Nostalgia & History > A Mixed Bag

1.  On my many trips down to Martinsburg, WV back in the 90's  on one trip we happened to capture a very rare event.  We stopped in at NA tower and I went in to ask the operator Dick Moss if anything was coming east.  He had stated he had an R138 coming off of the low grade so we bee lined it up to the west end of West Cumbo yard and waited.  Well it was only 10 minutes and here comes the R138 with CSX 8093 and 8151 up the low grade at West Cumbo, WV on 11-5-95.

2.  A favorite spot of mine was to climb up the hill just west of the Keystone Viaduct in Meyersdale, Pa to capture east bounds.  CSX Coal train U884-19 with CSX 4821 and 4790 slowly crawling up the last couple miles of the west slope of Sandpatch Grade on 3-21-08.

3.  With all the tight security in the world today I would never attempt to walk in for this shot again.   After parking about a mile away from this shot, we walked east past the MED ED plant and down to this spot for a late running DH558.  As you can see in the foreground they have just done major regrading of this big piece of land and this would be the best shot out of sight out of mind.  After waiting about 15 minutes we could here the EMD's coasting down hill from Reading, Pa.  DH558 with SOO Line 746, NRE 5402 and SOO 751 are about to knock the signal down heading through CP-TITUS just south of Reading, PA on 4-24-93.

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4.  PRR/NS 6735, 6729 and 6725 lead a east bound NS410 coal train grinding up the west slope seen here at Ehrenfeld, Pa on 4-26-09

5.  Naturally a chase was on to get to Gallitzin to get him and the helpers before they head down the hill.  The 6735, 6729 and 6725 are setting there train up for the white knuckle ride down the long grade into Altoona.

6.  NS 6313 and 6307 prepare to descend the grade and slide into Altoona.  I remember the engineer on the helper set looking at me and jokingly holding his nose like he was going under only to give a big smile of no worries knowing he's done it a million times

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7.  Other than the Powder river basin in WY, I don't think there was anywhere else you could go in the US to witness side by side coal loading of trains.  This was a very interesting operation here.  The NS would run a NSC47 with push pull SD80MACS up to the load out at Central City.  They would go past the load out, stop and split there train, then the power pulling the train would run around the 1 empty cut, couple up and now you have side by side loading   NS SD80MACS loading at Central City, Pa on 3-20-08.

8.  CSX 8480 and 8007 the B216 helper set out of Martinsburg sits at the old B& freight station waiting its next assignment in downtown Martinsburg, WV on 11-5-95.  This is now the west end MARC trains sets sit.

9.  Norfolk Southern Train NS15t with the 2345 and 2 more UP SD70M's heads west through Alburtis, Pa on 8-8-04.  Probably the only time I will ever see a numbered locomotive like the SD60M leading.

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Nice set Tim !  Really like the 558 at Titus and the side by side Macs.