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

I'm slowly working my way through editing my photos from this week and last week's outings on the H-line and East Broad Top; until then, another teaser...

As I may have mentioned before, Norfolk Southern is slowly replacing the century-old Norfolk & Western signals at control points along the Hagerstown and Roanoke Districts, after replacing the intermediaries during the 2000s and 2010s. The signals at Arcadia are some of the most scenic on the line, and the installation of replacement signals there was one reason I moved this trip up. After train 15T passed by, I spent about an hour playing around with long exposures and a flashlight, seeing if I could replicate some photos of locomotives I'd seen online. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy night, so not many stars were visible.

Last week's video is some yard action at the former PRR and B&O junction in Newark, OH, now operated by the Ohio Central Railroad. I had hoped to catch the area's local freight, but they had either already left or didn't run. Instead, I shot two road freights, the CSNK turn from Morgan Run and Scio, Ohio, and the NKPA turn to the CSX yard in Columbus. Since I shot this clip, several of the leased UP SD60Ms have returned to their lessor with the arrival of some ex-B&P, nee-Conrail SD60I/Ms, and scrapping has commenced on several Super 7s and some of the original Ohio Central SD40-2s.

I caught the Amtrak Coast Starlight at the intersection of Agnew Rd. and Lafayette St. in Santa Clara, CA with GE P42DC #174 in the lead and P42DC #138 following, heading south to the next stop at the San Jose Diridon station. It was traveling about 50 mph so it was a tough picture to take through my windshield. Wish I had time to switch to video mode on my iPhone! They sure look pretty in what looks like fresh paint!

Headed out on vacation yesterday, and stopped to take a few pictures along the way.

First in Phillipsburg KS, I saw a Kyle SW 1000.

Also saw Arizona and California 3996, a SD40M-2 there.

Just west of Scott City KS, came across this stopped Kansas and Oklahoma train.

The lead unit WAMX 3937 is a former D&H GP39-2, the two behind it are former CN GP40-2LWs.

WAMX 4001 has a logo for Wichita State on the side.

At Eads Co, I found the two new Colorado Pacific 719 and 620 former BN SD70MACs.

Further along Near Boone CO were Colorado Pacific's other engines, 1923 and 1924, SD40-2s.

All pictures were taken by me on Aug 31, 2024.

I was in Scranton today and stopped by Steamtown. I missed Railfest over the weekend, but wanted to see if NKP 190 was still there - luckily, I wasn’t disappointed - the cosmetic restoration is amazing!!!

765’s older brother looked quite spiffy!!!

A couple of switchers in the yard…

p

Two old switchers in the roundhouse. First, a Public Service Electric Co. (NJ) 0-6-0 Porter fireless loco…

And a DL&W prototype switcher…

Finally, a D&L C-420…

Nice shots and nice weather, Paul!  The DL 190 is really sleek!  The Porter is a strange beast!  Thank you for posting!!

We should go to Steamtown sometime.  It’s only 280 miles from us in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Norfolk Southern 15T at Windsor Road, just south of control point Waynetex in downtown Waynesboro, VA, on August 15th.

NS 11Z with 8114, the original Norfolk Southern Railway heritage unit, paused at the siding in Lithia, VA, as it waits on a northbound local on August 16th.

Earlier that morning, Durbin & Greenbrier Valley GP-9 6512 led the northbound Shenandoah Valley RR local through Verona, VA, at Dick Huff Rd. The unit was repainted about four weeks ago from a powder-blue variation of the B&O's 1964 paint scheme into this deeper royal blue rendition of the 1958 paint scheme.

A different 11Z, led by ET44AC 3612, passes the signal at control point Pkin on August 15th.

On a rainy day in March 2023, I did my second chase of Black River & Western SW1200 on the Maryland & Delaware Railroad, this time following the train from Massey to Eastman Specialties in Worton. Future videos will follow this train from Worton back to Massey, and thence to the DCR interchange in Townsend.

Around the same time, after the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, OH, the railroad had to detour trains on the Cleveland Line east of Alliance, River Line and Bayard Branch while they conducted environmental remediation. This resulted in several more trains that usual passing the PRR signals mounted on Conrail masts that still adorn the River Line. I spent an afternoon ping-ponging between three trains on the line, one detour and two 'normal' runs.

@Mark Boyce posted:

Nice shots and nice weather, Paul!  The DL 190 is really sleek!  The Porter is a strange beast!  Thank you for posting!!

Thanks, Mark - it was a beautiful day for sure. As for the Porter, I just posted some additional info about it on the Saturday Switcher thread.

@Mark Boyce posted:

We should go to Steamtown sometime.  It’s only 280 miles from us in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Well… York is about half way to Scranton And the Trolley Museum is just across the parking lot from Steamtown!!! I am lucky that I’m only about 40 miles east of Scranton!!!

@Apples55 posted:

Thanks, Mark - it was a beautiful day for sure. As for the Porter, I just posted some additional info about it on the Saturday Switcher thread.

Well… York is about half way to Scranton And the Trolley Museum is just across the parking lot from Steamtown!!! I am lucky that I’m only about 40 miles east of Scranton!!!

I will look on the switcher thread.

I didn’t have any idea where you live.  Yes, York is closer for me.  I got my entrance badge but don’t know that I will make it to York either. 🤔 😢

Here are some new ones from me -

Philadelphia, PA - 30th Street Station -

Hinsdale, IL -

Brooklyn, NY - 18th Ave -

Ronks, PA -

Ardsley-on-Hudson  -

Fairless Hills, PA -

Franklin Park, IL -

Hummelstown, PA -

Landisville, PA -

Queens, NY - Queensboro Plaza -

Charlotte, NC -

Switchback, WV -

Brooklyn, NY - Jay Street-Metro Tech -

Need to archive a bunch of photos off of my phone, which includes the two Rocky Mountaineer trips we took.  Decided to dump various train related photos from our Banff trip before they’re archived,

Back end of the Canadian Pacific executive train in Banff:

Long oil sand train from a helicopter.

Canadian Pacific mixed freight passing through Banff.

Snow removal and passenger equipment in Lake Louis.

Rock cars in the high Rockies.

Canada’s version of Promontory Summit.

picture of the front half of our train on a tight curve.

Freight consist passing through avalanche sheds.

couple of pics as we quickly passed through a massive CN yard approaching Vancouver.

The car we enjoyed for two days.

A video of a long train passing through one of the twin spiral tunnels near the continental divide.

@Christopher2035

Excellent composition, you've transported us back to the early 20th century.

@coach joe posted:

@Christopher2035

Excellent composition, you've transported us back to the early 20th century.

Thank you!  I always make an effort when I shoot steam, to try and shoot around the modern era pollution.  Strasburg is generally easier to do that in, as the Amish farms make a perfect backdrop to the steam era trains

@Christopher2035 posted:

Thank you!  I always make an effort when I shoot steam, to try and shoot around the modern era pollution.  Strasburg is generally easier to do that in, as the Amish farms make a perfect backdrop to the steam era trains

Absolutely!  The farmer with the team make the photograph!!

@Mark Boyce posted:

Absolutely!  The farmer with the team make the photograph!!

perfectly placed!!  Sometimes a bit of luck makes all the difference

@Christopher2035 posted:

perfectly placed!!  Sometimes a bit of luck makes all the difference

That it does!  Perfectly placed

August 4, 2024 • Rail-fanning with The Grandkids • New Camera: Canon EOS 8

On this rail-fanning trip we are going to travel to the CN Yard, Pontiac Michigan. The grandkids will be our tour guides. I will be using a new camera for the first time. Mirrorless Canon EOS R8 with a RF 24 to 240 mm super lens. 📷

The grandkids in the CN Yard

Front and rear couplers.

Six wheel trucks.

Grand Trunk & Western / CN cab #5844.

Step up!

The ditch lights.

Gary, excellent day with the grandsons!!  I’m glad they like to go in train outings with you!  😊

Union Pacific Big Boy today in Rochelle Illinois.

@trainroomgary

Mirrorless?  So is the eyepiece dead center of the body so you can see through the lens?  Or are seeing a digital image when you are focusing or aiming the camera?

My understanding is it is the latter in that you are looking at a digital image.  I have one and the removal of the mirror apparatus really reduces the size of the camera.

Hi Coach Joe & Bob Golfs: I taught high school Graphic Arts & Photography for 36 years. I also was the the Advisor for the Student Newspaper & Yearbook.

I have always enjoyed photography. This is a mirrorless camera. When you look thru the viewfinder eyepiece you will see the image and when you press the shutter the image will stay in the viewfinder and flip screen. A DSLR camera has a mirror and when you take the image a mirror flips up and blocks the viewfinder and exposes the image onto the digital sensor.

This camera has no mirror blocking the image in the viewfinder.

Below is photo of the back of this camera. Hope this helps.

Gary: Hope to see you out rail-fanning. 🚂

The Wilmington (NC)  RR museum is worth a visit. The town was the headquarters of the Atlantic Coast Line RR so a ton of ACL history is here.  Many train tracks are still present in the streets so you can only imagine the activity in days gone by.

Rich in Wilmington

@trainroomgary

Gary I used to dabble in photography, back in the days of film, so I knew the workings of SLRs.  My wife took over photo duty with the kids, lots of posed stuff.  The jump to digital was to a Sure shot type camera then iphones so I'm way out of the loop when it comes to camera equipment now.  BTW I'm not a big fan of phone pictures, images are always a lot  smaller than they appeared to my naked eye.

Rich, those are some nice items at the museum in Wilmington!!  Another place I will probably never visit, but one I need to keep in mind if I am ever in northeast North Carolina again.

More information about my new rail-fanning camera. Canon EOS R8 & RF Lens 24-240mm. These are test shots from the same location, with the camera on a tripod. These shots could have been hand held with a fast shutter speed of 1/125 or faster. The lens and camera have image stabilization to prevent image shake.

I am sharing this information because if you are thinking about pulling the trigger on a new camera, I hope you find this information helpful.

24mm and 35mm are wide angle.

50mm is known as the human eye lens. This is what the human eye sees.

70mm to 240mm is the telephoto range. Making the image larger.

After you take your rail-fanning photos you have to transfer the photos from the camera to your computer to be processed for using on the OGR Forum.

I use the Canon Camera Connect App on an iPhone.

This is my iPhone & the back of the camera. The App allows for the camera to be used remotely if needed.

In the Canon App you can import the image and shoot remote live view shooting. This can be done with a Bluetooth or Wi-fi transfer. I will be using Bluetooth to connect the camera to my iPhone and to iCloud Drive & Photo Folder.

All the photos as seen in the Canon App.

All the photos moved to my iCloud account. When I get home all the photos have been moved to my photo folder and are read to sort and edit for the OGR Form.

Wow, photography lessons.  I learned something new, that 50mm is the human eye lens.  I might have known that 30 or so years ago but if I did that knowledge was long gone.  Thank you Gary.

A group from my club went to see the Big Boy in the Chicago area.  We drove out Thursday night and chased it a little on Friday before it got to the yard outside of Rochelle, and then to the Rochelle RR Park for some train watching afterward.  On Saturday, we spent the day at the Illinois Railway Museum.  On Sunday, we went to see it at the yard, and then we headed to Chicago to the Museum of Science and Industry and then back to the Rochelle RR Park.  On Monday, we chased it from Rochelle to Thornton, IL before heading home.   We logged 1720 miles for this trip and had a blast the whole way there and back.

And in Thornton, we had the privilege to watch 4014 with two UP employees who had never seen it in person.  They just happened to pull in to get some fuel at just the right time.

Andy

I’m glad everyone had a great time, Andy!  Thank you for the great photographs!

Andy and Chi Town Steve,

Great pictures and a wonderful story of your travels Andy.  I live in Lake Forest, Illinois so Rochelle is about an hour 45 minute drive for me.  We left about 815 sunday morning with the intent of seeing the engine and then going to the DuPage train show.  By the time we arrived the traffic was so bad it was backed up well past the exit ramp, with about a 1/2 mile back up.  

We went up the road and did a u-turn and came back and stopped to get gas.  We then proceeded to zig zag our way over to the Shell station and sat there for a few.  A lot of people were walking from the Shell station to the intermodal yard.  Being a bit stretched on time, we bailed, sadly.  No Big Boy for me this year.  

Next year.

Next stop on the journey was the DuPage show.  Clearly still on summer vacation.  A lot of old stuff and a lot of stuff that seemed to be priced not to sell.  I did see one vendor I like from Iowa but this time I walked away with nothing - VERY unusual.

John

@jbmccormick posted:

I live in Lake Forest, Illinois so Rochelle is about an hour 45 minute drive for me.  We left about 815 sunday morning with the intent of seeing the engine and then going to the DuPage train show.  By the time we arrived the traffic was so bad it was backed up well past the exit ramp, with about a 1/2 mile back up.

We were staying in Rockford and left with the idea of getting to G3 around 8:30.  We got close before we hit traffic.  It was about 9:30 by the time we got in.  When we left, traffic was backed up for over 3 miles and there were a lot of people walking in along the roads.

We also went to the DuPage show on our way to the Museum of Science and Industry (we were unable to tour the interior of the U-Boat the last time we were there, and we wanted to rectify that).  My only purchase at DuPage was a cheap die cast automobile.  A couple of the other guys in my group bought some used Ross switches.  Still, it was fun to attend a train show way out of our area.

Andy

Andy, any train show is a good train show.  I’m planning to go to the Altoona N scale train show Saturday.  A former coworker is with the Esther’s Hobby Shop modular group.  I haven’t seen him since I retired in 2019.  Of course the Railroader’s Museum is there.

My Dad took is granddaughter and 2 year old great grandson to see it in Rochelle and they had a great time.  And I have a friend who works in Glen Ellyn close to the tracks who watched it go by.. He's not a train guy but was very impressed with what he saw..Great pics of the Big Boy!  Thanks for posting! 

Here are my posts from this week.

Living about 15 minutes from Strasburg has its advantages

Ronks, PA -

Hershey, PA -

Altoona, PA -

Lancaster, PA -

New York, NY - World Trade Center -

@Andy Hummell posted:

A group from my club went to see the Big Boy in the Chicago area.  We drove out Thursday night and chased it a little on Friday before it got to the yard outside of Rochelle, and then to the Rochelle RR Park for some train watching afterward.  On Saturday, we spent the day at the Illinois Railway Museum.  On Sunday, we went to see it at the yard, and then we headed to Chicago to the Museum of Science and Industry and then back to the Rochelle RR Park.  On Monday, we chased it from Rochelle to Thornton, IL before heading home.   We logged 1720 miles for this trip and had a blast the whole way there and back.

And in Thornton, we had the privilege to watch 4014 with two UP employees who had never seen it in person.  They just happened to pull in to get some fuel at just the right time.

Andy

Great Shots Andy! Thanks for Sharing.

Railfanning in 1993 at New Haven CT. This unit surprised me an I had to shoot it over the fence. I tried looking up NH 257 or Amtrak 257 to no avail. I am not familiar with this engine  

@pennsyfan posted:

Railfanning in 1993 at New Haven CT. This unit surprised me an I had to shoot it over the fence. I tried looking up NH 257 or Amtrak 257 to no avail. I am not familiar with this engine  

Try looking up Conndot 257

@Christopher2035 posted:

Try looking up Conndot 257

@Christopher2035 posted:

Try looking up Conndot 257

Thanks the search engine doesn’t like CONDOT, keeps changing it to CONDOR. I then searched CT DOT 257 and I got some information but not a clear picture. It was reported as a GP38. I guess it’s a different nose; because I don’t see a GP38.

@pennsyfan posted:

Thanks the search engine doesn’t like CONDOT, keeps changing it to CONDOR. I then searched CT DOT 257 and I got some information but not a clear picture. It was reported as a GP38. I guess it’s a different nose; because I don’t see a GP38.

Bob;

Try this link…

http://www.trainweb.org/railpix/cdot1.html

I searched for “ct dot diesel 257 2770” - not sure what the 2770 stands for, but it came up when I was searching.

P.S. METCA looking for its next project???