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

GP40-3 just finished getting some maintenance.

I’ve been lucky to catch a lot of the new Metra loco paint schemes lately.

How about some MOW equipment!

Pete, the Metra engines look great.  Who doesn't like some MOW equipment?

Here are bunch of random pics I have on my phone taken during various trips and commutes.

Okay, so this one is the same old CSX manifest from Selkirk to W. Springfield but from a little different perspective. The 1st minute is a weak attempt at narration but it does explain where I am.  Takes a bit for the train to go through as they are coming downhill and winding through 2 sets of curves in this part of the Berkshires. Video is the result of a great afternoon hike (KAB Trail in Walnut Hill WMA) in the Berkshires with the trees still bare. Once the leaves blossom you won't see much of the train passing by.

@Christopher2035 posted:

Here are my new ones for this week -

Secaucus, NJ -

Queens, NY - 46th Street/Bliss Street -

Altoona, PA -

Christopher, curious about the Conrail engine with the passenger cars.

@pennsyfan posted:

Christopher, curious about the Conrail engine with the passenger cars.

The Conrail unit is one of NJT's heritage units.  They have an Erie, Erie Lackawanna, CNJ, Conrail, NJDOT & PRR as well as Lackawanna & PC MU heritages.   The Conrail is the latest one to be done.  Funny thing is that this engine started life as a PC GP40 & actually was a Conrail engine before being sold to NJT & rebuilt to a GP40PH-2B

Continuing the photos from my New England trip at the beginning of March, here are photos from my primary objective, which was chasing the Connecticut Southern Railroad's CSO-3 job on its work around Hartford, CT. The CSOR  operates a cluster of ex-New Haven lines in the city, and interchanges with CSX via Amtrak's Springfield line at Springfield, MA. I had made two trips previously, in March 2023 and March 2024, respectively. Both times I was after Providence & Worcester 2215, one of 11 U23Bs rebuilt into B23-7 'Super Sevens' that G&W rostered. Unlike the former Ohio Central units, 2215 was not an ex-Monongahela Railway unit, but may have demonstrated there. Both of these trips were instigated because of the unit's inclusion on a list of locomotives that G&W was mandated to rebuild or retire to comply with an EPA emissions settlement, but as I guessed in late 2024 (and had confirmed on this trip) 2215 was swapped for another unit and will be the sole operating Super 7 under G&W ownership (1 additional unit was rendered inoperable but preserved, and two more are on a non-G&W shortline).  

Sometimes, CSO-3 starts its day by heading south on the former freight main to New Haven for a mile before diverging onto the Market Spur. On my previous two visits, because of the logistics involved I had just missed them returning from the branch both times, but on this trip, I rented a car the night before and drove up in the early AM. My reward was catching 2215 trailing on the return trip past the former Colt Armory factory, featuring the restored Russian-style dome.

After picking up construction debris gondolas on the spur, the train returned to the yard to set out those cars before heading east on the Armory Branch. In this shot, the train is on the freight main, while the Armory Branch to East Windsor crosses from left-to-right. The train does not seem to use the Armory branch portion of the diamond, as it only connects to the Amtrak main a few hundred yards to the left.

After working the yard, the train crossed under I-84 and rambled toward East Windsor, with a shorter-than-usual consist of cars for Home Depot's distribution center. If the crew has work along the way, they will often run with the second unit (GP38-2 2011) trailing behind the cars.

A telephoto shot showing 2215 at work after pulling empties out of Home Depot.

Pulling out of the warehouse.

Finally, my last trailing shot of the day focused on the train crossing the Connecticut River bridge as they returned to Hartford with seven center beam flatcars from the Home Depot. 

In videos this week, first up is a grab-bag of weekend Amtrak and MARC action around Maryland, DC and Virginia.

Second is a chase that holds the dubious honor of being the earliest I have ever woken up for a train; last summer I headed over to Delmarva at 2 AM or so, with the objective of meeting the 4 AM call time for Delmarva Central's SE-1. At this time, because of track work, this train, which normally starts in Seaford, DE, started in Delmar, MD, for its run south on the former PRR line to Cape Charles, VA.

Here are mine for this week -

Secaucus, NJ -

The Bronx - Buhre Avenue -

Hummelstown, PA -

Berwyn, PA -

@Christopher2035 posted:

The Conrail unit is one of NJT's heritage units.  They have an Erie, Erie Lackawanna, CNJ, Conrail, NJDOT & PRR as well as Lackawanna & PC MU heritages.   The Conrail is the latest one to be done.  Funny thing is that this engine started life as a PC GP40 & actually was a Conrail engine before being sold to NJT & rebuilt to a GP40PH-2B

Thanks, I forgot about heritage units. I guess if it was a Pennsy I would have realized it.

My Cab Ride to Boston.

In the ‘90s when I was working in BELLCORE; a woman popped into my office and I hear that you're into trains. I said very much so. She replied that her Dad was an Amtrak Conductor working  NY to Boston, and he could get me a cab ride. Several months later I had a business meeting scheduled in Boston. I reached out to her and arranged my ride. He said to buy a ticket and meet him on the platform at a particular spot.  He took me up to the front end and introduced me to the Engineer. I started taking pictures when we got out of Sunnyside Yard. I’m going to post the pictures in 3 sections.  Starting with the Hellgate bridge.

Running through the Bronx.

My Cab ride to Boston part. 2

Approaching New Haven.

Now on a diesel

My Cab ride to Boston part 3.

At Cos Cob, crossing the Mianus River, with the I-95 bridge on the left. A section of  the I-95 bridge collapsed in June 1983. I think that it may have been the section on the far left  

Approaching Boston.

Meet with MBTA

End of my great experience.

Wow!  Love the cab ride pics!  Thanks for posting! 

@Jon Stachowicz posted:

Wow!  Love the cab ride pics!  Thanks for posting! 

Thank you

@pennsyfan- Thanks for the ride along Bob. I doubt you could do that today with insurance and security concerns.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

@pennsyfan- Thanks for the ride along Bob. I doubt you could do that today with insurance and security concerns.

Bob

You are so right Bob, everything changed after spuyten duyvil (Dutch- Forgotten NY). Metro North 12/2013 fatal derailment. There are cameras aimed at the engine cabs everywhere.

November 17, 2024 - The Strasburg Railroad • Steam Loco #89

We are at the Strasburg Railroad, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. We are in the main yard watching them work on loco #89.

A friendly reminder: Check out the 2024 Year in review! • Rail-fanning on The OGR Forum 🚂

@ https://ogrforum.com/topic/188663164620590116

Hope to see you out rail-fanning: Gary 🚂

@pennsyfan Thank you for letting us ride along!!

@trainroomgary Those are some nice photographs from Strasburg

1980 was the first time I went as a teenager on a family vacation and although I've only been there a couple of times since, Strasburg is one of my favorite train spots to go.  Thanks for posting! 

In 2006 we rode or bicycles along the Great Allegheny Passage and saw this amazing site:

@stangtrain posted:

In 2006 we rode or bicycles along the Great Allegheny Passage and saw this amazing site:

Great shots, thanks for sharing.

@stangtrain I agree with Bob!  Great shots.  We were there twice in the late 1980s to early ‘90s.

stangtrain,

Another shout out for great photos.  Towards the end of 734's service time, before the 15 year inspection, WMSR was offering hands on the throttle opportunities.  This was a fund-raising effort to help with the restoration of #1309.  My wife and I each did that, great experience.  Sessions were scheduled for 30 minutes, which I did.  My wife got 45 minutes!

We operated the throttle, Johnson bar, and Independent.  We operated across the bridge from the Cumberland Station but before the track started to go uphill, going back and forth.  There were no cars attached.  The real engineer stood right behind us, thank goodness.  The fireman took care of the coal and water, and a 3rd crew member crawled to the top of the tender to be the eyes looking ahead when we were going in reverse.

@BZ That was a great opportunity you and your wife took advantage of.  Thank you for telling us!

A new arrival at the new Missouri Model Railroad Museum!  Independence Missouri. MoPac steel side.

Here are mine for this week -

Take me out to the ballgame - For opening day 2025, the NYC Transit Museum ran not one, but TWO special trains to Yankee Stadium along the IRT Jerome Avenue Line in the Bronx to help celebrate the return of baseball for 2025.  Both trains operated from Grand Central/42nd Street to 161st Street/Yankee Stadium. The train on the left is made up of IRT Lo-V cars and date from 1917-1925, the train on the right is part of the museum's "Train of Many Colors" and consists of R33/R36 cars from the 1960s. 

Hershey, PA -

Iselin, NJ - Metropark -

Hoboken, NJ -

A few shots from last weekend at Black River & Western in Ringoes, NJ.

Saying goodbye to winter railfanning although cooler weather still hanging around New England. Looking forward to railfanning in a t-shirt sooner or later.

A favorite winter get a-way-trip has been an Amtrak excursion to Seattle. Two nights on the train, two nights in Seattle and two nights return on the train makes for a great break from a long Minnesota winter. The Empire Builder is a wonderful adventure. This year we booked two cross aisle roomettes. This allowed relaxing by day on the most scenic side and two comfortable low level sleeping berths at night. We priced it out and for 2 senior rates round trip, two roomettes was $632 cheeper than one bedroom.   Pricing on Amtrak is similar to airline pricing where availability, timing and seasonal rates rise and fall depending on demand. Never ride the train to a wedding, funeral, graduation, etc. Go when you can live with delays.   Our outbound leg was delayed because of a ground fault problem with one of the engines. A BNSF freight engine helped us from Minneapolis to Seattle. Freight engines are governed to 65 mph so we continued to loose time for the rest of the trip and arrived 5 hours late. The good news is that Amtrak treated everyone on board to an extra lunch and we were able to get into our hotel room at time of arrival. All in All it was a great relaxing trip.     

Started the trip in LaCrosse, WI and caught a few run byes before our train arrived.

BNSF helper added in Minneapolis.

The bad boy #345 gets checked out in Minot, ND

In Haver, Montana yard we noticed this:    Anyone know what this device does?  

Seattle is a great place to walk off a "sea food fix"!  

Our return leg arrived back home right on schedule.  Well done Amtrak!

Dave, that looks like a great trip.  A cousin of mine rode the Empire Builder the opposite way when he lived in the Seattle area.

Amtrak no. 43 (Pennsylvanian) blows through Cresson PA this past Tuesday (03/25/2025):

Caught in the shadow of an eastbound double-stack.

PD