2006 February Railvation – Day 3
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February 19th 2006, dawned extremely cold and clear over the Allegheny Mountains. Paul Lodge, Brad Conant, Charles Kadyk and myself, Joey Kelley awoke at the Tunnel Inn, Gallitzen, PA. Our local tour guide, Phil Faudi, arrived at the Tunnel Inn at 0930. We headed out for a day of railfanning fun in the Altoona area.
1004 found us on an overpass on Rt 53 in Gallitzen, with a EB hotshot intermodal lead by NS 9631 on track 1. 1006 saw the pushers rolling under the Rt. 53 overpass.
Same location, 1015, had an eastbound rolling down track 3 – 9342, 9721 and 9433 leading.
We headed to Cresson, specifically the railfan viewing platform. By 1027 we arrived, NS 7209 a SD-80MAC (Conrail restencil) was idling parallel to the main line, along with 3359, 3372 and 3362 in the Cresson helper servicing facility.
At 1028 an Eastbound hotshot intermodal with NS 9229 and 8693 on the head end, rolled by down track 1.
Same location, 9 minutes later at 1037 had a westbound rolling by on track 3, NS 7506, 1646, CEFX 2799, NS 9033 and 3201 all on the head end. 3342 and 3335 were assisting on the rear of the train with the braking downhill.
We moved west to South Fork, and at 1122 – a westbound general freight rolled by, with 6759 (Conrail restencil) and 9910 doing the honors. 3387 and 3341 (Conrail restencil) brought up the rear, helping with the downhill grade.
As the helper engines rolled around the curve at South Fork, a pair of SD-80MACs rolled Eastbound and into the yard that starts the branch. 7210 (Conrail restencil) and 7202 disappeared out of sight.
An eastbound on track 1 appeared at 1143, 9856, 9320 and 8403 on the head end of a coal drag. 3340, 3338, 3337 and 3343 were all pushing on the rear end. 25,000 horsepower moving one train towards Altoona.
We moved to a double stone arch bridge in Summerhill – roughly MP 263 – and at 1208 an Eastbound freight rolled up the grade. NS 9672, 9163, HLCX 9006, NS 8950, 5551, 3349 (Conrail restencil) and 3347 blasting up the grade on track 2. 3335 and 3342 were pushing on the rear. If all the units were online, that was 29,000 horsepower.
A bit of a delay, at 1232 we saw an EB rolling up the grade, NS 9955 and BNSF 4182 rolling uphill with a general freight. 3341 (Conrail restencil) and 3387 shoving on the rear.
We moved a bit to the East, and setup at MP 262. Westbound steel slab train rolling down the grade with 9846 and 8604 on the head end, with 3428 and 3352 helping with the braking down the Western slope on track 3 at 1246.
Same location, 1303, had another WB rolling down track 3, this time it was a general freight. NS 2606 and UP 8397 leading.
We headed east, way east actually, to the Kistler viaduct, MP 189. The Westbound Pennsylvanian rolled through – 1519. Paolo Roffo joined us at the Kistler viaduct and remained with us for the rest of the day.
Same location, the afternoon lull had evidently hit, as it was 1620 before the next westbound rolled over the viaduct, 9822 and 8890 on the head end.
We had to be back in Altoona for dinner, so time was getting short. As we headed westerly in that direction, the scanner lit up with an Eastbound. Too far to go back to the viaduct, an unexplored location was decided upon, East of Huntington at the US 22 overpass. At 1640, an eastbound intermodal hotshot with NS 9150, UP 3885 and NS 9474 rolled east. We called 'Last Shot' and headed for Gallitzen.
When we arrived at the Tunnel Inn, a helper set was just going east. I jumped out and made a mad dash for the bridge over tracks 2 and 3 – in the process, I misjudged the curb and took a wicked tumble, but never fear – the camera was safe – and I got the shot. 1740, and we headed into the Inn to freshen up for supper.
Freshened up, we were on our way to supper, but not before getting a few last shots of the day – as an LMS leaser (a Dash 8 I believe, but don't have the number) with an NS unit trailing, heading east into Altoona on track 2. 1757, and light was just about gone.
Although many trains would be heard rumbling by in the next few hours – none were photographed until the next day.