11-04-14 PHOTOS: Springilanious

So last spring I was going on some trips, they were just with other non-railfan friends and therefore most of the photos taken were sort of ancillary to the real tasks at hand. I grouped these small batches of miscellaneous photos into a single set for your viewing convenience. Most involves a series of trips taken between Philly, Baltimore and Washington, DC.

We begin with a photo of your stimulus funds at work in the form of a brand new 25hz transmission line stretching between the former PRR substation in Landover, MD to the BRAND NEW substation located in the Ivy City yard (suck on it Will D). This new substation is a much needed supplement for the old arrangement wherein 12Kv power was sent via feeders from Landover about 10 miles to a switching substation at Union Station adjacent to the old express building. This left the entire DC terminal not only under powered, but also subjected to power disruptions.

Back in the PRR era power for Union Station was actually provided by the Capitol South substation which was fed by transmission lines along the Potomac Yard freight yard (later Conrail Landover Line). When freight operations ended Amtrak turned down ownership and support of Capitol South and made do with the Landover feeder arrangement. In the photo below you can actually see the two Landover feeders on the small catenary pole, one on the crossarm and another near the top of the I-beam post. At the time this photo was taken the new transmission lines were still not yet in service.

Switching to the DC Metro we see 2000-series car #2012 hanging out at NCR.

On another day we find nearly new 6000 car #6160 at Greenbelt.

A few moments later a DC bound MARC Camden Line train shows up for a station stop at Greenbelt Station with single level cab car #7745 in the lead.

Providing power was brand new MP36PH-3C #32.

Pulling out of Greenbelt my Metro train has a little race with the MARC train. Of course we quickly got the upper hand, but don't click the video off as when my train flies over the Camden Line the southbound mark train meets a northbound with a GP40-2WH/MP36PH-3C lashup.



Last spring wire work over night on the Shore Line was forcing Amtrak to temporarily utilize an innovative form of reliable dual mode locomotive which was constructed by coupling a P42DC diesel with an AEM-7 electric, a strategy NJT might want to pay attention to. Here we see P42 #109 coupled to AEM-7 #941.

Heritage baggage unit #1241 on the head end of Train 67. The two overnight trains 66 and 67 were the only Amtrak trains that got this special treatment.

  Amtrak #109 and the wet Baltimore platform.

In this busy video we see northbound Amtrak Train 180 arrive with #918 on the point just as Train 67 departs southbound with #109 and #941.



A few weeks later I returned to find P42 #104 providing the diesel pull with #939 attached for the electric.



Here we see #104 waiting to depart from track #7.

MARC K-car #7754 looked on from 5 track, laid up for the weekend.

That day T67 had two private cars in tow.

Also included in this set are some pics I took from the Staten Island Ferry which include this shot of the Samuel I. Newhouse passing in front of the Statue of Liberty.

Anyway, next week we return to more traditional fare with a jucky break I had on the J/Z last may when I caught an R42 set that stayed in service during the off-peak mid day hours.