Eastern Railroad Discussion > War Bonnet in Lake Erie Land - Evening Edition

Monday May 22, 2023
Vermilion, OH

It was a good day of train watching in Lake Erie Land today, and here is the after dinner evening edition. Earlier in the afternoon we had a rare FerroMex unit and some MofW action among other stuff, and this evening we got the BNSF war bonnet in red and silver with Santa Fe on the nose. We also got the 64T kicking up dust and an SD70M-2 leading doublestacks.

1. - 3. BNSF 712 leads the 265 west through Vermilion this evening, resplendent in red and silver with SANTA FE on the war bonnet nose as God and ATSF intended. BNSF 5113 trailed.

 

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4. BNSF on the side. Uggghhh ...... I never have gotten used to it.

5. & 6. Then in a cloud of dust comes the 64T from Bellevue on ethanol loads from Decauter, IL to Philly. Fresh ballast and surfacing are the reason for the dust clouds. NS 9877 leads the NS 9674 and 9717.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/22/23 17:17 by train1275.

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7. & 8. Watching the 64T pass in a fury and cloud of dust. Trailing units on the 64T are the NS 9674 and 9717.

9. Last up this evening is the L15, still running with the NS 2770  SD70M-2 westbound returning to Sandusky from Maple Heights. Trailing unit is the NS 4586.

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That War Bonnet is a great catch.
Bob

Sante Fe 199 would have loved that catch! Nice one. It seems there have been more ethenol trains heading to Philly past my house recently. However as my home office is in our basement rec room I only see them if by happenstance I'm in the living room where I can see passing trains. At least until full summer foliage blocks my view. 
 Here is a tip. If you buy a home near a railroad be sure there is a clear view of that said railroad. I've lived in this home for 25 years and when the kids were little and I, a much younger man, could hear eastbound trains approaching, we would make a mad dash to a clear area maybe 200 yards away and watch and video trains. When lucky I would catch info on the scanner of trains approaching westbound. That was tough due to a ridge the railroad tunneled through. Radio waves not so much. Wintertime there is a reasonably clear view, but only the top 1/3 of locos and cars. In summertime, the neighbor between me and the tracks, has a jungle growing around their pool and no visibility at all. It is terrible to hear but not see the trains. As an old guy and the kids living with their spouses in other places, these old bones aren't interested enough to run down the road to catch a train any longer.
I'm struggling just stay in the office and work at all. I'm 77 and still working full-time and doing engineering contract work too. Work is so much better without the commute, account of the Covid Pandemic or I'd be gone! 
 Of interest there is a R&N empty stuffed into the siding at CP Cromby since last Thursday night. It must have been a green-horn engineer as there was a bunch of slack being taken up and released many times over as the hoppers were being backed into the siding. It was almost like a thunderstorm from my bunker-like basement office! Even my wife noticed, that's saying something! I'm a litle surprised it is still there today. The R&N empties usually move out quickly. Anthracite is on the move.
Gonut

I like the last pic!!