Well last week you saw the report about my trip to Georgia, well I didn't just sit around there eating pork and burning crosses because because there were horses about, both iron and the meat kind. My friend lives in Athens, GA, home of a certain football related University and through Athens runs the CSX Abbeville Sub, part of the old Seaboard Air Line freight route between Atlanta Georgia and the pot of Wilmington, NC. Despite being mostly single track the line is about 550 miles long and supports double stack operations. It sees about 10-20 trains a day and a good number of them run in the daytime.
In this trip I had two real opportunities to railfan. The first was when I went with my friend to visit the stable where she rides and performs various kinds of manual labour. The Abbeville sub runs right behind the barn and not only that the MP 511 automatic signal is located there as well. The other outing was a visit to the north end of the Fowler Junction siding in downtown Athens where where is an interlocking with some classic Seaboard signals.
You can view the entire set of photos here and this time I left in some of the non-railfan pics of the various non-Iron horses at the barn and the Anna Rudy Falls in the northern part of the state.
We will begin with the MP511 automatic (5110 eastbound, 5111 westbound). The signal is unfortunately a Darth Vader style mast and not an SAL style "elephant ear", but fortunately this was just a one off replacement and not part of some larger re-signaling effort. The signal is approach lit so that means you have a visual confirmation of an approaching train as soon as one enters the block on either side. Here the 5110 signal is displaying a Clear indication for an approaching train. Note how the new mast has been stuck onto the old base.
A few seconds later a double stack intermodal train lead by CSX C40-8 #7500 rolled through.
End of the double stack intermodal train in the previous photo.
Clear indication displayed on the 5111 signal for an approaching westbound train.
Which turned out to be a manifest freight led by ES44DC #5465. note the opposite direction signals will not illuminate until that block is occupied.
Tail end hi-cube box car on the manifest freight.
The sun was cooperating when CSX SD60 #8718 rolled through with another westbound manifest freight.
When traveling to Georgia from the Northeast via Amtrak one has two options. You can travel directly via Train 19, Amtrak's Crescent which leaves Washington DC a little after 5PM and travels mostly overnight arriving in Georgia at about sunrise. However there is a second option that involves catching the earlier Train 79, The Carolinian, which departs WAS around 11am and travels via the RF&P, the CSX A-Line and NS H-Line before transferring to Train 19 in Greensboro, NC after a short 6 hour layover.
This route has the added benefit of having a reverse railfan window on Train 79 so you can do more than stare out the window aimlessly and on this trip I was determined to take advantage of it despite the poor light conditions and overcast skies. For those of you scared of a little layover Greensboro has a somewhat happening downtown with a variety of non-fast food eating establishments and one of the best train stations in the Region that was re-opened in 2005 to replace an Amshack that was located away from downtown opposite a freight yard.
Normally if T79 is running on time it will meet the westbound evening Piedmont train across the platform, but on this trip there was a bit of a hiccup. Around 9am a morning Piedmont train struck a low-bow trailer that had become wedged on a grade crossing causing a spectacular derailment and completely closing the H-Line. Fortunately Amtrak was able to respond by terminating that day's Train 80 at Grensboro, Bussing the passengers to Rocky Mount, NC where they would meet my Train 79 and we would perform a little swap. The northbound passengers would take Train 79's set and we would bus past the derailment site and meet Train 80's set at Greensboro that would load up and continue south to Charlotte. Since my destination for this leg of the journey was in fact Greensboro I would be able to enjoy the re-training procedure as a spectator instead of a participant.
At the end of the day my Train 79 arrived at Rocky Mount about 30 minutes late mostly due to a police action way back in DC. The buses for folks using Train 79 past Greensboro went express right from Rocky Mount and we arrived at 7:30, 30 minutes late. So on what was my first Amtrak bustitution I ended up losing a total of 0 minutes.
Anyway. most of the 300 odd photos I took on this trip were out the back of Train 79 as it traveled on the CSX RF&P and North End subdivision. They are grainy and consist mostly of signaling so I won't really bother to showcase them here, but if you are at all interested in what these main lines look like feel free to check out the Ma href="http://acm.jhu.edu/~sthurmovik/Railpics/10-05-15_GEORGIA_SENIC_ROUTE/-Thumbnails.html">entire collection here. The list is in chronological order starting in DC and cover most of the signals, interlockings and bridges except for a stretch between RO and Springfield-Franconia on the RF&P.
So, let's see what we have here. A year ago MARC's old GP40-2WH's were still queen of the roost as the deliveries of MP36's were taking place. Here is #60 at Baltimore Penn Station.
After the trip down the NEC and power change at Washington Train 79
proceeds southbound here emerging from the First Street tunnels which
run under Capitol Hill.
Our train crosses the Potomac River on the Long Bridge which was built in 1903. The bridge still features its PRR catenary supports and cross spans as well as the feeder cables for what was electrified freight service into Potomac Yard. The draw span on this bridge no longer operates.
At LORTON intelrocking, where Amtrak's AutoTrain accesses its northern terminal off of the RF&P Main Line, I noticed that the northbound mast signal was displaying a Restricting aspect while the switch points were reverse.
The beefy truss bridge over the Occoquan River.
The new bridge (right) at Possum Point replaces a long irritating single track viaduct (left) that served as a bottleneck on the busy line just north of Quantico, VA. The single track bridge was installed by the cash strapped RF&P in the 1980s. The new bridge provides space for a total of 3 tracks, although only one is installed at this time.
The AutoTrain finally shows itself at about Milepost 74 (Lorton is MP
92). I guess there wasn't much traffic on the RF&P today if the
dispatcher could clear the route into the terminal so far in advance.
Following a bit behind the AutoTrain was a northbound Regional.
Today what cost thousands of Union lives is easy, crossing the
Rapahannock River on a high level concrete arch viaduct at
Fredericksburg.
At the Fredericksburg station VRE trains use only track #3 to the right, while Amtrak trains can platform on either track if necessary.
The small Federicksburg yard with CSX SD40-2 #8809.
South of Fredericksburg Yard my train 79 overtook a CSX local freight consisting mostly of tank cars and lead by GP38-2S (rebuilt GP40) #6151 running on track #2.
Here is a still photo taken on the curve after the successful pass.
The local freight soon caught up with us, but we had the last laugh as
we were routed ahead of it at HAMILTON interlocking. HAMILTON is one of
the few interlockings using classic RF&P style signals which
include full speed stacked US&S H-2 searchlight dwarf signals for
reverse direction moves. The RF&P was sort of a small one trick
pony railroad and had to save costs wherever it cound.
It's all here in one photo, CSX #6151, the reversed crossover, new exit
signal on track #4 displaying Approach Medium and the reverse direction
dwarf stack.
When Amtrak is offering triple (or more) points for travel on National Train Day, one would be stupid not to take up offer. This is my second year in a row traveling on NTD, which in 2009 I used to complete my epic survey of the PRR Main Line. This year my ambitions were much more modest and in fact I can't even remember the reason for the journey. To be honest the pictures aren't all that remarkable either, but dagnabit they MUST be shared!!
We begin with a CSX MoW gang working on the Philadelphia High Line. That overpass is brought to you by the University of Pennsylvania.
The famous 30th St Solari Board still going strong!
Various tables and displays set up for NTD.
A selection of tableware that isn't actually used on Amtrak dining cars.
A poster about Amtrak's role in the 2009 World Series (which probably shouldn't have been mentioned in Philly -.- )
On my trip back to NJ on PATCO the operator was choosing to be anti-social with the privacy screen thing completely closed. Fortunately this allowed me to take some video from the front seat. Due to the trackwork on the Collingswood viaduct we had to make crossover moves at Ferry Ave and Westmont. Sorry about the crappy windows. PATCO hasn't bother to wash its fleet in about a decade.
I have a real knack for being on the Haddonfield station platform when ACL train roll by. Here is NJT #4145 pushing an eastbound train.
Second to last pair of the PATCO Vickers cars departing Haddonfield eastbound.
The PATCO boys were still rebuilding the eastbound track of the Collingswood Trestle when I was making my return.
Alright I am posting a special video segment today because of a series of videos I took from the rear of an Amtrak Regional train between Philadelphia and Baltimore. The first of these is a 10 minute cut of the dash between PHIL interlocking just south of Philly and BELL interlocking just north of Wilmington. It's really worth watching the whole thing as my train is both meets several SEPTA R2 and Regional trains, but also overtakes a R2 as well.
Next we have a shorter segment taken between YARD and RAGAN interlockings just south of Wilmington. These will soon be reconfigured with Stimulus money making RAGAN a complete crossover, eliminating being YARD entirely and a third track being built between them.
Because my train was running so late we got caught by a southbound AX at Havre De Grace. Standard procedure is for the late Regional to be shunted into the middle track at GRACE and then wait at OAK interlocking to cross back over. To avoid delaying the AX we sat at AK for another 5 to 10 minutes. Due to the boredom I was a little late in starting the video, but I think I got enough :-)
Finally we were back on the move south crossing over at OAK interlocking from track 3 to 4 over the only crossover at OAK which also happens to still have its pneumatic point machines. Just listen to our train pick up speed as its signals clear due to the AX quickly clearing the block ahead. Also OAK used to be much more complex and you can still see the original catenary run over turnouts that no longer exist.
Anyway, enjoy and next week look out for some pictures taken on National Train Day 2010.
Spring is always my off season for Railfnaning due to the rainy weather and lack of paid holidays. However in 2010 I did manage to accumulate a number of photos over the course of the season and because they didn't really have a consistent narrative I have thrown them into a sort of cleanup batch. The photos consist of some CSX action in downtown Baltimore, a smattering of WMATA pics and a few SEPTA pics taken around 30th St Station.
We begin with a Baltimore Metro Budd car at the Oweings Mills terminal. Is it just me or do people find transit systems that don't post train numbers on the front or quarter post really irritating?
DC Metro Rohr car #1055 with an Air Conditioned #3027.
It appears that those stupid Metro escalators are good for something...time lapse photography.
Alstom Car #6025 at Greenbelt.
Cutting to downtown Baltimore, a short distance from the stadium complex
we find at the Leadenhall St grade crossing on the east leg of Bailey's
Wye that while the old school crossing cantilever masts have been replaced, the CPL's remain.
Somehow I failed to notice that the dwarf signal was displaying a Slow Clear for a movement routed off the Locust Point Branch.
So I was pleasantly surprised when a lite engine move headed by SD40-2 #8091 showed up.
Last April I realized that I hadn't been down to Atlantic City via the Atlantic City Line since 2002 so maybe it was about time I made an effort. Therefore I contacted Chuchubob and en route to an Easter related family gathering my plan to to travel with Bob from 30th St to Atalantic City, catch the departure of an ACES train, and then catch the next westbound ACL train to Lindenwold. Well our plan began to go awry when our eastbound ACL train was hit with massive delays forcing us to bail out at Absecon-Pleasantville in order to ensure we could catch both the ACES train and following ACL train.
Well after the ACES train passed and the northbound local arrived I was hoping that I would be able to get a reverse railfan view as it is standard practice for the crews to leave the rear interior door open. The problem is that ACL crews also believe that taking photos is illegal so I was bracing myself for some sort of nasty confrontation. Much to my surprise not only did the C/R on that particular trip not try to physically block my camera like a target of a 60 Minutes investigation, but suggested I could get better shots from the rear cab. Coincidentally he had never heard of the Railroad.net union hall Internet forums. I could have ridden all the way back to 30th St there, but alas I had an Easter dinner waiting and could not extend my trip :-(
Anyway the full set of photos is here and they mostly consist of a full line documentation. Some of you may find pictures of every signal and most of the bridges and grade crossings on the line between Absecon and Lindenwold, but I know that many of my readers have an allergic reaction to high concentrations of signal photos so I'll just hit some of the highlights here.
Here we see NJT Geep #4219 in push mode with my highly delayed eastbound train.
The new Abseason station was built atop
the old PRSL Absecon-Pleasantville station which was constructed during
the 1930's as part of a grade crossing elimination project in the area.
The project elevated several miles of the high speed main line through
the downtown Absecon. Unfortunately with the ACL's budget conscious
construction techniques the original station was barely utilized. If
you look eastward you can still see the remains of the original platforms on the road overpass.
After botching three other photos of the ACES train I finally managed a
good one with ALP-44 #4409 being dragged west in a zoom shot.
Here we see NJT Geep #4201 pulling west adjacent to the old platform stubs as it enters Absecon station.
The trailing cab car was #5016. Here is a view of its Wabso EPIC style brake controller. Let's hope it doesn't FAIL.
Electric locomotive controls? They think of everything!
We pulled into the Pomona Siding to be passed by a southbound train. The ACL was built as a single track with passing sidings in the most literal sense of the word. Instead of short sections (2-4 mile) of double track, it was literally built with the barest bones of passing points like a single width mountain road. These are all a mile or less in length and lack any intermediate blocks. Even when trains are spot on time the schedule will have you waiting in the siding until you are passed by your opposite. No rolling meets here.
All the sidings also come with these nifty little emergency transfer
boards as the lack of any two track stations means that all rescue
operations will have to take place at a siding.
NJT Geep 4203 (hmm, I'm noticing a pattern here) soon showed up pushing
its train southbound. Comet IV cab car #5020 was leading, but I didn't
get a very good picture.
Yeah, you know I couldn't resist going back to San Fran and not having another jag on the cable cars. Those things are like railfan crack what with the eternal running boards and primo railfan views. Over my last two trips I had generally explored the system so this time I wanted to look at things a little more in depth. So I decided to spend a little time at the diamond crossing at California and Powell as well as to visit the cable car museum which, I discovered, does not charge admission so I didn't have to spend an afternoon there.
This part will have more pictures, not so much text, but I'm sure it will appeal to folks who like those kinds of things. Like last time you can view the entire set of San Francisco photos here, the Cable Car photos toward the photos.
We'll start off with a pair of videos showing MUNI #3 and #9 being turned at the Powell turntable. Yeah yeah its a tourist trap. Whatever.
Here we see #9 before it was turned in the tree lined terminal area.
#20 at Post Street with another car in sight at the top of the hill.
Which happened to be #21, shown here at the bottom of the great incline.
It's video time again as we climb the great incline to the summit at California Ave where we have the famous diamonds with the Cal Line.
The California Line is the one with the double ended cars like #60 here crossing eastbound.
The crossing is controlled by this cute little interlocking tower things
which signals the northbound cars when they can begin their ascent
because as they crest the top of the hill it is somewhat impractical for them to stop
for crossing traffic. The crossing is a 4-way stop for road vehicles
who must yield the right of way to crossing cable cars. The tower
handles right of way for the cable cars with a small indicator panel.
Both directions of the Powell line stop on the north side of the street as #12 is seen doing here.
