Buffalo- a nice end to July

[Matt L]

As summer winds down, I finally have chance to catch up and share my adventures with the rest you. The most successful of my railfan outings was in the Buffalo area, a little over a month ago. I set up at the Tifft Street bridge shortly before 10 AM and was rewarded by 8 trains over the course of 101 minutes! This included 3 NS trains. CSX and a shortline constituted the rest of them.

When I arrived, this NS local was switching at Buffalo Creek Junction.



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY.

 

[Matt L]

The NS local was powered by a GP38-2.



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY.

[Matt L]

An MOW truck heads up the NS ROW towards Tifft Street and Buffalo Creek Junction. The tail end of a stack train on the CSX Chicago line is in the right background.



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY.

[Matt L]

The Buffalo & Pittsburgh RR, a shortline, was also switching at Buffalo Creek junction. Their local paused to the let the NS MOW truck pass.



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY.

[Matt L]

After a while, this eastbound NS freight approached Buffalo Creek Junction:



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY.

[Matt L]

The lead engine has emerged from under the Tifft Street bridge. Ths NS local was still switching in the distance and we can also catch a glimpse of the EMD switches working on the B&P nearby.  



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY.

[Matt L]

The eastbound NS mixed freight and the NS local meet at Buffalo Creek Junction.



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY. 

[Matt L]

The tail end of the NS eastbound freight:



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY. The train is on the former NKP mainline. Behind it, going from nearest to farthest, are the following RRs:

1. the Buffalo Southern RR (ex-Erie branchline) -not to be confused with the B&P!
2. CSX Chicago Line (ex-NYC mainline)
3. CSX branchline (ex-Lehigh Valley)

 

[Matt L]

A short time later, another eastbound NS freight made the approach to Buffalo Creek Junction:



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY.

[Matt L]

Although the second NS freight had a few other cars right behind the locomotives, it was mostly auto racks. With the NS local still working in the far distance, this was the 2nd NS-on-NS meet of the day.



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY.

[Matt L]

As I caught the tail end of the NS auto racks, I also captured the B&P local climbing up the former South Buffalo RR. The NS auto racks might be unloaded in nearby Bison Yard, while the B&P is headed for some industries on the south side of Buffalo.



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY.

[Matt L]

Meanwhile, GP38-2 #566 and her crew had finished switching, so the NS lcoal was headed out of the yard:



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY.

[Matt L]

The short string of boxcars is probably headed to a couple of customers in Hamburg, which is just a few miles down the tracks. The bridge in the distance belongs to the B&P. 



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Buffalo, NY.

[Matt L]

With the action a Tifft Street slowing down, I spent some time with CSX in Tonawanda and then headed to one of my favorite haunts in the Buffalo area- NS's Bison Yard. A switching operation began shortly after I arrived:



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Cheektowaga, NY.

[Matt L]

I recognized the engines almost immediately, as #6757 (still in CR dess blue) had passed through Buffalo Creek Junction a few hours earlier.



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Cheektowaga, NY. Auto racks are being unloaded at the far left. Combined with the light engine move, I'm pretty sure the auto racks came in on the train I saw earlier.

[Matt L]

NS shuffling engines at Bison Yard:



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Cheektowaga, NY.

[Matt L]

With the locomotives in the proper palces, the NS crew has couple to a short locla and is heading out of Bison Yard:



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Cheektowaga, NY. 

[Matt L]

Approaching the Harlem Road bridge:



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Cheektowaga, NY.  

[Matt L]

As the tail end of the local approached, I decided to head to dinner and then back to an engagement in Rochester. All in all, I had a very productive day in Buffalo.



Photo taken by me Friday 7/30/2010 in Cheektowaga, NY. I hope everyone enjoys these pictures as much as I enjoyed the chases. To view the full albums, go to:

1. http://s857.photobucket.com/albums/ab139/Erielackawanna/BfloCrkJct07302010/
2. http://s857.photobucket.com/albums/ab139/Erielackawanna/BisonYard07302010/