One more summer day...

Matt L · September 26, 2012, 07:22:22 PM

I headed out to western NY this past weekend and had alot of fun over the span of 2 days. The first day involved a fair amount time trackside, including Norfolk Southern. As I often do, I went to Buffalo Creek Junction in the morning.

NS local H0A dropped off a couple cars for the Buffalo Southern.

The Buffalo & Pittsburgh RR local arrived while an MOW crew was working on a siding.

NS 287 came though Buffalo Creek Junction, heading westbound with a few boxcars tacked onto the consist ahead of the auto racks. The leading unit was a UP engine.

All photos in this post were taken by me Friday 9/21/2012 in Buffalo, NY.

Matt L · September 26, 2012, 07:31:47 PM

I moved over to the Lake Avenue crossing in Blasdell (NY), where I caught a mixed freight (15M?) heading westbound.

By early afternoon, I headed back to Buffalo Creek Junction... where NS local H0A was parked, with the Buffalo skyline in the background. This shot (like the morning shots) was taken from the Tifft Street bridge:

Since I wasn't able to get there in July, I did spend an hour or so at Bison Yard. The first shot was taken from the Harlem Road bridge, while the second was taken from the Lehigh Trail (a section of the former LV mainline). Both locations are in Cheektowaga, NY.

All photos in this post were taken by me Friday 9/21/2012.

Matt L · September 26, 2012, 07:37:42 PM

Bison was kinda quiet, so I headed back to Lake Avenue. An eastbound mixed freight (14M?) arrived in mid-afternoon.

Local freight H0A headed west in the afternoon to drop off a couple cars in nearby Hamburg.

I didn't even notice that #3202 (which powered H0A) was a good old high nose Southern gal until the SD40-2 returned as a light engine move in the afternoon.

All photos in this post were taken by me Friday 9/21/2012 in Blasdell, NY.

Matt L · September 26, 2012, 07:44:10 PM

My final NS shots for the summer of 2012 were taken at Bayview Road in the late afternoon/early evening. Both trains were eastbound intermodal freights. The first train may have been 22K, due to the mix of TOFC and single stacks.

This is the second train. I have no clue what the symbol was.

All photos in this post were taken by me Friday 9/21/2012 in Hamburg, NY. My summer chase season basically with NS at CSX here. However, my fall chase season began about 15-20 miles away and will merit a special thread of its own.

BuffaloRailfan30 · September 27, 2012, 02:02:42 AM

Quote from: Matt L on September 26, 2012, 07:37:42 PM
Bison was kinda quiet, so I headed back to Lake Avenue. An eastbound mixed freight (14M?) arrived in mid-afternoon.

Local freight H0A headed west in the afternoon to drop off a couple cars in nearby Hamburg.

I didn't even notice that #3202 (which powered H0A) was a good old high nose Southern gal until the SD40-2 returned as a light engine move in the afternoon.

All photos in this post were taken by me Friday 9/21/2012 in Blasdell, NY.

Nice shots! I especially liked the shots of the ex-SOU high hood SD40-2. It won't be too long until they give her an Admiral cab.
Apparently there's a Conrail painted NS SD50 roaming the Southern Tier. Hopefully they send it to Buffalo again next week and maybe i'll get lucky and catch it before NS rebuilds it.
Keep up the good work Matt!

Matt L · September 27, 2012, 07:09:39 PM

Thanx! I've heard about the blue CR SD50 roaming around upstate NY. My railfan trips will be east of Buffalo next month, so maybe I'll catch her on a local or in the Gang Mills yard.

BuffaloRailfan30 · September 27, 2012, 08:14:58 PM

Nice! Hopefully NS won't send it to Altoona for at least a few more months..

Matt L · September 28, 2012, 06:26:21 PM

Yeah, I know! SD40-2 #3360 was the last blue SD40-2 in upstate NY and I missed by her just about a week in January. She had been on a short term lease to the Wellsboro & Corning RR, but they returned #3360 to NS (owing to a flat wheel) and was sent off to Chattanooga for repairs and new paint before I could get down there. Hopefully, I'll have better luck with the SD50...

BuffaloRailfan30 · October 01, 2012, 09:07:36 PM

NS 5406 is the SD50 roaming around on what i believe is NS H2R. I saw it in Bison Yard this evening

Matt L · October 02, 2012, 08:28:30 PM

Ooooooh thank you!!!! Saturday could be interesting...

BuffaloRailfan30 · October 03, 2012, 01:18:08 PM

I wish i knew when it leaves and comes back to Bison yard. Maybe they'll put it on another train for me to see! I wish...

Badhorse79 · October 03, 2012, 02:19:24 PM

I like the pic of 2519 ( notice the exposed roller bearings )

Matt L · October 03, 2012, 08:40:55 PM

Grabbing a shot of a standard cab SD70 (#2519) as the leading unit was one of my personal highlights of that day. Widecabs usually lead 22K (and 23K).

My other highlights were the discovery of #3202 being a high nose SD40-2 and the B&P switchers at Buffalo Creek Junction.

BuffaloRailfan30 · October 03, 2012, 11:48:19 PM

I saw NS 3202 on Monday, it was parked in Buffalo Jct Yard. Hopefully i'll catch the high-hood and the NS SD50 before they're rebuilt, and after rebuild too

Matt L · October 04, 2012, 08:07:00 PM

Since you saw #3202 at Buffalo Creek Junction, too... I'm thinking she might be the assigned power for H0A for a while. If true, that means 3202 will handle the interchange jobs with the B&P and Buffalo Southern there, as well as runs down to Hamburg and over to SK Yard. Happy hunting!

P.S. Do you know what kind of detector is set up between GB diamond and Lake Avenue? I can't figure out what it is.

BuffaloRailfan30 · October 04, 2012, 11:15:45 PM

Just to clarify, i saw it in Buffalo Junction Yard which is right across from the Buffalo Creek Jct Yard, anyway yeah it'll either be HOA's and/or H1K's power for a little while. NS 5667 was on H1K from i want to say August-September so again, hopefully this soon to be extinct high hood will stick around this area for months to come.

I'm not sure what kind of detector it is. I remember hearing high load or something like that at MP6.9

Matt L · October 05, 2012, 07:41:20 AM

Oh, I thought you'd typo'd with Buffalo Junction Yard. I understand now. BTW, do you know what happened to #5113? She was the high nose GP38-2 roaming around NS in greater Buffalo back during the spring.

BuffaloRailfan30 · October 05, 2012, 10:51:38 AM

I think i saw it on NS H1R (which is a local that goes to either Frontier yard or Canada or somewhere else) about a month ago. We had a high hood GP50 roaming around in the spring and early summer but NS sent it to Alabama. And we just lost NS 5406, it was spotted in Conway which means it probably took 15M back and will soon be sent to Altoona for rebuild...

Matt L · October 05, 2012, 07:04:32 PM

I'm glad to know #5113 is still hanging round for now. NS had another high nose SD40-2 (#3295) at Gang Mills during the early summer... but she wasn't there when I visited Gang Mills last month.