GMA train video

Oh, here's a cellphone video of the train we shot too.

Good Morning America Whistlestop Tour

Thanks to the good folks at Railroad.net I found out that the Good Morning America Train would be coming through Rochester this evening!
Power was provided by two specially decorated Amtrak Genesis engines.
The third "unit" in the consist was a strange beast indeed! An F-40 ph "Cabbage" had been given a set of balls! No, really, balls, over the baggage/ engine room area the roof line was lowered and a pair of domes, probably for live feed during broadcasts, had been added to the roof!
A matched set of 6 Superliner cars decorated in a real nice red, white and blue reflective scheme made up the majority of the consist.
On the tail-end a pair of BEAUTIFUL, restored Pennsylvania private cars were bringing up the markers. I ran across Main street to try and get a going away shot but after almost getting whacked by an RTS bus I found my batteries had died... what a PUTZ! I forgot to pick up new ones on my way out to shoot today. Oh well, I got some shots.

Steam on the Arcade and Attica, part II

With #18 sounding for the grade, we departed Arcade station on time. After clearing the road #18 enters a "canyon" between two brick buildings with the exhaust barking nicely. The line curves through the parking lot and across the famous plate girder birdge. The trip to Curriers is about 45 minutes there are a few grade crossings along the way to give the crew a chance to perfect there skill on the 2-8-0's deep throated whistle. At Curriers, #18 makes a run around move to facilitate the return to Arcade. The crew makes a photo stop along side the freight station for a few minutes then we re-board for the return trip to Arcade. The 1920 Alco couples on to the last car of the train, a 1940's vintage composite gondola with benches, and were on our way. After working Diesel Days at the RGVRRM all those years you think I would have remembered the "hazzards" of riding in the open, but I didn't. We stood in the gondola about 20 feet from the smoke box door of #18 and we recieved our "Free Souveniers". As she accelerated with her train we were rewarded withh a shower of soot!!! Yay!!! We didn't mind, I'd take coal soot over diesel soot any day! Once we got back to Arcade we stopped at a few stores and I was able to shoot the second train of the day as it crossed the bridge behind the parking lot. This was a great trip behind one of the VERY few steam locomotives operating in New York state. You should try it!

Steam on the Arcade and Attica

Once a year on our anniversary my wife and I get to leave the kids with grandma and take a well earned overnight vacation by ourselves! Last
year we had a great time in Niagara Falls but this year money was a bit tighter so my wife tried to find something closer to home. We spent Saturday night in a cabin at the "Tumble Hill Campground" in Chohocton, N.Y.. The next morning after an awesome breakfast of sausage and blueberry pancakes made by her dad we stopped by the B&H's engine house in town to check on the Alcos. There were still 5 big 6 axle monsters there. Numbers 3670, 3664 & 3674 are all M 636's and 3660 & 77 are C-636's. B&H numbers 4&5 were there too. I would have stayed and shot some more pics but we were running late for the second half our getaway!

We headed west to Arcade to catch the first train of the day, we arrived just 10 minutes before depature time! We got our reserved tickets and boarded the second to last car in the train. In a couple of minutes, with two longs a short and a long from #18 we were on our way. More on the trip on my next post!

425 & 418 in Henrietta!

Yesterday, we were shopping in Henrietta

and I was amazed to catch the LA&L crossing West Henrietta road! I have know that they still used these tracks to serve the lumber yard for a while but have never caught the move in person. As we crossed the tracks, the wrong side as far as the lighting was concerned, I saw 425's nose creeping towards the road. 425 and 418 looked and sounded GREAT as the headed south (or east) across the road. I would have chased it but we were hungry, so we went to The Cracker Barrell instead.

Falls Road Re-activated!

Wow, not even 3 months after my post about the eastern end of the Falls Road, CSX has started serving Klein Steel on Vanguard Parkway (off of Emerson). Last week I spotted 2 flat cars behind their plant and today I spotted 3 flats. I accidently deleted the pics but I hope to actually get some shots of a train moving on this line. Stay tuned railfans!!!