Trains on December 1, 2008

34M by Pottstown

As most days chasing trains do, this one started at Pottstown station. The first train by was 34M. Basically a glorified move of power westbound.

Headed west to Wyomissing

Wyo is normally a hotbed of activity on just about any day, so I headed west on RT-724 from Pottstown. This allows me to sneak a peek at the Turkey Path and on occasion catch a bonus look. NS was doing some work out on the main which I knew would prevent traffic from coming through. Managed to catch the H48 moving across RT-724 just east of I-176.  (YouTube video of H48)

Heads up from Nick on the 21M

Nick Anshant who runs a great website of his own (http://www.parailfan.com/) which is 100% railroad, sent me a text letting me know about 21M coming west through Bethlehem. Lots of power on this train but not a whole lot of train. (YouTube video of 21M)

Stopping in West Lawn

I continue to look for new places to shoot pictures. Yes, some may say I am trying to re-invent the wheel, but I never claimed to be bright. Somewhere I will find somewhere new that has a great angle that someone hasn't gone to yet. Maybe...well anyway, I heard the H33 working out of Brown's Manufacturing which I later found in Sinking Spring. This train passed under me just as I got to my attempted vantage point. Thus why it is framed in trackside weeds. One car going back to the yard in Reading. Then the 14G came west. I was working the video camera or I actually would have gotten a photo of the two trains passing. Maybe next time. (YouTube video of the H33 and 14G)

36Q blows by me then I get a second look

After driving along the rails in Western Berks County I was getting frustrated at the lack of traffic. The radio was scratchy and I was picking up a lot of chatter which was closer to Reading. I was traveling west into Robesonia and  turned up Freeman Street. There is a local swim club along the tracks, I parked there. No sooner was the car in park the bells started ringing. There was little time to scout a position to stand or light, 36Q was on top of me. Luck for me they were running way ahead of schedule and Kenny held them at West Laurel. The guy on the train side of the radio said, "o.k. on shopping at Target for a bit". (YouTube video of 36Q at Robesonia)

He wasn't lying, the train was stopped directly behind Target on 5th Street Highway. Great spot to stop and grab some photos. If you ever get the chance to park alongside a locomotive while it idles I highly recommend it. The growling sound it makes while idling is awesome.

Checking out a site suggested by Brad

Brad told me about a spot he had found over the weekend. When he explained it to me on the phone, my first thought was I didn't have my gun with me today. Definitely not a neighborhood I would be hanging out it for a long time, but always looking for a new angle. I caught the 22V a little east of where he suggested. In case you are wondering, I was at Blair and Clarion Streets in Reading. It puts you about 300 yards east of Dunkle. Brad's spot was in a neighborhood on par with this one but was east of Leisey on the rails that come into the middle of Reading.

I later went down into West Reading because I needed gas. I was checking dead end streets to see if there were any new vantage points and found CP-Leisey from the end of the street. Not a great angle, but still on legal property.

H49 on the Pottstown Industrial

I really love watching trains run the Industrial Highway in Pottstown. The rails look terrible and creek like you expect rails to creek. None of this modern welded rail stuff. I didn't even think the signals worked along there. The cool part about this is that they usually have a GP-38 in the consist for the short moves and the horn sounds awesome. Videos later. (YouTube video of the H49)