8-3-2013 Train Pics

Q405 leads the parade. Amtrak P077 and P194 and Z702 were in the mix but not photographed. 

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Q409 was exactly 2 blocks behind 405. P077 was running yellow brick road behind 409 and called up the dispatcher to find out which Freight they were running behind.

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Rock Train power at Verdon. I’m sure one pair was set for the eastbound loaded train and the other came in on the westbound empties.

 

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Some videos of American Railroading

This is shot from southern Virginia, not far from the VA/North Carolina Border. The train waiting on the other track (called a ‘siding’) is an empty coal train. Passing southbound by it is the empty Tropicana train. This unit train returns Tropicana refrigerator cars back to Florida to be loaded with orange juice and other perishable juices from Bradenton, Florida. The northbound then takes the loads up to Bergen, NJ. where is it trucked to the various grocery stores. They’ve been doing this since I was a kid.

Photo courtesy of George Nydegger.

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Video courtesy of Anthony Randall

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_FxSwSowyo

Mountain Railroading At Its Best

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American freight railroading is like nothing in the world. The sheer amount of tonnage carried, the length of trains, power of the engines, it’s all something to behold. Mountain railroading is the epiphany of this. Freight trains struggle to climb grades higher then 1.6% due to the sheer weight being carried, thus calling for pusher power. Not all trains require this, because the ability of the engines to pull the train up the grade is enough. When it’s not, then additional power is added on.

Here are two of my favorite mountain railroading videos, one from each of the Eastern United States Class 1’s.

CSX:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHLkqyxGso0

Norfolk Southern:

Note the sound of all the blowers on the trailing motor screaming. While I’m not an EMD fan, it’s something else to hear the sound right up to the time to pushers come by.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6oo2vYoOuE