Midweek Photos 6/11/2014

Trains, trains, trains.  I was talking yesterday with someone even more interested in trains than me.  It can wear you out.  What it all comes down to is you need to find your own enjoyment in a business that runs whether you are interested or not.

Case in point.  I was waiting in East Scranton for a Steamtown train to pass the crossing at Myrtle St.  The Delaware Lackawanna RR was building their grain train from some cars that were parked in a siding and other cars brought in from the Canadian Pacific interchange point. 

The train is led by C424 number 2403.  This unit was built for the Spokane Portland & Seattle Railway.  The colors she bears date from her days on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad.  The blue and yellow of the second unit date back to use on the New York and Lake Erie Railroad.  Most railroads run with whichever locomotive is able to run, and has the power to get the job done.  Railfans may have a favorite locomotive, and get upset when "their" engine isn't running, but the trainload of cars is much more important than our opinion.

And having said that, this is a railroad that is interested in history and preservation.  No rule says they need to run Alcos that were built in the 1950s, but they do.  An agreement with the Anthracite Railroads Historical Society allowed the ARHS to sell many of their diesels that they could not run (no track or railroad agreement to run on) if the D-L would keep them in their heritage colors.  This agreement means that DL is one of the most interesting railroads to follow, and locomotives put out to pasture years ago still get their turn in moving freight.  RS3 1554 may not be "First" in this train, but she is doing what she was built to do.

Off to explore the railroads and capture more classic images of the real world where the railroads run.  I hand you the Midweek Photo thread to add your own pieces of this interesting world. Have a great week!