Summerail trip - 4

Hi, This turned out to be a slow day. After attempting to get information at the Lake State Ry office and being turned down; national security you understand, we headed up to Bay City.

Eventually we found ourselves at the Huron & Eastern's Wenona Yard; now a Genesee & Wyoming railroad (above and below).

Switching completed the train headed for Saginaw; seen here passing DeFoe Park (above and below).

We caught the train twice just south of Bay City (above and below)

here crossing Dutch Creek.

On returning to the Lake State yard in Saginaw we were able to photograph our first locomotive in their new paint scheme. This was taken from a foot bridge that crosses the yard.

At the south end of the Huron & Eastern yard in Saginaw two units were switching. The black unit is a former CN GP40.

on our final visit to the Lake State Yard we caught a locomotive in the older Lake State paint scheme switching.

While the Lake State locomotive continued switching a Huron & Eastern with the power seen earlier passed through the yard on trackage rights.

This Lake State train had former two KCS locomotives for power.

As the day neared to a close we drove up to Pinconning and were fortunate to find a matched pair of units in the new paint scheme.

Thanks for looking.

Summerail trip - 3

Hi, Bill Kalkman, Jim Mixter and I spent Monday, August 13, photographing the Great Lakes Central Railway, formerly the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay. The core of this line originally was the portion of the Ann Arbor RR from Osmer Siding, just north of Ann Arbor, MI, to Cadillac, MI.

Below is a selection of the photos I took during our chase of the train from Owosso north to Cadillac.

The only crew working that day went on duty at 8:00 AM and immediately headed for the small yard railroad south of the engine house (above and below).

On one or two occasions the train would cross the main road just north of the yard (above and below).

The former elevator at Carland, about 6 miles from Owosso, is an iconic location.

At Ashley a crew member flaged the crossing.

A former Ann Arbor RR Alco RS-1 is on display in Shepherd, MI.

The train stopped to work in Clare.

Often we had to settle for a grade crossing, this one in Marion.

McBain provided an open area (above and below).

In Cadillac the train passed the former freight station

before entering the yard

where it spent some time switching (above and below).

After dinner we spotted a couple of units by an engine house (above and below). As we were leaving a couple of police cars rolled up. We had been spotted by the railroad on CCTV. Fortunately, we did not get a summons.

Thanks for looking.

Summerail trip - 2

Hi, We spent Friday evening and Saturday at Summerail in Marion, OH.

As I had taken a number of photos when I attended last year this was the only photo, taken with my cell phone, I took. The train is westbound on the former Big Four route to Columbus and Indianapolis, and is about to cross the NS (former PRR) route to Sandusky, OH.

We left Marion on Sunday, August 12 and proceeded north following CSX toward Toledo. This is former C&O track. Our first stop was Upper Sandusky where we found an EMD SW1 and an ALCO S-1 parked on a side track just south of an elevator (above and two below).

While were there a CSX manifest came south.

On the north side of town this critter was parked next to another grain elevator.

In Carey we hoped to find activity on the Wheeling & Lake Erie. Lots of sitting power but all was quiet.

The National Lime and Stone Co. has a huge quarry here and we found one of their locomotives.

Also while in Carey a CSX local arrived to switch the quarry.

There was a great deal of CSX traffic on the former B&O through Fostoria.

This work train was tied up for the weekend south west of town.

When NS got a break it ran a southbound and

 northbound through town.

Also, they managed to get the L68 local across the diamonds in town to work one of the elevators (above and two below).

Our last photo stop was at Vickers Diamond in Northwood, OH. The train is on CSX and is crossing the NS Chicago Line. Our next stop would be Owosso, MI where we would spend the night.

Thanks for looking.

Summerail trip - 1

Hi, On August 10th I left Silver Spring, MD with friends Bill Kalkman and Jim Mixter for a 9 day railfan trip. It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood when we departed. Our plan was to spend some time in the Pittsburgh, PA area before ending our day in Marion, OH. There we would spend two nights attending Summerail.

Our first stop was Wilmerding, PA (above and two below). The first rain is headed east while the last two are westbound. The buildings in the background comprise a WABCO facility.

After lunch we continued west stopping at Enon Valley. Here we photographed an eastbound (above and below),

a westbound and

Another eastbound.

After checking into our hotel and having dinner we spent that Friday evening attending a slide show at the Marion depot. The Marion Model RR Club had their very large model railroad at the station open for visitors as well.

Saturday's activities consisted of a Railroadiana show, beginning at 10:00 AM and a multimedia slide show beginning at 1:00 PM.

 

This westbound CSX manifest freight was taken with my cell phone during our dinner break Saturday evening from the steps of the former AC tower, part of the Marion Station Museum. It is about to cross the NS (former PRR) line between Columbus and Sandusky.

Thanks for looking.