A good Saturday afternoon around Harrisburg

[TonytheTiger]

Bright blue skies beckoned me yesterday afternoon, but a ?honeydo? list submitted by my wife was also on my plate. After a sufficient amount of begging, and a promise to bring home Chinese when I was finished, I headed for one of my favorite spots in downtown Harrisburg.

Just as I arrived an eastbound intermodal was leaving the fuel pad. I missed it, but it did clear out the view of the yard . . . .

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=223428

I was waiting for another eastbound so that I could get a photo of it splitting the Pennsy signals at the east end of the fuel pad, but while I was waiting, a nice set of locos passed by in the yard . . . .

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=223432
http://rgkitchen.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1054204

Soon, NS train 33A approached, and I got my photo . . . .

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=223439

A westbound intermodal train was heading out at the west end of the yard and toward the Rockville Bridge, so I thought I would head over there to see if I could catch it. I missed that one, but NS train 12R was leaving Enola and would be crossing the bridge and heading for the Buffalo mainline just after the westbound cleared. I set up and caught it as it approached the CP Rockville signals . . . .

http://rgkitchen.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1054205

Earlier in the day, I read a report that a special KCS engine was on a train that was headed for Enola. I crossed the river and headed for the east end of Enola to see if I could find it. It had already been cut off and run back to the west end of the yard by the time I got there, but I did find this . . . .

http://rgkitchen.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1054206

As I headed back to the west end of the yard, I drove slowly past the engine terminal to see if I could spot the KCS unit, but I didn?t. Upon my arrival at the Overview Bridge, the first of two trains from the Buffalo line was entering the yard . . . .

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=223444

My scanner told me that the second Buffalo train was crossing the Rockville Bridge, and a westbound intermodal was also leaving Harrisburg yard. I stayed for the Buffalo train since I knew that it would be something special . . . .

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=223445

If you look in the background of the last photo, you would see the westbound intermodal train crossing the Rockville Bridge. I packed up and headed west to see if I could catch it. No such luck. I passed an eastbound train at Banks waiting to enter the yard and then made my stop at Sheetz for a sandwich.

I then headed for the ?spot? at the west end of Cove and waited. I didn?t have to wait long until an eastbound slab train arrived . . . .

http://rgkitchen.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1054210

Soon after it passed, I heard another westbound intermodal leaving Harrisburg, so I got comfortable and waited. When my scanner told me that it was approaching Cove, I got out of my truck and set up . . . .

http://rgkitchen.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1054207

If you notice, the power for that intermodal was the Operation Lifesaver and CN units I spotted earlier in Harrisburg yard. They had been turned around, probably on the old Reading bridge at Front Street.

All afternoon, while all of this was going on, a Loram rail grinder was working its way from Harrisburg to Duncannon. Just as the sun was setting, it arrived at Cove . . . .

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=223446

As it turned the corner toward Duncannon, I took a backlit shot that emphasized the dirty nature of this job . . . .

http://rgkitchen.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1054208

I now headed for Duncannon to try to get a few more photos of the grinder. The sun was behind the ridge when I arrived, so these last photos were taken at what would be considered ?dusk?. The grinder made two passes around the curve east of Duncannon before finishing for the day . . . .

http://rgkitchen.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1054209

Finished, the grinder crossed over and headed into the hole at Duncannon . . . .

http://rgkitchen.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1054202

With supper time approaching, and an appointment to pick up Chinese, I headed for home. Altogether, from 1:30pm to 5:30pm, I saw 10 trains and the rail grinder. Not too bad.

Rob Kitchen
Harrisburg, PA