Railfanning the former RF&P - Day 2

Hi, On April 12 Jim Kleeman and I began our trip north in Ashland, VA.

First up was Amtrak regional #84

with a CSX manifest on its heels (above and below).

Our next stop was Spotsylvania, VA where we caught Amtrak #89, The Palmetto

and then Amtrak #79, The Carolinian.

Continuing north netted us a southbound CSX intermodal and

VRE #301 crossing the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, VA just north of the Amtrak station.

 Moving on to Brooke, VA we saw Amtrk rgional #95 and photographed Amtrak #80, The Carolinian and

VRE #303.

Next up was Amtrak #91, The Silver Star and

VRE #305 crossing Aquia Creek.

We finished the day with VRE #309 (we missed VRE #307 during our move) crossing Neabsco Creek.

Thanks for looking.

Railfanning the former RF&P - Day 1

Hi, Friend Jim Kleeman and I decided to spend a couple of days on the former RF&P on April 11 and 12.

Our first stop was along Featherstone Road in Woodbridge, VA. There is a small park here and this view is available from the roadside. This is VRE #312, the final VRE morning train inbound to Washington, DC.

Relocating to Leetsylvania State Park in Neabsco, VA netted two northbounds; a regional train and the Auto Train (shown above).

Continuing south we caught Amtrak #90, the northbound Palmetto, at Brooke, VA.

Stopping at Fredericksburg, VA netted a number of trains including #89, the southbound Palmetto,

Amtrak #94, a northbound regional train and

a southbound CSX freight with trash containers on the head end.

At Jones Crossing, about a mile north of Woodford, VA we encountered CSX Q300 with Tropicana cars head out (above) and Amtrak #80, the northbound Carolinian.

Amtrak #95, a southbound regional train showed up at Doswell, VA.

A few minutes later a Buckingham Branch crew arrived and put their locomotive away.

Ashland, VA was our final stop of the day. Among the trains we photographed here were southbound Amtrak regional #125 (above and below) and

Amtrak's southbound Auto Train.

Thanks for looking.
 

A Day with Dale Diacont - March 29, 2022

Hi, I met friend Dale Diacont in Union Bridge, MD for a day of railfanning at 8 AM. Maryland Midland train UBEG would operate that day to Emory Grove, MD and return. 

We set up for our first photo just east of New Windsor, MD. Our intention was to get the train at Westminster, MD but traffic foiled that plan.

We did, however, beat the train to Reisterstown, MD. Next we checked out Emory Grove. However, the power was already up at the west end of the interchange tracks so we headed back west.

 

Having more than enough time we waited at Westminster for the train when it came west.

Getting to the eastside of Union Bridge before the train was a piece of cake.

Our photography of the Maryland Midland ended with the crew switching in Union Bridge.

After lunch at the Buttersburg Inn in Union Bridge we drove to Brunswick, MD where we would spend the rest of the day. First up was a train switching the west end of the yard. The Dogwood Trees were in bloom making for some nice backdrops.

Later a MARC train arrived. The caboose on the left is on display.

Coal empties were next.

 The final train for us was the westbound Capitol Limited a few minutes after 6.

Thanks for looking.

A morning on the Canton Railroad

Hi, Early on the morning of March 15 I met friends Jim Kleeman and Fred Eisen at the Canton Railroad offices in the Penn Mary section of Baltimore. Our objective for the day was the line from Penn Mary to the Boise Cascade plant north of there. Fortunately, the locomotive assigned for the run was the most recent addition to the railroads roster; this Knoxville Locomotive Works unit that had been received only a few weeks earlier.

The crew spent a brief period putting their train together before heading out (above and below).

We were able to beat the train to a couple of grade crossings en route (above and below).

At Boise Cascade the crew cut off the locomotive and ran around their train so they could switch the plant (above and two below). As the unit would now be working long hood forward we broke off and went over to Trade Point RR in the Sparrows Point section of Baltimore. Unfortunately, nothing was happening there so we called it an early day.

Thanks for looking.

 

A Day in Cumberland, MD

Hi, On Saturday, February 26 I was joined by friends Bill Holdsworth and Alex Koehler on a trip to Cumberland, MD. Our primary focus was to photograph former C&0 2-6-6-2 #1309 on a chartered photo freight operated for Trains Magazine. Our first stop was Helmstetters Curve, about 5 miles west of Cumberland, where we found the train doing photo runbys. Once the charter participants vacated an area we could move in for our photos. Three of the photos I took there are below.

Our next stop was Trimble Road in Mount Savage, MD. The charter participants rode between photo locations in a passenger train with Western Maryland painted diesels on either end.

After the passenger train cleared the freight came up the grade (above and below).

Our final photograph of the photo freight was taken as the train entered Frostburg, MD.

Alex learned that the CSX Law Enforcement unit would be leading an eastbound stack train and that it was fairly close so we found a location a mile or so east of Corriganville, MD to wait (above and below).

Our final location was in Cumberland. The photo in Cumberland is courtesy of Alex Koehler as, unfortunately, I fell just before the train arrived and my camera hit the concrete. As a result my lens would not focus.

Thanks for looking.