Steamtown's CN 3254

Steamtown's CN 3254.  Scranton, Pa.  12-27-07

CN 3254

Cleveland's Train Stations

While eating lunch today, I happened to stumble upon this website that list past and present train stations in the great Cleveland area. 

Enjoy!

Testing Hand Brakes

Before you tell your engineer " for the cut", you better test a car or cars hand brakes.  You set enough hand brakes that will hold the cut of cars without moving once the engineer release both the automatic and independent brakes.  Wait 60 seconds to all brakes to fully release.  If the cut does not move, it is ok to cut away.  If your current amount of hand brakes does not hold, you better set some more.  Here is a great example of what happens when you do not test or set hand brakes.  If you are wondering, no one was in that locomotive at impact.  The locomotive was wrecked beyond any further use.   Here is a link to an article written about the crash.

Akron Jct B&O Signals

Still standing tall after all these years. Working as intended. They have seen plenty of trains. I remember riding in the dome on an eastbound Capitol Limited all night to. Once on CSX, the show started. Knocking them down, signal after signal. All the way into DC. Just seeing these two signals brought back some great memories of that Amtrak trip.

Akron Junction AY CPL signals

P&LE's Gateway Yard

A reminder of the past from the P&LE.  Picture taken on July 29, 2003, long before the vandals painted over the P&LE yard sign of whats left of the Gateway Yard.

Wheeling 6355 @ Falls Junction

Wheeling's SD40-2 6355 idling away at Falls Junction.  

 W&LE SD40-2 6355.  Falls Junction. 4-27-2011

Second Career on the Wheeling

After serving 29 years on the Union Pacific, she was sent to the deadline at West Colton yard.  No worries. This would only be a short rest from hauling freight.  Purchased and shipped east to become part of the LTEX family of locomotives.  Like kids trading baseball cards, the Wheeling and Lake Erie traded seven GP35 units for three SD40-2 units from Larry.  Now part of the Wheeling family, it received some of that Brewster TLC to roar back to life. Renumbered to 6355 and in grey primer, hauling freight as intended for the Wheeling now.

Brewster Locomotive Shop  1/2011

Indiana and Ohio Railway GP30 #87

I have the honor of being a friend to a railroad guy who is a hardcore railroader.  He has been doing this since he was 18 years old. While exchanging lines from the movie Pulp Fiction, "Do you read the Bible?"  "No, I read GCOR."  Alrighty then.

He started drinking that railroad issued Kool-Aid that was given to him by the folks at the old Indiana and Ohio Railway and has been sipping on it ever since.  We all know that railroaders will never admit to liking trains. That would be a cardinal sin in the railroading circle. But we do have our favorite engines that we love to run.  His was the I&O 87, an ex-C&O GP30.  Here she is waiting at the Newburgh and South Shore's Marcelline Yard awaiting mechanical work.

I'm still looking for that locomotive that I like to run.......

I&O GP30 87  Summer 2007

Tribute to Wheeling's GP35

They have been here since the 1990 spin off from the Norfolk Southern. Hauling all type of trains over Wheeling tracks and gain over Sand Patch. Once the backbone for the fleet, the daily workhorse. One unit was ordered by the P&WV. Southern had theirs built with Alco trucks from RS3 trades. Pure Southern units to the bone, the overhead walkway lights can still be found in use some nights. Eventually, the best ones made it into the Brewster shop to receive a new lease on life. Some recently ended up at LTEX for three SD40-2 units. A sign in Brewster serves a small reminder about the role of the GP35 on the W&LE.

Wheeling & Lake Erie GP35 Sign. Brewster Locomotive Shop

W&LE GP35 200.  Falls Junction Yard. Glenwillow, Ohio

W&LE GP35 2662 and 108.  Falls Junction

P&WV GP35 101. Falls Junction

W&LE GP35 2662. 

W&LE GP35 2645 at LTEX.

W&LE GP35 2664 at LTEX.

 

W&LE GP35 2650 at LTEX.