Trains on November 24, 2008
This whole set was shot as JPEGS so frankly the quality is sub-par for what I have been shooting lately

Waiting for a train we missed

Brad and I started out waiting at Pottstown station for 30J. Little did we know our favorite Canadian Pacific train had passed while we were at work. So we caught the NS 9797 leading a WB unknown symbol train that we would see two more times later (YouTube of WB 9797). Then the EB NS 502 pulling coal (YouTube video of NS 502) and EB 14G mixed freight which we shot from the Charlotte St overpass before beginning a day of scouting. Keep in mind both of us fools have just worked all night. Where ever some of 14G came from, it had obviously snowed recently.

Off to do some scouting

Everyone is looking for a new place to shoot and Brad and I are among those. He shoots some great pictures if he would only post them. He has a computer full of great shots dying to be seen.The Lehigh line was our chosen place to scout today. In order to get there it made sense to run the Reading line between Reading and Allentown. We caught NS 9797 leading through Metztown in Berks County. This line is busy and the trains are moving at a good clip. I have no idea how fast but they bear down on you quick and there isn't much time to fiddle with settings or lenses on the cameras.

Next stop Allentown...

We knew Allentown had some great photo opportunities but we had to find them. First place we started was Canal Park. Not a great view where we started but worth a return visit. We found where a car had driven into the canal. Not sure what the driver was thinking. Maybe they weren't? We did manage to catch a train leaving the yard through the trees. Saw a Conrail Quality SD60 running third. We found power parked on the east end of the yard near the point formerly called CP-JU, now its just JU. Check out the damaged fuel tank on the side of the Conrail SD-60. Wonder what it was struck by.

Continuing east we found CP Richards

Milepoest LE 82.8 is the location of a drag device. This area is fairly remote by railroad standards and home to a few gun clubs. We noticed the DED being close enough to the road that we could stop and get a few photos. You can hear one on my You Tube video of the Blandon detector below. The last photo shows the info stamped on the side of a rail.

Hugh Moore Park in Glendon

Continuing on the trek brought us to a park nestled between the Lehigh River and the Lehigh Canal. Great spot with a neat looking steel bridge and the stone wall in the background will make for some great photos if we had some trains. Brad kept looking from the bridge after I had given up, we were getting desperate. I found this interesting looking tunnel type thing along side the road at the park. Not quite sure of its purpose.

Finally in Phillipsburg...and an answer to why we have no trains

After checking out some spots in Easton which didn't appear photo ready at a quick glance, we crossed into Phillipsburg, New Jersey. We found a maintenance crew working on the Delaware River bridge replacing ties. Which essentially shut the line down for the day. The New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center which has a neat train layout inside. They weren't open so the only photos are through the windows. There is also a Phillipsburg Railroad Historians Museum right along the tracks as well.

The last photo goes out to Scotty. My webpage is K-9 friendly. Even dogs like railfanning. Ask Chase.