Midweek Photos 12/31/2014 Year-End Wrap Up!!!

I was thinking of taking some pictures and videos today until I saw the temp of 4 degrees this morning.  Forecast of 20 MPH winds for today too, so I have a feeling I might not get any outdoor pictures taken after all.

Art

Don't really actively railfan anymore, but here's a few from Railroad Days in Franklin Park, IL.

Rusty

Second Quarter report:

National Parks Week, which takes place in mid-April, is the official beginning of the Steamtown season.  A pleasant surprise for 2104 was the first few weeks of operating the Scranton Limited and the introduction of the Sunday-only Nay Aug Gorge Limited powered by F3 number 664. This unit added a bit of color and style to the trip until GP9 514 could take over.

Another train I took in April was on the Union County Industrial RR, based out of Lewisburg, PA.  This short line is part of a family of roads run as the North Shore Lines. This Reading Company line had a Reading inspired Geep leading us to this staged photo in White Deer, PA.

In early May, the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Chapter, NRHS, sponsored a fan trip on the Reading & Northern RR called the Vosburg Flyer.  The last runby location of the day was in the former Central of New Jersey railroad yard in Penobscot, PA.  One of their newly acquired GP39RN units still had Santa Fe markings from when it was originally a GP30.

Late May was the Streamliner celebration at the Spencer Shops in North Carolina.  The ABA set of F3s was reassembled for the first time in their Lackawanna stripes to make the run to North Carolina.  This was in the Steamtown yard, just a little before they would head with D-L RS3s to Portland and the Norfolk Southern interchange.

June saw this test train from Scranton to Moscow, PA where Nickel Plate Road GP9 514 would make her run to break in crews and familiarize interpreters on the operation.  This is passing under the Bunker Hill bridges of Interstate 81 in Dunmore, PA.

And this view is of a real passenger excursion in Moscow, PA, June 22.  Getting set for the return to Scranton.

I still have half a year to go.  

Its been a great year for railfanning!

From Huckleberry Railroad, Train Expo 2014, and Chasing the 1225 several times.  

2015 will be even better with the 611, 1309, and more!

Here is just a handful of shots I took this year.  

Third Quarter... This was an interesting year for excursions out of Steamtown.  At least 8 different towns were visited. Plus freight business seemed to be up on all of the railroads running through my area this year.

One of the neater trips was an extension of the yard tour we call the Nay Aug Gorge Limited.  While still staying in Scranton, this train took visitors to the Gorge, which is a National Natural Landmark, a relic of the Ice Age.  Here we see GP9 514 and coaches outside the tunnel named after the gorge in early July.

I was called away in July to work security at a fire in Washington.  On my way home, I stopped in Spokane, taking in dinner in Frank's Diner, a preserved railroad car from the 1800s.  A BNSF double stack train passes in behind the diner.

August took our train to Cresco, PA.  F3 664 and GP9 514 led the coaches to this 1883 built depot.

Mid August saw this return train from Carbondale, PA.  This is known as the Diamond Branch, crossing Lackawanna Avenue in Scranton.

Getting ready for a celebration at the end of August.  RailFest 2014 was the first non-steam Fest at Steamtown, but steam engines did still take part.  1903-built Cooke Works number 790 stood as a backdrop to the opening ceremony.

Central of New Jersey RS3 1554 took the lead on the Scranton Limited trains during the weekend, while the AB set of F3s led the Caboose Experience.

September brought some cool attractions to the Steamtown Locomotive Shop.  Lackawanna Railroad diners 469 and 470 (EL770) were getting truck work so the 469 could become road worthy.  When the Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society gains more funds, they could make 770 road worthy too.  469's interior is in great shape, 770, not so much.

A sweet surprise in late September was the initial run of Wilmington Car 120, which the Electric City Trolley Station and Museum brought out of their display spot for a one-block run.

Three more months to go.

Thank you to all for your contributions so far!  It really is an interesting variety of railroad equipment, and as jdevleerjr mentioned, 2015 will be even better    I have 3 months left to cover, so here we go.

October saw an interesting time in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania.  Steamtown ran an excursion to East Stroudsburg, PA to honor the 150 years since the Civil War, while the D-L and Erie Lackawanna Dining Car ran trains between E. Stroudsburg and Delaware Water Gap.  Here is the meet of the two trains in E. Stroudsburg.

October also saw the beginning of the restoration of an ALCO FA2.  It was originally Louisville & Nashville, and last used by Long Island RR.  The NYC markings are from a photo occasion from 20 years ago.  This is at the Steamtown locomotive shop.

November still has plenty of Fall color, and this view shows Steamtown's Scranton Limited crossing South Washington Ave. in Scranton.

A journey to Tennessee brought me to the Doe River Gorge narrow gauge railroad, a short section of the Tweetsie Railroad.

December brings Santa Claus to town, as we see at the Steamtown boarding platform.  

The big news in Scranton, of all the big rail news this year, is of the imminent return of Baldwin 26.  Here she sits after a few test fires, and steam tests.  

Enjoy your year ahead!  Grab your camera every time you leave the house.  You never know when something interesting will come down the track.  Happy New Year!

Hello everyone, I would like to say and wish you all a Happy New Year.

Really like the paint scheme on this train. These colors are becoming some of my favorites to see on trains.

Looking back,

MKT 216 South, train #102 picks up orders from the operator at Vinita, OK, Oct 5, 1977.  Depot now gone, tracks are now UP.

 MP 3054 South, a train off the former C&EI from Chicago passes through the busy "SH" interlocking on the TRRA, (Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis) in Madison on the way to a Mopac yard in St. Louis. Screaming Eagles rule the flanks of the turbo charged SD40's.

Dan

You need to come up and spend the weekend chasing trains with me.  You'll quickly come to appreciate temperatures that are above zero.  

Kent in SD

 Some highlights of my year:

Visited the B&O Museum in Baltimore in July to visit the engine that got my fire started:

Took these shots near Sandpatch back in October:

I'm particularly happy with the Amtrak shot.  Probably the best train shot I've ever taken.

Andy

Happy New Year everyone!  Tim, many thanks for starting this weekly thread all year long!  I didn't take many pictures of REAL trains this year, but here are a few...

 Grafton & Upton Railroad--North Grafton, MA Yard--January 2014

 New York, Susquehanna & Western--Kirkwood, NY--April, 2014

Grafton & Upton Railroad--N. Grafton, MA Yard--June, 2014

 Grafton & Upton Railroad--Grafton, MA--July, 2014

Canadian Pacific (Delaware & Hudson)--Binghamton, NY--November, 2014

Andy,

You have every right to be proud of that Amtrak shot, it's a beauty.

Joe B.

It's hard to pick what I think stood out for the past year.  When I took them, each was a favorite I suppose.  A month later, virtually none look all that good.  Virtually none, but there were a few.  Here's my "reruns" for the year:

I was out chasing trains on New Year's Eve last night.  I finally got a few shots of the elusive shortline that runs on the old MILW tracks in western MN--the TC&W (Twin Cities & Western.)   Most of the time when I'm out there in the dark and it's near zero, no one bothers me.  Not quite the case on New Year's Eve though.     Might be a story for next week.

Kent in SD

We will wait in anticipation.

Fine photos, Kent.  Thanks for sharing all year on this forum.

Some winter projects in the DT&M roundhouse.

Bending new copper gaskets for the valve boxes on our 1897 Baldwin 4-4-0

Removing the old graphite coating from the smokebox front of our 1932 4-4-0 "Edison" to reapply a fresh, even coat.