2006 February Railvation – Day 1-2
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Hello All,
Brad Conant, Paul Lodge and myself, Joey Kelley, all arrived at the Tunnel Inn, Gallitzen, PA at 0600 February 18th, 2006.
We departed Brad's place at about 1945 on the 17th. One pitstop was made – on the New York / Pennsylvania border, with the intent of stopping at a Perkins restaurant. They were closed. Of course, we were there at 0200 – so that shouldn't surprise us :-)
Just climbing out of Altoona, a train was sited going uphill towards Gallitzen, and another going towards Altoona a few minutes later.
By the time we hit the parking lot of the Tunnel Inn, just about at the summit of the hill west of Altoona, MP 248, the westbound was rolling through. A low priority coal drag, we witnessed it with tired eyes roll west with three SD-40s on the point.
We all hit the sack, and I cat napped until 0930 – when I began to type this.
After a quick shower and light breakfast, we headed out into the world.
First shot of the day was literally 150 feet from the Tunnel Inn at the Gillitzen Tunnel. 1118 – NS 3336, 3353, 3354 (Conrail stencil) lead a coal drag past us.
Into the van and down to Altoona, across from the Altoona Amtrak station, another westbound coal drag rolled by the Amtrak station at 1205. NS 9775 and 9535 leading.
Paolo Roffo, local railfan, currently at Penn State, State College PA, joined us at Altoona for the next several hours.
Same location, one minute later (1206) an eastbound hotshot intermodal rolled past. NS 3446 (raccoon) NS 3667, NS 9271, and UP 4497.
One minute later (1207) the EB intermodal was going by – and the pushers (helpers) for the WB coal train were visible – NS 3338 (Conrail stencil) and 3340.
We moved East – and at McFarland Curve at 1301 – NS 2662, (Brand new SD-70M) 9140, and 3551 rolling eastbound with a hotshot intermodal.
We moved further East to Tyrone, and another eastbound Hotshot intermodal rolled through -1340 – NS 9545 and 6805 (Conrail Restencil).
Another move, just to the East of Tyrone – two minutes too late to get any decent pictures, I grabbed two, one through the windshield of the van, of BNSF (warbonnet, BNSF repaint) 4707 as the second unit of an westbound intermodal. Fortune, and a majority vote in the van would lead us to see this unit again. At the same location, 1351, the aforementioned WB intermodal was meeting an eastbound intermodal – and I bolted out of the van and got a trailing grab shot – trailing unit was 9301.
Charles Kadyk, recently relocated to Mohnton, PA from Pittsfield, ME, arrived on the scene at this location, he would provide the second angle for the video documentation of our trip that will appear on the Great Falls Model Railroad Club TV show, TRAIN TIME.
Rolling west of Altoona, we grabbed lunch at Cresson, missing an EB general freight with an ex SP (NREX) tunnel motor in the process. We got takeout and rolled to the railfan overlook at Cassandra. 1503 saw a WB intermodal roll by – NS 9545 and a Conrail restencil SD-60M.
Same location 1514 – Helper move - WB down track 1 – SD-40-2s 3338 (Conrail restencil) – 3340.
Prior to our arrival at Cassandra, Paolo Roffo had to head off to work – his last shot would be of the EB we missed at Cresson.
Same location at 1520 – westbound down track 3 – NS 9332 – BNSF 4707 – NS 9141 – hotshot intermodal rolling down the hill.
Still at Cassandra – 1521 – (one minute later) – Westbound down track 2 – NS 9915 – NS 8308 (Dash 8 – Conrail restencil) NS 8638 – with a hotshot intermodal.
We moved to Summerhill – MP 263.8 - to the signal bridge there. 1550 had an EB helper move up track 3 – the NS 3338 and 3340 we saw moving earlier.
A few minutes later – 1610 – Westbound coming down track 1 – NS 3377 (Conrail restencil) and 8884 on the head end of a general freight. Interesting to note a SLC double door boxcar with an Montreal Maine and Atlantic logo headed west – kind of a postcard from home while I was 14 hours away.
We moved West, to South Fork – an elevated point where we had a view of all three mains and a siding where a branch joins the main. 1625, track 3, Eastbound hotshot intermodal rolling by with NS 8371 and 5420 (Conrail restencil).
Same location, also track 3, 1637, another hotshot intermodal, NS 9778 and 8401 (Conrail restencil).
Same spot – 1639 – Westbound hotshot intermodal – NS 9963, (gray primer) BNSF 4909, NS 9743.
We were about to head to our meal and hotel – however – just as we got into the van and started heading East, towards Altoona, the scanner lit up again with another Eastbound. We setup at a bridge overlooking all four tracks wide at this point. Next train was an EB autorack train NS 9258 and a CEFX lease unit rolling by at 1648, on track 1.
No sooner did the power from the EB autorack disappear around the bend, but Amtrak 6 westbound out of Altoona appeared around the bend on track 2 – with the Pennsylvanian - 1649.
1659 saw an eastbound hotshot intermodal on track 1 – with a BNSF unit as the second unit. Less than 30 seconds after the EB rolled by, a westbound rolled by on track 3 – two intermodal trains meeting in the same location – power for the WB was NS 9620 and a dash 9.
The action did break – and we headed for Altoona, setting up across the rail from the Amtrak depot. We caught a substantial amount of action there – the first was a EB intermodal – NS 9778 and 8401 (Conrail restencil) at 1753 rolling past the Amtrak station. Next was a WB merchandise train, the trailing unit was the 2701, a brand new unit, rolling by at 1757. Light had pretty much gone by this point, and my tripod was back in Maine. A helper set rolled by – WB at 1801 – the 3342 and 3335 doing the honors. Rolling EB at 1802 was an autorack train headed by 9258 and a CEFX unit.
There was another helper set up by Alto tower – which I couldn't get pictures of, but was a pair of SD-40-2s.
Six hours on the rails – and 16 trains – some of which were sited twice.
An exciting day – and one I won't soon forget railfanning the Altoona area.
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