Railfanning the Maryland Midland - 12-19-2013

Hi, What railfan could resist sun, snow, an attractive railroad paint scheme and good friends. That was my experience yesterday when I joined friends Bill Kalkman and Jim Kleeman to photograph the Maryland Midland Railroad.

The railroad ran UBEG, the turn to Emory Grove, MD yesterday morning.  On the lead of the 3 unit set of GP38s was number 306, the only engine to have a logo on the nose.

Our first photograph was a Union Bridge, just west of where the east leg of the wye takes off for the cement plant at the top of a steep grade.

From Union Bridge we just beat the train to New Windsor.

We were able to catch the train twice in Avondale (above and below).

Our next stop was the east side of Westminster, MD.

The Congoleum plant at Finksburg provided a nice photo prop.

The train ground up hill behind Reiterstown Lumber in Glen Morris before arriving at Glyndon.

Glyndon is the point where the Maryland Midland interchanges with CSX.  The locomotives pulled the train down and then

 

backed their cars into a siding to await pick up by CSX (above and below).

While the westbound UBEG picked up the string of empty hoppers from the Congoleum plant (seen in the photo at Finksburg) we set up at Westminster (above and below).

Wakefield  offered a quick grab shot.

Arriving at the Wye to the plant the train slowed to drop the rear end of its train.  The east leg of the aforementioned wye is in the left foreground.

After setting out the rear end of the train and a covered hopper the engines pushed a cut of cement hoppers up to the plant.  Here they are on the west leg of the wye passing a farm set within the wye and

pushing into the cement plant.

After switching in the plant for about an hour they brought empties out and took them down the east leg of the wye.

They then pushed the cut of empties toward the yard in Union Bridge.

At this point we called it a day well spent and headed for the barn.  Thanks for looking.