Midweek Photos 2/19/2014

So many other locations I tried to catch this slow moving train, only to find that parking spaces are at a premium.  Many two lane roads were down to one, Many parking lots were full of snow.  

 

 

Tobyhanna experiences two seasons,  winter and the 4th of July.  Guess which one we are in?  Here comes the plow train.  The far side wing was pulled in due to the freight cars parked on the siding tracks.  A lot of snow was very close to the tracks, no doubt due to the plowing of the area by the Tobyhanna station.

 

 

 

Things were getting sketchy at the crossing.  They needed to clear as much as possible, but not knock over the crossing gates and lights or the control box (far right)

 

And off they go, on to Pocono Summit and the Delaware Water Gap.  I ended my chase here.  Cold was overcoming me.  The snow had stopped for the day at this time... almost as quickly as the train passed.

Finally, after trying for the better part of a year I was in the right place at the right time to catch the NS Heritage Central of Georgia in a heavy oil consist heading East through Berea, Ohio with a BNSF pusher on the rear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Amtrak AEM-7 #935 at Wilmington, Delaware station:

 

 

 

Action in Bound Brook, New Jersey, a very busy and great spot for railfanning.  NJ Transit, Norfolk Southern and CSX at the New Jersey Transit station (March 2008):

 

Unusual combination of warm temp, abundant snow cover and bright sunshine had me chasing NS today:

 

Well, I guess I got a few this past week.  It snows an inch or two every week, then the temperature dives back down below zero and the wind blows like crazy.  The subzero cold and the fierce winds have been taking a toll on my lighting gear!    I'm having to replace hundreds of dollars worth of parts and gear as it either snaps in the cold or gets slammed to the ground by a 50 mph gust of wind.  The few nights I wanted to go chase trains it was so windy I decided to not risk my flash.  What to do?  As a last resort I headed out to take photos in the daytime.  I need to practice that every now & then so I don't forget how.   I ran up into Minnesota along the BNSF Marshall Sub, which never disappoints.  I was using my new Nikon 80-400mm VR AFS lens for these shots.  It's superb on my Nikon D7100 camera.  Focus is pretty much instant, and the optics are sharp! 

 

1. A n/b manifest train emerges from a small cut near Jasper MN.  Train is hauling many flat car loads of drilling pipe bound for North Dakota.

 

2. I take a break from chasing trains to take a photo of this horse eating hay. The hard winter has been tough on the animals here, but this one looks pretty fat & happy!  It even has a small barn to go into and get out of the wind.  Jasper, MN.

 

3. Train comes around the bend as the wind gathers speed & picks up loose snow.

 

4. A s/b oil train snakes its way through a glacial valley near Holland, MN.  The train was over 100 tankers long.  These have become the second most common train seen on this line.  Note the wind driven snow blowing over the tracks.  Wind had picked up to 30+ mph steady, and the temp had dived to single digits.

 

 

Kent in SD

NS H49 going west and NS 506 parked in Stowe Yard.

Pottstown, PA.

NS. Harrisburg Main Line (Ex. RDG)

Pentax K2000
1/10  f6.7 270mm Iso 1600 
6:05 PM.     02-19-2014
Photo by Me.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201610937651990&set=gm.597549706989471&type=1&theater

May 2013, late snow storm in Whittier, Alaska.  Came as a shock to the many cruisers that arrived that day.  Many had never been in the snow.  There were snowmen made and a few snowball fights.

 

The DEX has unloaded it passengers onto the ship and returning empty to Anchorage.

 

To Tim O'Malley

Thanks for chasing that train and taking the neat shots.

Question: Do they add any extra weight to the caboose to decrease the chances of a derailment?

Fred, I couldn't find any specific data on the plow's weight. It was built in 1923 or so for the Canadian Pacific. It was never a caboose, although I am sure it weighs more than the typical caboose of the time.

There's a restored one in the Henry Ford Museum

 

 

 

 

 

According to this website, it weighs 20 tons.  I haven't made it over to the museum while I'm working lately, so I can't say for sure if that's correct or not.

Thanks Tim
I do not know why I assumed it was a caboose.


On Thu, Feb 20, 2014 at 7:48 PM, O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum <<br />alerts@hoop.la> wrote:

Thanks for the great photo.
Fred


On Thu, Feb 20, 2014 at 8:17 PM, O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum <<br />alerts@hoop.la> wrote:

Took a drive over to Catawissa, PA during lunch the other day and took these photos.

Oh, well, as they say, it's a tough job but somebody has to do it.  Fortunately you have not forgotten how.  Nice work, Kent.