Railfanning August 18, 2020

Hi, I spent another very enjoyable day railfanning with friend Jim Kleeman, again on NS. I wanted to get a photo on the east side of the Hershey Chocolate Company's former plant in Hershey, PA and to check out the scene in Lebanon, PA now that the construction of two overpasses there has been completed so we headed up to the former Reading RR mainline between Allentown and Harrisburg, PA.

We arrived about 9:10 at Derry Rd. in Hershey and got our first train, this westbound, at 9:55. Note there is almost no warning here for westbound trains.

Our next train, another westbound, showed up more than 25 minutes later.

A couple of minutes after the second westbound disappeared to the west a local appeared with a caboose, excuse me a shoving platform, on the the east end (above and two below).

After another wait of about 25 minutes I got the photos I wanted when this auto rack train came east (above and below).

Our next stop was Palmyra, PA where another long wait ensued. One and done we continued east to my second objective of the trip, Lebanon, PA. We missed three trains here as we got into position, one of which will be a westbound.

Where there once were some neat old buildings along the tracks now their are two overpasses a block apart. This view looks west from the overpass that carries northbound traffic. The bridges were completed in 2012.

Finally, a westbound comes into view (above and below). The building with the tower is the former Reading RR station. A few of the old buildings a well as an old power pole remain to give a sense of what once was here.

Thanks for looking.

Railfanning CSX and NS - August 5, 2020

Hi, On August 5th I had my first opportunity to go railfanning since my return from California in early March. I was joined by friend Jim Kleeman for a very enjoyable day along CSX and NS. Highlights were watching a track crew using the Thermite Process to weld two joints on Track 2 at Shenandoah Junction, WV and the opportunity to photograph the Lehigh Valley heritage unit on an NS train, something I had not done up to this point.

If you prefer to just look at larger photos just click on one.

When we arrived at Shenandoah Jcn. we saw a high green for a westbound on track 2 and eventually Q135 showed up with a single unit leading and

a single DPU on the rear (above and below).

The next train on CSX was eastbound auto rack Q216.

Q216 moved from track 2 to track 1 at CP Shen as a track crew had been given time on tack 2 to place two Thermite welds. In this view two of  the track crew are preparing to place jumpers around the gaps (orange wire being held by crew members on left) after removing the joint bar.

The next step was to widen the gap between the rails.

The gap has been widened and the bonding wire attachments are being removed.

The mold for the Thermite weld is being placed.

Next iron and probably some carbon is placed in the mold and the mold preheated.

Aluminum is placed in the cylinder and melted. The molten aluminum trickles down into the mold where

it reacts with the iron oxide producing heat, molten iron and molten aluminum oxide slag.

The mold is then removed and most of the excess material is knocked off.

The rail is ground to remove the remaining excess material and to restore the rail's profile.

After leaving Shenandoah Jcn. we proceeded north checking periodically on the progress of a coal train (#776) with the Lehigh Valley and Nickel Plate unit heritage units back to back as DPUs. A stop for lunch in Greencastle, PA netted #228.

Shippensburg, PA was as far north as we felt comfortable going. From a phone call to Jim Sutton we learned that #203 was right behind the coal train and might run around him just north of our location at this grain elevator on the south side of Shippensburg. In fact, #203 did run around #776.

A few minutes behind #203 #776 came south (above and two below).

We then headed south to Maugansville, MD hoping to beat #776. No problem. The dispatcher put #776 in the siding north of town and ran a northbound,

a southbound,

and two more northbound trains (above and below)

before running #776 (above and two below).

Our final stop was the south end of Vardo Yard in Hagerstown, MD where a couple of geeps were working as the yard switcher.

Finally about 7:15 PM #776 completed its crew change and headed south (above and two below).

Thanks for looking.