Trackside Reports

Trackside Reports

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2-4-04 Harrisburg, PA and west Report by Kris Klemick

Wednesday, February 4, 2004 I had all intentions of sleeping in on my day off when the cell phone rang at 6:30 in the morning! Turns out Mr. Augatis was up for some fanning so I crawled out of bed for a trip west with him and Mr. JB Kerr. Here are the cold, hard, notes from the day.

9:05am 12R PRR 8450 (still has her marker lights), 8682, 9469, 8405, V41, V40

9:15am 84K CP Banks PRR 8439, black, 6806

9:20am Eastbound TV 2 blacks

9:30am 500 CP Cannon 9192, 8869, 8856

11:15am 25K Newport 9218, 9728

11:17am 10A Newport PRR 3063, 8752

11:25am 23W Newport 9554, black SD, Blue Dash 8

11:30am 20T Newport 9441, 9689

11:50am 06T Thompsontown Amtrak 129

12:05pm 21E Thompsontown 9623, 9378, 9264

1:05pm 506 Lewistown 9439, 9233

At Lewistown was CR flat 73050 painted at station 62, 11-77 ex NH 17813 stencilled SR 11-21-77 loaded with 11 axles, home shop to Altoona for a defective draft sill A & B from Conway on 8-20-03. Irving Trust company owner. Also there was PC 598516 G46 gondola. A good pair of binos and it's like you're right in front of it!!

1:30pm 21M Lewistown 2572, 9140, 9696

1:35pm Lewistown missed another one black 9, black EMD

2:15pm 13G Longfellow 9307, 8446. Among the mix was an ex CR 54' PS covered hopper stencilled WE 888738!

2:20pm 21W Anderson 9238, 6783, 2529

2:30pm I4V Granville 9584

3:00pm 04T Mifflintown Amtrak 147 and 68. 5 passenger cars, 3 boxcars, 9 trailers

3:35pm TV Thompsontown 9704, 9656

3:37pm TV Thompsontown 9148, 9123

1-21-04 Harrisburg, PA and west Report by Kris Klemick

Wednesday morning started around 7am as Eric & I headed out the door to meet up with Matt at Cove. Eric & I stopped at Sheetz for a hearty breakfast (Bavarian ham pretzel sandwich) as the 16G slid east on the siding with a black Dash 9, Conrail Quality paint PRR 3366 and an 8800. 21Q was stopped at Cannon with all 10,000+ feet of train as he hit the high car at Banks. Just as we pulled into Cove Enola bound 12G made an appearance with PRR 6747 and 2558 at 8:30am.

We decided to declare our trip west official as 21Q began to pull! At 9:10am we caught up with a loaded coal train, ns 614 powered by the 9647, UP 9675 and ns 9041 as he split the 131 signals. As we discussed the UP in the consist another westbound TV train snuck up and blew passed at 9:20am. We were Lewistown bound now! At 10:05am we pulled into MP165 and caught the 21G that slid by us earlier. Powering the train this morning was 9810, 9640 and 9277.

While waiting for the next move we were pleasantly surprised to catch the Juniata Valley 2106! Next up was the 13N at 11am. PRR 6771 and 8392 powered this train. It was rather funny to see an Engineer that we were talking about only moments earlier poke his head out of the cab as 14G rolled through next with 9499 and 9560.

Now as if the JV wasn't enough of a surprise, imagine our luck when this gorgeous woman stepped out of her car and into the cold to ask us about an Amtrak train she's to be getting here at the station!? You know it's a good thing when you've got trains and beautiful women together :) We spoke for almost an hour until her train arrived then wished her well as she headed Jersey bound. ok, back to the trains now!

On our way back to Newport we missed a westbound TV train that had 2 blacks, a Blue, and another black but did manage to grab an eastbound TV train with 9623, 9752, 2596 at 1pm. Leaving Newport we missed the 21W but caught the 506 west of Aqueduct with 9411and 6572 at 1:30pm. Back at Cove at 1:50pm we grabbed the 21M; ns 9140, 9325, and PRR 8393. I4V at 2:05pm only had 1 unit, ns 9481 and westbound 23M by us at 2:40pm with the 9674, 8455, 9755 and 9507. The 506 ended up with a Union Pacific leader on the fuel pad as well!

Well, those are the notes I had from the voice recorder. I'm sure Matt and Eric have plenty of other exciting plugs to make. Somewhere along the line I failed to mention the 3 Amtrak trains, the Mexico bound manifest Eric & I flew after, the single lane slow pokes and all the other good stuff that happens when you're out buffing with the buddies! There wasn't much Blue today but all in all I had a great time and look forward to the next event, lol!

1-18-04 Bryan, OH Report by Ian "AmtrakJackson"

-Amtrak 48 5:05am, #2 east, AMTK 177, AMTK 13, 17 cars

-24Z (TV204) 5:26am, #2 east, NS 9473, 9312
Hyundai, Wan Hai, Maersk, Hyundai 40' stacks on BNSF Maxi I cars; Maersk 40' stacks on BNSF Maxi Is; BNSF, NACS, Genstar 48 and 53 stacks on TTX and BNSF cars; REAZ, Alliance, EMPU, Alliance, Redon vans; EMP stacks; EMP Optimodal stacks; SNLZ (Schneider) vans; 53' EMP stacks on TTX 53' well car sets.

-X38 light power 5:35am, #2 east, BNSF 8214, 8200 (ATSF) Set out the NS 5578, 5167, and 5110 at Bryan, fouling the house track.

-20T? 6:23am, #2 east, NS 9105, 9223
Hanjin 40' and 20' singles on spines; UPSZ, BNSF vans, EMPU on chassis; and Redon/KBS/XTRA/BNSF UPS service "feeder" vans. Very short.

-49E (STEL) 6:47-8:06am, #1 west, UP 8009, NS 7088, 5029, 1626, 3258, 6681, PRR 5419 (CR Q)
Only the first and sixth units were working. Left train on #1 east of Amtrak station. Picked up 0x13 on the siding; highballed the 10x6 pickup on the house track because X38's three set out units were in the way.

-20G back 1 to 2 at 352 around the 880 coal train.

-206 (TV206) 7:42am, #2 east, NS 9264, PRR 8457 (ex LMS)
Lots of EMP stacks; UPSZ and REAZ vans; NACS singles and a mix of JB Hunt and BNSF stacks; REAZ vans; EMP singles; VTRZ, JBHZ, TIPZ, REAZ vans; some bare tables; lots of JBHZ, SNLZ, XTRZ, REAZ vans; EMP, JBHU, BNSF stacks; SNLZ, TIPZ, REAZ vans.

-20G (TV2HK) 7:56am, #2 east, PRR 8395 (CR Q), NS 2523
NACS, JBHU 53' stacks; BNSF, JBHU, NACS, JBHU 53' singles; JBHZ vans; Yang Ming and China Shipping 20' and 40' singles; JBHU 53' singles, Hyundai 40' stacks, NACS and JBHU 53' stacks, OOCL, Yang Ming, Hyundai, Senator, Hanjin, OOCL and Hanjin 40' stacks.

-880 8:10am, #2 east, PRR 6757, NS 7132, 115 DEEX/DETX loads.

-16N (ELPI-B) 8:32-9:11am, #2 east, PRR 6775, NS 9589, 9589 (OLS), PRR 5281 (CR Q, sublettered South Fork)
Replaced marker battery at Bryan. PROX molten sulfur tanks; CR, NS, CR gons; GNWR box; CCLX tanks; NW and CR gons; NS paper boxes; GONX and NS gons; ADMX, SYRX tanks; NS-CEFX cov'd hoppers; RVPR and CRIX 2-bay cov'd hoppers; NS paper boxes; Staley tanks; big block of NRLX, FURX, HPJX, ACFX, HLMX, ALAX cov'd hoppers; 6 SOU and NS woodchip gons; empty wood flats; RBMN hoppers; DUPX tanks; TCIX, NATX, UTLX tanks; CR, CSS, and NS gons; CR ex-MP gon; more RBMN hoppers; NS paper boxes; CR, BVRY, NS gons; NW, CR, NS coil cars; empty wood flats; CR and NS coil cars; 3 KEYX scrap aluminum loads; 3 more CCLX tanks; MP/UP, CSX, MP/UP 86' boxes; SOU and NS cov'd hoppers.

-11K (ALEL) 9:07am, #1 west, NS 9583, 8594, UP 9290, NS 9642
132 cars File car with plate steel load behind power (CR F41 flat); 2 FTTX frame loads; CR-NS-CR coil cars and coil gons; SHPX and SMNX (Tenneco) cov'd hoppers; CN newsprint boxes; BNSF and RBOX 50' boxes; DJJX gon; assorted pellet cars; SOU 50' box; NDYX (Darling) cov'd hopper; WC 50' paper boxes; more assorted pellet cars; BN beer box; UTLX (Union Carbide service) 54' tanks; GATX tanks; NS paper boxes; LTCX tanks; NS coil cars; CR, NSHR, BNSF, ATSF, BN, BNSF boxes(beverage, canned goods and beer); Cargill Vegetable Oil tanks; lots of centerbeam and bulkhead wood empties; STE, ATSF, BNSF beverage/beer boxes; 3 ADM cov'd hoppers; GNWR (ex-LEFC) box; ADMX 40' tanks; green Procor tank; more pellet cars.

-Amtrak 49 9:36am, AMTK 14, 100, 17 cars. 1 to 2 at 320 and back to 1 at 327 around 21T.

-21T (TV3) 9:50am, #1 west, NS 9431, UP 4543
JBHZ, EMP, SNLZ vans; lots of EMP and BNSF stacks.

-21A (TV3H) 10:10am, #1 west, NS 9326, NS 86??
EMP singles, stacks, and vans; NACS stacks; SNLZ, TIPZ, REAZ vans.

-Amtrak 29 10:15am, #1 west, AMTK 145, 182, 12 cars

-24M (TV22) 10:29am, #2 east, NS 9394, 9114, PRR 3385 (CR Q)
UPSZ, Martrac, UPS Logistics (aka Martrac), UPSZ vans with a healthy dose of BNSF, Redon, XTRA, KBSZ, and VTRZ feeder vans in the mix; more Martrac vans; JBHZ,UPSZ, XTRZ vans.

-17J (STBN) 10:36am, #1 west, NS C40-9W, C40-9, All 86' boxes.

-20K (TV10) 10:42am, #2 east, NS 9586, 9115, 2526
XTRA, VTRZ, REAZ, TIPZ, BMDZ vans; EMP containers on chassis; XTRZ, REAZ, RDWZ (Roadway), REAZ, XTRZ vans.

-27V 10:47am, #2 west, NS 9271, 9719 All multilevels. Went 1 to 2 at 340.

-21T, 21A, 17J, 27V all headed around the horn at Butler. Amtrak 29 running stop and proceeds behind 21A. 24M over to 1 at 320; 20K over to 1 at 329.

-20E (MAIL8M) 11:18am, #1 east, NS 9690, 2529, 9558
Waited at 358 for the parade to clear up. lots of Martrac, REAZ, Martrac, TIPZ, XTRA, FSTZ, UPSZ, Martrac, UPSZ, TIPZ vans; a half-dozen Alliance roadrailer vans, RDWZ (Roadway) pups; XTRA, TIPZ, Alliance, Central Transport vans; a good helping of Alliance and Clipper roadrailer reefer vans; Roadway pups mixed with REAZ, UPSZ, TIPZ, Alliance and Martrac vans.

-23N (TV221) 11:27am, #2 west, BNSF 4008, 1058
Back over to 1 at CP 342. Typical TV221 train. Maersk stacks; JBHZ vans; JBHU and NACS stacks; Hyundai 20' and 40' stacks, Hanjin singles; NYK and Hyundai stacks; Hyundai singles and stacks with a smattering of CAI, Cronos and Amficons mixed in; Evergreen, Uniglory, CAI stacks; and a TTX 53' 3-pack well car set with JBHU 53' singles bringing up the rear.

1-7-04 Harrisburg, PA Report by Kris Klemick

Conrail (PRR) power noted at Enola, PA;
983 still has class lights
2104 horsehead repaint
2200
2204
2211
2225 working west end puller
3025
3805
5271 "CONRAIL" worn off the short hood
5293
5311
5321
8310
8375
8438

Still Stored;
2904
2910
2912
2913
2914
2916
2917
2918
2922
2924
2925 still has class lights
2927 still has class lights
2941
2943 still has class lights
2945 still has class lights

Trains noted;
-21m 12:50pm 9723, 9454, 8446 (former fire unit, you can see where she was repainted to fix the fire damage on Engineer side) takes the restricting at CP Rockville and works west behind one stopped at CP Banks.
-Eastbound on #1 at Marysville is a coal train with 9357, 6578 at 1:10pm.
-20W sitting at CP Banks with 9506 plus 1 more dash 9 waits for the coal train and 2 westbound TV's to clear.
-23W 1:50pm 9633, 9247, 9447 had marker trouble and was taken care of at CP Banks.
-69J 2:05pm 9570, 9296.
-23Z 2:15pm 9732, 3534, 6614.
-994 light engines over Rockville bridge, no numbers however the power lined up as black, Blue, black, Blue, black.
-13G doubling out of Enola with 9727, horsehead repaint 8853 (with white brow), 2566 at 2:20pm. Train was finally on the main at 3:45pm.
-591 2:35pm 8342, 9304.
-20T 2:45pm 9440, 8204.
-65Q power, 8302, 9099 is sent to Harrisburg at 3pm.
-20A 3:05pm 9539, 9614 follows right behind 20T.
-33A 3:15pm 9654, 9182 works out of Enola.
-23M 3:30pm 9142, 9395.
-RR265 3:45pm PRR 6731 single unit.
-H91 4pm 2202.
-8391 leading 11R 4:05pm.
-H68 4:10pm 9411, 6634 (CR painted hand brake wheel)