January 17, 2014

Connecting an Engine, Finding Graffiti Painted Boxcars

On the third day of the new year, I was visiting the Norfolk Southern yard in Harrisonburg and captured an engine (NS 3407) connecting to the rest of its train. The train already had one locomotive (NS 7602) attached. Click to view a short video of the process. Below is a photo before the two engines connected.

NS 3407 hitching up to NS 7602 and grain and box cars

NS 3407 Prepares to Hook to NS 7602 and Its Train, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (3-Jan-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Here are a few photos after the hook up. Note that the NS 3407 is an EMD SD40-2 locomotive.

NS 3407 and 7602 connected

NS 3407 Connected to NS 7602 and Its Train, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (3-Jan-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

NS 3407

NS 3407 Locomotive, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (3-Jan-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

the NS 3407 & 7602 train

NS 3407 & 7602 Locomotives and Train, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (3-Jan-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Just a little further up the track, behind R. S. Monger & Son, were boxcars which were connected behind the grain (covered gondola) cars. Two of these were Wisconsin Central cars with artistic graffiti on their sides. They were WC 27475 pictured below which was north of WC 27848.

Wisconsin Central 27475 boxcar

Wisconsin Central 27475 Boxcar, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (3-Jan-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Wisconsin Central 27848 boxcar

Wisconsin Central 24878 Boxcar, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (3-Jan-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Always something more to photograph and show here. Come back when you can.

January 16, 2014

"She'll Be Coming 'round the Mountain When She Comes..."

All right, we do not have mountains right in Harrisonburg, but the rail tracks to make several curves. For the three photos below, I was standing about 100 ft (30 m) south of the wooden railroad bridge on W. Water St. between Route 42 and Route 11. In the first photo I'm looking north toward the bridge, for the second one I am looking south from where I was standing, and for the third photo I was standing on the bridge looking north.

looking north towasrd the Water St. wooden bridge

Looking North to the Wooden Bridge on Water St., Harrisonburg, VA, USA (28-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

looking south from south of the wooden bridge

Looking South from Just Below the Wooden Bridge on Water St., Harrisonburg, VA, USA (28-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

on the wooden bridge looking north

Looking North from the Wooden Bridge on Water St., Harrisonburg, VA, USA (26-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

Here is the surface of the wooden bridge as seen from W. Water St. looking toward Route 42.

the wooden bridge on W. Water St.

The Wooden Bridge on Water St., Harrisonburg, VA, USA (28-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

Two days later back at the Norfolk Southern yard, I found two previously seen locomotives, NS 9064 (a GE Dash 9-40CW) and NS 7602 (an ES 40DC). Both of these were described in my January 2 posting, so here are just a few more photos.

NS 9084--a GE Dash 9 40CW

Locomotive NS 9084, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (28-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

NS 7602, a GE ES 40C@ locomotive

Locomotives NS 7602, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (28-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

NS 7602 next to covered gondola cars

NS 7062 Next to Some Covered Gondola Cars, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (28-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

close up of the NS 9084

NS 9084 (up close and personal), Harrisonburg, VA, USA (28-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

Then two days after that, I was south of Mcgeheysville and Elkton, VA, and saw the NS 3456 pulling a maintenance of the way (MoW) train. The NS 3456 is an SD 40-2 engine which was built by EMD from 1972 through 1989. According to Wikipedia, it was EMD's most successful locomotive. It can deliver 3,000 hp while the GE Dash 9-40CS can produce 4,400 hp.

It is pulling a caboose, that I presume is accommodations for those working on the track. The last car has a similar small CAT excavator that I posted photos of on October 22 from seeing it in Harrsonburg.

MoW train approaches railroad crossing

MoW Train Approaches a Crossing, South of Megeheysville and Elkon, VA, USA (30-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

NS 3456 pulling the MoW train

NS 3456 Pulling a MoW Train, South of Megeheysville and Elkon, VA, USA (30-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

caboose in the MoW train

Caboose in a MoW Train, South of Megeheysville and Elkon, VA, USA (30-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

low open gondola car probably with rail ties in it

Gondola Car with Rail Ties, South of Megeheysville and Elkon, VA, USA (30-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

It was thrilling to see the maintenance of the way train in a different location but not far from Harrisonburg.

January 2, 2014

More Locomotives Are Photographed

A variety of locomotives continue to show up in the Norfolk Southern rail yard in Harrisonburg and in the adjoining adjacent to R. S. Monger & Son. So this doezen of photos shows many different engines.

While at the yard the other day, I met Joel Spitzer and learned that NS places the type of engine a given locomotive is in smaller type under the large number of the locomotive on the side of the engine. My only excuse is that my eyesight is bad enough that I did not notice it. But since I now know this, I can see it in my photos and have stared my own roster of NS locomotives. I will in the next few days go back and confirm that I did not mis-identify any engines in the past.

Below is NS 9084 sitting in the Harrisonburg yard.

NS 9084 in Harrisonburg, VA, USA

Norfolk Southern Engine 9084, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (26-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

And to illustrate what I have learned about the identification of the engine type, here is a close-up of the number on the side of the NS 9084 showing that it is a GE Dash 9-40CW.

close-up of the number on the side of the NS 9084

Close-up of the NS 9084 Number, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (26-Dec-13; © Richard L. Bowman)

Next to the NS 9084 were two more trains. The one closest to the NS 9084 was pulled by the NS 7602 which I have seen before. It is a GE Evolution Series 40DC engine. It is an evolution because it is along similar lines to the previous GE engines but meets the new EPA mandates.

Wikipedia describes this series well. "The Evolution Series is a line of diesel locomotives built by GE Transportation Systems, designed to meet the U.S. EPA's Tier 2 locomotive emissions standards that took effect in 2005. The first pre-production units were built in 2003. Evolution Series locomotives are equipped with either AC or DC traction motors, depending on the customer's preference. All are powered by the GE GEVO engine."

For more information, check out the "Evolution Series Brochure" from the GE Transportation web site.

NS 7602 and its train

NS 7602

Next to the NS 7602 train is one pulled by NS 8348. Painted on its side is the identification that it is a GE Dash 8-40CW engine.

Engines NS 7602 and 8348

Here is a small panorama photo showing all three engines.

NS 9084, 7602 and 8348

On the previous day, Christmas, December 25, as we were coming home from an evening meal, I convinced Elsie to let me try for some nighttime photos of train engines. The first one below is done with the flash unit on the camera. The second one was in ambient light without a flash, and it shows marked handheld jiggle. To get rid of the weird colors from the artificial lighting in the Harrisonburg yard, I converted the second photo to B&W. Next time I will need to use a tripod and longer time exposures., but it was fun giving it a try! By the way, a close look at the first photo reveals that the engine was NS 7602.

NS 7602 at night with flash

NS 9084 at night with ambient light

The week before Christmas, I found a long train of covered gondola cars and box cars sitting near the Harrisonburg yard across from R. S. Monger & Son and the old train station. It was pulled by NS 8345 and NS 8348.

train of covered gondola cars and boxcars

old tain station near R. S. Monger, Harrisonburg, VA

NS 8345 and 8348 pulling train

NS 8345 locomotive

I'm still amazed at all of the train equipment I can see around Harrisonburg. Check back often for more.

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