19-07-21 PHOTOS: Hot Times

A Washington, DC area summer is hot and in late July even a late night celebration of the 50th Apollo 11 moon landing anniversary turned into an absolutely sweltering affair.  Still, I didn't pass up the chance to get some DC Metro photos and ride the new H Street streetcar line. Also included are some Baltimore Light Rail pics during the service disruption caused by a giant sinkhole on Russel St adjacent to the Convention Centre. You can see the full set of photos here (mirror).


Starting off at Perryville, MD, I was out to check out the new Rule 562 enabled signals as well as a new trailing point ladder for northbound freight trains coming off the Port Road.  This allows both Perryville siding tracks to be used to hold freight trains instead of just track #4. 

To reach DC I chose Greenbelt as my suburban park and ride option which would require a transfer to the Red Line to reach Union Station. Here is WMATA 7k car #7618 and a video of some additional 7k Green Line action on the lower level at Ft Totten.

Luckily I managed to get a train of classic style 6k cars on the Red Line segment of the trip with #6167 in the lead.

Here is a video taken from the rear window of my Red Line all the way from Ft Totten to Union Station.




6k car #6053 was the last car in the set, seen here at Union Station.

H-Street Streetcar #202 arriving at the Union Station stop with new construction as far as the eye can see.

#202 again as it is seen departing the 15th St stop on Benning Road. 

The Apollo 11 event on the Mall was really fun, despite the sweltering heat.  Projecting a full scale Saturn V on the Washington Monument was a stroke of genius, however the 500+ foot tall monument had the unintended effect of making the ~380 feet tall rocket look small :-\

After the show ended there was a mad dash to the L'Enfant plaza station, but I managed to score space on the first available Green Line train to Greenbelt.  Here we see a southbound Yellow Line train on the upper level of the station followed by my outbound train of classic style cars.

At Greenbelt I  managed to catch a pair of classic trainsets platformed across from eachother with 3k cars #3222 and #3108 on the ends.

19-07-02 PHOTOS: Pittsburgh Intermediates

By the summer of 2019 the age of vintage signaling on the old PRR Main Line was winding down and over the July 4th holiday I went out for what would be my last, successful, expedition to document "the good stuff" before it vanished forever.  As I had already visited all of the interlockings in the Pittsburgh area, it was time to do a little cleanup on the intermediate signals, checking the Milepost 330, 332 and 334 locations off my list.  In addition I was able to get out to CP-PENN on the north shore of Pittsburgh and perform some cleanup work there after my previous visit in 2015.  The full set of photos can be seen here (mirror).

We start out at the Milepost 332 signal at Irwin, PA, know for being the original western terminus of the Pennsylvania turnpike in 1937.  First up at that location was a westbound train of empty oil cars led by NS ES44AC #8147 and NS C44-9W #9680. 

This is the former location of the PRR's CP Tower, which served to reconfigure the 4 main line tracks for westbound trains approaching Pitcairn yard so that through traffic in both directions would use the two tracks to the north and trains using the yard would use the two tracks to the south.  After the Penn Central merger, Pitcairn yard was effectivly closed and CP interlocking was removed in early 1970.  The former westbound signal bridge, seen below, was reconfigured into the milepost 332 automatic signal location 

 Next up was an eastbound train of empty garbage containers headed up by NS AC44C6M #4117 and C44-9W #9708.

Moving onto the MP 334 location in Ardara, PA, I caught NS tax engine SD70ACe #1040 and ES44AC #8160 with a westbound doublestack intermodal train, taking the clear signal on the PRR signal bridge.

 

 No trains were present of at the MP 330 location, but here we can see the Signal Indication Point signs are up on the new signal hut all in the shadow of the Pennsylvania turnpike with two Conrail era masts having replaced the PRR signals back in the 1990s.

Taken from the adjacent Port Authority parking garage, we see the old CP-WEST PITT location at the west end of the Pittsburgh Passenger station.  The old PRR office building headhouse has since been converted into condos. 

Walking out to CP-PENN I arrived to find an eastbound TOFC train led by NS SD70ACe #1103 and a brand new SD70ACC #1817 passing under the 8-track PRR signal bridge.

 I was not found wanting for traffic this morning as an eastbound oil train soon appeared with NS SD70M #2605 leading another brand new unit, Ac44C6M #4232 past the foundation of the old PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE tower.