I went down to northern Pennsylvania towards the end of last week. Much of the day was spent with the Wellsboro & Corning RR, an Empire Link partner of NS, as well as Tioga Central RR. The two operations use the same tracks and share common ownership- WCOR is the freight operation and TIOC is the passenger hauler. The line itself is the former NYC Corning Branch/Conrail Corning Secondary.
When I arrived, a pair of recently purchased SD40-2s were drilling the transload facility at the WCOR yard.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520WCOR%2FDSC01700.jpg&hash=b76229d9e5a8c56d4493e4fbcee5c0d55d5ed32a)
Because WCOR and TIOC share common ownership, it's not unusual to see excursion, display and freight equipment being shuffled in the yard.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520WCOR%2FDSC01719.jpg&hash=b76acde0a7c93a6a6f89aa2607af2b802dd430e9)
Number 506, a rare D&H RS3U, was also involved in switching operations.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520WCOR%2FDSC01852.jpg&hash=dc548b1dee74e6c73484c43f3591a829cff18879)
SD40-2 #6072 was uncoupled from #6059 to run solo, shuffling a string of gondolas in the early afternoon.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520WCOR%2FDSC01857.jpg&hash=6e0f0b5e8a559b2844e7aa5a31e9eefa745344d0)
All photos in this post were taken by me Friday 10/19/2012 in Wellsboro Junction, PA.
Another pair of SD40-2s was fired up around mid-day, because the Tioga Central was running a 1 PM Lake Shore Limited excursion. The engines operated pull-pull. Number 307 is warming up at Wellsboro Jct, PA.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520WCOR%2FDSC01780.jpg&hash=98029f6ba559229736f03a4cb1605b6491b2f1b1)
The rain had stopped by the time the excursion pulled out, so it was pleasant chase northward. Number 309 leads the train through Holliday, PA.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520TIOC%2FDSC01996.jpg&hash=3ab87c4f2e0edc9405d66c849bf96258520ad05e)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520TIOC%2FDSC02004.jpg&hash=ab81f870d5be4838cdd663300b6c0946c498f180)
The Lake Shore Limited lives up to the name, running along the west shore of the man-made lake and stopping there before returning south. The next two shots were taken from Route 287 in Hammond, PA.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520TIOC%2FDSC02036.jpg&hash=505ef9e2ca4a9816653958e1e3d7cf8ba4e8d2b6)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520TIOC%2FDSC02051.jpg&hash=25b1dd29c84b4816991e03e4bf0065bb151465c3)
All photos in this post were taken by me Friday 10/19/2012.
Number 307 is fired up again for the return trip, while the passengers enjoy the lake view in Hammond, PA.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520TIOC%2FDSC02059.jpg&hash=3fc9af268c12a1c9ac9e425c729c3d346ecdeccc)
The Lake Shore Limited excursion heads south through the Tioga River valley in Holliday, PA.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520TIOC%2FDSC02100.jpg&hash=d68725f8e2d614bf52b57d3be8150f8a49e92092)
I took my final shots of the Tioga Central passenger train at the Route 4039 crossing in Holliday, PA:
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520TIOC%2FDSC02125.jpg&hash=47ba642caa1c33e4c4624c4908f4cf787ab62fa9)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520TIOC%2FDSC02131.jpg&hash=c2e698284e527de71b4315a42c7c9d3d30b624b3)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi105.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm231%2FAmtrak_Matt%2FOct%25202012%2F1019%2520TIOC%2FDSC02143.jpg&hash=f7be10b88f5e434e8a48e9596e7a7fcad1d2f19b)
All photos in this post were taken by me Friday 10/19/2012 in Holliday, PA. After the train cleared the crossing, I headed back to New York to chase NS, which will be another thread (and another day). I will take this opportunity to thank the employees of WCOR/TIOC for their friendliness and courtesy, especially chef Shannon from TIOC's dinner train. 8)