HAPT Local Samplings

I figured a few local sights would make sense in case someone wanted to know what there is to see in the rail world around here. By "here" I mean Portland and north along the old MEC's "back road", all part of Pan Am Railways now. There's plenty to see but I don't want to build a fancy archive of details. Just a few highlights. The Wheelman has links to maps, freq's and a live scanner feed at his Maine Rail Scanner Yahoo Group also linked on the margins of this blog. Check out the "LIVE Maine Rail Radio" link on the top this page for live scanner action where these pictures were taken.

The picture to the left shows the latest "cabagge" car paint scheme on the Downeaster, complete with a Christmas wreath for the 2006 season. This guy is headed to Boston and is about to pass under the next road south of CPF 201. Double tracking has progressed to this area since the photo was taken. Rigby Yard's south end is around CPF 199 or so.

As we progress eastward past (ignoring) Rigby, we come to the two wyes where a line to Commercial Street and the Mountain Division line begin. That would be where the top photo taken in November 2007 comes in. The eastbound is rounding a curve on the wye for Commercial street and the head end is approaching Mountain Jct., CPF 196, where Amtrak detours up the old Mountain division to the new Portland Amtrak/Concord Trailways depot. The old Portland Union Station site is behind me. On the right we see a shot looking the other way toward the old Maine Central headquarters building and Union Station track area. Tower X is also intact as a small office building. The photo to the lower right is a pair of trains passing each other at Congress Street, CPF 195, at what used to be the other end of the station complex. This is now home to the Union Station Plaza as visible on the left of the photo. To the right out of view is the new Cumberland County "bed and breakfast" for the lawless. The 376 is heading the same train as the top photo, EDNM, and RIED is the westbound with the EOTD. Signalled territory continues east to Royal Jct., CPF185, in Yarmouth where the "lower road" splits off to Brunswick and the connection with the Maine Eastern Ry. After that point "Form D's" are the order of the day for anything that moves so finding trains depends on your scanner set to 160.620 mhz. They need plenty of paperwork to get anywhere so it's a bit like "shooting fish in a barrel" once you find one.

Next we'll skip about 30 miles east to Danville Jct. MP 167.47. This is where the old MEC meets the old Grand Trunk. Nowadays this is the major interchange between Pan Am Railways and GWI's St. Lawrence and Atlantic Ry. You can usually count on seeing trains to and from Rumford, Waterville and Northern Maine Jct. come through here daily. For the last year or two there has also been a local switcher based here as well. The SLR crosses over to work the interchange several times a day and once a week or so they have a local run down to Deering/Portland where they now terminate at Burnham and Morrill Baked Beans. All in all, Danville is a pretty good place to watch trains in this area during daylight hours though you may have some serious lull's between action. There are plans afoot to rearrange the interchange and crossover area in the near future. What this will do to the railfanning opportunities is anyone's guess.

The left photo shows the relatively new sign on the operators shack at Danville Jct. The photo to the right shows the local switcher, DJ-1 about to depart for the industries between here and Auburn. Between the interchange business and the variety of industries, business was getting too complex to leave everything to the passing road jobs to handle, apparently. This view shows the office before the sign was put up. Check out the GRS roster information and other details at the Railroads of Northern New England link on the right margin.

Another date and time (July 2006) finds one of the now rare SD26's in charge of DJ-1. Here the unit and a few cars approach Rumford Jct. (West) siding MP166 with a few cars for the back of a waiting westbound. This was also a joint W.F.P.T./HAPT outing so this action was well documented from the overpass near the Sleepy Time Motel and Channel 8. The lone unit then returned light to Danville Jct. with the crew of the canned westbound. The interesting part is the taxi service provided by the SD26. Follow the blue coolers.

The next stop down the line is Rumford Jct. (East), MP165 the other end of the siding. Just out of view behind the cars in the left photo is CPF 164 where signals guard the yard limits of Danville. A day later in July 2006 two passing trains swap power. Apparently one of the trains lost a unit and the other had one more than absolutely necessary. The result is a bit of shuffling right before our eyes. Again, our Massachusetts visitor from the W.F.P.T. gets to see all the strange operations we locals rarely see. The MEC 309 on the right of the right hand photo of this odd move is currently running around on NS to work off horsepower hours. Now and then it is sighted at Conway, PA by our friend at the Fallston Flagstop.

As we head east still farther, we cross the Androscoggin River from Auburn to Lewiston. In
October 2005 an eastbound shows us the bridge as an angry river floods below. Usually the water is much lower, if not hard to see from this angle. To the right we see a westbound at Fairgrounds West siding heading deeper into Lewiston in July 2006.
We see meets at Fairgrounds, MP 160, fairly often. The crews often head for dinner in this vicinity as well. Just past Fairgrounds East is a convenience store and Subway which are heavily patronized by passing crews. Below we see a westbound just leaving the Lewiston Subway shop and heading toward an eastbound at the end of Fairgrounds siding. Our westbound will then roll by on the siding allowing the eastbound to take his turn for lunch. There aren't many crossings to interfere with operations like this on the edge of Lewiston. The photo shows that the siding is actually shortened "double track" that used to extend over Main St. for another half mile or so. Back before the late 1980's when Lewiston had a yard, the second track extended the length of the city and ended before the Androscoggin River bridge. The second track then picked up again on the Auburn side. Not really double track in the busy mainline sense, but I bet it helped the flow of local operations back when there was plenty to keep a switcher busy and more traffic used the main. I remember seeing an Alco switcher based in Lewiston the few times I visited the real MEC. Somewhere I have photos of 958 switching in Auburn. That unit is now in New Hampshire and I've digressed.

Only a few miles to the east along route 100 is Leeds Junction, MP150.2. It's a bit off the main road but only far enough to miss it. If you cross over the Rumford line, you've gone too far. Here there is a couple of sidings and the wye for the Rumford Branch. One of the road jobs diverges here for the paper mills at Jay and Rumford.

Here we see RIED coming off the branch and heading west in the winter of 2006. This is a daily operation and the location is a public grade crossing. The branch makes for an interesting chase. A grain elevator a few miles up the line gives them an excuse for some switching which one might catch from another public crossing. Here I will also veer off as this is getting long.

Tune into the Maine Rail Scanner site at the top of page to hear trains at these locations and check the link on the right side to find maps of all these locations.

Unexpected Foreign Power in the Reading PA area

Haven’t been out in a while. I think that last time I was out was with Paul “Beefcake” “Wheelman” “don’t ever feed me a fu*^&#$&#ing chicken log again” Apollo, in Feb. A good outing but it’s been a while.

Monday was part of my spring break and while not too chilly it was sunny and nice. I headed for Wyomissing Junction, just west of Reading, to my favorite breakfast eatery, The “Dosie Dough” bakery. I picked up my usual bagel, toasted with cream cheese, a half dozeon of what I call the “sacrificial donuts” which I bring home to my lovely wife, Diane, as an offering of forgiveness for going to the bakery (without her) and for a bit of railfanning. Now mind you she likes to Railfan with me but she wasn’t exactly chipper to be awake at 6 when I went out. Life has its balances and this is one of them.

I also indulged in a “hot cross bun” aptly named from the tune I hear each and every year when I teach beginning instruments in my classes at school. This one was heavenly (unlike some of my student’s interpretations of THAT TUNE) with a cinnamon raisin core with delicious vanilla icing set in a cross on the top. (Perhaps being Easter the day before may have had something to do with it too. – who knows)

Now my goal was to catch the tri-weekly 30J train from Binghampton to South Philly which usually carries CP, Soo, or otherwise non NS power on it. It’s a mixed train of stacks, and general merchandise that makes the run over the D+H to NS in Sunbury PA then down to Harrisburg and east to Philly, via Reading. It usually comes thru early on these days.

No such luck as a friend down here emailed me via cellulite phonium that 30J had already been thru and had tied down in S. Philly at 0530 with 2 Soo units on the point. Too bad.

Well knowing that I decided to just see what comes along.

Well what a day for foreign power! Starting off with the H-33 local who comes hightailing west out of Reading, I mean to tell ya! He had an ex BN unit still in green but lettered for FURX on the front and a still CR blue SD-40-2 on the back.

It gets better.

Train 22V – Stacks from Chicago to North Jersey shows up with a C40-8W and SD-60 on point, both in blue heading eastbound. They drop down the connection to the line to Allentown and north jersey.

Later in comes the Herzog ballast train, #922, with a UP leader (4819) a CR blue unit behind and an NS unit with about 60 or so empty ballast cars heading for the Dyer quarry near Birdsboro PA, not far from Reading to the southeast.

In the mid afternoon Diane and I went out to lunch at one of the many bastions of Dutch country cookin’ called the Heidleberg diner out on US 422 near Womelsdorf PA. We picked up some seriously EVIL chocolate chip cookies for dessert to go, and I go to show Diane one of the nifty train watching spots nearby at Dorf siding while we munch our confection. Well wouldn’t you know along comes train 14G, Merchandise from Conway yard near Pittsburgh to Morrisville yard near Trenton NJ with another blue C40 on the point and right behind an SD-40-2 EMD leaser in blue and white.

The fun continues.

That evening before supper I hear on the scanner that the train 35A, transfer job from Allentown to Abrams yard, near King of Prussia, is coming east with a BNSF leader, #4707. After a delicious dinner of pigs in the blanket Diane and I head out to MP 54 over in Mount Penn, on the main line heading east to Philly.

Well unfortunately darkness fell on this lovely evening before the 35A made his way out of Reading east. We did see him and I think it was a war bonnet unit.

You probably notice that food features prominently in my blogs but hey that's half the fun of railfanning - trying out new places to eat.

It was a day filled with surprises for sure!

Joint W.F.P.T. / H.A.P.T. Summit At CP-DD CSX Fitchburg Sub.

Saturday night at 8pm ,I started hearing The Bee Gee's singing on my cell phone indicating a

phone call of the most important status,

The "WHEELMAN"was calling.Paul was in Worcester,Ma in I-290 heading back to Hebron,Me.When I suggested a "SUPPRISE SUMMIT" At the Dunkin Doughnuts in Northboro,Mass.Located a few short yards from the grade crossing of U.S. route 20 and the CSX "Fitchburg Sub"."Beefcake" and I used to do supprise summits all the time.REMEMBER The

Famous "-20f Summit At The Southboro T Station"? I do! We had coffee and Paul loaded up on H.A.P.T. Energy Pockets.Actually FOUR. "Jelly Doughnuts"For most of us it is a 3 hour ride,NOT FOR "The Wheelman"about 90 minutes for Paul up to Hebron.We discussed important business,and maybe future announcements will be made.It was good to see Paul again. We discussed "FOREIGN POWER" and of course For Joey "PURPLE TRAINS".

A short joint summit.

Billy L.

Another Picture Worth A Thousand Words

Any other slogan would render this caboose almost invisible.

Not only is this guy sitting on the only rails around, the "big train" has packed up and moved to the edge of town. This is Marysville, Kansas and the UP mainline from Kansas City to Gibbon Jct. used to pass right through the downtown area. The main and yard tracks were recently moved outside of town where the crew change facilities are still being developed. Even this caboose was moved, though just down the street along the old main to make room for a small park where the tracks used to be.

This very caboose (or at least one with the same slogan) has caused several good laughs at HAPT slide shows as it used to work the Salina, KS (on the old KP line) to McPherson, KS branch behind the usual 4 or 5 cars and loco. Three of us "contributors" went to Bethany College in Lindsborg which is right on the line where it crossed the MoPac's Pueblo, CO main. One memorable slide features only the loco and caboose running light on the branch. So much for "big train". The slogan would be a bit more believable behind a long train rolling over Sherman Hill in Wyoming but those new fangled bay window cabeese bumped some of these old guys to side routes. Of course all of them, old and new fangled alike, are "bumped" now. Even the rails through Lindsborg are all gone.

BC

The Adventure of the "Chicken Log"

The adventure of the “Chicken Log”

Brad asked me to impart this classic tail of the HAPT as witnessed by myself, Paul Apollo and Brad Conant back on a cold cold day in Northern Maine. I am not even sure of the dates although I suspect that it was during winter break of either 2002 or 2003 but at any rate it was a memorable trip for HAPT.

Well it was a cold day, say maybe in the single digits for a high, partly cloudy and off we went to Northern Maine. Brad and Paul stopped to pick me in the “Jackie Chan” mobile. This was an interesting piece of oriental engineering that Paul was driving at the time. It drove like a typical rice-burner with the souped up way that Paul drives, especially on Railfan adventures, thus giving him the name of the “Wheelman!”

Well the reason why we called it the “Jackie Chan” mobile was that there was only one way into the driver’s seat, and not thru an open door, more like an open window!!! And then starting it was an electrical nightmare. You turned the key, then pressed the ELECTRIC WINDOW SWITCH and it started! Shades of James Bond! The only thing missing were the rear wing mirror hidden machine guns.

Off we went in the “Jackie Chan” special towards Millinocket. Using Paul’s hyper sensitive ability to find trains (a handy trait in RR sparse Northern Maine) we found our senses being honed in towards Millinocket.

After moving up I-95 at nearly warp speed we got off at Medway and headed west for E. Millinocket. Lo and behold we hit pay dirt!

A WRECK!

The legendary abilities of the wheelman have once again been proven beyond compare!

Apparently the B+A (that’s Bangor and Aroostook – NOT Boston and Albany – You sons of donkey wipers Massh*&$s!) E. Millinocket local was on its way west towards Millinocket when it had a collision with an errant Quebec log truck.

What had happened was that the crossing signals had engaged and 3 cars had stopped at the crossing to await the plodding progress of this ex ATSF CF-7 with its load of steaming pulp box cars to make its way across. Well behind the cars and around a slight bend was this speeding red long bed log truck loaded with 4’ pulp logs no doubt heading for the E. Millinocket but today was only heading towards destiny!

The log truck driver saw the 3 cars in front of him and didn’t have the where with all (or perhaps brains) to stop in time. I’ll leave comments on the nature and intelligence of Canadian log truck drivers to others but try living in Skowhegan, ME for 9 years and you’ll get the idea of how they drive! He realizes that he cannot stop without hitting the cars in front of him therefore he veers around them, into the opposite lane, and in a vane attempt tries to beat the train at the crossing.

It was a tie and this case the train lost!

What we saw when we came across this mishap, about 2 hours after it happened, was a empty trailer at a skewed angle off to the side of the road, it’s main support beam had a few holes punch in it that looked vaguely like the front end of a train coupler or like a giant awl had punched a hole in it.

Scattered all over the far side of the crossing between the tracks, the road and a lake, were about 200 logs (good thing we weren’t over watching this train go by!).

The CF-7 after having struck the log truck had veered over and pitched on to its right side and plowed up about 25 yards of ballast, dirt and any trash that was besides the right of way. The first 3 cars derailed, 2 split open and thus we discovered the steaming pulp rolls inside while the rest of the train remained upright on the other side of the crossing.

We were watching several “white hats” working on how to clean up this mess. They were starting to put down those “bounty quicker picker uppers” absorbent sheets to soak up the spilled diesel fuel. Oddly enough the engine was in fairly good shape except being on its side. It reminded me of my early days of laying HO track and some of the mishaps that followed.

Well this was too good to ignore so we snapped away with our cameras (no video at this time yet) and for the life of me I cannot find the pix but either Brad, Paul or I (maybe) will find them and post them here later. We kept a respectable distance and recorded the event well.

Apparently the engineer suffered minor injuries and the log truck driver’s cab was missed by the train but the driver himself suffered financial injury in the form of some pretty stiff fines. The injury to the CF-7 proved to be fatal as it was easier for the B+A to cut it ups on the spot rather then upright it.

We still haven’t gotten to the chicken log yet!

This was quite an adventure so we soon longed for some sustenance which in E. Millinocket is not exactly plentiful! No Mickey D’s here by gory, chummy, no suh!

However there was Jim’s restaurant, (and general store, and gas station – you can get plenty of that and also fill up your car) proudly displaying the banner

HOME OF THE CHICKEN LOG!

Well Paul, being the sucker for a good adventure of the culinary kind, decided to partake of this delicacy of E. Millinocket. Guaranteed to satisfy the hunger of Paul Bunyan, ( and probably tastes like it came out the back end of his ox, Babe!). Anyway Brad and I we decided on something else, of which I cannot remember, which was good!

Paul has his chicken log and like “green cawn thru the new maid” begins to feel that this is probably not the best idea that he has ever had.

Well after lunch we head for Oakfield, and possible chance at seeing the station museum there. Hah, in the winter, in Maine. Signs say open in April. Oh, well. It’s getting late and we are nearly 3 hours from Pittsfield, my place and another hour and a half from theirs in Hebron. Paul is starting to turn about as green at the station building we were visiting so I take over driving privileges in the “Jackie Chan mobile”. Now for those of you not familiar with me (and watch how you say that) I’m nearly 6’5” so folding like a pretzel to get in this vehicle was an adventure in itself. We head for points south, getting to my home, and then Paul has recovered enough to drive the rest of the way home. Or perhaps Brad took over and my memory cells cannot recall at this point.

Turns out that this bout with intestinal miasma is not entirely due to the culinary effects of the “Chicken Log” but instead to a bout of stomach flu that was making its way thru the Apollo family at the time! We must not blame Tom’s restaurant entirely but the “chicken log” has lost its luster to our thinking anyway.

Hopefully faithfully reported by

Charles C. Kadyk
HAPT Southern Correspondent – former Northern Correspondent – and sometimes despondent that he left Maine in the first place!

Stay tuned for “Hot Action on Big Sandy”

Now there’s some fun for you there!

Some Ferroequinarchaeology

The pipeline of stuff to contribute spilled over last weekend. I came across some photos the Wheelman was "commissioned" to seek for a local organization in June of 2005. Since I had a new digital SLR and he had need, we set out to trace the old Portland and Rumford Falls route from Mechanic Falls to Buckfield. Both of us had seen pieces but neither of us had seen it all. I'll spare you most of the many empty roadbed shots and share a few highlights.

This Maine Central route used to feature Pullman through trains from New York to Kennebago where the Maine Central RR had a resort. My family used to ship apples on this line, some going to England where markets were good. My mother's parents used to ride from West Minot to Buckfield to attend high school. My dad's mother traveled to work at Bemis on this line and my dad's father used to go on fishing expeditions in the same neighborhood before the roads were built. My grandmother used to take my dad to a dentist in Rumford on this line, which is funny because I now commute to work following much of this line and go to a dentist in Rumford! Here is what's left of the East Hebron depot, which has been moved about 100 yards and is now a farm shed. The Hebron Historical Society would like to restore this building but there is some technical hangup with the town and the current user, not to mention where to put it. Things could change. We'll need help on that one if circumstances turn in our favor.

How about some solid artifacts. Bridge abutments tend to hang around a while. I think these had a deck on them until the 1960's or even 1970's. You can see them from Rt. 11 in Mechanic Falls when you cross the Little Androscoggin River. There is a park of sorts here and it used to be the site of a factory until it burned down in the '70's. It's a wicked flood plain though. A little south of this point the line headed eastward, passed a spur to Poland Spring Resort and ended at the mainline connection at Rumford Jct. Not far north there was a grade level crossing with the Grand Trunk who was here first with a 5' gauge line to Montreal.

As you head north out of Mechanic Falls on route 124 you pass by this gem of an arch bridge. It is fairly well known locally and probably dates back to well before the turn of the 20th century. The line's various owners had some ambitious plans early on. If you check the history books many of them went bankrupt and the line took many years to get to Canton. Buckfield was the terminus for a long time. The "new" high school there features etched glass with images of the steam engines working locally. The towns had to get involved to produce enough capital to build north. Rumford itself wasn't a real "target" until the paper mills were built around 1900.

This last shot is a roadbed shot but a scenic one. South of Buckfield village along the roadbed is a pull off area that resembles a park, but I'm not sure how official it is. It features a nice little pond and walking area. We ran into one of my cousins walking his dog here. Apparently he also fishes here and other spots along the roadbed.

We saw plenty of other stuff and I took lots of photos but this is enough for a low intensity tour. The several other depots are now private homes and I didn't want to bother them. One other major set of abutments is in Buckfield and has a snowmobile bridge on it. Photogenic but not terribly useful here. We found plenty of culverts and other signs but not much worth sharing here. Not a bad way to spend a lazy afternoon though. Mission accomplished.

BC

The Gospel According To Saint Skull

I was thinking that H.A.P.T. needs a logo like we do.Joey Kelley designed this one.He did three or four versions.I here by commission Joey do design a few H.A.P.T. logo's.Any comments? I

added an old Orange Line EL shot and a B&A shot from Gauthier Road near CP-60 CSX Boston Sub.I'll be away in Morrisville,VT all week,So if the old Lamoille Valley returns from the dead this week,I'll HAVE A SCOOP!!! Anyone ever railfan the MBTA Orange line?Remember the El.

Skull

The "Bad Penny"

Here's my short photo story of a unit that just kept showing up. Quincy Bay Terminal U-Boat #21. I think I made one trip to deliberately see the QBT, one deliberate trip to see QBT units at Danville Jct., two deliberate trips to the Conway Scenic, and several casual trips to the SLR to catch these images. At no time did I set out thinking I wanted to see that unit! It might have been different had I known it would be the shiny "new" unit on the CSR at their 2006 Railfan Days.

Don't you just hate it when someone abandons their vehicle right in your photo! This was a trip the Wheelman and I made to Quincy to meet with the creator of the NERail Photo Archive. The image is a scan of the engine house area, not the abandoned van. #21 barely shows up above the van. Dec. 2000


Here a good chunk of the QBT's roster is sitting at Danville Jct. interchange enroute to the New Hampshire Central. Fore River took over operations in Quincy so the units were headed to new homes. I actually wanted to see the Alco, not these guys. Oh, well. It's still unusual for these here parts. I think this is 2003 or 2004.

This time our hero was a true surprise on a normal "drive by" at Lewiston Jct. Who would have guessed the SLR would have any use for a GE. Even better, they used it as the South Paris switcher for a while. (I couldn't scan those slides today). All the while I thought it was in North Stratford or on the way. Two nice surprises in total.


In 2005, sometime just about the time my old Olympus SLR died, another HAPT member and I went to the Conway Scenic for something to do. I don't recall being surprised to see the unit this time thanks to internet chatter, but again, that's not why we went to the CSR. This was the last time we saw it in it's faded paint. Little did I know it would be the sharp unit it became in 2006, as seen at the top of the post.

BC - Trying to stave off cabin fever today!

Tourist Line Potential

Now and then you get to see something on a "tourist line" that just works out. While most of us sit around and moan about the good old days when a "real railroad" operated things on a given tourist line, a few of us hold our nose and take pictures anyway. Sometimes the results are surprising given that predilection ("Wheelman" started something) toward "real railroads". The shot above, taken on a spur of the moment trip with the Wheelman when "the junctions" seemed quiet, proved that the year or even the equipment didn't matter. Mt. Washington is still a nice prop for a photo though the Maine Central is long gone. This was Nov. 20, 2005.

And, how about the timelessness of hanging the markers. Where else is it going to happen except on tourist or museum lines. "Real railroads" don't bother with that much anymore, unless you count slapping a F.R.E.D. on the rear coupler of the last car. Somehow that just doesn't seem the same without a caboose or passenger car with crew members on board. This shot is on the Abilene and Smoky Valley in Kansas, an ex-Rock Island line that loads passengers right next to the Eisenhower Presidential Library. It helps to have "friends in the business" too because one visit yielded a cab ride on their Alco switcher. This shot includes a future contributor to this blog, a college buddy from way back in the dark ages.

BC

Farewell To 393

For the uninitiated "393" was a northbound freight on the old Grand Trunk back in the days when their world began on the Portland waterfront. When the SLR took over, 393 was retained at least in number. In the more recent past this train began at Lewiston Jct., or Danville Jct. where the GRS interchange is located, depending on where you count the start. Eventually this train would make its way to Montreal for CN connections to the mid-west and Canada. The counterpart 394 arrived back early in the morning, often before sunrise, so 393 was a favorite with railfans. The long summer days were great for chasing this train well into New Hampshire before the sun gave out.

Sadly, with recent closures of paper mills in Berlin, Groveton and elsewhere, traffic is down enough that 393, and its counterpart 394, is no longer run. According to chatter on the web, the train has been reduced to a local on the same route (516/517?). Too bad. With traffic booming and track expanding in Auburn, it's too bad to see this turn of events.

The top photo is from July 2006 while the shot below is from December 2006. There was a time when "matched" power was a big deal for us fans. Yes, 804 is a slug unit and the GWI paint scheme is common now, with the occasional lease unit for spice.


BC

Coolest Map of the Week

http://www.swisstrains.ch

This map is built atop Google Maps. It simulates where all trains are in Switzerland based on timetables. Since most Swiss trains are decidedly punctilious it works really well. A promised enhancement will tap into onboard GPS, giving real-time, real positioning.

Ah, I want to go back to France! And Geneva, and points beyond.....does anyone have a wheelbarrow filled with Euro I can have?

State Capitals - Take One

As a public service, HAPT endeavors to bring you all of our fine state capitol buildings. Here's our first. Where is it?

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

I was playing with photos and came across this one from two summers ago. The first thing that hit me was that the several of us watching the action that day thought it summed up the operations of the day very nicely. Trains were delayed, dying on hours, and otherwise crawling through a bunch of new slow orders. This was not a set-up by us. The last crew left this on the unit and the new crew ignored it. Further detail omitted to protect the innocent.

Random Travels of the Wheelman

I'm a luddite. Look it up. It means I have at least one foot firmly planted in the tried-and-true technology of the past. In photographers' terms, I still shoot slides. Any pix I'm able to post here are (1) scanned at my local WalMart or (2) taken with my point-and-shoot digital camera. With that fair warning, here are some random shots taken during my travels.

This is Columbus MS, November 2000. The Columbus & Greenville unit on display in front of the distinctive brick shops has been annointed as the "Official Baldwin of the HAPT". This unit is still on display. Columbus is worth a look-see the next time you're in north central Mississippi.

In January 2007 I found myself along the NS Harrisburg Line in Mifflin PA. There's a road bridge just east of the town's ancient PRR depot. It was a warm (50s), foggy morning, and I heard a whistle to the east. This WB passed beneath me on its way to Altoona & beyond.

This photo shows the Maine coast in its Fall 2004 splendor. This is Wiscasset, taken from the Rte 1 bridge just east of town. Note the pilings for the former WWF narrow gauge.

New Orleans, July 2007. Here's a St Charles streetcar passing by Bourbon St on the Canal St line.