Trackside Log for Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Today Marcus and I decided to venture to the CSX west of Buffalo, New York. We departed my house and drove to Sturgeon Point Road in Angola. The morning proved to be rather quiet.

• 1101 Angola, NY - CSX Q268 east - CSXT 369-CSXT 5344

After a single CSX train an Evans police officer stopped and asked us to leave. In eleven years of visiting Sturgeon Point Road neither the local police nor CSX employees have had issue with me photographing trains there. In fact, they normally waved to me. So we drove west, first stopping in the village of Angola proper. Norfolk Southern train 310 east blew through town just before a CSX westbound but we missed it.

• 1138 Angola, NY - CSX Q115 west -CSXT 5454-CSXT 7880

After the westbound we continued on to Ripley.

• 1329 Ripley, NY - NS 22K east - NS 9345-NS 6805
• 1343 Ripley, NY - CSX Q386 east - CSXT 5373-CSXT 8351
• 1350 Ripley, NY - CSX W990 west dimensional - CSXT 7922
• 1406 Ripley, NY - CSX Q164 east - CSXT 4824-CSXT 7800-CSXT 7578
• 1415 Ripley, NY - CSX Q264 east - CSXT 775-CSXT 5432

Since we were so close Marcus and I decided to continue on to the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society's museum in the former New York Central station in North East, Pennsylvania.

• 1436 North East, PA - NS 206 east - NS 8396-NS 7554-NS 9396
• 1436 North East, PA - CSX Q117 east - CSXT 868-CSXT 7602-CSXT 5447
• 1440 North East, PA - Lake Shore Railway Historical Society power - LSRHS no#
• 1444 North East, PA - Lake Shore Railway Historical Society power - NYC 2500
• 1449 North East, PA - CSX Q109 west - CSXT 5351-CSXT 518-CSXT 866
• 1511 North East, PA - CSX K629 west - CSXT 5472-CSXT 275-CSXT 5491

Well it was starting to get dark so we turned back east toward home. En route we heard an eastbound so we stopped to see it at Westfield, New York.

• 1609 Westfield, NY - CSX Q122 east - CSXT 5237-CSXT 5278-CSXT 5296

So that was it. The motive power wasn't very interesting but at least there was something to see. Our original intent was only to go as far as Angola but the police interfered with that plan.

Trackside Log for Saturday, December 19, 2009

While out walking Missy this morning I missed a northbound with a pair of AC4400CWs. When we got back home I turned the scanner on in time to hear the northbound obtain a clearance from Smithville with a meet. I waited for the southbound to report clear of Smithville before taking Missy behind my house for a photograph.

• 0956 Fenwick - CP 246 south - CP 8878-CP 8796 (photo, video)

After the train passed it was time to get back inside out of the cold.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Once again this evening I was out for a walk with Missy. On our way back home I could hear a southbound approaching town. We waited at the Church Street crossing for a look.

• 1900 Fenwick - CP 426 south - CP 8843-SOO 6028-CP 5928

Too bad it was dark. It would have been nice to have a photograph of that one.

Trackside Log for Sunday, December 13, 2009

After such a beautiful day yesterday it was disappointing to awake to this morning's weather. Freezing rain had covered all of western Pennsylvania with a treacherous blanket of ice. It wasn't safe to go anywhere so I spent the entire morning in my room at the Super 8. By around noon it looked like things were melting so I checked out and began my trip back home. I decided to route my return through Lock Haven and headed out on Interstate 99. Eventually I arrived at Lock Haven and found a pair of GP38-2s parked with train.

• 1522 Lock Haven, PA - NS power - NS 5323-NS 5280 (photo)

After a few photographs I continued my arduous drive back to Canada. At least I was able to get some really nice photographs yesterday.

Trackside Log for Saturday, December 12, 2009

I spent the previous night driving to Altoona, Pennsylvania so that today I could photograph along the former Pennsylvania Railroad. I departed from the Super 8 just after sun rise and drove to Cresson for breakfast before perching atop the Over Bridge Street bridge in Lilly. It wasn't long before the trains began moving.

• 0858 Lilly, PA - NS 21Q west - NS 9673-NS 8883-NS 2613 w/ helper NS 3352-NS 3348
• 0902 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound - NS 9549-NS 8733-NS 8912
• 0909 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound coal - NS 7211-NS 7208 w/ helper NS 6313-NS 6312

Ah, yes. The new helper power was here. I hadn't been to the Cresson area in quite a while. The NS 6300s were displacing the 3300s which meant the last of the Conrail blue SD40-2s were disappearing. Bummer.

• 0927 Lilly, PA - AMTK 42 east - AMTK 92
• 0931 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound coal - NS 6737-NS 6724-NS 6729 w/ helper NS 6303-NS 6315

Whoa! I felt like I'd gone back in time. All three SD60Is were still Conrail blue. Very nice.

• 0935 Lilly, PA - NS westbound - NS 9759-NS 9768-NS 9747 w/ helper NS 3344-NS 3372

I decided to move around the curve a little which proved fortuitous. The trains dried up for quite a while.

• 1121 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound - NS 9821-NS 9894 (video)
• 1126 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound power - NS 7209-NS 7207
• 1132 Lilly, PA - NS 65J west - NS 6301-NS 6307-NS 3435-NS 9872 (video)
• 1138 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound power - NS 7210-NS 7213-NS 7205-NS 7202
• 1149 Lilly, PA - NS westbound coal - NS 9928-NS 7712
• 1210 Lilly, PA - NS 500 east - NS 9568-NS 6783 w/ helper NS 3372-NS 3344-NS 3348-NS 3352 (video)
• 1226 Lilly, PA - NS eastbound - NS 2611-NS 9852 (video)

After the intermodal train I figured the light at Cassandra would be nice so I migrated west a few miles.

• 1308 Cassandra, PA - NS eastbound - NS 9489-NS 8850-NS 9510 (video)
• 1323 Cassandra, PA - NS eastbound - NS 2591-NS 7697 (video)
• 1351 Cassandra, PA - NS westbound - NS 8305-NS 5443-NS 6562

Finally, a westbound! The first two engines were Conrail blue too. A nice touch. Then, just as I was about to leave a second westbound arrived.

• 1402 Cassandra, PA - NS westbound - NS 9837-NS 2556-NS 9793

The lighting was turning sour at Cassandra so I turned east for the Gallitzin tunnels. I did manage to miss one westbound en route. Oh well, that's the way it goes.

• 1435 Gallitzin, PA - NS westbound - NS 9953-NS 8844-NS 9247
• 1448 Gallitzin, PA - NS westbound helper - NS 6315-NS 6303 (video)

The sun was dipping below the trees so I moved to Cresson for the last of the light.

• 1510 Cresson, PA - NS eastbound - NS 9393-NS 9775-NS 5672
• 1522 Cresson, PA - NS eastbound - NS 9174-NS 8366-NS 9905
• 1534 Cresson, PA - NS 422 east - NS 2637-NS 9307 w/ helper NS 6310-NS 6300
• 1537 Cresson, PA - NS westbound - NS 8337-NS 8808

The next train took me back in time even farther. It sure looked like steam was back in the Allegheny Mountains as train 20R climbed into Cresson. I'd say the 2768 "blowed up real good."

• 1542 Cresson, PA - NS 20R east - NS 2768-NS 9664-NS 9669 (photo 1, photo 2)

The 2768 was still running amid all that smoke. After a few photographs and acquiring the unmistakable odour of diesel exhast the parade continued unabated.

• 1551 Cresson, PA - NS helper east - NS 3343-NS 3354 (photo)
• 1555 Cresson, PA - NS westbound - NS 9296-NS 8393 (photo)
• 1604 Cresson, PA - NS westbound helper - NS 3352-NS 3348
• 1615 Cresson, PA - NS westbound helper - NS 3344-NS 3372

The sun was setting so I called off the photography but stuck around to watch the activity since all I'd be doing back at the Super 8 was watching television.

• 1619 Cresson, PA - NS westbound helper - NS 6312-NS 6313

Just after I drove to the south side of the tracks a helper set pulled out of the fuel dock.

• 1628 Cresson, PA - NS eastbound helper - NS 6317-NS 6311

They waited for the 6307 helper set before proceeding eastward.

• 1629 Cresson, PA - NS eastbound helper - NS 6307-NS 6301
• 1635 Cresson, PA - NS 36A east - NS 9131-NS 8822

While waiting for the next train I decided to play with some low light. I took a quick shot of a helper set at the fuel dock. What do you know? It looked rather interesting.

• 1709 Cresson, PA - NS helper - NS 3343-NS 3354 (photo)
• 1738 Cresson, PA - NS 242 east (Triple Crown) - NS 9709-NS 9620

I waited around for a while longer but nothing else showed up so I drove back to Altoona. Driving down Route 22 I spied the lights of a westbound climbing the east slope. It had been an awesome day with beautiful sunshine and I accomplished my primary goal: relaxation.