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

This afternoon:

Beautiful end of summer day in western MA on Friday. Went for a walk in a recreation area adjacent to the tracks and took this while crossing over to the trail. Had me thinking of becoming a wandering hobo for a moment.

A wandering hobo! 😊 Reminds me of my grandma who lived at the top of a long hill from a rural B&O stop.  Despite raising 4 children during the depression and my grandpa who was disabled in WWI, she always had a meal for a hobo.

@Mooner- Beautiful picture!  Thanks for posting...I really like that the scenery near you is "green" all ours is burnt out brown.

Best Wishes

Don

Well rail fans, yesterday I was out doing an errand and happened to be driving through Moody, Tx.  Now Moody is in fact one of those towns that seems to be in a process of disappearing.   The downtown area, except the Post Office and a very good diner is virtually empty.  However a main line running from Temple on all the way up to Dallas passes right through Moody and it is only about a 20 ft walk from the main road.  Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day and I noticed a BNSF mixed freight sitting on the main line waiting for something...the engines were at idle so it was not parked.  It had 3 units on the front and consisted of box cars, hopper cars, tank cars, and plywood flats in a mixed format.  So I jumped out of the car and took these pictures.

Hope you enjoy them...Best Wishes

Don

Don, that is a beautiful sky behind the engines.  I guess there will always be towns like Moody that are disappearing.

@Mark Boyce- thank you Mark. It was a lovely day. Yes I am afraid the big box stores, Malls, and the internet are spelling the doom of little towns everywhere.

All the best

Don

Caught the Providence and Worcester Woonsocket RI local yesterday morning.  Unfortunately i couldnt wait around to watch them shuffle the cars.  These hoppers are unloaded into trucks for a short run to the plastics company up the road.

Two shorter videos today; some yard action on the Pittsburgh & Ohio Central, and a brief chase of the Cumberland Mine Railroad in Wayne County, about an hour and a half south of Pittsburgh. They are one of two railroads in the Pittsburgh area, and one of only about 6 operators of "original" SD38-2s in the US. Reading & Northern, on the other side of the state, has three straight SD38s, CSX retains a few in yard service, and BNSF rebuilt a few ex-SLSF units, but the majority of active "original" SD38-s are operated by Canadian National, through its acquisitions of EJ&E, DMIR, and the Bessemer. Finally, Northshore Mining retains at least a few units for tailings train service.

NJ Transit Rail Operations is celebrating 40 years of service in 2023. Today, NJT, in conjunction with the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey, is operating the 40th Anniversary Express between New York City, Bay Head and Hoboken. Powering the train are the 4120 and 4119, the last two F40PH-2 units on the NJ Transit roster. Trailing the locomotives were five Comet V coaches and four private cars with the former New York Central Hickory Creek bringing up the markers.

I took the first photo as the train passed westbound through Middletown during what was a very rainy morning. By the afternoon, the weather had brightened considerably and I caught the return trip at Red Bank.

Bob

Love the 20th Century Limited

Caught the CSX Chessie heritage leading I016 in Chambersburg Pennsylvania on the ex-Western Maryland lurgan subdivision. Just weeks after catching the Seaboard unit in the same location.

Work train equipment on BNSF tracks in Weston County, Wyoming on 30 Sep 2023.  No, I can't explain the "Poor Boy" lettering--an inside joke of the work crew perhaps?

San Francisco to San Jose Caltrain commuter electrification has taken approximately 6 years to install the overhead power infrastructure, and finally they have been testing the Stadler electric train sets delivered 2 years ago. Here’s a video posted by Caltrain on YouTube testing the Stadlers at full speed! The testing is mostly in the south SF Bay Area as there is still infrastructure not yet finished in the North near San Fran. I believe what Caltrain means by full speed is track limits (80mph). If I remember right the Stadlers are capable of 110mph. Electrification infrastructure completion is scheduled for mid 2024 with more train sets arriving soon.

Heres the link:

https://youtu.be/HKGXnGFRlZw?si=I9IlGHiw7b6Cz5I7

Yesterday, a light power move ran the entire length of the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Laurel Sub (former Pittsburg and Shawmut) from Driftwood to Brookville, PA, shuttling a pair of Lycoming Valley units to the Brookville Locomotive Works for repainting. I might post those photos in a few days.

Here, the power for Buffalo & Pittsburgh's Dubois locals lays over on what used to be the Pittsburg & Shawmut, nee-PRR low grade line. Here at Dubois, the PRR line from Red Bank crossed the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh (later B&O) at grade on its way to the connection with the P&E main at Driftwood, PA. Probably sometime after the B&P's takeover of the Shawmut, the diamond was removed, since it's very rare for a move to run through on the Laurel Sub these days. The line from Driftwood now connects at the Dubois yard, and the orphaned mainline stubs now serve as storage. The tower, like most of the former BR&P structures on the ex_B&O line, has steadily decayed since the line's transfer from CSX.

Dan, thank you for the scoop on the B&P around DuBois!  I was not aware that they had taken over P&S track, though I have unfortunately not been up that way for quite a while.  I’ll look forward to seeing your photographs!

I was in Ohio at the end of last week and made a stop on early Friday morning in Marion before heading to Altoona and a check-in the museum to request drawings of the Master Mechanics Building. Three freights  in lest than a half hour!

Wow, what a great thread, full of mostly real trains, real locations, and from all over the world…. As we were driving down riverside drive in Clarksville Tennessee, my wife took a picture of the RJ Corman swivel bridge with a train crossing at the time… Happy Railroading Everyone

As promised, here's some shots from Saturday's chase of a Buffalo and Pittsburgh PSDB (Pittsburg & Shawmut, Dubois) light power move from Driftwood, PA, to Brookville. The two engines are a pair of Lycoming Valley units that started life as GP-9s, but were rebuilt by the Milwaukee Road into a model they termed "GP20." The LV sent the units to Brookville Equipment in the town of the same name for repainting. The most direct route, apparently, was up the NS Buffalo Line (former PRR Philadelphia and Erie mainline) to Driftwood, thence over the remaining portion of the Shawmut (nee-PRR) Low Grade line to Brookville.

The units are crossing over Sinemahoning Creek after receiving a B&P crew. The pair left the Nittany and Bald Eagle for Driftwood at 7:45, and arrived at 11:00, which allowed me to make the 4-hour drive without the usual 2 AM wakeup.

About 15 or so railfans chased the train from Driftwood to near Penfield, PA, where a downed tree just outside a tunnel delayed the 'train' until a MOW crew could be called up. After getting on the move again, I photographed the pair passing the remnants of the Bark Camp coal loadout.

At Dubois, the Low Grade crossed over the Baltimore & Ohio's line to Buffalo (former Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh) via a diamond. When the Buffalo & Pittsburgh bought the Shawmut, the diamond was removed and a direct connection to the Dubois Yard added. Having traversed the yard, the duo pass a dwarf B&O CPL as they turn onto the connection to the rest of the Low Grade. Out of frame to the right is a mast-type CPL which serves as the mainline indicator.

The rest of the chase was less eventful; the crew slowed from 25 or so to 15, and though I got several more shots between Dubois and Brookville, many were scuttled at the last second by passing clouds (such is life in PA). I grabbed a mediocre burger at a bar in Brookville before getting back to DC around 11:30 PM.

Additionally, here's another video from last summer, featuring a mix of Southwestern Pennsylvania Railroad (SWP) and CSX action around Connellsville.

They have the Horst air intake shrouds

For many folks planning a trip to Pittsburgh, a bucket list item is the street running trackage in West Brownsville, PA, where the Norfolk Southern and CSX coal trains to Bailey Mine run down West Main Street for a mile. Lesser-known is a second spot of street-running trackage in Elizabeth, PA, only used by CSX trains. After a day chasing a Wheeling & Lake Erie train to Monessen, a friend and I stopped by to film a CSX frac sand train running to the site of Emerald Mine. These sand trains come from a few railroads in the Chicago area, and as such often draw a fair bit of run-through power. In this case, a Canadian Pacific SD70ACU and ES44AC are in charge as they pass the siren for the town's fire station. This was at least a year before the CPKC merger was announced.

I had a chance to visit the Bear Mountain, NY area along the Hudson River on Thursday, October 5th. Beautiful Indian summer day with the temperature in the high 70s. I drove down to Mine Dock Park on the west side of the Hudson just north of Fort Montgomery arriving before 4PM. Over the course of the next 3 hours, 6 CSX freight trains rode through the landing and, across the way on the east side of the Hudson, I lost count of the commuter trains running up and down the valley. Quite a few people in the park up until 6:30 but for the last half hour it was just me and a blue heron waiting for one more train. I left after sunset although I'm sure there was a lot more action to come. Really enjoyed the way the horns from Metro North and Amtrak echo through the valley with the heavier night air.

The video clip is a montage of the activity taken with an iPhone. The quality is lacking but for anyone interested in visiting the area it will give you an idea of what goes on. It's not unusual to be watching a CSX freight train right in front of you only to hear and see a commuter train going by on the other side of the river at the same time. Likewise, I was fortunate enough to watch a tugboat pushing a barge from the same vantage point. Great place. Great day.

@Mooner- Your video's and pictures are terrific, the scenery as the trains pass through those rock cuts is amazing.  However, as good as the video's are, the single picture with that magnificent bridge, the river and most especially that single blue heron is just superb.  What a shot!!  Thanks for posting

Don

Plymouth Michigan

September 25, 2023 - We got married in 1979 and we purchased our first house in downtown Plymouth, built in 1932. We lived closed to this depot and I use to ride my bicycle to this yard for rail-fanning. At that time there was a working turntable & round house for the Chessie System Railroad. This has been all torn down but it is still a working yard. Let’s walk around and check out all the track side structures.

This is the Plymouth Depot, Now an Ice Cream Shop.

Let’s get some ice cream and wait for a train. I had the famous Michigan Cherry & Fudge. It was great but no train came by.

Close up of signal on Main Street.

Cool looking windows on this work shed.

Two hours before Sunset on the Main Line.

Signal light on the Main Line.

This is a shot of a CSX loco, but not planned. Had to shoot this through the windshield of my F150 as I was driving to a new location.

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

I knew you would have to try the ice cream.  It’s good some of the buildings are still there.

@Mark Boyce posted:

I knew you would have to try the ice cream.  It’s good some of the buildings are still there.

Hi Mark: Thanks for checking out my rail-fanning photos & the Ice Cream Depot of Plymouth Michigan. This is a photo that I forgot to use. The C&O Freight Station.  Have to see what is coming! Across the tracks from, the Ice Cream Depot. Maybe a hamburger stand.

Gary from Michigan & Hope to see you out rail-fanning. 🚂

@Mooner posted:

I had a chance to visit the Bear Mountain, NY area along the Hudson River on Thursday, October 5th. Beautiful Indian summer day with the temperature in the high 70s. I drove down to Mine Dock Park on the west side of the Hudson just north of Fort Montgomery arriving before 4PM. Over the course of the next 3 hours, 6 CSX freight trains rode through the landing and, across the way on the east side of the Hudson, I lost count of the commuter trains running up and down the valley. Quite a few people in the park up until 6:30 but for the last half hour it was just me and a blue heron waiting for one more train. I left after sunset although I'm sure there was a lot more action to come. Really enjoyed the way the horns from Metro North and Amtrak echo through the valley with the heavier night air.

The video clip is a montage of the activity taken with an iPhone. The quality is lacking but for anyone interested in visiting the area it will give you an idea of what goes on. It's not unusual to be watching a CSX freight train right in front of you only to hear and see a commuter train going by on the other side of the river at the same time. Likewise, I was fortunate enough to watch a tugboat pushing a barge from the same vantage point. Great place. Great day.

That is a great shot. Nice catch to get the New Haven heritage unit twice too! The tracks cut through the rocks are cool too.

@trainroomgary- Now I want ice cream........

Bob

@trainroomgary posted:

Hi Mark: Thanks for checking out my rail-fanning photos & the Ice Cream Depot of Plymouth Michigan. This is a photo that I forgot to use. The C&O Freight Station.  Have to see what is coming! Across the tracks from, the Ice Cream Depot. Maybe a hamburger stand.

Gary from Michigan & Hope to see you out rail-fanning. 🚂

Gary, that is nice to see they are fixing up the old C&O freight house.  You will have to keep tabs on what they put in there.

I took these photographs a couple weeks ago of the restored B&O caboose in Mars, Pennsylvania for another project.  In addition, I got a few photographs of the restored B&O freight station across the former B&O, now Buffalo & Pittsburgh track. The station houses the Mars Area History and Landmarks Society https://marshistory.org/  I grew up about 3 miles from this location.

With a total of 260 units built during the model’s production run between 1959 and 1962, the GP20 was not a widely distributed locomotive when compared to some of EMD’s most popular types. Remarkably, multiple examples of the class have found their way onto the roster of New Jersey short line Raritan Central Railway.

RCRY GP20s 2092 and 2093 were originally built as passenger equipped units for the Great Northern in 1960. They were eventually absorbed by the Burlington Northern when GN was merged into BN. Originally configured with a high short hood to accommodate a steam generator, both locomotives had their shorts hoods cut down in subsequent years. I had the good fortune to photograph these veterans working in multiple around the Raritan Center Business Park in Edison earlier this year. Short line and regional railroad locomotive rosters can sometimes offer up real treasures for those willing to search them out.

Bob

You can go to the Raritan Central RR website and see a photo of the GP20 in BNSF colors at RC location.

Took the grandkids out to ride the Coopersville and Marne railroad this weekend.  While their main business is passenger excursions, they do a very limited amount of freight hauling into Grand Rapids.  In addition to coach rides, rides in the caboose and the diesel are offered. 1950s vintage EMD SW9

Friends of Coopersville & Marne Railway

The grandkids hammin' it up for the camera.  In the background is an old Pullman sleeper heavily converted. Only one side of the fold down sleepers are intact with the other side modified with in-the-floor hold down rails to accommodate wheel chairs and tables. No longer historically accurate, but it gets people riding trains.

It looks like a great place to take the grandchildren, Jeff!!  I didn’t have any reason to think it, but they are older than I imagined.  It’s good you live closer to them now!  👍🏻

Finally caught a manifest on the UP cut off from Lincoln Ne. to Valley Ne.  After crossing a well traveled 2 lane road, the track hits a big curve in downtown Valparaiso. The engineer really laid on the horn for my benefit maybe. Following Ne. #79 north but out of sight, the first village is Touhy, home of the big burger at Touhy’s bar and grill. The track finally emerges next to the highway, curves to the northeast to its merger with double tracks at Valley maybe 50 miles ahead. At this private rail crossing the engineer doubled his horn efforts!  Finally the pot bellied tank car disappears behind the trees.

Drove up to Jim Thorpe, PA to ride the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway on Monday. Here are two photos of the engine.

Charlie

Charlie, thank you for the photographs of the engine at Jim Thorpe.  Though I’m not a Reading fan, I do like the green engines!

Strasburg #89 in action today October 18th 2023. I was out there today as part of my York trip, always pop in. I had a bite to eat before shooting these videos.

Looking mighty good, Dave!  I'm glad you got to be there, and thank you for posting your videos!

Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, October 17, 2023. Glad that we chose the 8am trip to capture the steam and smoke in the early morning light.

Mikki

And a few more.