Railroads: Locomotives, Bridges & More
September 18, 2013
September 18, 2013
September 17, 2013
September 17, 2013
September 13, 2013
September 13, 2013
September 9, 2013
Trying to Get Up-close to a Switcher and Some Switches
I have been propelled by my curiosity--a great attribute for a scientist to have--about what the switcher locomotive at the Pilgrims feed mill looks like and what make and model it is. So this morning I went to the feed mill and took some pictures of it along its side until I was told by the management that I cannot take any pictures on their land. So I promised to not take anymore and left the premises. Here is a side-view of that switcher.
A GE 44T or 45T Switcher, Pilgrim's Feed Mill, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (18-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
As best as I can tell even with some assistance by our son Jonathan, this switcher looks like either a GE 44T or GE 45T (where T stands for "ton"). Here are some other photos that seem to reasonably match the one above. This is called a "center-cab" design and is not common outside of switchers.
- GE 44T II-A3 (photo from 1967)
- GE 44T II-B2 (photo from 2005)
- GE 45T IV-A (photo from 1973)
- GE 45T II-C3 (photo from 1984)
- GE Center-cab Switcher (almost identical engine but the photo has no model identified)
Wikipedia gives the same years of manufacture for both the GE 44T and the GE 45T--1940 to 1956. However, one can find photos identified as to engines being built outside of that time period.
Looking down at the railroad tracks and ties shows some interesting intersections and switches.
Motorized Switches on Track near Mt. Clinton Pike and Route 42, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (16-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
Just a few yards north of the electric switches is a mechanical hand-switch.
Mechanical Hand Switch on Track near Mt. Clinton Pike and Route 42, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (17-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
I will continue to follow my curiosity, but I will also continue to be law-abiding. I should still be able to get some quality and informative photos of railroad equipment.
September 18, 2013
Taking the Long View
Even though we live in a small city of around 50,000 persons, still one can get some vistas of long railroad tracks. Here are a few. The first one was taken behind the Hardee's fast food restaurant near Reservoir and Cantrell looking south toward James Madison University.
NS 9232 Pulling Two Carss, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
And of course, I like a closer look, too. Why are the spikes not driven down tight against the rail ties? Hmm....
NS 9232 Pulling Two Carss, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
In a different part of town, on Mount Clinton Pike just east of where it crosses Route 42, one can see a long line of grain cars waiting at the Pilgrims feed mill on the North side of the Pike..
NS 9232 Pulling Two Carss, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
NS 9232 Pulling Two Carss, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
And there are more grain cars on the South side of the Pike.
NS 9232 Pulling Two Carss, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
To move the cars around as they load and/or unload is a smaller switcher locomotive.
NS 9232 Pulling Two Carss, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
I will try to get a more up-close photo of this switcher so that I can identify it. Our son, Jonathan, and I have had no success so far.
September 17, 2013
Signs of Trains
The simplest sign in the United States indicating a train track crossing a road is the "Railroad Crossing" sign shown below. This one is in Harrisonburg, VA, close to Route 42 on the south end of the city.
NS 9232 Pulling Two Carss, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
When I looked closer at my photo, I noticed a little sign I had not noted before. If you car gets stalled on the tracks and you cannot get it off, call the 800-number listed and give them the crossing information printed on the sign.
NS 9232 Pulling Two Carss, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
Below is a photo of a more complex crossing signal with flashing red lights and a wooden gate arm that comes down just prior to a train crossing the road. This one is located near the northern edge of the Harrisonburg, VA, on Mount Clinton Pike just east of where it crosses Route 42.
NS 9232 Pulling Two Carss, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
I have some more photos of tracks and switches and even a small switcher locomotive. But that will come tomorrow or later.
September 17, 2013
The Prequel to "Locomotive NS-9232"
This some grandsons enjoyed the last video, I pulled another one out of the folder. It is not as long, and it came before the other one in time. So it is a prequel!
NS 9232 Pulling Two Carss (earlier), Harrisonburg, VA, USA (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
This time it is only a short video, so I am posting here rather than on YouTube. Let me know if you have problems viewing it.
- "Locomotive NS 9232 Prequel" video (mpeg4) (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
September 13, 2013
Locomotive NS-9232 in Motion
Last Sunday I photographed Engine Norfolk and Southern 9232 as it sat in the small train yard in Harrisonburg, VA. This morning I took a video of it as it moved two cars along on the track. It was no longer paired with another engine. I used a long zoom setting, so the engine looks a bit scrunched up.
NS 9232 Pulling Two Carss, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
The video of this is now on YouTube.
- "Locomotive NS 9232" video (13-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
I hope you and your young friends or children, including Caleb (our five-year-old grandson who is really into trans and knows a lot about them) enjoy this video.
September 13, 2013
Wooden Whistles and Real Whistles
Over the past several days, I have stepped unto the front porch just a few minutes before 7 a.m. EDT and collected the sound of train whistling several blocks away.
- Morning Train Whistle: “whistle-train.mp3” (11, 12-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
I have also collected two wooden train whistles, bought at Mast General Store, 630 West King Street, Boone, NC, USA, during our 40th wedding anniversary road trip to the Great Smokey Mountains. Here they are on our front porch.
Norfolk and Southern Trains, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (8-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
And here is their sound. I play the smaller, reddish one firs. t
- Wooden Toy Train Whistles: “whistle-wooden.mp3” (11-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
If you are interested in purchasing one or both of these train whistles, the Mast General Store has them in their online catalog.
September 9, 2013
Norfolk and Southern: Harrisonburg, VA
On Sunday afternoon (September 8), we drove past the small Norfolk and Southern Railway yard in Harrisonburg, VA, USA. There were two trains lined up. One of them had four engines and the other one two (as far as we could tell).
Norfolk and Southern Trains, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (8-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
According to NSDash9.com, Norfolk and Southern has 1086 active GE Dash 9-40CW engines with one of these in storage. The NS 9232 was built in May 1998. I wonder how many miles it has covered in the past 15 years since it was built.
Norfolk and Southern Locomotive 9232, Harrisonburg, VA, USA (8-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
Below is a close up of one of its sets of wheels.
Close-up of One Set of Wheels on NS 9232 (8-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
The NS 9232 was paired with NS 9758 on Sunday, and I presume that these two are a "married pair" which means they are connected back-to-back and usually operate as a pair. NSDash9.com reports that Engine 9758 was built in February 2003.
A "Married Pair" of Locomotives (8-Sep-13; © Richard L. Bowman)
To hear one of these D9-40CW's idling in NS' Lamberts Point Yard, Norfolk, VA, USA, play the sound below or right-click and save the mp3 file to your computer and play it there. This is from the Norfolk and Southern web site.
- NS D9-40CW Idling: “Locomotive_in_idle.mp3”
The NS site also has a map of all rail lines in the NS system. Download the pdf version to see lots more details. Below are two areas of most interest to me and our grandchildren--Harrisonburg, VA, USA, and Lancaster, PA, USA. These were cut from the pdf file.
The NS System of Railroads from South of
Harrisonburg to Winchester, VA, USA.
The NS System of Railroads from Chambersburg to Lancaster and Reading, PA, USA.
More Info
-
Norfolk and Southern Railway - its main web site.
--©2013, Richard L. Bowman
Response Form