Hauling an empty coal train out of the now idled Argus Cogeneration Plant in Trona, CA, TRC SD40-2 #2008, recently acquired UP SD60 #2159, and TRC SD40T-2 #2004 are seen rounding through an incredible long S curve, one that without the lengthy cut of coal empties you’d never even know is there. This lays somewhere between the Trona Pinnacles and Spangle, CA, with the only way of reaching it by taking a washed out ATV road that connects to Pinnacle Rd that parallels all the way to Searles Interchange. For this trip we had a Jeep Wrangler, and thank god for that because any other car would’ve resulted in getting stuck in the middle of the Mojave on an unmarked road with no service. In hindsight it wasn’t the smartest idea ever, but I don’t regret it one bit. I’m not sure if i’ll make it back out to the TRC again, so ending it with a chase like this is something i’ll never forget. Six months later in February of 2026, the Argus plant would be idled, effectively cutting about 55% of their employees, leaving the fate of the Trona Railway unknown.
Trona is the railroad that got me back into shooting freight trains, so it'll always hold a special place to me. Here are any photos I've captured of TRC trains operating in the Mojave Desert
