Springtime Ramming Around The Junctions

There isn't that much to see around here most of the time but one always hopes for an off day.  Here are a few selections that are just a bit off the norm, but not by much.   The title shot above from 4/5/13 lacked both snow and leaves and was fairly clean to boot.  That's RUPO at Danville Jct. 

My first real selections are from the old Grand Trunk alignment at Danville Jct.  The shot (3/6/13) on the right shows the remains of the former main line to Portland.  It now ends in a three track stub yard well before the road crossing.  The left shot looks the other way and shows the line that used to go over the MEC diamond.  We've photographed many a unit on that very piece of roadbed - M420's, RS11's, GP40's, GP38's, GP9's, SW's, MP15's GP15's, you name it!  If the SLR had it or borrowed it, we saw it here.  The track's been out of service long enough now to look really desolate.  Of course the line isn't gone, just relocated.  It's the left most track in the top photo, from nearly the same spot.

Chasing the Rumford trains are about all one can expect in the

middle of the day - this one was 4/6/13.  It's as close to predictable as Pan Am gets in this area.  You can run into oil trains (though those have slacked off until track improves), Saint John, Bucksport or Waterville trains any time though they tend to have their "regular times".  Here we managed to see a RUPO roll into Danville (top shot again) where it was told to clear the main while it worked the yard.  Since there isn't much to see, we headed down to Maine Modelworks in Yarmouth.  Passing through New Gloucester we caught PORU as it called for a form D at "Penny", the former "New Gloucester - West".  It had to stop to set the switch to the normal position then it was clear to MP164. At least we caught a GATX unit on the point.  We got quite a show for such a normally mundane moment.  The headlight on the nose distinguished this unit right away.  Only 382 of the old sludge grey GP40's had that. 

The extent of coal with most boilers down at Rumford.

 With the full excitement of Pan Am and Maine Modelworks behind us, we strolled over to the SLR to see what we could see over there.  I managed to catch the former BAR plow near the road.  Not extraordinary this time of year but I don't have this angle for details on the back end.





My last photos here in February  showed the sand dome in place on the tower.    There must be some final tweaks needed if they hauled it down.  It would have been a normal, ordinary shot but there happens to be a Q&G unit facing us.  That's just this side of mundane since it's been around a while.  But, when it's gone, it will be a really cool shot!


The parting shot below is a new to us unit sitting in the west end of the yard.  It appears to be a former UP unit complete with the red stripes between the gray and yellow.  It also appears to be a former C&NW with the patch over the former nose bell.  I think it reads #2304 through the blur. 

BC

 

Another Winter of Our Discount Tent

I hadn't pointed my digital SLR at a rail subject in months so I figured I'd get off my duff an do it while the snow was still around.  The scanner was quiet so I decided to catch up on the local sights.  Some minor changes had taken place since summer so on Sunday 2/17/13 those were my first targets.  Pan Am has renamed the sidings so that each end has a distinct name too - no more 'east' - 'west' designations.  I haven't looked them up yet and I didn't notice any signs to photograph.

The St. Lawrence and Atlantic put up a new sanding tower.  So, a couple of shots were in order to show the facility.  The former BAR plow was out resting, yet poised for the next storm.   Sundays are pretty quiet so I didn't linger for long.  The blizzard winds easily discouraged loitering.  By the way, I think the old sanding tower was from the BAR too, Northern Maine Jct. roundhouse in Hermon, ME.

I have no info on the project since I'd only recently heard of its manufacture and had no idea that it was this far along.  Some colleagues knew an apprentice machinist who was making parts for the project.  These educators were fascinated that trains used sand for traction and with how obvious that sounded.











On Monday the sun came out and the DT&I Fan joined me for an afternoon around the area.  As usual we started at the junctions.  Nothing at Danville but the SLR was switching the newer Savage 
/ Safe Handling yard.  The Quebec Gatineau switcher pair was doing the honors.  Although it wasn't a rare sight, the sun was too good to pass up.  When they move on, I'll be glad I caught them.



We figured we'd head north.  Nothing on the  scanner but we knew there had to be a RUPO somewhere.  At first we didn't see or hear anything at Leeds Jct.  So, we headed to Waterville.  However, we only got as far as the overpass over the Rumford line.  RUPO was moving so we did a u-turn back to the junction.  It took a while for it to reach the switch.  Meanwhile, we sat in the warm car by the signal and watched the winds whip the snow by us.  Eventually they got their Form-D clearance to move out and pass our spot.  We were next to a snow pile where the shack used to be.  Carl used the pile for height.  I used the car window to prevent frostbite.  The pile also enabled a coupler high drift to form so the train would have to bash through it.  A third camera down the tracks could have caught the impact but the operator would have been a popsicle before it was over.   

Waterville was our next target.  No real hopes in finding anything but some odd locos were in the neighborhood so we figured we'd give it a shot.  Near town we heard the SAPPI job get clearance to enter the mainline at CPF110.  We exited at Fairfield and found our train at the crossing so we got ahead to MP 111 for a grab shot at the crossing, which I missed.  Farther down in the yard we were able to catch the train entering the yard.  The sun was pretty good for the old "sludge gray". The main tracks were clear for a change.  Unfortunately, that was the last thing of note in town.

 We figured we'd see if PORU was in the neighborhood yet since the scanner was pretty quiet otherwise. (The "Bucksport Job" was active but well beyond our reach) Earlier at Leeds we'd heard that the crew came on duty at 1300 in Rigby.  Maybe a meet at New Gloucester - or whatever they call it now so we headed there off the pike.  No joy.  Turned out that RUPO made it only as far as "Rumford Jct. - West", or "Poland" now.  Their clearance mentioned returning the switch to normal at "Hackett's", formerly "Rumford Jct. - East".  DJ-1 and the SLR were playing in the yard at Danville Jct. so perhaps they had to wait their turn.

Anyway, I finished the day shooting the SLR as it worked among those fancy new switch lock signals.  

BC