Midweek Photos 8/27/2014

A lot of foreign power in use through Berea, Ohio this past Saturday.

And the Norfolk Southern New York Central Heritage

UP Fruit Express returning empty.

And finally Amtrak #48 heading towards Cleveland Station from Chicago 6 hours behind schedule.

Here is mines...On my way to vacation.

A view into the cab of an 1897 Baldwin 4-4-0

Very nice!!!!

I'm a bit surprised, however, that nobody wears safety glasses, especially on a coal burner.

I wear prescription glasses (not the safety type), and I've still caught a few cinders in my eyes when I'm firing.  A few of our guys wear them by choice, but obviously not in that video.  Not sure how they do it.

Here's an exterior view of the locomotive shown in the video

Just took these photos today in Oswego,Ill.  Tracks that I have traveled across for 20 years and today I finally see traffic on the rails.2 Hudson bay railway Engines & 3 BNSF Engines. Heading west.

Scott - These are the same engines that I photographed last week at Wedron, IL.  This has become a very busy little railroad as a result of all the silica sand used in the oil fracking process.  I know that there are least two trains a day each way, but I am wondering if might be 3 each way?  I hear the trains going by at all times of the day and night.

Art

Art. These are the tracks that go past your house. Like I said in the post above I have never saw a train on the tracks till today. I know that they use them daily because they also run through Sheridan.Ill. 1/2 block north of my friends house. & I see them all the time. I also saw a Metra train today in Sandwich,Ill Today.  So you know they will be out here soon.

Scott - Now that I think about it, I have never seen a train cross at that crossing either. 

A Metra train in Sandwich?  That is very interesting.  They have studied going to the west side of Oswego and then Yorkville, but all the way to Sandwich would be awesome.

Art

Well why would they be in sandwich unless they are just looking at the possibility of future plans. I know when it came up at election time 20 years ago I voted against it I wonder if it will be up to the voters this time? I think I may for it this time

Its April 10, 1988, and the UP's Operation Lifesaver Special has arrived Jefferson City, MO from Kansas City. After spending an hour or so at the state capitol on the banks or the Missouri River, the train will wye and return to Kansas City.

Many of the major railroads that operated in Missouri at that time lent a locomotive for the train, UP, SP/Cotton Belt in short lived red/yellow ATSF merger scheme,BN, KCS and MKT.

Dan

Normally August is a very slow month for me, foamer wise.  It's hot, there's lots of bugs, the nights are short, and there's more people out to potentially bother me.  Plus, summer just isn't my time of year.  I've been spending August weekends at the steam threshing shows the past few years.   

This year, August was quite different.  When it came to railfanning, I hit the motherlode!  For starters there was the week spent riding the train across Canada--first class!  Then I found an obscure steam railroad up there that gave me a cab ride up a mountain!  Finally, just last weekend my local 0-6-0 steamer was back running again, and I got some more cab time.   It's been a real foamer cornucopia for me the past three weeks!    I've been enjoying it because I know it will never last.

So, where do I start?  I guess I'll start at the beginning, up in Canada.  The train is the Canadian No. 1 run by VIA.  I'll describe it as a cruise ship 8 ft. wide and nearly a quarter mile long!  Historic stainless steel dome cars, first class dining car with a sous chef, I could do a whole write up just on this trip!  I would, but I'm not sure anyone would be interested.  A few shots:

1. W/b train enters the Canadian Rockies east of Jasper.

2. Dawn:  we meet the e/b in the canyon east of Kamloops.

3. Train takes on supplies, additional passengers, additional cars at Jasper.

4. Fueling from a tanker truck in Kamloops, dawn.

5. Obligatory shot of the engine in Jasper.  I asked the conductor about taking some shots of the engine and was told it would be OK as long as I didn't cross any tracks.  I only had one flash with me, and I used it off camera in Nikon's iTTL mode. I had taken a couple of pops when I saw a white SUV heading my direction in a hurry.  As an experienced foamer, I assumed this meant trouble.   I quickly grabbed my flash and flattened myself against a nearby box car.   Sure enough, a CN rail cop came sneaking around.  Technically I did have permission to be there, but I didn't want to chance missing getting back on board.  I waited motionles while the cop poked around.  When he wasn't looking in my direction, I picked up a piece of ballast and chucked it over towards the back side of the engine, where it clattered on the ground.   He went for it!    Oldest trick in the book.  I quietly disappeared back into the night, with my shot.

This is no doubt the best rail trip in North America, and we met adventure travelers from all over the world on it.  My wife now wants to ride from Winnipeg up to Churchill, a trip we did 20 years ago.  I have many stories about this train (and more photos,) but I think this will do.  Don't want people falling asleep on me.   Cab shots from the two steamers will have to wait for next time.

Kent in SD

Whittier last week,

The Holland America Princess (HAP) MEX just arrived to unload passengers for the ship.  The freight on the right is waiting for everyone to clear so they can leave for Anchorage.

I was on the other side of that crossing when they went by.  Good catch.

Some of my favorites.

I had a few hours today so I took a drive to the CN tracks just south of Royal Oak, MI.  Found this GT 4907 waiting on a siding.  I waited for about an hour for her to move but she never did.  I put on the 70-200 lens and took a few shots from the distance.  

Second shot is a signal.