobombed...

On a less than perfect day Santa Fe 672 is a ray of sunshine as it leads an Eastbound 'Z train' through Blue Cut.

She's part of the 'Super Fleet' of locomotives ordered by ATSF and still looking rather super almost 4 years later, maybe even better than her younger sister BNSF 774. The duo rounding out the quartet of GEs are BNSF 4738 and 4741, both delivered in the colors of the new BNSF 'Heritage 2' livery, albeit without stripes or cigar bands on the nose. All four hustle up Cajon as a UP manifest drops down the Palmdale cutoff in the background. The UP train has all EMD motors, including EMDX 7002, one of the EMD SD70M demonstrator units. The lead units is a speed-lettered SP SD70M, and third a UP GP60. You can just see the power poking out from behind the hill as they also head what Espee classified as eastbound.

June 1998

-------------------------------------------------
©Elliott Barber Photography
-------------------------------------------------


Address

Menifee, CA
92585

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Elliott Barber Photography posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Elliott Barber Photography:

Shortcuts

Share