Two Heritage Units In Three Days

[SRR3204L]

Started off this past Saturday trying not to go out and take any photos of either NS or the other East Coast Class 1. Didn't really think that I was going to get anything over the past couple of days. So I decided to head up to Dickinson Yard to see if anything was setting on the fuel pad being serviced. After going by the fuel pad and seeing that nothing was there. I decided to head down to the south end to the load out to see if anything was loading or not. Little did I know that I would just happen to luck into something. As I was getting closer to the load out. I started to notice this greenish colored locomotive slowly moving towards me. As I kept on getting closer and closer, I was seeing the yellow stripes on the front. Then it dawned on me that this wasn't your typical black and white NS unit. After it hit me, I pulled up next to it and saw Illinois Terminal painted on the side.

This plain Jane green unit turned out to be NS 1072 in the Illinois Terminal heritage and I just happened to roll up on it!!!





After catching it working at the load out on Saturday, I honestly thought that I was done with this particular unit. Boy did it turn out that I was wrong on that. I called a friend of mine after getting back to the house. The next day, we set out trying to find that Illinois Terminal heritage. Needless to say that we found him setting on his train getting ready to lead back down the ex-Virginian mainline. As we were going to go get in place. We heard them getting their track authority to go east on the ex-Virginian mainline. Here it is on Sunday coming across the bridge.


Yesterday, I went back up to Alloy thinking that the 755 which reportedly had the CNJ and INTERSTATE heritage to see if they were up there. As I was heading up to the junction at Alloy, I kept looking at a couple of the load outs to see if they had brought a train in. They were nowhere to be found between Dickinson and Smithers. Once I got up to the south end of Alloy Yard. I could see that they weren't there either. After not having any luck finding those two, I decided to head up to the other end to see if they were there. As it turns out they were not there. However, I got another surprise when I crested the hill just before the junction to the V-Line. I come over the hill and what do I see. I see NS 8103 staring me in the face on the head end of an empty from Mullens.

[NSMoWandS]

Nice Pics! Seems like you had a great time chasing! Dan

[SRR3204L]

Thanks for the comments!!! It was fun trying to chase the Illinois Terminal unit on Sunday. Let's just say we got too far ahead of it and got lost. LOL Did manage to get video of both units at work so it was a win win both times.

IT 1072 working the load out at Dickinson Yard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rpAUnMrMu8

N&W 8103 arriving on an empty. A little while later it departs shoving a loaded train back across the bridge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iB06aXbF0g

[Matt L]

For someone who wasn't trying to catch any NS action, you did really well. Thanks for sharing.

[SRR3204L]

For someone who wasn't really thinking about getting any rail photos yesterday. It seems that I lucked into some heritage units again. I saw a photo on Wednesday that someone had gotten of the Virginian heritage bringing a loaded coal train north past one of the load outs along the Secondary. So curiosity got the best of me and I went over to Dickinson to see if it was still there or not. So my father and I headed over to Dickinson to see if I was. As we were coming to the overpass to get to the high school. I just happened to glance off to the right and I was staring right at NS 1069 setting on the north track of the fuel pad. So after we had figured out where to go. Which did not take that long to do anyway. We go up to the north end next to the fuel pad and grab a quick shot.



As we are debating on whether or not to move to the north end of the yard. We see the ditch lights come on and we made a bee line for the north end by the remote control switch. As we are standing down there waiting to see what they were going to do. We hear, "I see a couple of guys down at the other end with their cameras out so lets be nice." We sit there for a few seconds wondering just what on Earth they are doing. To our surprise, they actually bring the engine down to us so that we could take some photos and video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoiWZ80ugTY

After that, we decided that we were finished for the day or so we thought. A few hours go by and I decide to get a hold of another railfan friend of mine and tell that it was still at Dickinson Yard working yard duty. As we are conversing, he mentioned that the Pennsy heritage had been spotted at Alloy on a loaded coal train for the Virginian. So, we go up to Alloy to see if it was there and low and behold there it was setting on what they call the "C Track" at Alloy. This track is used to park loaded trains bound for Mullens that have to wait on a crew. So we grab some photos of it sitting there with no crew on the head end.



Talk about striking it lucky with these things over the past two weeks!!