Midweek Photos 12/28/2016 Year in Review 2016

You can never go wrong by reviewing the year's photos of Alco diesels.

Some shots taken at the PRR museum back in April.

that pic of the NYSW engines is enough to make me want to make a new train.

great pics again as always.

OK, I'll do a half year review.  Consider it catching up where I left off last summer.  I've been doing more poking around abandoned farms and ghost towns this year than railroads, shooting either a Chamonix 4x5 field camera or a c.1925 Gundlach Korona 5x7.  I use lenses of 1905-1928 vintage on both.  However, I still managed to snag my share of trains!  Some shots spanning the last six months:

1. Grain train (empty) e/b at Shelby, MT.  My wife was impressed with my ability to snag a train shot while simply standing in line for lunch.

2. MILW electric on display at Harlowton, MT.  Dang those would have been cool to see in action.

3. An e/b near Browning, MT.  This trestle has an official foamer name, but I've forgotten it.  It was starting to get dark and I didn't know if I was going to catch anything or not, despite a steady stream of trains on this line through Glacier National Park.  I was out on the highway bridge and my wife was sitting inside the car fussing a little about how much time it was taking.  Shot was worth it, I think.  Most guys shoot this one a lot tighter, but I was impressed with the deep ravine in the foreground and included it.

4.  Kenaston, SK.  We vacation through Glacier NP, Banff, Lake Louise and up the Jasper Parkway to Edmonton and what do I photo?  Wooden grain elevators--just like back in the Dakotas!   This was along the CN line.

5. Andover, SD.  Six steam tractors gang plowing.  I don't have much big steam where I live, but little steam is just as cool!

6.  Andover, SD.  The "Ladies of Steam" running a 1890s vintage case tractor and platform plow.

7.  Andover, SD.  BNSF grain train w/b runs past the James River Steam Threshing Bee.  I had the guys park the tractors with a little space between them so I could wait for this shot.

8. Madison, SD.  The 0-6-0 is now in steam at the Prairie Village complex.

9.  Willow Lake Colony, SD.  Lawrence, member of the Willow Lake Hutterite colony, runs one of four combines harvesting soy beans.  The head on this machine is 45 ft. wide!  The beans will be trucked to Watertown, SD and then hauled by BNSF.  Grain is the main driver of railroad traffic on the Northern Plains.   Above the radio is a photo of Lawrence's new bride, Winnie.

10.  UP 3985 passing through Perry, KS.  I stood on top of my RAV4 to get the shot.  Everyone else was on the other side of the train--the dark side! 

11. Bowdle, SD.  A loaded grain train (wheat) w/b.  In the background is a JD tractor plowing up the ground to sow winter wheat.  This is the old Milwaukee line, now the BNSF Hettinger sub.

12.  Willmar, MN.  Nearly 100 engines in storage in the BNSF Willmar yard.  Exhaust stacks are capped.  Oil tanker traffic is down, corn is selling for $2.92 so grain traffic is way down, and coal is also down.  That leaves ethanol tankers, manifests, and a few grain trains on the now lonely tracks.

13.  Ihlen, MN.  A grain shuttle being loaded on the BNSF Marshall Sub.  This shot clearly shows the scale, I think.

14. Groton, SD.  A manifest train, w/b.  Actual temperature was 22 below zero.  I put out six flash; three fired!

That's probably enough.  Do click on the slide show below as there is a lot of detail in the photos that you otherwise miss. 

Kent in SD

Two23 posted:

4.  Kenaston, SK.  We vacation through Glacier NP, Banff, Lake Louise and up the Jasper Parkway to Edmonton and what do I photo?  Wooden grain elevators--just like back in the Dakotas!   This was along the CN line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is a beautiful shot.

On to April.  Saturday, April 16, in Scranton, there was a Phoebe Snow Gala, whereby the Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society had their train set on display, and served lunch and dinner. 

Sunday, April 17 saw the return of steam locomotive no. 26 to Steamtown.  Baldwin Locomotive Works' 1929 shop switcher, which ran almost daily in the 1990s has been fully rebuilt.  

Monday, the 18th, Baldwin 26 was out again, to pick up personnel attending a Federal Railway Administration conference at the park theater. 

This sunny day the next weekend, I captured 26 passing the Radisson hotel, which opened in 1908 as the Delaware Lackawanna & Western Railroad's train station.

Now, on to May.  Catching the Electric City Trolley ( still in Scranton) emerging from the tunnel under South Scranton, built by the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Railway in (as seen above) 1905.

For National Train Day, Steamtown ran a diesel powered train to Moscow. 

Baldwin no 26 rolls through the railroad yard, again on the Scranton Limited trains. 

Steamtown had a Scout Day in conjunction with a Jamboree Weekend in Tobyhanna, PA.  Scouts took turns on the hand car. 

May ended with an excursion over Memorial Day weekend to Jessup, PA.  It was a Troop Train for the holiday weekend.

So much for a three month per post block.  Too many photos this year, especially in June.  The month began with a trip to Manassas, VA, and I caught so much action at the station in town.  Here is Amtrak arriving.  

It was raining around 6 PM when I caught this Norfolk Southern freight train in the same spot going the opposite direction.

Shortly after is the arrival of the VRE (Virginia Railway Express) commuter train. 

The reason for the trip was to document the American, a weekend of excursions on the former Southern Railway line between Manassas and Front Royal.  Norfolk & Western Railway 611 was the motive power. 

Delaware Lackawanna got into the mood of painting their locomotives this past year, and 2457, a C424, originally SP&S, was the first one completed in the two-tone white corporate livery. 

Steamtown's excursion to Moscow for Father's Day featured Lackawanna F3 no. 664 on the point of the train.  We see it in Moscow, PA.

At the end of June, I helped out with the National Railway Historical Society's RailCamp East.  24 young men spent the week exploring all aspects of railroading.  We took tours of the Wilmington DE shop.  They all posed in an inspection pit by Acela 2003.

A rare chance to see an ACS64 suspended from a crane and on the move. 

Two of the boys, Bruce and Chris check out  Thomas the Tank Engine at the Strasburg Rail Road. 

One of the counselors, Ellen running the doodlebug on a segregated track. Ryan Merrill of Strasburg is talking her through it. 

Here is a great group shot of the class of 2016.  They each had a hand at operating no. 475, and no. 90 is passing by on the scheduled train. 

The week ended with dinner at the Red Caboose Motel.  Railfans being what they are, we set up a photo line to catch an inbound passenger train around 7:30 or so. 

My railfanning/photography adventures in 2016 consisted of:

1. ON April 2, I participated in a WMSR "Farewell to 734" photo freight special, however 734 blew a tube halfway up the mountain, resulting in a shortened trip behind steam, and a switch to GP-30 501.
The day before I paid my respects to various RR infrastructure, old and new, around Cumberland.

2. A day at Horseshoe Curve on April, 16, 2016 during the great tree-clearing project, note the audience that day.

3. 4 days/nights in Roanoke, May 5-8,2016; VMT,OWL, and 611
 
4. A challenging day for photography, 6/4/2016, on 611's Manassas-Front Royal trip, this image taken at Distillery Road in Linden,VA. was converted to B&W.

5. A 3-day weekend at  "The 2nd best place" in Fairhope, PA. from October 14-16, 2016 resulted in some nice images on nearby Sand Patch grade, with a separate day spent at Horseshoe Curve and the Everett RR.
This was the 1st trip with a recently acquired NIKON D-7000 DSLR, and the last trip for my venerable Nikon FM-10 slide camera.
All images by Warren W. Jenkins

Borden Tunnel posted:

This was the 1st trip with a recently acquired NIKON D-7000 DSLR, and the last trip for my venerable Nikon FM-10 slide camera.
All images by Warren W. Jenkins

I think you will like the D7000.  It's a very nice little camera and a true bargain for what they sell for!

Kent in SD

Really good photos, fellows.  Kent, thank you for your endless prowling on the 2-lanes, paved and unpaved, in search of railroading that few ever see

I have similar photos to others but will post anyway. 

I started the summer with a quick trip to Walkersville Southern for a ride behind Lehigh Valley Coal Com. 0-6-0T #126. When I was a WS volunteer, I had the opportunity to fire the #126 on several roundtrip excursions. A very nice little loco and the Gramling Family, her owners, are First Class people. 

Next up was a ride across the river to Manassas to see the 611. I did not ride this year as I had other commitments (and rode the year before).

Several walks down the Georgetown Branch of the B&O, now a trail (more like a highway, really with the amount of people). 

I really enjoyed riding the Farewell to the AEM7 excursion that Amtrak put together. 

I made a return to Strasburg for the first time in a decade, visiting all train attractions in a single day. 

I visited the Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI. Very enjoyable visit. Great group of guys running the railroad. 4-4-0 "Edison" was fired up and orbiting the village. #7 had been run just a few days prior and still had some steam in it. The museum/village is home to several pieces including a boxcar diesel, the Ford family private railcar, a C&O Allegheny, 3 operable steam locos, diesel switchers and more. All in very good condition. Very nice place. Would like to get back here again. 

For some reason, I was passing the Garrett Park, MD B&O Station one morning in the summer. Don't remember why but I do remember thinking I was early to wherever I was going and it wasn't too hot (YET!) so why not stop at the train station and see if anything comes by. I even had my camera with me, which I rarely do. I parked myself on a bench trackside. About 5 minutes later, the pedestrian crossing bell starts ringing. A very fast auto rack train swung around the curve just east of the station. I saw a flash of orange but it was nearly too late to realize it was the NS Jersey Central Heritage Unit. Complete surprise. I had no clue it was coming or in the area. I realize it is a terrible photo but I was - and still am - very glad to have at least gotten something. This train was doing every bit of track speed. 

I participated in a modular club display at the Brunswick, MD Railroad Days in Early October. This allowed lots of CSX action and MARC action as the MARC train was running excursions up and down the B&O Metropolitan Branch, which I rode of course!

Wow!  Thank you everyone so far for your contributions.  I am impressed.  And don't worry about showing photos from the same places or events. No one of us can be everywhere and catch everything.  Now, on to my July:

The next Delaware Lackawanna unit to leave the paint shop this summer in a new coat was No. 2423.  This is a C425, built in 1965 for the Pennsylvania Railroad. 

On July 4, Baldwin no. 26 was back to the Scranton Limited trains, once again passing the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel. 

Two days later, the same train is led by F3 no. 664.  That station wagon was sitting by the fence there a long time.

Now we are in August.  The month began with this Delaware Lackawanna picnic train.  They made a run to Moscow, using the Diner, sleeper and coaches of the Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society's train set.

Two more diesels jumped in to run the Scranton Limited for a few days in August.  While No. 26 was getting a quarterly inspection, RS3 no 4118 led the Limited from the west end of the roundhouse area.

A few days later, RS3 no 1554, an original Central of New Jersey unit, led the Limiteds from the east side of the roundhouse. 

Late in August, I went to a wedding in Massachusetts.  I had some down time, so I went to get lunch in Northampton, MA and walked around town.

Amtrak no longer stops at the Union Station, but it comes pretty darn close.  

Around 3:00 I caught the Vermonter pulling into town.

This next post will be all September, which at Steamtown, is Railfest.  The 10th Anniversary of the current Railfest brought a lot of interesting pieces out for the public to view. 

Ongoing track repair and switch installation projects allowed these maintenance of way pieces to be on prominent display for the weekend.

Delaware Lackawanna's C420 no. 414 was displayed with Steamtown's Lehigh Valley business car no. 353 for the first time ever. 414 is original to the LV.

1935 Lackawanna Railroad EMC no. 426 sits with Delaware Lackawanna's historic freight consist, including DL&W caboose from 1948.

The Electric City Trolley Station & Museum brought this East Troy Railway car  out for temporary display.

The third D-L unit to get fresh paint this summer is C424 no 2403.  This was a former Spokane Portland & Seattle unit, posed next for former Pennsylvania RR 2423.

Baldwin no. 26 brought the sunshine when she left the roundhouse.

CNJ no. 1554 led the excursion to Moscow.  This is just after departing the boarding platform. 

The F3 led the Caboose Experience train while Baldwin 26 gets ready to lead the Scranton Limited. 

Around mid-day, the various types of rail inspection and rail gang cars were on display at the turntable. 

For the National Park Service's centennial, children made birthday cards, which were hung on a clothes line in the park theater building. 

Historic photos of the Delaware Lackawanna & Western Railroad were available for viewing, and a cool break from the Fest.

Many pieces normally tucked indoors were placed on display for the weekend, including Berlin Mills Paper no. 7, above, along with Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 no. 759 and Grand Trunk Western 4-8-2 no 6039.

Later in September, the dumptruck was caught in action on the rail line, dropping ballast where a new switch is being placed. 

Delaware Lackawanna's fourth Alco in white came out of the paint booth by the end of September. This M630 hails from the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, built in 1970.

And we said farewell for now to Central RR of New Jersey day coach no. 1021, which was shipped to Shoshoni, Wyoming for restoration.  She will return in her 1921 Pullman Green, to be added to Steamtown's fleet of coaches. 

Here is October.  Much of the month this year was so-so weather, but a few bright points showed up.

Here is a Steamtown excursion heading to Gouldsboro, PA.  Just before arriving at the station, there is a water formation known as Snag Pond. F3 no. 664 and RS3 1554 lead the train to the destination.

A light rain and a lot of fog kept this train from being picture perfect, but not to the riders, who had a good time. 

A few days later, I happened to catch the first Norfolk Southern heritage unit I had ever seen.  Wabash  no. 1070, along with other NS units heading north from Scranton to Binghamton.

Columbus Day weekend in Scranton is also Steamtown marathon weekend.  To mark the occasion, Baldwin Locomotive Works no. 26 was renumbered 26.2 to mark the mileage of the foot race.

CNJ no. 1554 kept busy during October, being on most of the excursions.  The one above is in Tobyhanna, PA, about 5 miles east of Gouldsboro. 

1554 also ran the excursion from Scranton to Delaware Water Gap in the peak of the foliage season.  We see her being walked into the boarding platform. 

Above is the train stopped at the Delaware Water Gap depot along the Delaware River.  The train will re-board soon enough, and then depart back to Scranton.

Mount Washington Railway Peppersass, the first cog steam locomotive, which celebrated its 150th birthday in 2016, paid a visit to Steamtown just before Railfest, staying until just before Halloween. We see her sitting on the trailer just before disassembly and shipment back to New Hampshire.

Another sunny day in October sees the Steamtown train, this time led by C420 no 405, pulling into the Cresco, PA station.

I happen to live close enough to the tracks to see the trains pass by from my attic window.  This is Baldwin no. 26 leading the Scranton Limited train through downtown Scranton. 

Now, onto November.  

In preparation for winter projects, another of Steamtown's Baldwin locomotives was brought outside for the first time in 5 or so years.  Rahway Valley Railroad 2-8-0 no. 15 turned 100 years old in 2016. 

On Sundays, Steamtown runs their yard trains a little further than usual.  Called the Nay Aug Gorge Limited, the train runs nearly 6 miles round trip to the gorge, which is part of a city park in Scranton.  November 20 would be the one and only chance to catch the train in the snow, so off I went to catch the train at the bridge where it stops. Since it was there for a while, I ran up to another look-out on the park's trail to catch the train just clear of the tunnel.

Thanksgiving weekend saw a few excursions return to the mainline as the Holiday Trains took families to see Santa Claus at the Moscow, PA station.

Santa posed with some of the elves before we re-boarded for Scranton.

And we caught the locomotives in the waning afternoon sun as we arrived in Scranton.

My year is finally ending.  December was the time to catch other railroads and their Santa trains.  

My first stop was at Steam into History, a section of the old Northern Central RR, in New Freedom, PA.  On diesel days, they run GP9 no. 7580.  The colorful caboose next to her is for birthday parties. 

The real attraction is this 4-4-0 replica of a Civil War era steam engine.  No. 17 is called the York. 

I also took a run up to Boyertown to catch the Colebrookdale Railroad in action.  Another GP9, with a stunning blue and black coloring.  This view is of the re-coupling before boarding  the train.

About 2 blocks away from boarding is this location, where the train passes under the street before heading into the trees. 

Back to Steamtown, and catching the crew moving pieces around again.  664 acts as the switcher to get Baldwin 26 into the locomotive shop for the annual inspection. 

I end my portion of the thread with Reading steam engine no. 2124, also at Steamtown after a snow storm.  Thank you to everyone who participated this week, or at any time during the year.  This is always a highlight of my week to see what interesting things you find in the world of railroading. 

A few shots from this year:

1. NKP #765 heading up "The Varsity" (Chicago north suburbs to Janesville and return). Here she is arriving at Fox Lake, IL on the outbound run..

2. Frisco #1630 (Russian Decapod) running at IRM.

3. A couple of METRA P36s laying over at Fox Lake on an autumn Sunday.