14-05-20 PHOTOS: VTA Express

The last time I was in San Jose back in 2008 I made ample use of the region's ample Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority light rail system. Built at throughout the 1990's .Com boom, the VTA Light Rail has seen some of its fortunes decline as the city he was meant to serve failed to see the growth that was anticipated. Even with housing prices exploding in nearby San Francisco, the second tech boom of today has failed to make the city less of a ghost town after hours because for some reason Google workers would want to pay more and drive more to live at the opposite end of the bay.

Well this year a conference that I attended last year moved to San Jose this year to reduce costs and that meant I would have the better part of the week to get out and see what fun I could make a fairly typical and bland light rail system. spoiler alert, there wasn't much I could do, however the VTA did provide convenient connections to the San Jose Diridon Station, home of Amtrak and Caltrain, as well as the Caltrain Tamien station south of the city. The one interesting thing the VTA itself had to offer was an extress service running from the Ohlone-Chynoweth station on the Santa Teresa Line north along the CA 87 corridor to downtown. I was able to try the express run for myself by getting up sufficiently early to make it down to Ohlone-Chynoweth and then catch the express train back.

You can find the full set of photos here

I'll begin at the San Jose Diridon Station which is one of the southern termini for the Caltrain service as well as Amtrak's Capitol Corridor. Here we see Caltrain F40PH-2CAT #901 sitting next to Amtrak F59PHI #2006. Apparently the F59PHI fleet got some sort of ECO Engine rebuilding even thought they were already equipped with 12-710's.

Here is MPI built F40PH-2C #922 also laying over at Diridon. With a build date of 1998 this was probably one of the last F40's ever made.

Well this is odd. Apparently Amtrak has taken to using P32-8WHs on the Coast Starlight. #510 sits behind P42DC #206 along with Heritage baggage car #1237.

Here is a video of a little three way I caught at the end of the San Jose platform. First a departing northbound Caltrain local departs track #5 and lights up the Christmas tree signal gantry at CP-SHARK. Next to it a Caltrain deadhead powered by F40PH-2CAT #916 heads back towards the Caltrain yard north of the station on track #6 under Restricting signals. Finally the aforementioned Amtrak Train 14 arrives on track #1.


Same Train 14 departing under an Advance Approach indication at CP-JULIAN CP-SHARK.


Here we see VTA LRV #914 about to depart Ohlone-Chynoweth towards San Jose. The signals at this station were interlocked with the pedestrian crossing protection.

Here is a little video montage of operations at Ohlone-Chynoweth including the arrival and departure of Almaden shuttle trains.


LRV #938 was on Almaden Shuttle duty. The ~1 mile spur serves a major mall and residential area south of where the Blue Line curves off to continue its route down a freeway median.

Specially wrapped "Express Service" LRV #995 pulls into Ohlone-Chynoweth. Hmmm, wonder if they have had trouble with people mistaking it for a local. The service runs express all the way to the convention center.

Here's a good place to insert a montage of some videos I took downtown.


The VTA uses some of the cheapest signaling I have ever seen. There is no reverse direction signaling, there is no ATC, no ATC, no cab signaling and not even providing for reverse direction signals...even at interlockings. A fixed reflector is used instead.

I went back to Ohlone-Chynoweth later that afternoon for better lighting. Here is an inbound Blue Line train with LRV #957 entering the station.

LRV #938 again at the Almaden terminal.

14-05-10 PHOTOS: National Train Day 2014

I always try to get out and do something for national Train Day, usually because its a great way to earn bonus Amtrak Guest Rewards points. More often than not I usually find myself having to scurry through the top level displays as I wait for my non-excursion Amtrak train to take me somewhere like Pittsburgh or Georgia. Well since I had nothing else planned this year I decided to just head over to Amtrak's 30th St station and check out all the equipment on display on the lower level combined with a quick AGR trip to Downingtown via Amtrak's Keystone service. Accompanying me on this adventure was Sub Chat's very own Chuchubob.

You can find the full set of photos here

We begin with a photo tour of the Penn Coach Yards via the adjacent parking garage. Sir Not Appearing in This Equipment Display was private car Clipper Creek.

Amtrak AEM-7 #939 sits next to GP15 #575 at the Race Street Engine Terminal.

Heritage P32-8WH #512 and P42DC #33 were on hand for power change duties. 

Here is a quick video of SEPTA R5 and R7 trains departing simultaneously from the upper level of 30th St Station.



A rather dingy looking Amtrak AEM-7 #929 pushes past Chuchubob at Downingtown.

If I had had more time I would have walked down to get some better photos of DOWNS interlocking. Note the limited speed triangle on the 70L signal. DOWNS is remote controlled by a classic CTC console at THORN tower.

On the way out to Downingtown I took some video out the front of the leading Metroliner Cab Car. The first is running express between Villanova and Paoli and the second running from Paoli to Exton.






Outbound SEPTA local with Silverliner IV #289 on the rear as it passes the location of the old Downingtown MoW yard, which is now a superfund site.

AEM-7 #938 arriving with an eastbound Keystone at Downingtown.

This year for NTD Amtrak filled up tracks 1 and 2 at 30th St with all manner of "cool" equipment. First among these was Bennett Levin's PRR E8 #5809.

It sat across from Amtrak ACS-86 #606 with its horrendous LED headlights. Come on FRA, headlights shouldn't look like Restricting signals.

14-04-30 PHOTOS: Bal Collapse

Back at the end of April 4 days of rail caused a 100 year retaining wall overlooking the CSX Baltimore Terminal Sub to collapse onto the tracks. For those of you who don't watch news or otherwise live with their heads buried in the sand here is the viral video of the collapse itself.


This happened to be located not far from where I hang out and was actually one of my major train watching locations. The street had been showing subsidence problems for years with several sinkholes patched and filled by the city. Still, the problem kept getting worse and everyone in the area knew that it was just a matter of time. Anyway, of course I went and took photos of the aftermath, however I have held off on posting them because I wanted to see how things turned out to present a more complete picture of the collapse and the cleanup effort.

Also thrown into the set are some random photos taken on Balt/Wash area rail lines that didn't fit into any other set. You can see the full album of photos here

Here's how things looked a few hours after the collapse. Who's going to clean up all those cars?

Video taken the first night.


When CSX Re-signaled HUNTINGTON AVE they moved the westbound signal location from inside the tunnel mouth to a point next to the retaining wall. This is all that is left of the relay hut now.

Unlike the public sector CSX did not fuck around clearing the single track Baltimore Belt Line. Within 48 hours they had 3 excavators working non-stop to pile up the rocks and earth. This is the ONLY CSX route for freight moving from south to north with the nearest detour being through Hagarstown, MD. The Baltimore Belt Line us used by trains carrying orange juice to New York City and hauling trash away.

Video of the removal process.


Here you can see the brick paving that underlies many of Baltimore's city streets.

14-04-28 PHOTOS: Southern Midland

You all should know the deal by now. When I post up some A-Line photos the next set will be Southern Railway photos, often from the trip back up north. This post will be no different, but due to a lack of material caused by Amtrak leaving baggage cars on the rear I'll also be including some photos taken upon my arrival in Gainesville, GA. You can find all the photos in this set here

We begin with my train, Amtrak's Train 19, the Crescent, departing Gainesville, GA for points south. The train waits a few seconds for a more favorable signal indication at MIDLAND interlocking as local light engine move caused the dispatcher to wait and see how late Train 19 would be before setting a route. Upon completing its station work the NS dispatcher lined the route here and at the next interlocking causing the signal at MIDLAND to change from Approach to Approach Diverging.



Hanging out outside the Gainesville station at 7am in the morning was C40-8W #8384 and C40-9W #90233.

A pair of dragging equipment detectors were waiting on the public delivery platform at the station, waiting to be installed.

A trip of NS SD40-2s #3428 and #3526 with SD40E #6345 run light through MIDLAND interlocking just south of the Gainesville, GA Amtrak station. I think 3428 has a bit of a sick horn.


MIDLAND interlocking is on tap to be re-signaled along with its southern era cantilever mast.

MIDLAND interlocking used to involve a diamond crossing with some local short line. The diamonds have long been removed, but the power derail and ancient GRS model 5 switch machine remain in place. Weird.

Do to a re-signaling effort on the Abbeville Sub my favourite (aka most accessible) signaling location has been removed completely due to CSX's desire to eliminate a signaling block after they spliced in a new interlocking about 5 years ago. The new location is about a half mile to the south. 

CSX AC4400 #117 and ES44AC #3095 passing the removed MP 510 automatic signal location in Bogart, GA with a doublestack imtermodal train.


Night shot of NS SD70M-2 #2760 at Gainesville.

NS SD40-2 #3526 with some friends sitting on main track #1 at Gainesville.

 #3526 and friends making some noise as they hang out at Gainesville, GA.


NS SD40-2 #3532 blocking a crossing next to the Gainesville, Amtrak Station.

NS SD40E (former SD50) sitting on main track #1 at the Gainesville Amtrak Station.

One additional NS SD40-2 #3369 hanging out on a proper engine storage track at Gainesville, GA.

Amtrak Train 20, the Northbound Crescent, arriving at Gainesville, GA with P42DC's #72 and #118.


MARC HHP-8 #4913 with new Amtrak ACS-86 #601 and an unitentified AEM-7 all side-by-side on the lower level of Washington, DC's Union Station.

P42DC #72 about to be pulled off Train 20 and swapped with an electric.

14-04-24 PHOTOS: A-Line Scraps

It is once again time to head down the Eastern Seaboard Coast to visit my friend in Georgia. For those of you who are unaware the process involves a daylight trip on Amtrak Train 79, the Carolinian, all the way to Greensboro, NC where I then change to Train 19, the Crescent, to complete the trip down to Gainesville, GA. This year there was a bit of a hiccup in that my Train 79 was suffering an initial delay of almost an hour which would not be made up throughout the course of the trip. This gave me a little extra time to take videos of the non-delayed trains passing me by at Baltimore's Penn Station.

If you want to see the whole set of photos they are located here

We begin with AEM-7 #928 arriving with a southbound Regional.

A little while later northbound Acela Express lead by power car 2005 arrived on the opposite track.


After that a southbound MARC local departed from Track 5 with MP36PH-3C #29 pushing.

I was waiting for a while as eventually another northbound Acela turned up with power car #2035.

As this departed it passed my late arriving train 79 with AEM-7 #910 just north of the platforms. Once on the road Amtrak dropped us behind a MARC local train which cost us another 17 minutes.


In DC the lineup of P42DC's waiting on power change duty included #48, #71 and #115.

#1750 was our Heritage baggage car this day.

On the lower level of DC's Union Station Train 79 exchanged AEM-7 #910 for P42DC #139. While shooting that video a northbound Regional with P42DC #117 arrived on the adjacent track.

14-03-21 PHOTOS: Valley Campaign

Well over the last year I seem to have been retracing a lot of Civil War history first with my visit to tidewater Virginia last July and just this March with a visit to the Shenandoah Valley. The former was one of those "free" time share weekends and one of the inducements was a free 3 night stay in the Shenandoah National Park area which made the second trip possible. Now March isn't one of the more popular months to visit the park, but thanks to the cold spring and a snow story that closed parts of Skyline Drive, my friend and I at time wound up having almost the entire National Park to ourselves. Without the notorious summer and leaf season traffic jams to content with we were able to drive the 105 mile length of Skyline drive three complete times over the 4 days we were there.

Before, after and in between our visit to the park we also made numerous railfan stops along the NS Shenandoah Branch and the C&O Washington Branch, which is home to Amtrak's Cardinal. We even managed to run into several actual trains, which was good because I am sure that not many of you would be interested in seeing the best of 1100 signal related photos. Of course if you are you can can find them here

The first stop was Shenandoah Junction on the NS Shenandoah Branch that runs between Roanoke, VA and Hageratown, MD. This line still has quite a few classic N&W color position lights along it as when it was resignaled about 10 years ago railroads still bothered to save $$ by cutting the old signals into the new interlocking equipment. Shenandoah Junction was a once busy interchange point between the N&W and B&O that was made largely redundant by the mergers of the past 25 years.

Next stop was the junction between the Shenandoah Branch and the former Southern "B-Line" at Front Royal, VA. Today this is part of the primary NS freight route between the Northeast and the South. Trains turn west off the Southern Main Line at Mananas, VA then head to Front Royal where they turn north again to Hagerstown where they enter former Conrail/Reading RR trackage to Harrisburg and Reading before finally going to either NY or Philly. The route is far less direct than the one CSX has access to that basically parallels the NEC. Here we can see the wye connection between the B-Line and the Shenandoah Branch off to the right, while the old Southern line to Strasburg, VA continues on over the diamond.

 Here is the former N&W bridge over the Shenandoah River at Front Royal. You can see how the default route leads to the B-Line as most traffic heads towards the Southern Main to Atlanta while only a handful still use the N&W line between here and Roanoke.

 Until 1990 Strasburg was a major interchange point between the former Southern system and the B&O. However the NS and CSX mergers eventually made this service plan obsolete so now the west end of the B-Line sees only sporadic local traffic. This resulted in a flange riding diamond being installed across the Shenandoah Branch.

I was lucky enough to catch a train while hanging out at Front Royal. Here NS C40-10W #7602 heads down the N&W line with a train of mixed freight.

Newly rebuilt SD60E #6960 was following behind as seen here in this video of the train as it pounds the Southern diamonds.


The N&W Shenandoah River bridge as seen from the side.

While the weather was a bit cold it did have some advantages like these cool clouds blowing across the Blue Ridge in Shenandoah National Park. This was shot just south of the US entrance.


When you have a National Park to yourself you can just stop on the main road and take pictures of wildlife without pissing other people off.



These deer weren't in the park, but were right outside the hotel place we were staying at.



Mid-day railfanning break on Day 2. This is VAUGHN interlocking, south end of a signaled siding on the Shenandoah Branch.

At the other end of the siding, SUMMIT interlocking, I caught wind of an approaching train as the southbound N&W PL mast signal was displaying Approach.

Sure enough a light engine move with NS C44-9W #9944 and SD70M-2 #2680 passed by a few minutes later.

14-03-15 PHOTOS: Winter Roundup

The first third of the year is normally my slow season for photos. Not sure why, but usually its because I am not planning any major trips anywhere and also its cold and grey and wet out so there's no much opportunity for good photos. This year wasn't much different, but I did get a few dribs and drabs in over the months so I am jamming them together into a single post.

We start off in January where I was left with some time to kill while a friend rode his horse. Fortunately he was riding next to the former B&O Old Main Line and I had enough time to run down and catch some CSX action. The OML is popular with coal trains headed to/from the Port of Baltimore and Hazmats bypassing DC.

Here in the first video a pair of CSX AC4400's #135 and #44 lead an eastbound coal train past the Milepost 36 automatic signal with ES44AH #727 and AC4400 #491 helping on the rear.



Still photo of #727 and #491 helping on the rear.

A few minutes later a westbound train of empties appeared with CSX AC4400's #6 and #373 leading.

Video of that train as well.



During a trip over President's Weekend I stopped by DAVIS interlocking in Newark, DE and got this photo of a southbound Regional headed by Amtrak HHP-8 #653.

Over by the new Newark station a short NS freight was preparing to head out of the old Chrysler Yard with NS C40-10W #7557 providing the power.