Midweek Photos 1/27/2016

One of my favorite Fallen Flags, the NYO&W....a passenger consist gets ready to leave Middletown....notice the 2nd unit....it's not a small B unit....it's a heater car.

Peter

Sadly there's no snow in this video (or maybe not sadly, considering how much we just got), but...

For another Christmas season, CNJ 113 was steamed up and put into service pulling "Santa Claus" trips out of Minersville, PA.  In the past, she has teamed up with R&N 425, but in December 2015, she went at it alone (mostly).  After missing the first trip of the day while the crews were fixing a small mechanical issue, she was added to the consist for the second and third trips of the day.  The outbound trip was pulled by a diesel past Schuylkill Haven, PA.  Once the train reached it's end point, the beefy 0-6-0 took over and handled the trip back to Minersville.

Enjoy this look at CNJ 113's Solo Santa Specials!

Great video, BIGJIM!  I really enjoyed the first "Glenworth Road" segment of the video where the 113 was working really hard (with lots of wheel slip) to drag her heavy consist along!

The blue hour and the last commuter train for the day - Dorval, Quebec

Robert's shot above reminded me of some stuff I shot back in 2013

of Amtrak's Capital Limited one warm summer night at the Cumberland Yards,

near the caller's office, and were re-crews are often done.

Photo 1 Crew crosses tracks to platform to board a soon to arrive westbound.

Photo 2 They chat while one of the yard switchers drifts buy backwards into the yard.

Photo 3 The "Cap" gets a wave as she nears her Cumberland stop. She's running west

on the eastbound track, no doubt passing the westbound the crew is waiting to

board.

Photo 4 Running quiet and nicely in the background music of the yard and shops.

Photo 5 A lot of nice clean stainless passes the boys.

Photo 6. Her markers pass under the signal, since the stop is on the westbound

track, she will crossover in a few minutes and make her Cumberland stop.

The fellas no doubt will "hot seat" their westbound and follow the "Cap"up the hill out of Cumberland.

Ed

Ed

Another NYO&W pic

...with its Heater car...

Peter

I always wondered if my dad was named Owen because his father was from Middletown?

Jon

Nice shots, Ed & Robert.

Last weekend I went after an RCPE train that had 17 engines!  I had some trouble with my RAV4 though--got it stuck in the middle of a half mile long snow drift when I took a short cut down a section road.  It took me most of the afternoon to get out and by then the train was long gone.  Oh well.   I did get a few shots of the elusive Minnesota Southern Railway though.  It's a shortline that runs a pair of GP7 between Worthington & Luverne MN (about 40 miles?) on old Rock Island tracks.  Track isn't in the best condition so it's 10 mph all the way.   They haul about six  tankers to interchange with UP, and then bring six empties back to the tiny ethanol plant on the edge of Luverne.   I have no idea how they manage to survive on hauling less than 20 cars a week, but I think their tracks west of Luverne have something to do with it.  They've stuffed about 15 miles of the track with hopper cars, including a LONG string of steel CNW coal hoppers.  I would have to guess the outlook for those hoppers is quite bleak at this point.  No doubt MSWY is making a considerable percentage of their revenue from car storage.  The owner, Brent Polanchek, has named the two engines "Betty" and "Veronica."  He calls them "his girls."  Locals call them the "John Deere" train, a reference to the paint scheme.  Sometimes I'm not sure if this is a hobby or a business. 

Anyway, some shots.  I used one of my favorite cameras one day, the c.1942 Leica IIIc, to take a few shots during a snow storm.  The 70+ year old lens and b&w film really seemed to work for that shot!  By hanging around until they were finished tucking the tankers in for the night at the ethanol plant, I also managed to score a night shot of the power heading back to their base--the original RI depot.  The photo opportunities of this little railroad aren't as plentiful as my other choices out there, but it's a leisurely chase and I'm still getting some "new" shots that aren't bad.  My fear is some day I'll drive past the depot and find it all closed up and abandoned, the "little railroad that could" gone for good.   Shoot it while you can. 

Kent in SD

1-30-16

Peter

The O&W pics are much appreciated. Lots of questions. Do you have any details regarding this train run? (date and time?)  Or was it returning to Weehawkin  on a specific run?

Floyd