Midweek Photos 1/15/2020

On New Year's Day, I went down to NS and caught quite a few trains.  

8045 leads an eastbound intermodal into the setting sun at Haysville. 

Two shiny SD70ACes (one just a few months old, I believe) thunder through the crossing. Unfortunately, my point-and-shoot refused to fire in the cold with mostly depleted batteries, so I was forced to take screenshots of my videos. 

In a dramatically lit shot, 6965 leads westbound oil (likely 67X) through the crossing. While making a compilation of NS's SD60s, I realized this is probably at least the 3rd time I've caught this particular SD60E. 

Hear You Go. My idea of an engine! I'd love to see this run again.

John McEnerney

I managed to catch the Grafton & Upton (local short-line railroad) road train on Monday of this week.  I “chased” the train as it headed back to it’s northern terminus in North Grafton, MA—the location of the railroad’s largest yard and it’s connection with the CSX Boston-Albany mainline.

Along the way, I grabbed 3 videos and a few still shots with my iPhone starting in Grafton Center and ending at the North Grafton yard.

Here’s a video of the train at Grafton Center.  The railroad right-of-way literally passes less than a stone’s throw from the town Common (which is located directly behind me)...

Next, I caught the train at the Snow Road crossing...

And finally at the North Grafton yard.  The head-end of the train is moving out onto the CSX connection track/yard lead so it can spot the cars on the appropriate out-bound yard track...

None of these locations had automatic crossing signals/gates until just this past year.  Prior to that, a railroad employee had to flag every crossing.  Needless to say, the G&U trains can move along at a much more efficient pace today!

Thank you for the videos of the Grafton & Upton. Looks as though they run their switchers long hood to long hood like the ICG - IC RR did years ago.

Rusty

To John McEnerney, I totally agree, definitely my kind of an engine, can still remember seeing them run up the hill here in El Paso aka The Armpit of Texas.  Still hoping to get out to Sacramento to see that big beauty.