Eastern Railroad Discussion > Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019 from eastern PA

Hadn't been out much the first half of December after Thanksgiving and my father's funeral, but with some time off from work coming to me and a sunny forecast, I decided to head to PA's Christmas City - Bethlehem, and neighboring Allentown the Wednesday before Christmas (12/19).  Started off with an eastbound 212 coming into Bethlehem with 2 UP units on the point.

Next up is 36T from Binghamton approaching Allentown Yard at CP-HAM, followed by yard job HA11 with a pair of SD40-2s make a yard move pulling up past CP-HAM.

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Photographed several trains entering and leaving the west end of Allentown Yard crossing the Lehigh River in Canal Park.  Here we see empty New Jersey trash train 62V, Allentown - Reading turn H68 coming back home, and 15T to Hagerstown and points south doubling out with one of the last NS standard-cab SD70s, 2556, on the point.

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Back over at Bethlehem, one-unit wonder 11J was stopped waiting for a recrew to arrive to continue west.

Then back to the west side of Allentown Yard, local H11 was heading west with a good sized train bracketed by a pair of SD40-2s seen at Basin St and CP-BURN.

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Saturday 12/22 I had planned to head to photograph one of the Reading and Northern Santa trains in the afternoon.  Plans changed a bit when NS 10N, which works Reading Yard, was reported to be coming through Harrisburg as i was waking up.  Ho-hum, except this version had NS 1801, one of the newest DC-AC conversion units in a special yellow paint scheme loading two UP units.  So I quickly got ready and was out the door for the 55 minute trip to downtown Reading.  And I got there just in time as 5 minutes later, 10N arrived at CP-CENTER and entered Reading Yard to make its set-off.  Spent a good hour plus photographing some other trains, including the Reading and Northern special at their station boarding passengers, before 10N was finished with its work and continued on to its final destination of Allentown, seen departing Reading at CP-BELT.

 

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Nice series!   Love that area.

Finished the Saturday with a few shots of the Santa Special, including these at West Leesport.  As an added bonus, the Reading and Northern's recently acquired GP38-2s from NS, which had its nose chopped and was recently repainted, , had the honors of handling the southbound portion of the trips.

Sunday 12/23 was also cloudy, but I got out for a bit in the afternoon and grabbed a shot of a large 19G at Cove.

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One other train which I caught on Sunday the 23rd was loaded oiler 66X approaching Enola in Marysville with Lady Liberty 1071 on the point.

After a relatively quiet and enjoyable Christmas, I was back out again around Harrisburg Thursday afternoon for a bit to grab some shots of another interesting 19G, with another specially painted conversion unit - 4000 - on the point, seen at CP-CAPITAL and later at CP-CANNON.

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Nice photos and catches.  Sorry to hear about your dad. 

Saturday 12/29 found me visiting family in Scranton, which meant spending part of the morning trackside.  The 1801, which I had photographed the previous Saturday in Reading, made it's way back to Enola, then north to Binghamton and New England, then back down to Binghamton and was heading back to Enola on 11Z.  I wound up capturing the 11Z just south of NS Taylor Yard from the Davis Street bridge, and then a bit later in Wilkes-Barre.  Then on my way back to Scranton to check on the Delaware-Lackawanna, I made a quick stop at Taylor Yard to grab a quick pic of local K81 working in the yard with yet another UP unit.

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The DL had an SC7 job on-duty to work north from Scranton to Carbondlale on the old D&H Penn Division mainline with fracking sand.  It was first seen departing Steamtown with a small cut of cars interchanged from NS Friday, then stopped at Green Ridge Yard to pick up a large cut of sand hoppers stored there, totaling out at 44 loads to head north.   I later got photos starting upgrade in Archbald, then approaching Carbondale from the Merideth St. overpass there.

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I'll finish up this installment with three photos from New Years Day morning.  A late night New Year's Eve saw me waking up after 10:00 am with a text message and Facebook posts reporting that the NS's DLW heritage unit 1074 was on the point of 19G.  Turning on the radio feed for the Harrisburg Terminal dispatcher, I immediately heard 19G getting talked by a stop signal at CP-HARRISBURG.  So a dash out the door brought me out to Cove to grab a shot of 19G.  I then waited around at Cove for intermodal 23Z. coming out of Harrisburg Yard with yet another UP unit second out. 

Empty ethanol train 65K was reported as having the CNJ unit 1071 second out, and I saw it sitting on the Harrisburg fuel pad as I was heading out to catch 19G.  It had just gotten a recrew and had to wait at Rockville for inbound 11Z to cross over from the Buffalo Line into Enola Yard.  Finally after a short wait, 65K made it's way across Rockville Bridge, allowing me to get this view at the west end of the bridge before wrapping up my New Year's morning.

My best wishes to all on TO for a happy, prosperous, and healthy 2019.

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Outstanding series of railroad portraits.
 

You have been busy I see..:<)

Nice catches.

Man, you are good for a few months with all these interesting photos.