Rail-fanning on The OGR Forum 🚂 Welcome: Pictures YOU have taken! • Hope to see you out rail-fanning.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Bill, Excellent opportunity and great photographs!!

I've always found that if you have some knowledge of the railroad or the locomotives, the staff is a bit more inviting.  You're not looked upon as an intrusion or nuisance.  Especially if you can tell them information that they don't know.  With this particular experience I told the engineer that I lived a few blocks from EMD  when I was growing up,  talked about the basic construction of a cab unit,( the sides were built like a bridge truss making them integral to the structural rigidity of the unit,) pointing out the Roots blower,  and talked about how New Haven had 5 axle locos for the third rail pickup to go into Grand Central Terminal. It was a great time.

@third rail posted:

With a little schmoozing of the staff and engineer Pete I was able to get a tour of one of their ex New Haven FL9's. Here are my son and I in the cab . . .

Good for you.  This brings back memories -- good ones -- of working on Santa Fe F3 and F7 units.  

The units look very nice!  I see that the "headache bars" are still in place.  Did either of you get a surprise from the overhead structural beam that we called the headache bar, when you stood up to leave the seat?  Back in the day, we all had to learn to lean forward when getting out of the seat.

Caught a westbound RCP&E at DeSmet, SD with a bunch of empties. (Wed Apr 12)  After a snow squall last week, we have highs in the 80’s this week 😁

@trestleking posted:

Caught a westbound RCP&E at DeSmet, SD with a bunch of empties. (Wed Apr 12)  After a snow squall last week, we have highs in the 80’s this week 😁

Nice video, I like the scenery, nobody models dirt roads on modern layouts but as seen they exist.

Two hours ago:

Closing the loop on the LIRR Cherry Valley Bridge project. The old girder bridge is heading to the scrapper, one piece at a time. They must have just started cutting it up this week. This photo doesn't do justice but the girder span shown is the center, the 2 ends have already been cut off and carted away.

Old bridge in place before the swap.

Bob

Bob, it’s been a great project to document for us!  Thank you!

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Nice video, I like the scenery, nobody models dirt roads on modern layouts but as seen they exist.

Looks like Genesee & Wyoming old SD40-2 engines on point. These are on their way out. Saw that in January, G&W entered into a consent decree with the Justice Dept. and EPA to either scrap them, or else re-engine them to meet emissions requirements. G&W also paid a substantial fine for not complying earlier. There's a list of various engines attached to the decree, including the SD40s. Here's the consent decree:

The key parts of that EPA decree read as follows:
“Defendants shall permanently remove from service each of the listed Locomotives by either: a. irrevocably disabling the Locomotive Engine (e.g. cutting the engine’s prime mover) and selling the remaining Locomotive frame for scrap metal; or b. irrevocably disabling the Locomotive Engine (e.g. cutting the engine’s prime mover) and installing a replacement Locomotive Engine (and any necessary associated components) such that the Locomotive is able to meet EPA’s Tier 3 or 4 emission standard in 40 C.F.R. Part 1033.”

Nice to see an old CNW hopper in the consist.

Amtrak trip with the grandchildren • Jackson to Pontiac Michigan

April 1, 2023 - It was a rainy day as we boarded the Amtrak Wolverine Line. Train number 350 departed at 11:51 AM and arrived on time at 2:11 PM. We boarded the train and was told by the conductor the train was full. They seated us in the cafe car and said they would move us to one of the new Midwest Cars. After one hundred people got off at the AnnArbor station, the conductor seated us at a table in the new car. The cafe car was old and the ride was not as smooth as the new car.

This was a fun family train trip. These photos will show my two sons and my three grandchildren. So come along as we go rail-fanning on the Wolverine Line.

Thanks for taking a look. Hope to see you out rail-fanning: Gary 🚂

Looks like a great family outing, Gary!  Thank you for the map.  I didn’t have to look up Jackson and Pontiac, which I would have done; I always do.

Here are a few photos of Conrail E-8's...    Toledo Ohio Union Station @ 1995-96....  Like a dummy didn't date on back.    What  a window???

It's always nice to see "your" locomotive out on a track in real life. Such was the case when I made my very first visit to the Pan Am yard at East Deerfield, MA about 10 days ago, where much to my surprise, 7552 was in the yard....and pretty fine looking at that! Very happy me was only able to take a 3-400 yard iPhone shot through the bushes, but there she is!. My MTH version is less than 1 year in my possession, and I suspect will be my one and only "real-life" model with all the changes in the industry....and age 70 looming large, speaking of retirement...LOL

Two coal trains from my fall and spring semester at William & Mary last year.

@trainroomgary posted:

Amtrak trip with the grandchildren • Jackson to Pontiac Michigan

April 1, 2023 - It was a rainy day as we boarded the Amtrak Wolverine Line. Train number 350 departed at 11:51 AM and arrived on time at 2:11 PM. We boarded the train and was told by the conductor the train was full. They seated us in the cafe car and said they would move us to one of the new Midwest Cars. After one hundred people got off at the AnnArbor station, the conductor seated us at a table in the new car. The cafe car was old and the ride was not as smooth as the new car.

This was a fun family train trip. These photos will show my two sons and my three grandchildren. So come along as we go rail-fanning on the Wolverine Line.

That was a great idea, and those are very nice photos of family fun with your grandchildren.

East of Manville, NJ, the Lehigh Line of Conrail Shared Assets hosts trains of both CSX and Norfolk Southern. Pictured here eastbound through Piscataway on April 1st is CSX symbol IO32 which operates between Jacksonville, FL and North Bergen, NJ. It is primarily an intermodal train with cars of Tropicana orange juice concentrate destined for Jersey City cut in behind the power. The locomotives are ES44DC 5495 and ES44AC 857.

Looking as good as the day it rolled out of the factory, recently repainted EMD SD70ACe 1067 knocks down the N&W CPL signals at control point PKIN in Vesuvius, VA with southbound manifest 11Z. The unit wears the 1960's era scheme of the Reading Railroad which advertises their "Bee Line Service" expedited freight initiative.  4/13/23

Pretty well faded C41-8W. Must have had a serious soak in the sun.

Wow, David!  You are so right!  A new weathering project anyone??

I went for a trail walk in Windsor Locks CT along the canal and Connecticut River and as it was getting dark, I spotted a bald eagle perched above the canal. Shortly thereafter an Amtrak train coming south from Springfield MA passed by.  I took a video with my iPhone so not a super zoom, but the eagle is perched about halfway up the tree on left of the screen just above the circle of the sun. Fantastic place to walk for both nature and Amtrak/CT Transit. In the last hour of daylight, I saw nesting eagles, great blue heron, wood ducks, mallards, fish jumping, and beavers. Both Amtrak and CT Transit trains passed both north and south (Hartford to/from Springfield). The track follows the canal for a mile or so before crossing overhead on a bridge across the Connecticut River.

That’s a great place Moon!

Here is the Lapeer Industrial RailRoad engine #5 (actually their only remaining engine) near my hometown in Lapeer Mi

Here is a Huron and Eastern freight I caught while in Durand during a snowstorm in January

@CopperCountryJake posted:

Here is the Lapeer Industrial RailRoad engine #5 (actually their only remaining engine) near my hometown in Lapeer

Here is a Huron and Eastern freight I caught while in Durand during a snowstorm in January

I see that paint scheme is everywhere now.  I see it on the Buffalo and Pittsburgh here in Western Pennsylvania.  Nice seeing it on H&E, a new to me purchase

CSX train I caught tonight in Greenville NC

https://youtu.be/vKqP1qRBf_g

Friday

@cbojanower posted:

Friday

Black & White does it best!

This is Norfolk Southern intermodal 261 westbound on the Lehigh Line at Piscataway NJ yesterday morning. The route is so named as it was the mainline of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Train 261 originates at Port Newark with a destination of Ashland Avenue Yard in Chicago. Motive power is Dash 9-40CW 9719 and Union Pacific AC4400CW 7006. The practice of power sharing results in foreign units appearing with some regularity.

Bob

@Mooner posted:

I went for a trail walk in Windsor Locks CT along the canal and Connecticut River and as it was getting dark, I spotted a bald eagle perched above the canal. Shortly thereafter an Amtrak train coming south from Springfield MA passed by.  I took a video with my iPhone so not a super zoom, but the eagle is perched about halfway up the tree on left of the screen just above the circle of the sun. Fantastic place to walk for both nature and Amtrak/CT Transit. In the last hour of daylight, I saw nesting eagles, great blue heron, wood ducks, mallards, fish jumping, and beavers. Both Amtrak and CT Transit trains passed both north and south (Hartford to/from Springfield). The track follows the canal for a mile or so before crossing overhead on a bridge across the Connecticut River.

I was just up there on Saturday! Regional guru (and nationally famous photographer) Dave Blaze took me on a chase of CSO-3 with the region's lone GE B23-S7, after which, we just barely got to the Locks before CSO-4 came thundering south ahead of the next Hartford Line train. The day before, I snagged the Amtrak Phase VI heritage unit shoving a Springfield (MA) shuttle into the Hartford station.

My video this week is a compilation of a pair of Genesee & Wyoming road units starting up for the day's work. 1711, like the P&W 2216, will either be rebuilt or removed from service either later this year or early next year.

While in my local Huron, SD scrapyard I spied a familiar logo…not sure as this counts as “Railfanning” ?      But then on the way home I did catch a live RCP&E train stopped for a crew change on US 14 just east of Iroquois, SD.

Rich in SD

Taken on Tuesday.

Last Friday. Sadly, I missed seeing the ALCO PA one final time, as it'd left the previous morning:

I never tire of seeing 4449, though!

The Delaware and Raritan River Railrod assumed operation of the former Central Railroad of New Jersey Southern Division between Red Bank and Lakewood, NJ during 2022. Cars are interchanged with Conrail Shared Assets at Red Bank Monday and Thursday with DRR train RB-1 running Tuesday and Friday. Motive power currently assigned to Red Bank is Black River Railroad System GP9 752. Originally built for the Northern Pacific in 1956, the unit still wears the red and white livery of former owner Clarendon and Pittsford.

In the top image we see the 752 laying over in Red Bank yard on January 8th. Note the unit is set up for short hood forward operation. In the second picture, RB-1 is at the Pine Brook Road grade crossing in Tinton Falls during the return trip to Red Bank on April 11th. The bulk of the railroad’s traffic is generated by Woodhaven Lumber in Lakewood. On an historical note, the Jersey Central’s famed Blue Comet operated over this route.

Bob

@trestleking posted:

While in my local Huron, SD scrapyard I spied a familiar logo…not sure as this counts as “Railfanning” ?      But then on the way home I did catch a live RCP&E train stopped for a crew change on US 14 just east of Iroquois, SD.

Rich in SD

Worth the whole trip just to catch a MR car.

Stumbled across this scene this morning.  I know the fresh load just came in last evening.  I don't know if the loco's are waiting for an empty outbound, but likely the crew just timed out and was picked up.

BNSF has a nice sub or branch from S. PSioux City Ia. west to ONeil Ne. Through Laurel, Randolph, Osmond & Plainview & more. I caught this guy in Osmond. Looks new or a recent rehab. A track gang leaves other stuff here too.

Last summer, I chased another Wheeling & Lake Erie train from Rook Yard in Greentree south toward Belle Vernon. WE 618 to Connellsville usually runs east around 3:00 in the afternoon, so much of the chase is at best side-lit, but by some quirk of geography, the former P&WV heads briefly southwest on its way through Castle Shannon. While not as much a highlight as the Speers Trestle, getting a good shot of a WE train going through Castle Shannon was another bucket list item of mine left over from my childhood.

Tail end of Nebraska Central RR heading through downtown Norfolk

Not much of a pic - a grab - earlier today, empty (I believe) NS oil train heading west near Valley Forge, Pa. Dash 9-44CW leading, long hood forward. The latter is the only reason I'm posting it. I don't see that too often.

Oh, then there was this - a ballast train, though not sure whether loaded - solid string of Conrail ballast cars. With a PRR herald on the lead GP38-2.

And a crop of it:

David

Long Branch marks the end of electrification on NJ Transit’s North Jersey Coast Line. Although some rush hour through service utilizing the dual mode ALP-45DP locomotives has been restored, the majority of trains to and from New York start and terminate here. Passengers traveling beyond Long Branch are served by Bay Head diesel shuttles.

Pictured here during a visit to Long Branch on the afternoon of Sunday, April 16th, we see ALP-46 4610 and its consist of Comet cars on weekend layover in the yard. Next, ALP-46A 4656 with multi-level equipment on train 7245 crosses Joline Avenue on the approach to the station and the end of the run. Passengers continuing on to Bay Head and intermediate points will then connect to the shuttle which boards across the platform.

What’s the Bay Head shuttle pulled by, type cars, how many?

@atlpete posted:

What’s the Bay Head shuttle pulled by, type cars, how many?

I was there in 2012, our trains had an F40PH-2CAT and a GP40PH-2. Since then, all but two of the F40s were retired, and all of the NJ Transit GP40FH-2s (the ones with the full-width carbody but standard cabs). I imagine now it’s PL42ACs (Alstom carbody with EMD 710), and GP40PH-2s. I think it was and still is Comet V single-levels of 5 or so cars.