https://www.facebook.com/104529144299433/

Mark Lovgren Photography

Home
United States
Sparks, NV
Mark Lovgren Photography

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Mark Lovgren Photography, Photographer, Sparks, NV.

09/01/2026

"Sunday's Views from the Yard Van Office"

Sunday's yard van shift proved to be pretty steady with several views that I don't often get to see. I took advantage of a wide open east end of the yard for way too many views of the IOANP (Intermodel, Oakland CA to North Platte NE). With the MRVSP (Manifest, Roseville CA to Sparks NV) having mechanical issues on the run across Donner Pass, that resulted in the train arriving several hours late. Since the yard manager wanted to keep the two main tracks open for the MRVSP, Amtrak #5 and the westbound z train, he opted to run the IOANP through the South Runner. That gave me the opportunity for some different angles in which to photograph the train. After the IOANP departed, I captured a few more arrivals and departures from the rail yard before calling it a day. Here's a look at Sunday's views from the yard van office.
8/30/2026

08/31/2026

"An Early Start to Saturday's Yard Van Shift"

I had just climbed into the crew van, when the yard manager radioed to inform me that he had a pick up for me. I replied "As soon as I get logged in, I'll head over and pick up the crew". I had just pulled up to the yard office with the crew from the LSP59 Local, when I heard the yard manager call over the radio, "Mark, I need you to go to west track 6 and help out the conductor on the MSPRV (Manifest, Sparks NV to Roseville CA)". Yeah, it was that kind of a day. 😰 If the truth were known, I prefer to be busy, as it makes the day go by faster. Anyways, here's a look at Saturday's views from the office.
8/29/2026

08/30/2026

"A Gloomy Friday at the Office"

During Friday's yard van shift, there was a welcome change in the weather. A storm front rolled through the neighborhood, bringing some rain and twenty degree cooler temperatures. Despite the gloomy sky and the rain, I enjoyed taking pictures, from the yard, in the overcast lighting conditions. Here's a look at Friday's views from the yard van office. As usual, the photo captions will follow.
8/28/2026

08/29/2026

"Back in the Yard Van Saddle"

After taking a couple days off to help the Adesa Auto Auction folks sell some four wheel vehicles, I returned to the seat of the yard van on Thursday morning. Here's a look at Thursday's Views (some good, some not so good, but hopefully interesting) from the Yard Van Office.
8/27/2026

08/28/2026

"From the Archives"

On a smoky August morning, nine years ago, it appears that I captured 2026 fan favorite, the UP 1005, working on the LRA61, Fernley Flyer.
8/9/2017

08/26/2026

"An Extremely Slow Monday at the Office"

Outside of Christmas Day 2024, when I was working the Sparks to Portola Shuttle, Monday was one of the slowest days I've worked in Sparks. During my ten hour shift, only two UP road trains, the MSPRV (Manifest, Sparks NV to Roseville CA) and the ZG2LT (Priority Intermodel, Global 2 - Northlake IL to Lathrop CA), passed through the yard. It didn't help the traffic levels that the two east bound intermodel trains aren't on the lineup on Mondays. So I did my best to make Lemonade out of the Lemons I was given and tried to capture a few interesting views on an extremely slow Monday at the office.
8/24/2026

08/25/2026

"Sunday's Views from the Office"

With the fire crews battling the Hawk Fire and as many as 90,000 Reno area residents under evacuation orders due to the fire, life on the railroad goes on. The same applies for the PTI crew van drivers. After logging into the yard van at 05:00, I settled in and prepared to spend the next ten hours shuttling crews to and from their trains and assisting the yard jobs. Although my Sunday yard van shift wasn't particularly busy, it proved to be steady and I came away with a few interesting views from the office.
8/23/2026

08/24/2026

"Saturday's Trains and a Wildfire"

Although my posts primarily revolve around the rail activity during my yard van shifts, I'd like to point out that my neighborhood has experienced a particularly bad wildfire season. On Saturday morning, the fourth major wildfire in the past couple of months, broke out in the Mogul area, just west of Downtown Reno. By early evening, the Hawk Fire had quickly grown to over 10,000 acres. With help from the hot, dry temperatures and fueled by the 15 to 25 mile per hour winds, the fire raced up and over Peavine Peak and into Reno's North Valleys. The fire crossed over the US 395 Freeway and has destroyed several homes and businesses in the Stead and Red Rock areas. The UP Railroad also deployed the fire train to help the firefighters protect the tracks on the Reno Branch. Although the fire is burning a few miles away from the rail yard and also my home, several of the railroad employees and my coworkers at Adesa have been affected by the fire.

In order to keep from falling behind with my daily views from the yard van office, I'm going to publish this post on Sunday evening. Unfortunately, it's getting late so I'm going to finish up captioning my pictures on Monday. So after viewing my pictures, I encourage my followers to check back on Monday for the captions.
8/22/2026

08/23/2026

"Three Views from Friday"

After a busy Thursday, there wasn't as much happening during Friday's yard van shift. The first six hours of my day went past at a steady pace, as I moved the local crews out to their trains and assisted the yard crews. However, once mid morning arrived, the traffic dried up, along with my motivation to take pictures. With that being said, I did find three views worth pulling my camera out from its usual resting place under the front seat of the crew van.
8/21/2026

08/22/2026

"Lots of Thursday Views from the Yard Van Office"

After logging in to the yard van, I headed over to the switchman's shanty for a look at the CADS Board. That glance revealed that I picked a good day to return from my day's off. My first clue that it was going to be a busy day, was when I noticed that Wednesday's MRVNP (Manifest, Roseville CA to North Platte NE) had just departed the yard. I was informed that the train had experienced mechanical issues crossing Donner Pass and a patch crew was sent up from Roseville with more power. That meant the trains following the disabled MRVNP, were delayed before arriving in Sparks. Along with the increased rail traffic, there were a couple of subplots in my yard van story as well. So I'm going to tell my story in the captions of my photos. However, I will probably fall asleep before I finish the captions this (Friday) evening. So if you find pictures in my post without a caption, check back later on Saturday.
8/20/2026

Address

Sparks, NV

Website

facebook.com

Alerts

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

Want your business to be the top-listed Photography Service in Sparks?