Eastern Railroad Discussion > From around Harrisburg the past few days...

A few days of sunshine and some NS heritage units and other items of interest got me trackside a bit starting Sunday.

The Pennsy unit found it's way to the point of 11Z from Binghamton, NY - Enola,PA on Sunday 3/17, including a good run on PRR 'home' rails from Wilkes-Barre, PA to Enola.  I managed to get these shots at the 'end' of the Buffalo Line just outside Harrisburg, passing through HECKS seen from Fishing Creek Rd and stopped at CP-WYE, before proceeding across the Susquehanna River and into Enola Rd (it later relayed for a trip south from Enola into Delaware, where it then was used for interchange with DCR) see - https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,4756803 .

I was aware that the Nickel Plate unit was journeying east on 20W, as the second unit, so I traveled some 35 or so miles west of Harrisburg for this across the field shot at Mexico on the former PRR Middle Division, now NS's Pittsburgh Line.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/19 15:52 by sscannella.

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With several eastbound intermodals stacked up from CP-CANNON to the west ahead of 20W, and a steady flow of Westbound traffic, I had plenty of time to head east to Newport, to catch 20W again, this time with a live meet with westbound empty hopper train Y91.

A short wait after 20W passed, one of the 'new' eastbound Pittsburgh line coal trains for North Caroline (via the Lurgan line and Hagerstown, MD and points south), 746, came crawling through Newport.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/19 15:53 by sscannella.

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The highlights of these new coal trains (740, 746, 776, 780) is that they run with a pair of DPU all the way through.   Pittsburgh Line regulars are familiar with manned helpers over the Allegheny mountains between Altoona and Johnstown (and occasionally as far west as Pittsburgh), but DPUs are a relatively new operational feature here (they have shown up occasionally in the past on oil trains and excessively large, heavy manifests).

After the 746 passed, westbound intermodal 23M came screaming through Newport with one of NS's rebuilt former UP SD90MACS - 7259 - on the point.

I then had time to head a dozen miles back east to Duncannon, specifically the 5-arch Pennsy-era stone bridge over Sherman's Creek (at its confluence with the Susquehanna River) at CP-CANNON, to catch the 746 again.

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Two views of the 746's DPUs crossing on the bridge, then a head-on shot of the 746's power approaching the Harrisburg fuel pad at MP-108.   Most trains recrew at the pad, and many fuel if needed, but these coal trains with DPUs are under edict to refuel all four engines, which obviously takes a little more time than usual, tieing up one of the two main tracks relaying through Harrisburg. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/19 15:56 by sscannella.

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Two trains of interest for me on Monday, one being the HO02 'Steelton Express' from Enola to the steel plant in in Steelton, seen at lunchtime crossing the Susquehanna River on Rockville Bridge, then crossing busy Paxton St on the Steelton Industrial Track.

20W, which originates in southern California as BNSF ZLACNYC, kept two of its BNSF units east from Chicago, and timed itself perfectly so I could photograph it from Lucknow St. (roughly MP-109 on the Pittsburgh Line)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/19 15:57 by sscannella.

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On Wednesday 3/20 (first day of spring), the Conrail Heritage unit (NS 8098) was reported on 38Q out of Conway early in the morning.  Fortunately for me 38Q spends some time working at Altoona, so the timing was once again good for me to intercept after work, again at Lucknow St.  Lucknow St. dead ends at the west end of Harrisburg Yard, just east of the east end of Rockville Bridge and PA Rt. 39 (Linglestown Rd).  Although not particularly the most photogenic location in the Harrisburg area, I've been photographing there for 30 years, especially if there is interesting power.  It's a short two-mile ride from home, and relatively easy to get to.   The second photo here goes back 26 years to 3/9/1993, of Conrail PIMO-9 heading through Lucknow on it's way to the Harrisburg fuel pad for fuel and a recrew.  One of hundreds of photos in my collection from Lucknow St.

The 8098 heritage unit always reminds me of the real Conrail 8098, a GP38-2 which was based out of Enola during the 1990's, primarily to the Buffalo Line until later in 1990's when it was then reassigned to Allentown-area service.   The photo here is from August 2, 1996, when it was seen by me in Lock Haven, PA heading the thrice-weekly Hammermill Paper company shuttle - the HPA1 - between its facilities in Lock Haven and Erie, PA.

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I'll finish up with a trio of videos, first the 20W meeting the Y91 empty hoppers at Newport, then the 746 starting out across the Sherman's Creek Bridge at from a dead stop at CP-CANNON, and lastly, to 38Q with the Conrail unit on point at Lucknow St.

'Til next time.....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/19 14:37 by sscannella.

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Nice report and great videos ! 746 crossing Sherman Creek with DPUs is cool. Really like the classic shot of the Paper Train with 4 38s at Lock Haven. Thanks for sharing !

Great Pictures and video!

My favorite is Pic 1!!

Your second picture shows a good view of "KW Yard". Why they call a simple siding used to for temporary storage of cars, locomotives or MW equipment 
a "yard" I don't know, maybe it had more tracks in the past. I've got you beat for taking pix at Luckmow Road, lived down the street from 1975 to 2009, and 
still go there. In fact I was there when you got the shot of the Conrail unit. (see my post a few posts down.) By the way, as usual a nice series of pix with a 
lot of diversity of location, unfortunately being old and getting chemo and having a not too reliable car tends to keep one in the same place!

Great shots!