Train Spotting

WGL · June 04, 2009, 03:13:21 AM

I've detected no regularity in the passage of trains here. If I had a timetable, I'd be taking a lot of pictures. Today, I got lucky. After hearing the whistle at home, we drove a mile or so to the crossing. I expected the train to have gone past, before we arrived. Indeed, the crossing was empty. I drove over the tracks & parked, anyway, & they appeared. Since I'd once seen a UP switcher on a siding here & see UP trucks by the office, I expected to see a UP locomotive. Instead, I saw two Southern Pacific 4-axle locomotives in consist! I see a small UP sign on them, too. Among other cars, they picked up two tank cars from the nearby Quality Liquid Feeds storage station. I don't know whether the QLF tank trucks bring the feed to be stored & loaded into the tank cars, or it is the other way around.

Perhaps, someone can identify the model of the locos:
http://s547.photobucket.com/albums/hh465/wlaine/Local%20Trains/

Yampa Bob · June 04, 2009, 04:21:40 AM

Guilford Guy · June 04, 2009, 07:47:04 AM

The lead unit is a GP40-2. You can tell because there are 3 fans on the roof(4 if you count dynamics, but look at the rear section of the roof), and it has normal sized EMD grills on back. The second unit is a GP60. It has 3 Fans(Again 4 if you count those over the dnynamics) and larger grills, and different dynamic break blisters.

jward · June 04, 2009, 09:21:31 AM

i am fortunate enough to have the ns former prr mainline about 100 feet from my door, csx former b&o/p&le 1/2 mile away at the bottom of the hill, ns former prr line across the river used by trains with high cars and coal about a mile away. between those lines, over 100 trains a day....

and then there's the union rr which is all switchers, a couple of miles away by the steel mill.....

gotta love those trains.....

jsmvmd · June 04, 2009, 11:02:00 AM

Dear Friends,

Here in Altoona, one can go to the Horseshoe Curve Museum and get a print out of times regularly scheduled trains come through. Possibly it is on line somewhere for this and other rail road companies.

Jeff Ward,

What part of the 'burgh are you in?

Best Wishes,

Jack

boomertom · June 04, 2009, 11:08:36 AM

Quote from: jward on June 04, 2009, 09:21:31 AM
i am fortunate enough to have the ns former prr mainline about 100 feet from my door, csx former b&o/p&le 1/2 mile away at the bottom of the hill, ns former prr line across the river used by trains with high cars and coal about a mile away. between those lines, over 100 trains a day....

and then there's the union rr which is all switchers, a couple of miles away by the steel mill.....

gotta love those trains....

Jeffery are you close to Rochester? My sister-in-law lives not to far from Conway yaerd and I have train watched the yard and the lines on both sides of the Ohio. Pittsburg area is great for railfans.
Tom

jward · June 04, 2009, 11:38:52 AM

to answer the questions, i am in rankin, on the east side of pittsburgh.

rochester, i know well. i love the park where the beaver river meets the ohio, and have often taken photos of conrail and ns trains from the parking lot of the bowling alley in rochester. but i am about 35 miles east of there. i am about 6 miles west of the pitcairn yard, where they unload the intermodal trains.

ebtnut · June 04, 2009, 05:01:52 PM

We have a second home in McKeesport. The old B&O line through town was torn out in the late 1960's, with the tracks routed over a new bridge onto the old P&LE line. It's still a pretty busy route, and there's a good spot next to the tracks to train-watch right across the Yough from us. The P&LE, of course, was sucked into the mergers and the main line from McKeesport to Dickerson Run (Connellsville) was pulled up and is now a bike trail.

jsmvmd · June 04, 2009, 06:12:02 PM

Dear Jeff,

That is a busy place! Isn't the old Edgar Thompson works there? Many moons ago we used to go over the Homewood-Rankin bridge on the way to West Mifflin to visit my sister. I was born in the Rochester hospital, and have seen many trains pass through that area. Back in 1982 or so the Zambelli's put on one heckuva fireworks display. They towed two barges and had the tow boat hold them stationary in the water whilst the fireworks were ignited. We watched them from the dock in Monaca.

Dear Nut,

I was in the Port last week and drove over that wonderful iron bridge from Port Vue. Must be very old indeed.

Best Wishes,

Jack

jward · June 04, 2009, 07:38:00 PM

i live right off the end of the rankin bridge. and i often drive by the edgar thomson works. as for mckeesport, i go there several times a week. i was just there tthis afternoon. there is a csx yard under the duquesne bridge which often has some interesting locomotives, and even a c&o painted caboose they use on local freights.

that old iron bridge, known as the jerome street bridge, was built in the 1930s. i once worked for a man who was a retired photographer for the mckeesport daily news. he took photos of the great flood in 1936 from the uncompleted bridge. only the arch had been put up at that time. the p&le bridge right next to it is unique in that it has a switch right in the middle of the truss.

and yes, this is an area where you can't help but see trains. i've barely been home and i've seen 14 so far to-day.

WGL · June 05, 2009, 01:56:01 AM

Thanks for the links, Bob. They should keep me busy.

Thanks for identifying the SP locomotives, Guilford Guy. Now, I have an excuse to get an SP locomotive.

Cody J · June 05, 2009, 03:27:24 PM

WGL,
To determine the model of the locomotive go to www.railpictures.net and in the "Enter Keywords" box type in the railroad and locmotive number (example: SP 1476) and then it will give you pictures and it will give you the locomotive model.

Yampa Bob · June 05, 2009, 03:50:18 PM

Since Southern Pacific is a fallen flag, and their stock is owned by Union Pacific, you should first search the UP database for most recent numbering, which may or may not be different from the original SP number. In other words, search would be for UP1476.

Regards

WGL · June 06, 2009, 02:42:40 AM

Thanks, Trainsrock. Thanks, Bob, for explaining that UP owns the SP locomotives. If each locomotive's number is unique, then your links to 1476 & 2050 show the same locomotives I saw here. It's nice to know where they go.

I was disappointed that most of the cars didn't have names of railroads on them or companies whose product they were carrying.

Yampa Bob · June 06, 2009, 03:05:04 AM

For freight cars look for the reporting marks. Then refer to the AAR database to see who owns the marks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reporting_marks:_A

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Train Spotting