Two railfan days

Hi, My final two railfan days for 2020 were short so I thought I would combine them into one post.

On November 20th I decided to head up to Baltimore and take another look at the Canton Railroad. While there I ran into friends Jim Kleeman and Bill Kalkman, and three other railfans. Once again I set my sights on their new 1906.

Shortly after I arrived at the Boston Street crossing the 1906 came into view and began to switch the Petroleum Fuel and Terminal.

The crew's next job was to pick up a car outside the Lehigh Company facility on South Clinton Street (above and below).

I found the crew a third time switching their yard (above and below). The Canton's offices and shop is on the right in the photo below.

On December 15 a joined friend Jim Kleeman to railfan the Maryland Midland. We expected them to operate a stone train with the power running light from Union Bridge, MD to a quarry in Woodsboro, MD where they would pickup loaded stone cars for Congoleum Corp. in Finksburg. In Finksburg they would exchange loads for empties which would be taken back to the quarry before the crew returned light engine to Union Bridge, MD.

However, that is not what happened. Instead UBEG (Union Bridge - Emory Grove turn) operated. Our first location was east of New Windsor, MD off a farm road (above and two below).

The second GP38 (in G&W colors) was placed so that it could spot the flat cars at a lumber dealer about 1\4 mile further east at a facing point siding.

We next saw the train at Avalon, MD (above and below).

 

With a light train the crew really moved beating us to Emory Grove. We picked up lunch and returned to Westminster, MD to await the westbound move. Unbeknownst to us the crew left Emory Grove light engine about the time we did and again beat us to Westminster. When we found out we returned to Union Bridge, where we met and I had left my car, and headed for home.

Thanks for looking.

Railfanning - January 7, 2021.

Hi, I have gotten behind on my blogs and hope to catch up in the next week or so. In the meantime this blog will cover my most recent railfan activity; a trip with friend Jim Kleeman to photograph the Winchester & Western Sandman. This train runs from Winchester, VA to a glass sand mine at Gore, VA on Tuesday and Thursday.

We met in Frederick, MD at 6:15 AM and arrived in Winchester an hour later. On arrival we began our search for the crew (which was reported to go on duty at 7:00 AM) and/or the train. Finally, after more than 1 1/2 hours of searching, and listening to the crew switch for more than 45 minutes of that time, a horn to the north of us announced the train was nearby. 

We found a location south of the train with an interesting building for a backdrop and waited. Shortly after we got to our first location, and almost two hours after arriving in Winchester, we heard a horn to the south. It turned out to be CSX train D723, a turn which originates in Winchester and works to Strasburg, VA. I believe the three GE locos on the left brought in the train from Brunswick, MD.

Finally, the Sandman reached us at 9:45 AM (above and below).

We had plenty of time to get to the corner of East Cork Street and South East Lane adjacent to the Mt. Hebron Cemetery (above and two below).

Unknown to us the train had stopped to switch in Winchester. Because we didn't know where the crew was working and we would be out of sight from the track we set up at Round Hill, VA and waited.

From here the chase was on, although speed was totally unnecessary. We caught the train off Route 620 in Black Creek, VA.,

from a driveway further on in Black Creek,

passing a farm in Indian Hollow, VA (above and below),

off Stoney Hill Rd. in Gore, VA,

and off Knob Rd. in Gore, VA (above and below).

When the train reached the engine house in Gore the locomotives cut off the train so a third engine could be added to the consist for the return trip. Here is one of a number of photos I took of the locomotives cut off their train.

Thanks for looking.