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

Beautiful spring day made better by a westbound Norfolk Southern manifest crossing the Wheatherby Brook on South River Road, Charlemont, MA. Friendly crew!

Here are mine for this week -

Shawsville, VA -

Queens, NY - Sunnyside - 46 Street/Bliss Street -

Spencer, NC -

Spencer, NC -

Queens, NY - Broad Channel -

Charlotte, NC -

My youngest at the train show in Spencer last weekend -

Visiting the Skyliner in Honolulu from the ground

Providence & Worcester taken in Worcester MA fall 2021.

Here are some photos I took of the former B&O station at Laurel, Maryland.  It's now owned by MARC and is strictly a commuter station.   The station was designed for the B&O by architect Frances Baldwin and was one of many Baldwin designed stations on  B&O's Washington Branch connecting Baltimore and Washington D.C.   This line is now owned by CSX which operates the MARC commuter trains for the state of Maryland.  

I have vivid memories of when this was a B&O station back in the 1950- 60s.   It was a great place to watch B&O trains ... such as the Capital Limited.   Most of B&O's name passenger trains came whizzing by this station.  Only commuter trains which were pretty much RDC cars with a few GP 9/7 and F unit powered commuter trains stopped at this station.  

The station had a team track and a second siding that served as a second team track which also served the freight station located near the end of the siding.   The freight station was lost to fire back in the late 1960's/early 1970's.   The passenger station has been preserved pretty much in its' original state.  

Pat, those are excellent photographs of the Laurel station.  I wish more stations could have been preserved, but we must be happy with those that we still have.

@trumpettrain posted:

Providence & Worcester taken in Worcester MA fall 2021.

Patrick, nice to see you were up in my backyard in 2021!  Their mainline runs about a quarter mile from my home.  Love the P&W!

@trumpettrain posted:

Here are some photos I took of the former B&O station at Laurel, Maryland.  The passenger station has been preserved pretty much in its' original state.  

EXTREMELY cool pictures!! I am so envious! I sure wish we had a station like that down here in Ooltewah, TN

George

Drove through Kansas and took a few pictures.

Utah 5002 at Phillipsburg KS.

Some Kansas and Oklahoma in Scott City KS.  I like the logo with the wheat, first time I saw that.

Later, we were stopped in a line of traffic due to an accident/roadside fire ahead.  A westbound BNSF freight came along, light was poor at this point and my camera was put away, but I grabbed this with my phone. The third unit is a Progress Rail hybird locomotive.

@trumpettrain posted:

Here are some photos I took of the former B&O station at Laurel, Maryland.  It's now owned by MARC and is strictly a commuter station.   The station was designed for the B&O by architect Frances Baldwin and was one of many Baldwin designed stations on  B&O's Washington Branch connecting Baltimore and Washington D.C.   This line is now owned by CSX which operates the MARC commuter trains for the state of Maryland.  

I have vivid memories of when this was a B&O station back in the 1950- 60s.   It was a great place to watch B&O trains ... such as the Capital Limited.   Most of B&O's name passenger trains came whizzing by this station.  Only commuter trains which were pretty much RDC cars with a few GP 9/7 and F unit powered commuter trains stopped at this station.  

The station had a team track and a second siding that served as a second team track which also served the freight station located near the end of the siding.   The freight station was lost to fire back in the late 1960's/early 1970's.   The passenger station has been preserved pretty much in its' original state.  

Patrick, beautiful station as it looks very well kept. Thanks for the history it brings the photo's alive. Very nice night photos as you got the lighting just right. Hard to do, well done!

Went down to the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado today. On the way down, caught a UP local dropping off some cars in Walsenburg CO.

After visiting the Dunes, we went to Alamosa CO.

Found some of Colorado Pacific Rio Grande's ex BNSF SD70MACs.

On the way back, stopped in Blanca CO for what might be the ugliest diesel I've seen, the Southern San Luis Valley home built diesel D500.

Approaching Walsenburg again, we came across 2 more Colorado Pacific SD70's that had picked up the cars set out by the UP local earlier.

Had a real good day!

Video from railfanning on Memorial Day. Up along the Boston and Albany line at Summit Hill Road bridge on rainy and very windy day. Recorded with my iPhone so the wind (watch the trees) is louder than the train. CSX M439 manifest heading west. The sky and treeline said shoot this one vertical.

Here are mine for this week -

Highlands, IL -

Queens, NY - Jamaica/179th Street -

Spencer, NC -

Manhattan, NY -

Hamler, OH -

May10, 2024 • Rail-fanning The Detroit River Block • Part 2

On this rail-fanning trip we are going to walk the Detroit River Block and check out the rail lines. Also take a look at ships on the river, freighters & trackside structures and much more.

Great Lakes Freighters on the Detroit River, north bound.

Abandoned trackside structure.

A tug boat helping a north bound freighter.

SCL Tadoussac Canadian freighter.

Took a lunch break at Mickey D’s. Coke & cheese burger.

This is a rail spur to the Detroit Edison Plant. Notice how they burn off excess gas. Why do they do this. Seems like a waist of energy.

Two bulkhead flat cars on a siding.

Notice the work ‘PANTHERS” on the railroad bridge. This is the mascot for the local High School, River Rouge High.

Norfolk Southern • Operation Lifesaver® #5328 & #7664.

Norfolk Southern staging yard. River Rouge, Michigan.

Great photographs, Gary!  Thank you for sharing a different perspective that we folks up in the hills never see!

Here are some photos and videos I’ve taken over the last couple weeks.  I stopped by Palmer, MA on Wednesday, May 22nd.  The parking lot of the Steaming Tender restaurant (located in a preserved train station) is a popular gathering place for rail fans to watch trains from four different railroads…CSX, New England Central, Massachusetts Central and Amtrak!  

The east-west CSX mainline (former Boston & Albany) crosses the north-south mainline of the NECR on a diamond just behind the station.  Amtrak also uses the CSX mainline to and from Boston.  New England Central’s Palmer yard sits just south of the Steaming Tender parking lot.  CSX’s Palmer yard sits just to the east, while Mass Central’s small yard and base of operations is less than a mile north.  Lots of activity can be seen at this location, especially if your timing is good.  I really lucked out the day I stopped by!

A short NECR train headed up by two former Rail America locomotives comes south past the station restaurant into the NECR yard…

Here are a couple photos of the NECR yard area…

The 3-unit power consist shown in the photo above heads north out of the yard then waits for clearance from the CSX dispatcher to cross over the CSX main behind the station.  Meanwhile a CSX maintenance has been working on a defective switch where the double track becomes single track westbound…

A NECR light engine comes south into the yard…

A CSX freight heads west.  Look out for the locomotive!!

More action to follow in the next post!

Here’s some more action in Palmer, MA on Wednesday, May 22nd…

The Massachusetts Central uses the New England Central main to access the CSX Palmer yard. Here we see the MC turn job coming of the NEC main onto the CSX yard lead with its outbound interchange traffic.  I really like Mass Central’s Boston & Maine-inspired “Bluebird” paint scheme!

…and here’s the Mass Central turn coming back from the CSX yard with it’s inbound train…

Two more videos today; the first is my second chase of Buffalo & Pittsburgh's BT-3, a turn job which runs up the former B&O Petrolia branch to service refineries in its namesake and Karns City. Until ten years ago, this line featured some of the last substantial timber trestles in regular use anywhere, and was consequently the last bastion of light early Geeps (GP-9 and GP-18) on the B&P in PA. Nowadays, the trestles are still there, but made of steel, allowing the use of the GP40-2s and GP38-2 seen here. The 10 - 15 mph top speed results in a fairly easy chase, if backlit or shaded in for much of the day.

The second video today is nothing special, simply a grab-bag of CSX and Amtrak action I saw more than a year ago while waiting for a Norfolk Southern train detouring on CSX to get around a derailment in Maryland.

Finally, I'm sharing two photos from a chase I did last weekend up on the Delmarva Peninsula, specifically of the Maryland & Delaware Railroad's (MDDE) Worton "Rocket" which services industries on the former PRR Centreville Branch. At Worton, the railroad recently used a contractor to refurbish a runaround track by adding new ties and ballast, and digging a drainage ditch next to the farmer's field. RS3m 1201 (a Juniata rebuild of a E-L RS-3) had the job on this day.

After finishing up at Worton, the crew "rocketed" back north at 10 mph on their way to Massey, thence to the Delmarva Central interchange at Townsend. Just west of Massey, the branch crosses US Highway 301, one of the main thoroughfares for beachgoers coming from the west. It's a four-lane highway with a shoulder only on the passenger side...so of course I was foolish and ran across into the median before the train arrived.

Everyone posted excellent photographs and videos.

Dan, the video following the B&P to Petrolia and back was closest to my heart.  You got some excellent camera angles.  Well done.  That Maryland & Delaware RS3 is great!!

Ah, the pull of the yard. It was a little after 10 PM Tuesday evening and I was on my way back to CT on I-91. Took a minor detour to check the west end of the CSX yard in W. Springfield (Front St), and wouldn't you know there was all sorts of activity. Stuck around to watch the comings and goings of CSXT M424, M438, M439, I020 and a little after midnight M437 with the L&N Heritage unit #1850 - ES44AH.  The scanner in the car just kept chirping. I got home around 1:30 AM. Most probably know this already, but there is a great Heritage tracking and info website.

CSX M-O-W equipment Thursday morning June 6th at Horse Cave, KY.  It seemed the only trains, were at night-  while I was sleeping 😢

Here are mine for this week -

Radford, VA  -

Brooklyn, NY - Marcy Ave -

Joliet, IL -

Chester, SC -

Bronx - Zerega Ave -

Strasburg, PA -

While out railfanning it struck me how sanitized my model train world is compared to the real thing. I've been in-between layouts now going on 3 years, but whenever I do finally get around to starting anew, I'm going to add the grime and the grit. Might need a heat gun to warp the hoppers and gondolas!

Video from the bridge on the west end of East Deerfield (MA) yard. Eastern and Alabama road slug going to pick up scrap metal nearby.

Here are mine for this week -  I'm up in NYC for 2 weeks, so I went heavy on the subway pics.

These 4 I just took yesterday -

Sunnyside/Queens, NY - 46 Street / Bliss Street -

Long Island City, Queens - 45th Road /Court House Square-

Sunnyside/Queens, NY - 46 Street / Bliss Street -

Brooklyn, NY - Coney Island -

Matthews, NC  -

Brooklyn, NY - Sheepshead Bay - 

Flossmoor, IL -

Bronx, NY - Allerton Ave -

@Christopher2035, that D train is a little cleaner than I remember but the cars are still the same.

@coach joe posted:

@Christopher2035, that D train is a little cleaner than I remember but the cars are still the same.

Well it’s at Coney Island, so they mop the floors before going back out. The D has had the R68s for what seems like forever.

June12, 2024 • The Rebirth of a Detroit Icon • Part 1

On this rail-fanning trip we are going to walk around inside The Michigan Central Station, Grand Opening, Detroit Michigan.

This rail-fanning trip requires an Open House General Admission Ticket to enter the Michigan Central Station. If you you are going to go I would recommend you part in the parking garage at 1501 Walbash Street. Free. Street parking is almost impossible. Ticket are available at: MichiganCentral Station.com

Walkway from parking garage to station.

Side elevation.

Now Boarding.

After you enter the structure they have a five minute video about the history of the station. This is on a 3 sided screen. After the video you are allowed to do a self guided tour. There are guides to answer question as you wonder around to each room on the first floor.

The Main Passenger Hall.

Detroit Hall of Fame.

The Atrium

Glass art in the Back Hall.

A Lego version of The Michigan Central Station.

Original Graffiti from the time the structure was vacant.

@trainroomgary posted:

June12, 2024 • The Rebirth of a Detroit Icon • Part 1

On this rail-fanning trip we are going to walk around inside The Michigan Central Station, Grand Opening, Detroit Michigan.

Gary, thank you for the excellent pictures. It’s one of those places I’ll probably never get to see in person, so I appreciate your tour.

Gene

Gary, thank for the great guided tour of the Michigan Central Station!!

Today, I used my Friday off work to poke around the former Pennsylvania Railroad lines west-southwest of Pittsburgh, still technically part of the Ohio Central System, but owned today by what others termed "the orange Borg," Genesee & Wyoming. On a typical Friday, there's usually three crews; one runs the former Chartiers Branch to Arden, PA, another works the industries on Neville Island, and a third, the most elusive, shuffles cars in Scully Yard and works customers in the McKees Rocks Bottoms. I started my day by spending about 45 minutes on the PA-51 bridge waiting for this third crew to work their way back east with former Conrail, nee-PRR (and twice-rebuilt) GP10M 1711.

I also have two grab-bag videos this week; the first features some late summer/fall clips from three Pittsburgh -area chases (AVR, B&P RISI with an ex-BN triclops, and a NS heritage unit), and a collection of B&P trains seen on a gray January day while waiting for a southbound road freight.

Here are mine for this week -  All of the NY/NJ ones were taken in the last week.

New York, NY - 5th Ave/53rd Street -

New York, NY - Canal Street -

New York, NY - Moynihan Train Hall -

New York, NY - Grand Central -

Brooklyn, NY - New Utrecht Ave/84th Street -

New York, NY - Grand Street -

Newark Penn Station - Newark, NJ -

Newark Penn Station - Newark, NJ -

Former CNJ Newark Broad Street Station - Newark, NJ

Denville, NJ -

Spencer, NC -

Shawsville, VA -

June12, 2024 • The Rebirth of a Detroit Icon • Part 2

On this rail-fanning trip we are going to walk around inside & outside The Michigan Central Station, Grand Opening, Detroit Michigan. Using a 50mm lens & a fisheye lens.

Side elevation.

Gift shop.

Food trucks.

Front elevation

Visitors line for inside tours.

Siting in the shade on a hot day.

Parking garage with trench on right side. This is the Canadian Pacific Railroad Tunnel to Canada.

Five photos taken with a fisheye lens. Me: Detroit Tigers Ball Cap.

We were in Burlington VT for a wedding on Saturday. Made a quick detour to the waterfront to the Vermont Railway Yard and was fortunate enough to see the Champlain Valley Cocktail Train slide from the yard to the passenger platform. During the summer and fall VTR runs a 3-hour ride from Burlington south to Vergennes and back. VTR #313 in red and GMR #405 in green - sharp looking train.

Made a trip into NYC today. First time I've been in the city in a few years and took the LIRR to Grand Central. Talk about a different world from going to Penn Station for all my 60+ years.

The escalator lives up to the hype! WOW!

And as an added bonus....the place doesn't smell like p.......

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Made a trip into NYC today. First time I've been in the city in a few years and took the LIRR to Grand Central. Talk about a different world from going to Penn Station for all my 60+ years.

Bob

Bob;

Do the LIRR trains terminate at Grand Central or do they continue on to Penn Station??? Have you been to the “new” Penn Station (Moynahan Hall)??? Looks like they cleaned it up.

@Apples55 posted:

Bob;

Do the LIRR trains terminate at Grand Central or do they continue on to Penn Station??? Have you been to the “new” Penn Station (Moynahan Hall)??? Looks like they cleaned it up.

Paul- LIRR terminates at GCT. No connection unless you hit the subway. The track arrangement is nice, 8 tracks on two levels. No more Penn sprint from the big board to track 12 or 22 anymore.....

I haven't been in Moynahan or Penn for that matter. Amtrak moved into Moynahan. Penn is undergoing yet another renovation......ugh......

Bob

Bob and Paul, I have never been to NYC, nor do I ever plan too, but I must say your photographs make the new work look quite inviting compared to what I see on TV.  Thank you for the update, Bob!

@trainroomgary those are great photographs of the restored station in Detroit.  Our younger daughter and her husband were in Detroit about 10 years ago, and saw it in the dilapidated condition.  She happened upon an article about the restored station shortly before it reopened and shared it with me.  I told her Trainroomgary was keeping me up-to-date!

Here are my posts for this week -

Red Bank, NJ -

Queens, NY - Beach 44th Street/Frank Ave -

West Haven, CT -

@trainroomgary posted:

June12, 2024 • The Rebirth of a Detroit Icon • Part 1

On this rail-fanning trip we are going to walk around inside The Michigan Central Station, Grand Opening, Detroit Michigan.

This rail-fanning trip requires an Open House General Admission Ticket to enter the Michigan Central Station. If you you are going to go I would recommend you part in the parking garage at 1501 Walbash Street. Free. Street parking is almost impossible. Ticket are available at: MichiganCentral Station.com

Walkway from parking garage to station.

Side elevation.

Now Boarding.

After you enter the structure they have a five minute video about the history of the station. This is on a 3 sided screen. After the video you are allowed to do a self guided tour. There are guides to answer question as you wonder around to each room on the first floor.

The Main Passenger Hall.

Detroit Hall of Fame.

The Atrium

Glass art in the Back Hall.

A Lego version of The Michigan Central Station.

Original Graffiti from the time the structure was vacant.

I “get” why they left the graffiti in parts of the building but if I had been in charge of this project I wouldn’t have left any of it in place.