Midweek Photos 7/15/2015

Monday evening, we took to the Amtrak main line in Newark, DE, to catch a few trains.  We actually lost count, there were so many. Most do not stop at Newark.

This regional train did stop.  We also watched the SEPTA commuter train, last one for the day, to arrive, and then depart.

Acela coming...

... and going.

A walkway bridge crossing the tracks allowed for this view of the next regional pulling past

The safest spot is at the old station, which is now the Newark History Museum.  Look at those trains roll.

I was up in the Newark/New York region last year while riding Amtrak's Pennsylvanian. Here are some pictures from a maintenance base for NJ Transit and PATH, and a few from the New York Transit museum.

Last week me and my son tried to rail fan the Great Lakes Central.  This time we visited Shephard, MI.  They have an old restored depot and an active grain elevator across the tracks.  We stuck out on any GLC trains.

We did see this old Ann Arbor RS-1 switching out a baggage/mail car near the depot!  Actually it is on display at the depot.  It seems to have been moved down the siding a bit since we were there back in March to see the 1225 come through the town.

We were able to climb into the cab.   Her sister unit #21 is in Raisin Center, MI and both units are owned by the Southern Michigan Railroad Society.  #21 is operational and runs but is land locked on a small section of track and can not move to their operational track across the NS mainline.  They plan to truck it to their operational track in the future. 

Here are the shots I took that day. 

Caught a few while out and about the other day.

On 7/11/15, I started the day documenting the visit of NS's #911 First Responders unit to the Pump Primers antique fire truck muster in Harrisburg,PA.
I ended the day at Enola Yard to shoot a pair of x-Conrail SD80MACS, which are probably my favorite "modern" diesels, and have followed through their careers.
Photos at Brickyard xing, Altoona; 1995; and Barnesville,MD., on CSX Q398, 7/7/2001

Warren W. Jenkins images and photos

Photo originally posted by pittsburgrailfan:

This monorail in the photo deserves more mention:

It is the "AirTrain" that serves the 4 parking garages and 3 gate terminals of Newark Liberty airport.  At one end of the line is the "Rail-link" station served by Amtrak and NJ Transit.  The Rail-link is just south of Newark Penn station.

I greatly enjoy seeing intermodal transportation setups in the US.  We have some in certain cities in the U S A, but not enough.

Last weekend was another one of those where nothing ended up going as planned.  Seems like I have a lot of those.   Fortunately, this time it actually turned out better on one of the days.   I was heading out to catch the elusive RCPE again, but there was a derailment.  People are always in a bad mood around those and I steer clear.  So, I headed up to "Railroad Days" at Prairie Village, SD.  It is one of the two places in my state that runs a steam engine.  In this case it's a mechanically restored 0-6-0.  I know the people there well and access is friendly and easy.  I took a few shots with my Nikon F3T.  I really like how b&w film handles steam engines!   They're mostly b&w anyway.

A few days earlier I did get a chance to catch my favorite railroad, the Dakota & Iowa.  There's been some massive forest fires up in Alberta and Alaska, and a lot of that smoke has been funneling down into the Dakotas.  Some days the air smells like a campfire, even.   The sky turns a gray brown, and that makes the other local railfans just stay home.  Not me, of course.  I found a spot where I could get up on a river bluff and take a shot about a mile & half away of the oncoming train.  Also took a shot of the train going past an earlier derailment at the SD/IA border.  The D&I hauls a pink quartz rock that regional railroads love to use as ballast since it's extremely hard.

Kent in SD

1. An 0-4-0 saddle tank engine parked in the roundhouse at Prairie Village.  Add sofas, a chair, and a small refrigerator and you have a great "man cave!" 

2. In the cab of the fired 0-6-0.

3. For me, a little wisp of steam really makes a shot of the drivers work!

4. A s/b D&I train enters Fairview, SD through thick smoke.

5. D&I train passes by previous derailment.

6. Twisted hopper .

7. Broken knuckle.

Kent in SD

Kent, I always enjoy seeing your well-planned photos from South Dakota.

Some of that territory is familiar to me.  We took a trip by automobile, in 1961, to visit relatives in South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota.  Coming in from the west, we followed the C&NW on both sides of Pierre.  At Pierre there was a C&NW "hammerhead" Alco-GE road switcher, the only one I ever saw in real life.  My great aunt and great uncle lived in Scotland, SD, on the Milwaukee Road.  The highway into Scotland followed the Milwaukee, which had the look of a big-time main line, with a 3-crossarm pole line . . . until I got a good look at the track, which was lightly ballasted and the rails were kind of wavy.  After leaving Scotland, we followed the Great Northern Sioux City line for several miles coming into Willmar, Minnesota.

Thanks again for being the unofficial International South Dakota News and Photographic Bureau of the O Gauge Forum.