Trackside Log for Monday, January 31, 2011

This morning I set off early from The Station Inn. I was surprised to see mostly clear sky above me. I headed back to Lilly in the shadow of the mountains to await the rising sun.

• 0751 Lilly, PA - NS 11V west - NS 8313-NS 8763 w/ helper NS 6321-NS 6310
  
• 0813 Lilly, PA - NS 14G east - NS 9274-NS 9743-NS 9568-NS 2102 w/ helper NS 6318-NS 6305
  
• 0820 Lilly, PA - NS 21Q west - NS 9649-NS 8924
• 0829 Lilly, PA - NS helper west - NS 6316-NS 6312
• 0836 Lilly, PA - NS helper west - NS 6900-NS 6319
  
• 0844 Lilly, PA - NS helper west - NS 6309-NS 6304
  
• 0935 Lilly, PA - Amtrak 44 east - AMTK 133
• 0937 Lilly, PA - NS 401 west - NS 9736-NS 9546
  
• 0950 Lilly, PA - NS 65J west - NS 2540-NS 2566-NS 9061-NS 2554
  
• 0959 Lilly, PA - NS helper west - NS 6306-NS 6332

Once again I was pining for a change of scenery. I had heard some SD80MAC activity to the west so I went to check out Portage. Upon arrival I discovered both a maintenance of way crew and an approaching coal train local.

• 1016 Portage, PA - NS C51 east - NS 7206-NS 7200 w/ helper NS 7209-NS 7208-NS 7205
  
• 1043 Portage, PA - NS O58 east - NS 6710-NS 9775
  
• 1057 Portage, PA - NS W6A east - NS 7517-NS 9047
  

By this time I figured the light would be nice at the lookout in Cassandra.

• 1142 Cassandra, PA - NS helper west - NS 6302-NS 6327
  
• 1205 Cassandra, PA - NS 537 west - NS 7689-NS 9923
  
• 1216 Cassandra, PA - NS 28Z west - NS 2570-NS 9577
  

Once again all the rail traffic dried up. Since I was planning to be home by 2000 I figured it was a good time to start back home. I turned north with DuBois as my first point of interest. Upon arrival I went to the Buffalo & Pittsburgh yard while listening to a train getting permission to Falls Creek then back to Riker Yard. My timing was excellent.

• 1447 DuBois, PA - BPRR northbound - BPRR 453-BPRR 461-BPRR 3301
  

By now the first clouds of what promised to be a heck of a snow storm were creeping across the sky. I continued north, following the Buffalo & Pittsburgh and found the yard job switching Johnsonburg. However, they weren't in an easily accessible area for photography so I moved on. I found nothing else for the remainder of the drive back to Canada.

My three day excursion to Cresson was really quite satisfying. It was both fruitful and relaxing, the primary objective.