It leaves Croxton at 1:00 PM today. 2 1/2 hours from the time of this post.
I read on facebook this morning that the OCS will depart Conway PA at 5PM tomorrow. So from Croxton today at 1PM to Conway tomorrow at 5PM. I honestly think, he'll come through late tonight in Ohio.
I will be at Harriman Station today at 2:30 with EZMike Lauria.
scrappy
Appreciate all the info!!
Scrapiron Scher posted:I will be at Harriman Station today at 2:30 with EZMike Lauria.
scrappy
See you there... Lol
Thru Sloatsburg a few minutes ago. Went slowly through.
David
Got here
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Eliot,
Is it coming back down to Croxton? Do they have to turn it, or run the locos around?
Thanks,
David
The train will cross Moodna Viaduct at 6PM. UP dignitaries all over. One rumor is UP is scoping outa purchase.
Is it going the same route back to Conway? Around Horseshoe Curve?
Scrapiron Scher posted:The train will cross Moodna Viaduct at 6PM. UP dignitaries all over. One rumor is UP is scoping outa purchase.
I also read that UP might be doing a MASSIVE common stock by-back, could be in the billions of dollars over the next 2 years.
This train has been a clever diversion.
Fritz, Knight and Cameron have been secretly touring BNSF while the UP office car train has been drawing all the attention to the northeast. 😉
Curt
Ok, here's the update info I have. UP OCS was through Salisbury Mills NY as of 6:47PM heading to Campbell Hill NY . It's planned that it will come back south and head west soon on NS and is suppose to do a photo shoot tomorrow at Horseshoe Curve in Altoona and continue west. Now per facebook, it's suppose to depart Conway at 5PM. Expected time reach Alliance is after 6:30PM and into Cleveland after 8PM. Now these are all guesstimates per facebook groups I've been reading. Anyway, I do plan to see this as I actually don't know the next time the UP OCS will come back through this area.
Plus UP 1943 is my favorite special painted UP diesel today.
I saw a digital copy of the actual operating orders on someone’s phone at Harriman. Apparently, a copy of the orders is circulating on railfan websites. This guy had minute by minute movements. I was on the platform of the station a few minutes before 1943 arrived and there were less than a dozen people. Five minutes later hundreds of railfans descended on the platform like locusts.
i was standing next to the UP conductor while he was hearing a local platform MTA employee complaining about knowing nothing about the move and being unprepared for the horde.
MLAT posted:Is it going the same route back to Conway? Around Horseshoe Curve?
Yes
juniata guy posted:This train has been a clever diversion.
Fritz, Knight and Cameron have been secretly touring BNSF while the UP office car train has been drawing all the attention to the northeast. 😉
Curt
Who is Fritz and Co?
Hot Water posted:Scrapiron Scher posted:The train will cross Moodna Viaduct at 6PM. UP dignitaries all over. One rumor is UP is scoping outa purchase.
I also read that UP might be doing a MASSIVE common stock by-back, could be in the billions of dollars over the next 2 years.
UP does what UP does. I think they need to get their metrics up before a stock buyback or railroad purchase. I know the Surf Board is concerned about that.
OK, nothing great, but here are a few shots, from Sloatsburg and from Moodna Viaduct.
David
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I will also add this, heard while waiting at Moodna: that the OCS - not necessarily with the same loco(s) - is supposed to head over CSX to Rotterdam, N.Y., or that area in September. Something to do with Railex, which UP purchased last year. Just passing this along - no idea of its veracity.
David
Anyone looking to catch it on the way back better be quick... already out on the Reading line
Dominic Mazoch posted:juniata guy posted:This train has been a clever diversion.
Fritz, Knight and Cameron have been secretly touring BNSF while the UP office car train has been drawing all the attention to the northeast. 😉
Curt
Who is Fritz and Co?
Dominic:
Lance Fritz is UP’s CEO. Robert Knight is CFO; and Cameron Scott is COO.
And I’ll stress my earlier comment was tongue in cheek and directed toward any speculation that having UP’s office car train on NS had anything to do with a potential merger.
Common sense dictates that if NS and UP were engaged in merger talks and UP senior management wanted a tour of the property, they would do it in the NS office cars accompanied by NS senior managers.
I concur with one of your earlier comments about UP needing to improve their service metrics before considering a merger and would add that NS needs to be working to improve their metrics as well.
Insofar as the UP stock buyback; I spoke with a senior Wall Street rail analyst last Friday morning who had just returned from UP’s analyst meeting. He advised that UP does intend to repurchase about 19% of their stock over the next three years.
Curt
As of 8:30AM, UP OCS at Harrisburg.
TRAIN AT MT. UNION, PA AT 12:38 PM
Sounds like I may have a shot at seeing it in West Park on the North side of Pittsburgh. I would think it should be there around 4pm.
Just went through the Horseshoe Curve heading west. Any ideas how long before it gets to Pittsburgh approximately based on past experiences?
"Any ideas how long before it gets to Pittsburgh approximately based on past experiences?"
While I was chasing it this morning, the 1943 got held for traffic at Hershey, system computer issues at Duncannon, and roadwork at both Newport and Mifflintown. It should be alot farther along west than where it is right now, which should be approaching Cresson. And, the NS photographer was driving ahead of it at the curve......totally unpredictable today.
Passing Cresson westbound at 1430 Hrs.
1943 passed over the stone bridge at Johnstown at 1505 Hrs., faster than the usual travel time between Cresson and Johnstown.
PA Anthracite posted:"Any ideas how long before it gets to Pittsburgh approximately based on past experiences?"
While I was chasing it this morning, the 1943 got held for traffic at Hershey, system computer issues at Duncannon, and roadwork at both Newport and Mifflintown. It should be alot farther along west than where it is right now, which should be approaching Cresson. And, the NS photographer was driving ahead of it at the curve......totally unpredictable today.
Robust and fluid systems help keep the re-rugulation fans at bay.
Taking same route wesbound as it did eastbound? If so, may try to get a look at it as it enters Ohio?
juniata guy posted:
Insofar as the UP stock buyback; I spoke with a senior Wall Street rail analyst last Friday morning who had just returned from UP’s analyst meeting. He advised that UP does intend to repurchase about 19% of their stock over the next three years.
Curt
Not surprising. As is well known, corporations are using their tax bill breaks to buy back stock to increase their values (and executive compensation), rather than to benefit employees, as many had predicted. UP's doing the same.
Right now I'm waiting on Virginian heritage in Leetonia Ohio on train 65E. OCS from reading will depart Conway after 5:30 per facebook.
juniata guy posted:And I’ll stress my earlier comment was tongue in cheek and directed toward any speculation that having UP’s office car train on NS had anything to do with a potential merger.
Common sense dictates that if NS and UP were engaged in merger talks and UP senior management wanted a tour of the property, they would do it in the NS office cars accompanied by NS senior managers.
I concur with one of your earlier comments about UP needing to improve their service metrics before considering a merger and would add that NS needs to be working to improve their metrics as well.
Insofar as the UP stock buyback; I spoke with a senior Wall Street rail analyst last Friday morning who had just returned from UP’s analyst meeting. He advised that UP does intend to repurchase about 19% of their stock over the next three years.
Curt
The CP/NS merger attempt was nixed by the STB. No reason to think a UP/NS merger would fare any better. Beside the STB objection, the other railroads were up in arms about the attempted CP deal. In fact, Union Pacific Railroad CEO Lance Fritz called blocking the deal "job 1" for his railway and the industry at large.
It would seem that even a hint of a UP/NS merger would cause an uproar and would be DOA. There's little doubt that shippers would also oppose it, as they did the CP proposal.
Chances are close to 100% that such a public display as UP is putting on with this show has nothing to do with any kind of merger thoughts. Even if there were such thoughts, they'd be tight-lipped about it.
wrawroacx posted:Right now I'm waiting on Virginian heritage in Leetonia Ohio on train 65E. OCS from reading will depart Conway after 5:30 per facebook.
What facebook pages are you using? Aspiring railfans want to learn!
The worlds second largest search engine has over 700 videos created about this; Sprit of the Union Pacific 1943 Business Trip.
That is YouTube. So if you want to take a look you have a lot to see via YouTube.
Below is just a sample: In the search engine enter: Spirit of the Union Pacific 1943 - In the filter, check this week. (Just a few maybe models)
I may go Toledo, Ohio - The RR spotters are saying about 11:00 PM to 2:00 AM.
Big maybe: Gary
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Another "UP does what UP does," there is nothing about the train on the UP website!
Dominic Mazoch posted:Another "UP does what UP does," there is nothing about the train on the UP website!
Why would there be? The UP, nor any other railroad, publishes ANY information about their many business car movements.
UNION PACIFIC 1943 AT GLENFIELD, PA TODAY
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Was able to catch the UP 1934 AND OCS one more time tonight at Hudson, Ohio around 8:20 pm.
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