Midweek Photos 3/9/2016

Some old-timers passing thru Pittsburgh on NS Fort Wayne line, Allegheny Valley RR and the CSX old P&LE main ....

Visits to the Strasburg RR in Amish Country...

Dawn at North Baltimore.

Hello Well after I went to the DR. this morning I decided to run to the next town East of me.

Plano,Illinois.  This is the Town I lived in when I  got our first apartment 24 years ago and had our Son. This is also the town wear they made  one of the Superman  Movies  5-6 years ago That is the Time I went through all of the Medical treatments I went trough.

Portland Or. October 2015: I was in Portland for a run last October.  Staying downtown, I had a bit of free time on Monday before my flight.  A good way to take a tour of a new city is to board its light rail,  if it exists.  Portland has its share.  Through the window, I got a few shots of an Intermodal  yard (or is it a piggyback yard) on the south side.  On my return trip I got off to take a look at the Heritage Center,  hoping to see up close the steam locomotives there.  Monday was my unlucky day as it is closed then.  I did get one of a nice old passenger unit though.  These are my views  through the chain link fence.  Maybe next time. 

I caught this string of 6 C44AC units 1 mile east of Fremont Ne.  They were tied up at the crew change point.  Only the lead dog was running.  Of special interest is the SP unit still flying the colors.  The red nose is fading a bit as you can see.  Finally I offer a video not so much for the visual aspect but to listen to the brute rumbling and hissing, no doubt getting impatient to charge east with its manifest.  Really are 6 units necessary?  Anyway, I love to hear the noise undisturbed by the thought of being chased off by some well meaning RR man. My video is too long, hmm how can I get around that limit? 

Unlike Tim, I live in the mother lode of hopper cars.  There's always at least some within walking distance, even.   In fact, when I see a train that doesn't have hoppers on it, I stop and wonder, "Huh.  I wonder where its hoppers went?"  We have tons of stuff to put into hoppers--gravel, sand, cement, soy beans, wheat, corn, DDG, coal,  and fertilizer gets hauled TO here in hoppers.  I'm probably missing something too.   So anyway, on the photos.

I caught the little Minnesota Southern train making it's Monday run between Luverne and Worthington MN.  The snow was beginning to melt and that creates a lot of fog.  I like fog.  The train had it's usual handful of ethanol tankers, but this time it had something new--a hopper car behind the engine.  I've not see them do that before.  Were they hauling a load of DDG out from the ethanol plant?   Or, did someone "official" give them a talking to about not having a buffer car?  If I see the hopper still there in weeks ahead I'll have my answer.  A few days later the temperature shot up to 60 degrees and most of the snow melted.  I set my sights on the RCPE, and planned to meet up with a buddy in the middle of the state.  Unfortunately it turned out that RCPE wasn't running any trains anywhere near there, so I went after an e/b out of Huron SD, alone.   It was mostly all daytime shooting, but that's the thing.  You have to shoot what you're given, right?  I think I did OK, mostly.   Tomorrow it's supposed to hit 70 degrees out here, and I might go chase a train when I get done with work.  Next week it's supposed to snow again.  It's like having the best of both worlds lately, only better.  There are no bugs yet.

1. RCPE roundhouse in Huron SD

2. The e/b crossing the James River in Huron.   A few days before the river was still iced over.

3. E/b at Cavour, SD.   I need to go back there at night sometime when there's more water in the ditch.

4. E/b at Elkton, SD nearing the MN border.

5. Minnesota Southern e/b nearing Rushmore MN.

That's probably enough.

Kent in SD

wb47 posted:

. . . I was in Portland for a run last October.  Staying downtown, I had a bit of free time on Monday before my flight.  . . . Through the window, I got a few shots of an Intermodal  yard (or is it a piggyback yard) on the south side.  On my return trip I got off to take a look at the Heritage Center,  hoping to see up close the steam locomotives there.  Monday was my unlucky day as it is closed then.  I did get one of a nice old passenger unit (sic) though.

Thanks, b47.  Most of the portland photos we've seen on this forum have been of 4449 and other steam and vintage diesel-electrics.  Poor old Mount Hood (a lounge car, I believe) is no longer a beauty queen, but she's still wearing the colors of Great Northern, a well-run railroad that deserves to be remembered.

Two23 posted:

I caught the little Minnesota Southern train making it's Monday run between Luverne and Worthington MN.  The snow was beginning to melt and that creates a lot of fog.  I like fog.  The train had it's usual handful of ethanol tankers, but this time it had something new--a hopper car behind the engine.  I've not see them do that before.  Were they hauling a load of DDG out from the ethanol plant?   Or, did someone "official" give them a talking to about not having a buffer car?  Tomorrow it's supposed to hit 70 degrees out here, and I might go chase a train when I get done with work.  Next week it's supposed to snow again.  It's like having the best of both worlds lately, only better.  There are no bugs yet.

We always look to some good photos from you, Kent, but I think you outdid your self this week.  All were winners.

As information:  If Minnesota Southern has been hauling [hazardous material] placarded ethanol tank cars without at least one buffer between the first ethanol car and the engine, they have been poking the eye, so to speak, of the Federal Rail Administration.  If caught at that practice the railroad would be fined enough to hurt on a small carrier like that.  Even the train crew would be subject to being fined, but FRA likes to talk big about fining Engineers and Conductors while it almost never actually does.  Anyway, it's a Federal Regulation, and one buffer car is only the minimum. If there are enough non-placarded cars in the train, more are required.  The non-placarded car can be any freight car, even the snow plow would qualify.

Number 90 posted:

As information:  If Minnesota Southern has been hauling [hazardous material] placarded ethanol tank cars without at least one buffer between the first ethanol car and the engine, they have been poking the eye, so to speak, of the Federal Rail Administration.  If caught at that practice the railroad would be fined enough to hurt on a small carrier like that.  Even the train crew would be subject to being fined, but FRA likes to talk big about fining Engineers and Conductors while it almost never actually does.  Anyway, it's a Federal Regulation, and one buffer car is only the minimum. If there are enough non-placarded cars in the train, more are required.  The non-placarded car can be any freight car, even the snow plow would qualify.

 

The owner is a pretty crusty guy and has had a few run ins with the regional FRA guy.  The last was when they were doing major track work fixing a wash out.  There wasn't any derail or other "protection" set up on the tracks.  The owner's response was that all three of their employees were working on the track, and there was no one else who could possibly run the engines.  I think they still got whacked for that one.  The tankers do have the "1987" red diamonds, (UP wouldn't touch them otherwise,) but I've never seen them run a buffer car ever--15+ years.   They sometimes don't have the ditch lights turned on, but a conductor friend of mine said they can get away with that because they are running 10 mph.   It's a quirky little operation.

Kent in SD

Late to the party!

Searched my files and found this one I liked, 734 on Helmstetter's back in

November of 2011.

Ed

Ed Mullan posted:

Late to the party!

Searched my files and found this one I liked, 734 on Helmstetter's back in

November of 2011.

Ed

Another in a long tradition of fine photos from you, Ed.  Thanks for posting.  WMSRR boiled water to make its engine come alive, and you showed up with your camera and made that lovely Maryland scenery come alive with the passing of the train.  You make us feel as though we were there.  

Thanks to everyone who likes my photos. It means much to me.

Ed

Ed Mullan posted:

Thanks to everyone who likes my photos. It means much to me.

Ed

You're on my short list of people I'd like to chase a train with.  My wife is still talking about going back to catch the 1309 some night.  I'll let you know.

As for the MN Southern train, my conductor buddy pointed out they could be using an empty tanker as buffer, and I wouldn't know that unless I walked up and pounded on the side.

Kent in SD