NS 8103, N&W heritage unit (CJ Vandergriff's fav, permission to post pics granted) outside of Barstow CA.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

They do seem to be shunting a lot of locos around over there!

The Siemens ACS64 are the new locos to replace the aging electric locos on Amtrak's North East Corridor service from Washington Via New York to Boston.

Amtrak ordered 70 and they are being built at Siemens plant in Florin California. The finished locos are added to the next passing California Zephyr train 6 to Chicago, where they are then transferred to The Capitol train 30 to Washington where they can at last be "under the wire"

Actually, they are moved west to Oakland, where the yard crew adds them to the consist before the train departs. But close enough. Also, train 30 is the Capitol Limited. The Capitols are state-supported trains running from Sacramento, the capitol of California.

As you can see from the pic 647 arrived at Chicago yesterday so that was why I said "23 to go"

PS here is one of the electrics the ACS64 will replace, it is an AEM7 I shot at New London CT in September 2013 on my last visit.



As you can see not exactly in it's prime.

I hear 646 is on today's 6. At last report, it was 5.5 hours late out of Burlington, but it appears to have been further delayed. It should have been out of Galesburg by now, but it's not even half way there.

It may interest you to know that AEM-7 415 has been donated and delivered to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. (Also on their home page, you will see a picture of NS 911 and a note that it will not be making its scheduled appearance there this weekend. I heard that it was dead in tow back to Altoona, the shop where it was rebuilt into its current model and received the fancy paint job.)

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

NS 8103, N&W heritage unit (CJ Vandergriff's fav, permission to post pics granted) outside of Barstow CA.

Is that a recent picture? I just saw and shot it for the first time last week, at Hammond, IN. I believe that was only the third time it visited the Chicago area.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

NS 8103, N&W heritage unit (CJ Vandergriff's fav, permission to post pics granted) outside of Barstow CA.

Is that a recent picture? I just saw and shot it for the first time last week, at Hammond, IN. I believe that was only the third time it visited the Chicago area.

Yep, taken today, I think both CJ Vandergriff and Steve Yates both would like to join Seti@Home, so I gave them some links, then they can both post here if they want to.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Also, train 30 is the Capitol Limited. The Capitols are state-supported trains running from Sacramento, the capitol of California.

Now I know that and thought I had put "Limited" but must have had a senior moment.

As for the 6 today it is now apparently due at CHI around 8:00pm which is 2 am here so I may have to miss that one!!

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...today's 6. At last report, it was 5.5 hours late out of Burlington, but it appears to have been further delayed. It should have been out of Galesburg by now, but it's not even half way there.

I seem to have miscalculated that. It did not lose significant time there.

However, I am now looking at the Amtrak train tracker and wondering how 3 got ahead of 5. I watched 5 arrive at NPV about 20 minutes late after departing CHI on time. Now it's running behind 3 near Kewanee.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

NS 8103, N&W heritage unit (CJ Vandergriff's fav, permission to post pics granted) outside of Barstow CA.

Is that a recent picture? I just saw and shot it for the first time last week, at Hammond, IN. I believe that was only the third time it visited the Chicago area.

Yep, taken today, I think both CJ Vandergriff and Steve Yates both would like to join Seti@Home, so I gave them some links, then they can both post here if they want to.

I had no idea it went out there. Well, that will give the west coast guys something to foam over.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

NS 8103, N&W heritage unit (CJ Vandergriff's fav, permission to post pics granted) outside of Barstow CA.

Is that a recent picture? I just saw and shot it for the first time last week, at Hammond, IN. I believe that was only the third time it visited the Chicago area.

Yep, taken today, I think both CJ Vandergriff and Steve Yates both would like to join Seti@Home, so I gave them some links, then they can both post here if they want to.

I had no idea it went out there. Well, that will give the west coast guys something to foam over.

I have received some info from CJ Vandergriff on this train, it's going on a Grand Tour..

The railroad played games and held it in AZ for over 25 hours. When it finally came in it got held in Barstow yard and we were on the west end of the yard. Well reports came in that it was to leave out midnight on the 12th. Well it left late the same night it came in. And we got word yesterday that it was on a QSTOCHI Stockton to Chicago stacker and well here it is...err was

The pic is at Hwy 58 and Lenwood Rd and construction on the 58 is going to resume, the grade crossing will be an underpass, the 58 will be an expressway, closing one or two gaps in the 58.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

NS 8103, N&W heritage unit (CJ Vandergriff's fav, permission to post pics granted) outside of Barstow CA.

Is that a recent picture? I just saw and shot it for the first time last week, at Hammond, IN. I believe that was only the third time it visited the Chicago area.

Yep, taken today, I think both CJ Vandergriff and Steve Yates both would like to join Seti@Home, so I gave them some links, then they can both post here if they want to.

I had no idea it went out there. Well, that will give the west coast guys something to foam over.

I have received some info from CJ Vandergriff on this train, it's going on a Grand Tour..

The railroad played games and held it in AZ for over 25 hours. When it finally came in it got held in Barstow yard and we were on the west end of the yard. Well reports came in that it was to leave out midnight on the 12th. Well it left late the same night it came in. And we got word yesterday that it was on a QSTOCHI Stockton to Chicago stacker and well here it is...err was

The pic is at Hwy 58 and Lenwood Rd and construction on the 58 is going to resume, the grade crossing will be an underpass, the 58 will be an expressway, closing one or two gaps in the 58.

Okay, so if it stays on that train it should come up the Santa Fe to Corwith on Monday.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

...today's 6. At last report, it was 5.5 hours late out of Burlington, but it appears to have been further delayed. It should have been out of Galesburg by now, but it's not even half way there.

I seem to have miscalculated that. It did not lose significant time there.

However, I am now looking at the Amtrak train tracker and wondering how 3 got ahead of 5. I watched 5 arrive at NPV about 20 minutes late after departing CHI on time. Now it's running behind 3 near Kewanee.

I forgot, I heard earlier that an Amtrak train (presumably 5) was stopped somewhere out there due to a severe thunderstorm and/or tornado warning. Still doesn't explain how 3 got ahead of 5, though.

The storm is now here and I think I'm going out in it.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

...today's 6. At last report, it was 5.5 hours late out of Burlington, but it appears to have been further delayed. It should have been out of Galesburg by now, but it's not even half way there.

I seem to have miscalculated that. It did not lose significant time there.

However, I am now looking at the Amtrak train tracker and wondering how 3 got ahead of 5. I watched 5 arrive at NPV about 20 minutes late after departing CHI on time. Now it's running behind 3 near Kewanee.

I forgot, I heard earlier that an Amtrak train (presumably 5) was stopped somewhere out there due to a severe thunderstorm and/or tornado warning. Still doesn't explain how 3 got ahead of 5, though.

The storm is now here and I think I'm going out in it.

If a road looks flooded, turn around, don't drown, seems like good advice. Good luck David.

---

The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

In true "railfan" style here is a totally uninteresting picture, well to non railfans I assume.

Today The Capitol Limited from Washington had 4 extra cars.

All brand new baggage cars.



Note the actual scruffy baggage car was also still included!!

More to use on trains out of Chicago I presume.

Also forgot to mention, Railstream, the site these cameras are on, has a Camera in Grand Island Nebraska, it is the camera furthest west. Up till two days ago it was a low quality camera and one I rarely visited.

It has had an upgrade and now looks quite good



Not sure if there is anything but UP here.



Unfortunately no Amtrak just freight.

Amtrak did run via here when there was a derailment elsewhere but the quality left a bit to be desired.

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Since my Sunday has been rained out, I started searching the web for Canadian railcams. Haven't found any good ones yet, but I have found several sites with quality still photos. Including this interesting one of two classic SD-40s, taken a month ago in BC. Anyone remember the "which twin has the Tony?" ads?

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Another very interesting shot from the same website, taken last month, about an hour down the road from where I'm sitting. The Ontario Southland is a short line connecting several local auto plants to the CN and CP mainlines. Like most Canadian short lines, they operate on a shoe string, and don't spend a lot of money on things like repainting the second hand equipment they buy. Both these FP9s are ex-CN, the lead one in Railink colours (a Via Rail passenger service operated under contract by CN) and the other appears to be in the standard CN passenger engine markings - prior to 1970!

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OK, after a little digging on the second FP9, I'm slightly less amazed that it still exists in this paint scheme. It was built for the CN, here in London, back in the 1950s, but spent about 20 years with a local tourist line, the Waterloo St. Jacobs Line, which painted its engines and passenger cars in vintage CN colours. This engine moved to the OSR in early 2014.

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I had a day out at the Bluebell Railway today. I took some photos and videos.

If people would like, I can post a link to them after I get to a reasonably fast internet connection.

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Happy Crunching,

Graham

I had a day out at the Bluebell Railway today. I took some photos and videos.

If people would like, I can post a link to them after I get to a reasonably fast internet connection.

I think most people who come here like trains!! I don't believe David will mind, I would like to see them!!

Well as David mentioned the California Zephyr 5 today would have the private cars on. So I was ready and waiting.

It was due to leave at 2pm local 8 pm BST

1st Problem - Depature delayed till 2.30pm then till 3pm, then till 5:10pm!!

Finally left at 4.30pm, however 2nd problem

I had noted that the Texas Eagle 22 had reversed down the wye a few minutes before, so..



Ahh this could be a problem



There you go best laid plans of mice.

Lets hope it wasn't one of the PV cars that caused the delay!!

However The Southwest Chief 4 helped make up for it a bit by having F59PHI, 451 in tow all the way from the sunny west coast, don't see many Surfliner locos this far east. I assume it is bound for Beech Grove.

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...today's 6. At last report, it was 5.5 hours late out of Burlington, but it appears to have been further delayed. It should have been out of Galesburg by now, but it's not even half way there.

I seem to have miscalculated that. It did not lose significant time there.

However, I am now looking at the Amtrak train tracker and wondering how 3 got ahead of 5. I watched 5 arrive at NPV about 20 minutes late after departing CHI on time. Now it's running behind 3 near Kewanee.

I forgot, I heard earlier that an Amtrak train (presumably 5) was stopped somewhere out there due to a severe thunderstorm and/or tornado warning. Still doesn't explain how 3 got ahead of 5, though.

The storm is now here and I think I'm going out in it.

If a road looks flooded, turn around, don't drown, seems like good advice. Good luck David.

Wasn't that much rain, at least right here. There were flood warnings to the southwest of here.

Found out right after I left that besides the ACS, there was also a UP engine added to the front. After spending 35 minutes in Portillo's drive-up line (usually, they have people out to direct traffic and take orders well ahead of the speaker, but apparently not when there's lightning), I diverted to West Eola to wait for it. It came by about 8:00 with everything it was supposed to have. I found out after the fact that they added the UP unit because the lead P42 had a slow leak in its radiator.

I shot video of it with my phone. I'll see if I can upload it to Youtube for you.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

In true "railfan" style here is a totally uninteresting picture, well to non railfans I assume.

Today The Capitol Limited from Washington had 4 extra cars.

All brand new baggage cars.

Note the actual scruffy baggage car was also still included!!

More to use on trains out of Chicago I presume.

I have yet to see any of those in person. I made sure to photograph the old ones I saw today, though, because they won't last much longer.

Also forgot to mention, Railstream, the site these cameras are on, has a Camera in Grand Island Nebraska, it is the camera furthest west. Up till two days ago it was a low quality camera and one I rarely visited.

It has had an upgrade and now looks quite good

Not sure if there is anything but UP here.

Unfortunately no Amtrak just freight.

Amtrak did run via here when there was a derailment elsewhere but the quality left a bit to be desired.

Grand Island is the crossing of UP's mainline from Omaha to North Platte and BNSF's coal artery from Lincoln to Alliance. I don't know where in town the camera is located, so I don't know what you should expect to see on it.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

OK, after a little digging on the second FP9, I'm slightly less amazed that it still exists in this paint scheme. It was built for the CN, here in London, back in the 1950s, but spent about 20 years with a local tourist line, the Waterloo St. Jacobs Line, which painted its engines and passenger cars in vintage CN colours. This engine moved to the OSR in early 2014.

I suspected the answer would be something like that. That paint is in much too good condition to be original.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.