Norfolk Southern in West Lawn

A trailer Hot Shot and a local job both as seen from the Dwight Street overpass in West Lawn, Pennsylvania. The locomotives blew the photographer's hat off. This spot is just East of the Springs signal on the Lebanon Valley line, the main East-West NS tracks though Pennsylvania. Shot on 4-17-2009.

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Old GE Diesel Stll Working

Today I've invited my grandson Andrew to post the picture and say something about it.

This picture was taken yesterday at Woodrow Avenue in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. The railroad is the Lancaster & Northern and the diesel is a General Electric U23b number 2204. They are waiting on their company track for clearance from Norfolk Southern's Harrisburg East dispatcher to take the main line into Reading Yard to switch two grain hoppers and a boxcar.

Woodrow Avenue is two miles from my school and three miles from my house and it's a good place to watch trains.

Looking at the Economy on the Rails

Click here for Good article about seeing the economy by looking at the trains in Elkhart, Indiana. I see the same sort of economic effects on rail transportation in Pennsylvania. I will be posting photos and videos later this month.

B-RI Museum, Teague, Texas

Visited October 6, 2007 and re-visited on October 11, 2007. This little museum is a real jewel. The old depot in Teague has been preserved along with much of the station and office equipment. Teague, today, is on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe at the start of the Gulf Division. In addition to Railroad Memorabilia there are rooms in the 2-story building for Schools, Veterans memorabilia, doctors, genealogy, Boy Scouts, businesses, and more.
See details on the museum, the town, and their 1925 Baldwin Mikado, "Big Mike" at their website.

Buda, Texas

Buda, pronounced BEEOOdah, lies along the old I&GN (UP) railroad about 30 miles South of Austin. The town has a charming Main Street with open businesses and a quaint Old Texas look. Buda is also home to the Jardine food packing plant, home of mouth-watering salsas, sauces, and related foods. There is also a Cabelas store along I-35, about equal in size to the town center itself. October, 2007.

The War in Iran

During World War II Iran played a part as an eventual ally against Germany. From 1943 to 1945 more than 5 million tons of supplies were moved across Iran to the Soviet Union. Much of this moved by rail from Persian Gulf ports like Bandar Shapu and Bushir to border cities Tabriz (the one famous for its carpets) and Bandar Shah. Seen here at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, PA, this Alco RS-1 in the colors of Alaska Railroad No. 1034 played a part in the war pulling supply trains in Iran. Built for the Army Corps of Engineers in 1941, number 1034 was modified with a slimmed cab (for European loading gauge) and 3-axle high adhesion trucks. On loan from the Smithsonian Institution since 1983, this pioneer road switcher is alone worth a visit to one of America's premier railroad history institutions.

Hot Spot - Sand Patch

One of the great rail fan hot spots in North America is the Sand Patch grade in southern Pennsylvania. Here, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad conquered the Allegheny mountains in 1871 on its route from Baltimore to Pittsburgh and the West. The east side of the grade winds along Wills Creek from Hyndman to the summit at Sand Patch Tunnel. In these photos taken at Fairhope, a few miles west of Hyndman, a rail fan shows good train-watching accessories: a cigar, a cold beverage, and a 4-wheel drive truck. Also from this little platform we see CSX 5111, a GE AC4400CW, leading an eastbound coal drag down the grade at 25 mph.

The Old Lingers On in Maryland

I strolled to the North end of the Washington Metro station platform in Greenbelt, Maryland to see what looked like some very old railroad signals. Sure enough, on the adjacent CSX tracks, used by MARC commuter trains during the week, are these two old Baltimore and Ohio color position signals. About a quarter mile to the left, beyond the MARC passenger platforms, are the in-service searchlight signals used by CSX.