Midweek Photos 8/16/2017 [Real Trains]

UP runthrough power on CSX through Deshler, Ohio

The following day, the F3 pair took to the road again, this time to Gouldsboro, PA.

Not as much sun.  That is August in Northeastern PA for you.  Many clouds and periods of sunshine.

The train is in Gouldsboro, about 20 miles east of Scranton on the DL&W. 

Crossing PA route 507

Since Gouldsboro is single-track territory, the train needs to go 5 miles further to reach Tobyhanna for the run-around move. 

Part of the excursion experience was to get boy scouts qualified for their railroading badge.  It is an all-day task for the kids. 

Nice stuff guys!

Had some fun in the mountains this last week with the camera.

http://www.american-rails.com/ge-u50.html

NS 62W/DCR-01 southbound loaded stone heading through Lincoln, DE yesterday morning.

We were at "Steamtown" on Sun and rode the Nay Aug Limited with our 3 yr old grandson. We saw all the boy scouts on the other train.  Great day for all

I'm back!  Some here will ask, "You were gone?"  Yes, my wife & I took another epic road trip.  This was the first we've done since our kids are now grown and out of our hair.  We drove 4,500 miles and took in eight states--SD/WY/MT/ID/WA/OR/UT/NE.  The only state we missed was ND, but who cares about that.  I scored some nice images here & there.  It wasn't a foamer trip, but I did take a few RR shots.  (Couldn't help myself.   )

1. Missoula, MT.  Had to race this one on the east edge of town.  Montana is a great state to find trains.

2. Ritzville, WA.  Another race with a w/b BNSF train.  Those puppies move fast there--drive like a foamer!  The road was empty and straight.  This elevator is still in use, stores wheat.

3. Douglass, WY.  Lots of UP trains seen along the southern part of WY.  Fortunately they were heavy and going slow up the long grades.  They ignored me but did give two toots on the horn when they spotted my wife!

4. Green River, WY.  There is an impressive bridge that spans the yard, and I spotted another foamer on it.  I went over and started talking, and it turned out to be Rev. Bryant Kayden of Redwood Falls, MN!  What are the odds I'd see someone I know out in a remote part of Wyoming!  He said he had slipped away while his wife was doing some quick shopping.  

5.  Chadron, NE.  The engines of the Nebraska Northwestern, a very small operation.

6.  Belmont, NE.  The famous "Crawford Hill."  There was a single manned helper engine on the rear of this coal train, not the usual three plus fuel tanker.  We sat out there for awhile but only saw the one train.  Volume seems to be way down here.

After photo'ing the trains going through the Green River yard, my wife & I went to a convenience store on the east edge of town.  We met a young couple there resting at a gazebo, with two pretty big dogs.)  They said they had been riding the freight cars, specifically hiding in the wells of the stack trains!  I have no idea how they got those dogs in there and convinced them to sit still.  They were filthy and the woman was sunburned.  We went in the store to buy ourselves some snacks, and then we decided to get a few cans of dog food.  Well, then we started buying other nonperishable foods, some bottled water, sunburn lotion and sunblock, and a few other things.  I talked the owner of the place into allowing the couple to use his outside hose to wash off and bought a small bottle of shampoo.  We went back outside and gave the couple the stuff, told them about the free shower, and I left advising them that riding trains was very dangerous.  They would have just as much adventure riding bicycles through the mountains and it would be safer.  I took a photo of them & their dogs, but decided against posting it anywhere online for awhile.  They said they were from California, which I found entirely credible.

There was a shot I was hoping to take down in the Columbia River Gorge, on the Washington side, but fell soundly asleep after photo'ing waterfalls all day.  The shot was on the BNSF tracks where the trains come out of a rough cut tunnel.  I was going to do it at night and brought three flash.  Oh well.  There's always a few that get away.

Kent in SD

Kent love the photos! 

Awesome trip. 

Kent in SD. Nice pics (as usual) but were you a little lost a few times? Or just VERY general in your locations?
Photo #2. Ritzville WA elevator. OK I'll give you this one, it is actually Tokio WA, 6 miles east of Ritz.
#3 The Union Pacific does not go through Douglas WY (unless there really is a Douglass WY with 2 "ss" on the UP somewhere)?
#6  Belmont NE. That train is a westbound empty about to start DOWN Crawford Hill and as such it should not have any "helper" on its rear end, only an unmanned DPU or two.

Erik, you truly are an artist!

coach joe posted:

Erik, you truly are an artist!

 Thanks Coach 

The Grafton & Upton Railroad (located in MA) has contracted R.J. Corman to replace several grade crossings and complete some other track work along its line.  Corman is making use of the G&U's dual siding and surrounding area near Grafton Center to stage/store some of its equipment and to build "panel tracks".  Below are a few photos I grabbed with my cell phone on Tuesday showing some of the equipment and one of the completed crossings...

Wyhog posted:

1. Kent in SD. Nice pics (as usual) but were you a little lost a few times? Or just VERY general in your locations?
Photo #2. Ritzville WA elevator. OK I'll give you this one, it is actually Tokio WA, 6 miles east of Ritz.
2.  #3 The Union Pacific does not go through Douglas WY (unless there really is a Douglass WY with 2 "ss" on the UP somewhere)?
3. #6  Belmont NE. That train is a westbound empty about to start DOWN Crawford Hill and as such it should not have any "helper" on its rear end, only an unmanned DPU or two.

1.  I do tend to be general, using the nearest town as the land mark.

2. Somehow had Douglas on the brain.  The town I was thinking of was Lusk--we were following US 20 home.

3. I saw the usual helper set in the distance pushing a stack train north nearing Crawford, and it then tied down in the Crawford yard.  There were two DPUs on the coal train, and there were two people in the rear nose coupled one.  I assumed it was a single helper, but maybe there was a crew in it to throw switches?  I've heard stories of bums riding in DPUs too, so I don't know.

Anyway, I'll also post four non-RR shots I liked from along the way.

1. Paradise Lodge, Mt. Rainier National Park, WA.

2. Multnomah Falls, OR.  Shot on 4x5 film with an 1880 E&HT Anthony rapid rectilinear lens.

3.  Mt. Rainier, WA.

.

4.  Little Big Horn, MT.  Custer battle markers.

Kent in SD

A few photos this week: 

NS 3343, a SD40-2, leads an SD40E on the Conway Yard-based local as it passes near Riverfront Park in Sewickley, PA. 

NS 6900, first of the SD60Es, receives a new crew at the intermodal facility in Wilmerding, as seen from the eastbound Pennsylvanian. 

Amtrak 723 rests outside the shop in Wilmington, DE. Behind it is a line of stored HHP-8 electrics. 

Two CSX GP40 engines, including one still in "Bright Future" paint, lead a freight over the ex-Pennsylvania Railroad freight flyover bridge in Philadelphia, PA. In the foreground is an Amtrak MOW gondola. 

Amtrak 145, the Phase III heritage unit, pauses briefly at Harrisburg with the westbound Pennsylvanian, beside preserved GG1 4859. 

The semi-preserved GG1s of the Leatherstocking Historical Society, stored on a siding about 25 minutes from Cooperstown, New York. Also on the siding, but better hidden, are a few boxcars and coaches. 

I've had the pleasure of working on the only MKT inspection car the past few weeks. Lots of painting got done 

briansilvermustang posted:

http://www.american-rails.com/ge-u50.html

Locomotives well-scrubbed, boxcars fresh from the paint shop, every bit of trash or scrap removed from right-of-way, full sun on the left front quarter -- you'll never again see this type of a railroad publicity photo, which was likely shot from a view camera on sheet film, with tilts and swings to correct any perspective tilt.  To my eye, he only thing that was overlooked is the position of the windshield wiper on the Fireman's side of the locomotive not being parked toward the inboard edge of the windshield.

Thanks for posting this photo, Brian.