Midweek Photos 1/21/2014 --->

A lot of variety in different railroad locomotives on a very cold January day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Norfolk Southern and CSX action this week in Pittsburgh, PA

Been slow for train photography for me lately so I'd like to share some photos from Strasburg back in October. And on from Catawissa, PA. Hope you enjoy them.

 

The owner is Georges Creek Railway (GCK) 7496 an ex Western Maryland SD40.  This unit also has the distinction of being one of the heaviest SD40's built.

Great photos folks. Was down in the Haymarket and took a few of this old engine. Number 710, It was made in the Havelock yards. The last two I was heading home from work in the morning and they had a string of cars loading at AGP. Nick. 

Took these at Steamtown on Monday. These three were pulling a freight consist as my wife and I were heading to the car after our tour.

Don

Got lucky and caught North Shore Railroad No. 2238 today during the snow storm as it passed the old Carroll Park and Western Deadwood Flats station as it was heading back through Bloomsburg on it's way back to Northumberland from it's run to Berwick.

 

 

A BNSF unit leads the Amtrak Southwest Chief after lead Amtrak diesel fails due to fuel jelling in the -2 degree -42 wind chill Chicago 1/8/15.  We ran 12 hours late by Los Angles due to speed reduction with BNSF loco in the lead. But drew out many rail photographers!!!

Wednesday shot right by me!  I've been busy.  But, not so busy that I didn't get any shots.  For the past week I headed back out West again, after the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern (RCPE.)  I continue to concentrate on the Pierre to Philip segment, which is about as far out as I can cover without spending an overnight (600 mile round trip.)  I got out there by 10am but found no train moving, other than an e/b tying down for the day at Philip.  Conductor wasn't very talkative, but the dogcatch was!  A new crew was expected later that day, before night fall.   Hmmm, looks like I've lucked out!  Usually the trains only run in the day since they don't have enough crews to run 24 hours..  An e/b runs from Philip to Pierre, and at the same time a w/b runs from Pierre to Philip with a meet in the middle somewhere (usually JC Siding,) and they are done by nightfall.  Finally having a train to work with in the dark was an exciting change!  

 

1. E/B passes through Midland SD without stopping.  Track speed is 10 mph the entire way, making this an easy chase even taking into account the time it takes to set up & test flash.

 

2. E/B passes through the ghost town of Capa (population: 1!)  I try a shot through a ranch hand shack.  The idea is the train is seen through the door and the window.  Only one of my two big flash on the train fires.  Maybe I'll get another try some time when I can do some more tests before the train comes.

 

3.. E/B pases through a deep cut a mile or so before meeting w/b at JC Siding.

 

 The w/b is too long to entirely fit in the JC Siding, so they do a saw-by.  The dispatch computer is having some trouble generating warrants for this tricky operation, and it seems to take forever.  It is giving me time to put away my little flash and set up the big ones for the w/b.  The trains west of Pierre are limited to two engines, a move made to save fuel.  Both train crews are doing plenty of complaining over the radio about this!  After setting up, I race back to the w/b to advise them I'm out there.  I haven't worked in the dark this far west and wanted to give them a heads up.

 

4. The w/b finally emerges through the cut around 11:30pm.  The engineer gave me a friendly "railfan salute" on the horn after the shot.  I checked the LCD--nailed it!

 

5.  The train continued its crawl west, the two engines pulling hard.  In the dark and stillness of the night it sounded awesome!  The deep throaty roar of the SD-40 units reverberated up and down the valley for miles.  I snapped one last frame as the engines became a speck in an ocean of total darkness.  I sat down and leaned back into a comfy snow bank, listened to the engines off in the distance, and drank an ice cold root beer as I gazed up the stars.  The night sky was perfectly dark and I could see millions of them!  I was the only one around for many miles in this remote stretch of the Bad River Valley--no lights or human sounds anywhere, other than the distant train.  The engines were miles away by then but I could still hear their methodical throbbing.  Ah, does it get better than this?  I had to think, "Probably not."

 

 

Kent in SD

Nothing good this week; just some poor pictures of BNSF and/or UP yards out in the Phoenix, AZ, area.