Midweek Photos 11/18/2015

Some random pictures of mine.

The "S" curve at Tyrone, Pa.:

Turntable at Juniata Shops, Altoona, Pa.:

A beautiful day at the Horseshoe Curve:

 Coatesville, Pa.:

Caught this unit coming through after work!

Two AVR locals and two wrapped PAT trolleys. 

King of the Hill - crest of the Bellevue, Ohio hump.

Two old veterans meet at CSX's Keyser Wva yard.

Still in "bright future" paint, here, after fifteen years or so,

these two old fellas somehow are found tail to tail after millions

of miles. 674 was delivered 7/1999 and 675 8/1999.

Who knows, this might be as close as they have been since

they left the factory.

674 still has her CW60AC on the cab, but 675 is now CW46AH.

Ed

Some amigos from the former Santa Fe Joint Line (Denver-Pueblo) came through town and invited me to join them for some photography last aSaturday.  Here are some of the results.  The first three are on the ex-Santa Fe Transcon 10 to 20 miles east of Amarillo.  The last trio were taken at Eastern (in Amarillo) and leaving Amarillo on the former BN line to Childress, Wichita Falls and Fort Worth.

I've missed the past couple of weeks.  I've been mostly shooting my 4x5 camera and it takes awhile to get the film sheets back.  In fact, I'm still waiting on them.   However, last week I did go on adventure.  South Dakota westriver rifle/deer season!  I drew an "any deer" tag for Unit 53A, in far northwestern SD.  I stayed in Hettinger ND on the old MILW mainline and hunted a 20+ section ranch a few miles south of there.  I had three days to drop a deer.  Any deer.   On opening morning I was out before dawn, parked my RAV4, and headed out into the darkness with my rifle on my shoulder.  Dawn found me overlooking the Grand River along a brushy ridge.  After about an hour of sitting quietly, drinking coffee, I spotted a few mule deer heading my way.   When the second one passed through a gap in the trees about 40 yards away, one shot from my .30-06 dropped it in its tracks!  So now except for carrying out a deer that weighed almost as much as I do a mile back to my car, deer season was over.  So what to do with the rest of the three days?

I had my camera gear, four flash, and detailed maps of both ND and SD.  Looking at the map I realized I was only two hours from Medora ND, on the west end of the BNSF main line.  I've always wanted to check it out and this was my big chance!  So, I washed up in the river, changed my clothes, and headed to Medora!  The track between Medora and Beach ND is easily the most scenic I've ever seen for RR photography in all my travels.  Unfortunately, they were mostly running trains at night.  The MoW crews were racing to complete track work before the North Dakota winter sets in.  At least I came prepared for anything. 

1. E/B manifest passes the abandoned elevator at White Butte, ND (on MILW mainline.) This is yet another faded town on the Northern Plains.  At one time there was a depot, water tower, small hotel, and livestock corral here.  The only RR associated building left is the elevator.  If you look close, you can actually see the end of the train.  There are many, many places you can take a photo of an entire train here.

2. Sentinel Butte, ND.  E/B coal train passing by a pair of abandoned elevators near the ND/MT border.  A local "character" told me the elevators were built in 1871 (never mind that the area was home to the same Indians that whacked Custer in 1876!)  He also told me the smaller elevator was once four miles to the east but it got moved in the middle of the night.  His story was that it was jacked up off its foundation in 1951, placed on two flat cars left in the elevator siding, and then coasted down hill to Sentinel Butte using the hand brakes on the flat cars to control speed, and then placed on its current foundation.  Quite a tale!  Could two flat cars hold that much weight?  What kept it from tipping over?  How did they know no trains were going to be on that busy NP mainline?  (Can you imagine a train crew blowing down the track in the middle of the night and suddenly there's an elevator moving towards them?)  All in all, I found the story that the elevator was built in 1871 to be more credible. 

3. Tail end of another e/b coal train passing through yet another faded town, Gladstone ND.  Yes, only x4 small flash lit all this up.   I bought some "bar food" at the bar across the street and got to talking with the guys sitting around.  They ended up all coming out and standing around with me to see me photo the train.  That suggests I was the most exciting thing in town that night. 

4. A loaded grain train waiting for a crew at another fading town, Sterling ND.  I like the feeling of emptiness & bleakness, and the way the endless string of hoppers & huge elevators hint at the scale of wheat farming here.

5. W/B coal train (empty) passing through Steele, ND.

6. E/B coal train passing a GREX slot train at Eckelson ND at sunset.

7. E/B manifest going by an ethanol plant near Casselton ND as twilight closes in.  Of all the towns mentioned so far, Casselton is the only one that appears vibrant.  

8.  And now for something completely different!  Near Hettinger ND is the "Enchanted Highway."  It features about six groupings of giant sized metal sculptures.  Here's a shot of one called "Fisherman's Dream" or something.  To give an idea of the scale, the tallest fish is about 60 ft. high!  Camera on tripod, 5s exposure, lit fish with a flashlight from off to the side.

I really want to get back up there as much as I can in coming years.  While I did not catch a train between Medora and the MT border during daylight, I could see this line has MUCH potential.  Just wish it wasn't 570 miles away.  I do have an excuse though--I have to go back to Hettinger to pick up my deer from the locker.   Anyway, hope this wasn't too long of a post.

Kent in SD 

Great post Two23 thanks, and to all other posters thank you as well.

russ

Some beautiful art work here Kent.  Thanks again.  My summer trip took me through North Dakota.   There were times in the Prius, I was thinking of that guy who took beautiful pictures of this beautiful country.

Exceptional.   Thank you,

Pictures from my trip, North Dakota. I had hoped to see more of the Bakken Oil fields. South Dakota for the Bad Lands, and Mt. Rushmore.

If I remember correctly, the H at the end is for CSX's "heavy ballasted" engines. This renumbering to 46, does that mean the motor got swapped out?

 I'll have to search for the rebuild program of CSX. I'd like to make one of these in G scale.

I might be wrong about this, but the 46 indicates a Gevo 16cylinder engine

rated at 6000 hp derated to 4600hp.

When the CW44AC's were operated out of Cumberland, Md. GE and CSX

developed the "heavies", in which the CW44AC's were ballasted to the wieght

of the CW60AC's, and used a newer revamped wheel slip system, and used

"steerable" trucks. These locomotives were then called CW44AH, the H being

a "heavy", ballasted to the weight of an 6000. So that wheel slip system, and

the 6000 already at the weight of the CW44AH's, now became CW46AH's.

If anyone knows more about this, or any of it is wrong please post it here.

I have to admit, I was speeding by the yard on WVA RT 46 when I saw the two big yellow CSX symbols on matching locomotives, the smell of burnt rubber was in the air!

Imagine after that when I found the locomotives were numbered 674 and 675.

Railfann'in paradise!

Ed

Thank you Ed, for the answers.

I never realized how far those shock damper things stick out on the truck's side frames.

Nice pictures.

Thanks to all for the great pics here again.

With Disney Trains shutdown, this is all I was able to get.  Disney Animal Park train.