Midweek Photos 9/2/2015

Hello, hope your having a great day today.  Some day soon I'll head back to Hawaii  to ride on the Dole train and enjoy some great Dole whip. Thank you all, Bruce

Monday action in Berea, Ohio and Willard, Ohio

NS Geometry Train Eastbound through Berea.

Estbound NS auto rack in Olmsted Falls

And some Texas equipment in Ohio at CSX Willard yard

Two CN units hauling ethanol Eastbound on CSX tracks

"Weekend at Bernie's" well that may have been a movie title a number of years ago, but I did spend a morning at Bernie, MO last Wednesday August 26, 2015. The stark white MFA elevator is one of the photogenic icons in the region. Dan

After a lengthly delay up in Dexter, because of a broken rail, BNSF 5724, UP oil train OEUNU to Louisiana starts a parade of south bounders on the Jonesboro Sub. (train was called at Dexter, nine miles north at 2:30AM, time by Bernie is 9:30 AM.)

Next came NS6958, UP train MASPB to Pine Bluff.

Now comes the hot ZG4HO, UP 4637. This train seldom waits for anything and will soon catch up to those trains ahead that will be shuffled into the sidings so it can pass.

Fourth train of the morning is the MTTNL, UP 4903. As can be seen, the south siding switch at Bernie is right beneath the grain complex, which is no longer rail served. 99% of the rail traffic on the Jonesboro Sub is southbound. You may see a northbound out of Memphis from time to time, but that is about it.

Then the UP 8336, ZYCBZ, an intermodal out of Yard Center in Chicago to Brownsville, TX.

And last train of the morning is the EC5 detector car on train WDXPBC. These rail detector cars used to run unassisted, but seems that the railroad crossing protection must not always pick up with less than twelve axles. The UP now has a rule that any movement across crossing with electronic lights/gates and they have 12 axles or less must approach prepared to stop unless it can be seen that the devices are properly working. (This is a drag when running a light engine move with two 6 axles  locomotives!)

Whittier Daily Train leaving Whittier for Anchorage.

On Monday I met Andrea Biesecker, 26-year-old machinist, fireman and engineer on the Strasburg Rail Road. The Strasburg's Website has an article about her. Scroll down to "26-year-old . . ." Click on that.

Steamtown's RailFest is this upcoming weekend.  We got a preview as this EMC switcher, built in 1935 for the Delaware Lackawanna & Western came back to the yard along with the historic freight cars owned by the Delaware-Lackawanna RR. 

426 was restored around 1997 by the D-L, but they only ran her from time to time.  Her last appearance in operation was their Alco Days celebration in August of 2001.  She has been a Steamtown turntable display since 2004 or so.  Taken off display on July 18, she is turning another page in her life.  She will run the Caboose Experience trains for RailFest.  With Steamtown's 1952 built DL&W caboose, 889.

A telephoto lens visits IRM in 1980:

Rusty

Strasburg Rail Road Noon Shop Tour August 31

Ex-N&W Mastodon 4-8-0 No. 475 was steamed up for some work. This is a classic "rods down" pose. Ex-CN No. 89 was pulling hourly trains. Since her Stephenson valve gear was rebuilt, she is "dead square." She sounds so good lifting the train out of Groff's Grove, around a curve, and uphill by Cherry Crest Farm. I think she still had a Burlington whistle installed a few months ago. One crewman thought it may have come with Great Western No. 90, since that road was a CB&Q subsidiary.

Ex-Great Western Decapod No. 90 is receiving heavy repairs. Our guide told us that the shop has a 10-ton-capacity overhead crane - not enough to lift locomotives. So No. 90 was pushed back. The first set of drivers was lowered into the drop pit (under the black planks beneath her ashpan]. Then she was moved forward so the second set could be lowered, and so on. After the rear set is replaced, she will be pushed back again until the front set is in place. She still has her pilot truck to facilitate these moves.

Looking forward toward the open door. She should be finished by November to handle holiday trains. Then No. 89 will be shopped.

An ex-B&O wooden heavyweight coach from the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern is being restored in the car shop. This will be something to see!

Great photos everyone.

Historic Martinsburg WV roundhouse outside and inside.