Eastern Railroad Discussion > Potpourri in Lake Erie Land

Monday July 8, 2024
Vermilion, OH
85 degrees, but it feels much hotter today

We've been out and trying for shots of the action here, but haven't come up with much, so this is a potpourri of the action from July 5th to July 8th.

Friday July 5th

1. NS 7711 and 1840 run east over the Vermilion River on 38N, Decatur, IL to Conway, PA via Bellevue.

2. RBMN 10117 hopper in the 38N.

3. We call this blue heron "Starvin' Marvin". He's about the worst fisherman I've ever seen. Here he comes up with nothing but a mouthful of water, having missed his lunch. A few minutes later he flew across the river and started gnawing on a dead fish.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/24 15:43 by train1275.

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4. We leave Marvin to his dead fish down at the docks, and move west and find Train 757, mty coal heading back to Shire Oaks, PA from (North Carolina?). This is on the NKP from Bellevue as the train is coming out of Florence and heading to Ashmont, west of Vermilion. Up ahead at GC he'll take the connector east to the Lake Shore line. Power is just the single NS 8082.

5. Skipping down to the Lake Shore line at CP 224 (Risden Road) and 65K, mty ethanol heads west to Chicagoland behind NS 8042 and 8032.

Saturday July 6th

6. Saturday morning dawns nice weather and light wise as 28B rolls east on Track 2 at Coen Road west of Vermilion with NS 4426 and 9775.

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7. A painted turtle enjoys the morning sun. The railroad was as slow as the turtle, and nothing else was caught today.

Sunday July 7th

8. 17N is caught on the NKP at Stanley Road just west of GC - Vermilion as he makes his way towards Bellevue with NS 4541 and 4805.

9. Traffic was scarce, so we headed home and caught the tugboat "Prairieland" out back with a barge and a bunch of folks enjoying the 4th of July weekend on Lake Erie.

 

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Monday July 8th

This morning I walked downtown and grabbed a few shots which included some MofW equipment.

10. The surface gang is still working around here and moving equipment back and forth. This is a Harsco TS-30 Track Stabilizer.

11. A Harsco Mark IV tamper.

12. A pup or spot tamper follows the big Mark IV.

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13. The business end of the pup tamper.

14. Finally a train shows up, this is 29P (going way), the Buffalo to Chicago intermodal and today he is running light power (NS 4352 and 9949).

15. 64R, ethanol loads move east at 25 mph through the work limits behind NS 4575 and 4270.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/24 15:50 by train1275.

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16 & 17. Watching the 64R pass by, it's turned into a hot an hazy morning.

18. This afternoon, after lunch we got down to the docks as the "New 22H" is expected soon. The old 22H was recently abolished and came out of 47th Street in Chicago. The new 22H apparently comes out of 63rd Street where the recently abolished 28V came from. While waiting on 22H this curious Robin came by to check us out.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/24 15:25 by train1275.

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19. And finally comes the 22H. It's hot and humid and about time ..... Power is NS 7634 and 4304 and he's bopping along at the 25 mph work limit speed restriction.

20. HGIU 502900 Cause Container - Fisher House for Military Families is at the head end.

21. Swift and a red Hub Group container are also in the 22H.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/24 15:30 by train1275.

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22. A cormorant is out in the river trying to catch lunch. Hopefully he's more proficient than Marvin.

23. The tail end of the "New 22H" has auto racks, reported to be the Tesla racks that previously ran on the abolished 28V. 

And that ends the day. Time to go in and cool off.

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With your combination of trains, boats, the occasional aircraft, and wildlife, you're almost making me want to relocate there when I retire.

I do feel sorry for the heron, though.  I wonder if it has a vision problem.  

Thanks for the show!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/24 19:27 by inrdjlg.

Absolutely great stuff. Loving Marlin and his feeding difficulties. Nice posts considering the weather. Thank you. Here in eastern PA we're seeing hotter weather than I have ever experienced in 78 years. The forecast is 97 again tomorrow. But my remaining sister lives, for unknown reasons to me, in Phoenix, AZ, where it has been 118 degrees. 
Gonut

Love the name Starvin Marvin, I can hear Eric Cartman’s voice calling to him!

As always a nice variety from your area, potpourri is a good word to use to describe it!

Dan

Posted from iPhone

I'm always surprised where circuity works on the railroad.

Depending on where in North Carolina, Shire Oaks to NC via Pittsburgh-Alliance-Cleveland-Bellevue-Columbus-Portsmouth-Roanoke-Lynchburg describes a giant 'S' around and over the Appalachians.

Thanks for the pics...