Eastern Railroad Discussion > Sunday Down at the Docks - Lake Erie Land

Sunday April 28, 2024
Vermilion, OH
Sunny, humid and 75 degrees 

Hanging down at the dock in Vermilion today watching the passing trains. Early this morning I heard 14 -15 trains between 6am and 7:45 am. There was barely a quiet moment, but by the time we got out things had slowed down. The slow down was compounded by what seems to be a camera glitch, so I lost a number of shots. Not sure what is going on, but images just are not focusing, and it appears the camera is not shooting at the settings that are dialed in. Anyway, here is what was salvaged:

1. Train 258 comes east having originated in Voltz Yard Kansas City, MO with NS 1233 and UP 7311. A bit of rain was coming in out on the lake and boaters started running for shore and getting out of the water. The rain was short lived though.

2. & 3. Loaded coal Train 776 comes west with NS 3672, 4193 and NS 1204 as a rear DPU. Some fishermen just hung out along the river by the docks.



 

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4. & 5. The Nickel Plate comes alive with Train 315 coming west as an 11Q is also moving west for the connector at GC for Bellevue. It is amazing with nominally one regular train each way and an intermittent local on the NKP side that so many times the NKP / Lake Shore connection gets bollixed up. Train 315 is seen coming underneath the Lake Shore line and River Road before crossing the Vermilion River on a ballast deck bridge. The 11Q has just cleared overhead but is still working through the connector so that 315 is running very slow on approach signals. Train 315 has NS 4757 and 8086.

6. Then 66X comes east on the Lake Shore line with NS 8129, 8108 and CP 8766 up front, and a rear facing CP DPU, which shot didn't come out.

 

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7. A bright red CP 8766 adds color to Train 66X, crude oil loads.

8. Canada Geese and some goslings hang about the docks offering entertainment between trains.

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Neat photos!! I’d probably spend a lot of time at those benches fishing and watching trains if I lived nearby.

Dan

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/24 19:18 by dschlegel.

Always very nice photos and I love seeing the geese and the baby chicks too.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

In your picture #5, NS Binghamton to Bellevue train 315 appears to have the same block of three 5-pack well cars of loaded Republic trash containers as did Pan Am Southern/ Berkshire & Eastern intermodal train B101 (aka NS 265) captured by Alan Marshall passing through Shirley MA 2 days earlier on Friday 4/26/24. I'm not sure where NS 265 would have set out the trash for 315 to pick up - I'm guessing Binghamton as 265 picks up a good sized Taylor IM block there. But 48 hour transit time from eastern Massachusetts to mid-Ohio is pretty good for this slimey, smelly payload!

PAS/B&E B101 Shirley MA 4/26/24.

 Nice pics - thanks for sharing!

A slight nitpick:  In picture 4, you called the bridge over the Vermilion River a "ballast deck bridge" - it appears to be an open deck bridge, with the ties directly on the bridge girders.  

rbenko Wrote:
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>  Nice pics - thanks for sharing!
>
> A slight nitpick:  In picture 4, you called the
> bridge over the Vermilion River a "ballast deck
> bridge" - it appears to be an open deck bridge,
> with the ties directly on the bridge girders.  

Geez, I didn't think it was open deck. I have never walked over it, but I can probably get under it. Google earth it looks like a ballast deck too.
I'll check it out. 

train1275 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> rbenko Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >  Nice pics - thanks for sharing!
> >
> > A slight nitpick:  In picture 4, you called
> the
> > bridge over the Vermilion River a "ballast
> deck
> > bridge" - it appears to be an open deck bridge,
> > with the ties directly on the bridge girders.
>  
>
> Geez, I didn't think it was open deck. I have
> never walked over it, but I can probably get under
> it. I see what you are saying.
Google Earth it looks like a ballast deck
> too.
> I'll check it out. 

train1275 Wrote:
> Google earth it looks like a ballast deck too.
> I'll check it out. 

Hmmm - well, I certainly could be wrong!  However, looking at your picture, I don't see any ballast on the bridge, and the way the track undulates before and after the bridge makes me think the ties are attached directly to the bridge girders.  Also, looking at Google Maps, I don't see any sign of ballast, although it's not the clearest photo.

Well, whatever - like I said, just a nitpick!  Thanks again for sharing your photos.

Very nice..!!