Railfanning 5/26/2012

Hi, I joined friends Bill Kalkman and Jim Kleeman for a trip up to the Harrisburg, PA area on Saturday.  Two of the NS commemorative units, #8103 (N&W) and #8104 (LV) were leading coal trains that had unloaded at Consolidation Coal Company's pier in Baltimore on Friday and were expected to pass through Harrisburg on Saturday. 

After checking out Enola Yard and not spotting either locomotive we moved on to Cove to see if anyone there had any information.  While we were there Jim checked the NS Herritage Unit Locator web site on his phone and found out #8103 was leaving the fueling pad in Harrisburg and would be heading up the Buffalo line to an interchange with R. J. Corman Pennsylvania at Keating.  We were able to get to Inglenook, PA a few minutes before it blasted through.

As it looked like it would be a long run before we go another shot and we hoped to get the 8104 we decided to head back to Cove.  What follows are photos of some of the trains we saw while we waited in vain for the 8104.  However, the company was great and there were numerous other fans to meet so it was a day well spent.

Here is #20W eastbound.

We never identified this manifest but power was a pair of ACe units.

When we passed by Enola we noticed a rail train in the yard.  Here it is westbound on the signaled siding.

After checking out Enola a second time we stopped at a grade crossing on the east side of Cove Village where we photographed #534,

and 23M.  By this time clouds were moving in and we would lose the sun for the rest of the day.

Back at the Cove signals we photographed this unidentified coal train,

#62A, a high wide train

carrying combines manufactured by John Deere, Case, and New Holland, and

#36A

which had a Savage Alberta "geep" dead in tow.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.