First one is just out of Cumberland Md, into Pennsylvania at Cook's Mills at a lovely farm there. (an edit) I should have added this is a manifest, Q 375-29 headed for Sand Patch, and, despite five engines up front, there's a helper on the rear as well!

The second one is a coal haul at Keyser WVA, waiting to crew up and climb 55 miles up the old Western Maryland Thomas Sub to the Mt Storm power plant near Bayard.

I like the farm shot there, Tim.  Sort of what I see here, but yours has a big hill in it.    I got a little bit of winter here the past week.  I got up Sunday morning to get ready for church and noticed my favorite conditions outside--ice fog!  I love ice fog!  It's been so dry here this year there hasn't been any.  So after a little soul searching, I put on my warm clothes and headed out to the tracks!  It was beautiful yes, but no trains.  I started driving north along the line up into Minnesota.  By the time I found a train, the sun had come out and the ice fog and hoar frost quickly fell apart.  I was left with just a plain sunny day and blue sky, which I usually hate.  I managed to snag a couple of shots, but they really aren't anything special.  The next morning I woke up early (cat was licking my nose, wanting to be fed at 6 AM.)  Looking out my window I saw the ice fog was back!  So, I fed the cat and went out chasing trains.  I played hooky from work for about three hours while the fog lingered.  I got one shot in my favorite dreary, gray conditions just across the state line in Minnesota.  I think there is a moral here.  If you skip church to chase trains, you won't be rewarded for it.  If instead you play hooky from work to chase trains, you will receive God's blessing! 

First shot was at Sham Lake, MN.  I played with it a little in Photoshop.    Second shot was from near Marshall, MN. It's a test shot as I want to go back and shoot it at night.  Third shot near Manley, MN.

Kent in SD

The Nebraska Zephyr consist, with C&NW #411 and CB&Q #9255 in tow, at Union, IL on 7/26/2011, returning from Train Festival in Rock Island.

Gotta love them ALCOs!

Some action in Normandy today.

Some CSX action in Tullahoma, TN.

A little BNSF also.

From the 'fluke' snow storm a few weeks ago - just got these off the camera today - 

CSXT AC44CW 583 leads Q418 along the Lehigh Line in Piscataway, NJ - 

CSX ES44DC 5274 leads eastbound manifest Q438 - 

NS SD40-2 3434 - earlier this week, leading OI16 into Browns Yard on the Amboy Secondary in Parlin, NJ - 

Tim,

That Alco lineup is such a rarity these days and something of a miracle in my book. If I could, Id be living in Scranton. Thanks much for a glimpse of the action.

Bruce

A little diversion.  While waiting for trains to pass I snapped these photos of a 1982 Roll Royce Corniche.  The gentleman driving the vehicle saw me snap his picture so he pulled into next to me and told me all about the car.  This model was manufactured from 1971 to 1982 and 1108 were made. This is number 1108.  He owns a Rolls Royce only restoration company and he was fixing the vehicle for a customer of his in Cleveland.  The gentleman also told me that his father made engines for submarines during WWII in a plant in Cleveland.  There is no telling what you can learn by watching trains.

It's cold at night in Selkirk NY.

Inermodal departing towards the East.

Outside the engine house.

An ethanol arrives from the west, passing an autorack.

The ethanol heads down the fast freight.

Hump engines.

MBTA just visiting.

Arrival from the east.

Servicing engines.

Spotted these two in Rochelle, IL. awhile back. You could smell the fresh paint

At least the Corniche looks like a car, unlike those ugly tanks that wear the R-R badge 2day.

I'm with you Jim, Bentley seems to have found out how to do it, the new ones are to die for.

Oh is "Swipsy" from the Scott Joplin rag of the same title?

Nice photos everyone. Here are my favorites:

Here is mine:

Péchot-Bourdon Baldwin 0-4-4-0

And a link to some colorful historical loco photos:

http://www.internationalsteam....ds/articulated02.htm

Prairie

Very interesting.  I didn't know double ended steam locomotives existed!  Thanks for posting.

Good deduction Times Square on the Swipsey tag but not correct.  While I am a Scott Joplin fan and do play the piano and his music, the nickname goes back over 60 years ago when my grandfather gave me the nickname because I would slip into the kitchen and "swipe" grandmas's cookies and when grandfather got to the jar it was empty.