u/Puzzleheaded-Art-271

In honor of it recently being the 4th of July, I thought I’d share a special plane and a special livery: the patriotic bare metal paint job! Back in November 2019, while waiting for my connecting flight back to Los Angeles at DFW, I saw this 737-800 taxiing to a gate for takeoff. Growing up, I saw this paint job all the time on the MD-80’s and it’s grown to be one of my most favorites ever. This livery is arguably one of the best of all time, and it truly represents the colors of the United States of America. I hope American can preserve this 737 in that paint job when they retire it! Long live the Bare Metal livery, and Happy Belated 4th of July and 100th anniversary to America’s most patriotic airline!

4 of Caltrain's modern Stadler-built KISS EMU's line up at San Jose's Diridon Station in between their next assignment, with one set getting ready for another run up to San Francisco. Making their debut in 2024, these new EMU's were part of Caltrain's effort to electrify their corridor from San Francisco to San Jose. The results were successful, and these EMU's replaced all diesel-powered push pull trains that previously ran on their SF-SJ leg (with a majority of their 1985-built F40PH's and gallery cars going to Peru), while a small push pull fleet powered by MP36PH-3C diesels and Bombardier cars handles a special shuttle service called the "South County Connector," a weekday only segment of Caltrain that runs to Gilroy on unelectrified track.

Photos taken on November 11, 2025

SC42-DM's 308, 311, and 315 all resting, completed at the Siemens Mobility factory in Florin California as they await delivery to their new home in the NYC metro area. Out of all Charger variants that have been and are being built, this model is my most favorite thanks to the fact that, unlike the P32ACDM's they're replacing, can run on third rail power for its entire length! These engines will serve the NYC area well for the next 20-25 years, and I can't wait to see them in action when I come back to New York for a visit one day! It will also be exciting when the LIRR and ConnDot Chargers roll out of the factory as well!

Note: these photos were taken a while back and these locomotives have been delivered to Metro North after I saw them.

Date of photo 1: November 16, 2025

Date of photo 2: January 30, 2026

Date of photo 3: May 12, 2026

A 777-300 sits at the end of a runway at SFO, awaiting takeoff clearance before it departs on a 5-6 hour long flight to Newark. I find it interesting how United often flies their wide body jets on transcontinental flights between the east and west coasts of the United States, and it seems like it makes sense since they have more seats than a 737 or A320, for example.

Photo taken on May 21st, 2025

Competed SC42-DM no. 315 rests at the Siemens Mobility factory in Florin, awaiting its delivery to the NYC metro area. Out of all Charger variants that have been and are being built, this model is my most favorite thanks to the fact that, unlike the P32ACDM's they're replacing, can run on third rail power for its entire length! These engines will serve the NYC area well for the next 20-25 years, and I can't wait to see them in action when I come back to New York for a visit one day! It will also be exciting when the LIRR and ConnDot Chargers roll out of the factory as well!

Note: this photo was taken back on May 10, 2026, and this unit has since been delivered to Metro North.

"The great big EMD move, commuter edition."

A line of Metra F40PH-3's, one F40PH-2, and one F59PHI all form a power move as they move around Ogilvie Transportation Center and between the M-19A diesel shops, where the locomotives for the UP lines are maintained. A couple more F40PH's and a GP15 are seen in the background, in a diesel locomotive layover area at OTC.

Photos taken on June 2nd, 2026.

"The great big EMD move, commuter edition."

A line of Metra F40PH-3's, one F40PH-2, and one F59PHI all form a power move as they move around Ogilvie Transportation Center and between the M-19A diesel shops, where the locomotives for the UP lines are maintained. A couple more F40PH's and a GP15 are seen in the background, in a diesel locomotive layover area at OTC.

Photos taken on June 2nd, 2026.

Train 11, the southbound Coast Starlight, crosses Central Avenue in Newark, California on a cloudy morning. It has a rare locomotive lashup: two P42DC’s, with 170 and 152 providing power for this train (with 170 sporting a crisp-sounding K5LA). Seeing two P42’s on the CS is a rare occurrence these days as more and more ALC42’s enter service, which made this shot more exciting.

Video recorded on May 8, 2026

Metra F40PH-3 no. 100 pushes an inbound train on the UP-West Line to Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center as it crosses the ex-EJ&E line (now Canadian National) at West Chicago. This locomotive is significant because it was the very first F40PH built for Chicago's commuter rail system back in the 1970's. Now 49 years old today (and will turn 50 years old next year), METX 100 is still running strong across Metra's network just like all other. F40's in the system.

Photo taken on June 3rd, 2026.

CDTX 2052 (formerly AMTK 502), a P32-8BWH, rests in the Deadline at Amtrak’s Oakland Maintenance Facility. It has been there for the last several years due to a mechanical failure, part of which was a main bearing issue, preventing it from running properly without the engineer hearing a grinding noise. Thus, it was retired from service, with CDTX 2051 and AMTK 512, both Dash 8’s, handling all the switching and Siemens delivery duties.

Photo taken on February 14th, 2026

Two examples of Amtrak's veteran GE's showing they've still got some life left in them. 518, a P32-8BWH, leads train 1333 (northbound Borealis), out of Union Station in Chicago as it crosses the Clinton Street grade crossing on its way to the Twin Cities of Minnesota. It is being assisted by P42DC no. 29, providing additional power and HEP at the rear.

Photos taken on June 3rd, 2026

A United Airlines 737-900ER takes a rest at Sacramento International Airport on a hot day, fresh off a 4 hour flight from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The 737-900ER is in my opinion one of the most interesting airplanes ever built because it looks exactly like the original 737-900, but can fly farther (of which the “ER” stands for “Extended Range”). Thus, the 900ER is one of my favorite 737 variants, alongside the 800 and MAX 10.

Photo taken on June 12, 2026

Today, I saw a locomotive that is a rare sighting on the City of New Orleans: a P32-8BWH! 507 was the Great 8 of the day, assisting P42DC no. 61 on 59 as they passed by the 59th Street station. If you ever see this or any other Dash 8 on the City of New Orleans or any other train, get your cameras or phones ready! It’s not often they get out on the mainline!

June 8th, 2026

Amtrak’s westbound Carl Sandburg races by the Hollywood Zoo stop on its way to Quincy, with ALC42 no. 361 leading and providing power; a rarety for Midwest corridor trains. The train also features a Viewliner Baggage car, an Amfleet cafe car, and two Venture Cars.

Video recorded on June 16, 2025

CN lending a helping hand

Canadian National SD70M-2 no. 8006 leads a 4 1/2 hour late Amtrak Saluki towards Chicago Union Station, in the home stretch as it passes by the Metra Electric 59th Street station. The SD70M-2 was added to this train and it was 4 1/2 hours late due to the Siemens Charger suffering a problem in Southern Illinois.

May 28th, 2026

Metra F40PH no. 120 leads an outbound train on one of two of the Milwaukee District lines, bound for the suburbs. Caught this screenshot and video back on July 1, 2019, and it was significant at the time because this was a couple of years before the SD70MACH’s took over the MD-North, MD-West, and North Central Service routes.

Note: I apologize for the shaking in the video.

Saw Dash 8 no. 512 passing through West Sacramento on its way back to the Oakland Maintenance Facility after picking up two new ALC42’s from the Siemens factory in Florin. This video provides an excellent illustration of how far Amtrak has come with their motive power; 90’s diesel power and 21st century diesel power.

Video recorded on May 21st, 2026

Hey everyone! Last year, I was working bike valet service for the Capital Air Show at Mather Airport near Sacramento, and saw this KC-135 sitting on display! It’s amazing to see an airplane like this, and it’s impressive that they’re still flying today refueling fighter jets alongside newer models! In a way, it’s keeping the spirit of the 707 alive since the 135 was based off of that legendary commercial airliner! ✈️⛽️

Photo taken on March 22nd, 2025

Yesterday, I went railfanning in West Sac for one purpose: I received word that one of the three borrowed F40PH-3C’s from Caltrain was seeing some action on the CapCor for the first time. I saw 922 on a test run, working with SC-44 “Charger” no. 2101 as they pushed Capitol Corridor train 534 from Oakland-Jack London Square to Sacramento Valley Station. Seeing 922 and its other sisters from Caltrain is going to be exciting railfanning on the CapCor for the next several years! Get your cameras ready if you see them in action!

Video recorded on May 20th, 2026