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Images: These pictures are not censored for quality. What one person considers a bad or useless picture may be exactly what someone else is looking for. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.
Videos: These videos are very big, which is why railfanning videos are so rare on line. As long as Windows Media Player says "Connecting" it is working, even it if appears to be taking a very long time. It says "Connecting" until it has finished downloading the video. Please be patient. If you are unable to play these videos with Windows Media player, a problem which exists with some versions of Media Player and (sometimes) with Internet Explorer versions lower than 6, I strongly recommend the use of Quicktime if it is available. If you are using Linux, mplayer needs to be told that the videos have a bit depth of 16 (-bpp 16) to work.
Filenames refer to location, date (dd.mm.yy), and camera-assigned four digit id number.
Top photos from December, 2006
| December 9th, 2006 | With credible rumours of NS 327 and 328 being discontinued at the end of the year circulating, I chased NS #328 from Paris, where I arrived at the same time as it did, to Grimsby via Copetown before catching CP #127 and #159 at Guelph Junction and heading home. | |
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| Copetown, Ontario | (map) Copetown is the top of Dundas hill. Trains line up at the top as people would at a waterslide, and other trains slowly grind their way up the hill. It's just to the East of Brantford. | |
| 25 images | 1 videos | Marks: CR GTW NS NW SOU |
| Grimsby, Ontario | (map) Grimsby is around 20 km from Hamilton in the direction of Niagara on the CN Grimsby subdivision. | |
| 12 images | 1 videos | Marks: NS SOU |
| Guelph Junction, Ontario | (map) Technically Campbellville, Guelph Junction is the junction of the Guelph Junction Railway -- currently serviced by OSR -- the CP Hamilton sub, and the CP Galt sub. It is between Milton and Galt on the CP Galt sub. | |
| 31 images | 2 videos | Marks: CNA CP CPAA CPWX ETTX GOT GTW MILW MMA NAHX NS PROX SLC SOO |
| Paris, Ontario | (map) Paris is just West of Brantford on the CN Dundas sub and was once the site of the junction between the Dundas sub and the completely defunct Drumbo sub that connected Paris and Stratford. There's also a large trestle in Paris. | |
| 21 images | 1 videos | Marks: CNA CR GTW NS NW SOU |
| December 15th, 2006 | CN #422 had 5 Venezuelan SD70ACes on delivery and CN #394-14 had a KCS SD70ACe on point. Both well worth getting. Trains for the day were VIA #85, CN #271, #422, #148, #394-13, #393, GEXR #432, and #394-14. | |
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| Georgetown, Ontario | (map) Georgetown's CN Silver is the site of the junction between CN's Halton sub and the CN-owned, GEXR-rented Guelph sub. It is between Guelph and Brampton on highway 7. | |
| 104 images | 4 videos | Marks: ACFX ADMX ALNX BN CCLX CCX CEFX CGTX CHTT CN CNA CNWX DOWX DTTX EMDX GACX GCFX GEXR GFSX HCGX IC LLPX MMA OMNX PPGX PROX PTLX QTTX SKNX TILX TTGX UTLX VIA WC |
| Scotch Block, Ontario | (map) Scotch Block is an excellent photography location at mp 30.0 CN Halton sub, between Milton and Georgetown. | |
| 25 images | 1 videos | Marks: BCOL BNFE BNSF CGTX CN CNA GATX GNWR ICG KCS MBLX NATX NRLX UELX |
| December 16th, 2006 | Steve took us down to Hamilton for NS #328 and whatever else we could find. We got to the Grimsby sub at around 08:15, in line with when NS #328 would arrive from his 07:15 sighting at Ingersoll, but CN NI dispatcher had other ideas and #328 was stabbed for the Amtrak, VIA #97. With 45 minutes to kill we went over to Kinnear yard and caught CP #135 parked and CP #254 coming in with three new GEVOs as only power before returning to shoot #97 and #328. After that we returned to Kinnear and shot #725 also with a new GEVO meeting CP #254 in quite poor lighting, caught Rail Link working at Hamilton harbour, and watched CN #148 go by from Ham West before going home, as Steve was out of time. CN #385 had a CN leader with KCS 4019 and a WC, and CN #435 had two CN GEVOs and CN 398000, one of two custom built articulated covered hoppers, but we were not able to get either, though we did manage to get a relatively bland GEXR #432 in Guelph. | |
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| Bayview Junction, Ontario | (map) This is where the CN Oakville, CN Grimsby, and CN Dundas subdivisions meet at a great big wye, beside which is the CP Hamilton sub. This location encompasses CN Bayview Junction, Hamilton West, and Hamilton Junction. | |
| 19 images | 1 videos | Marks: CN CSXT DTTX IC |
| Guelph, Ontario | (map) The city of Guelph is my home town and is just East of Kitchener-Waterloo on the GEXR Guelph sub, and the Ontario Southland Railway/Guelph Junction Railway track, the other end of which is at Guelph Junction. | |
| 29 images | 1 videos | Marks: ADMX BCOL CNA CNWX CRDX DME GEXR LLPX NDYX NMIX PPGX RBOX RLK UTLX |
| Hamilton, Ontario | (map) Hamilton Ontario is an industrial region on the tip of lake Ontario. | |
| 152 images | 5 videos | Marks: AMTK BCOL BPRR CEFX CN CNWX CP CR CRDX CRGX DJJX GATX IC ICG JOSX JTIX KGCX LANX MP NDYX NREX NS NW RLHH RLK SKNX SOU TLAX UTLX WC |
| December 17th, 2006 | We got up well before dawn to arrive at Paris on time for the two endangered NS trains in spite of poor weather. NS #328 showed up with two cars exactly at sunrise, followed by VIA #70, #71, CN #391 with interesting power, CN #148, and NS #327 with a conrail-painted leader. We headed up to Ayr and caught CP #159 followed shortly by CP #257, a single unit light power, before heading to Breslau for VIA #85 and GEXR #432... which chose this day to not run. | |
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| Ayr, Ontario | (map) Ayr is between Wolverton and Cambridge on the CP Galt sub and houses a small backtrack yard and the Ayr Pit Spur. | |
| 21 images | 2 videos | Marks: CP DTTX |
| Breslau, Ontario | (map) This is a small town between Guelph and Kitchener-Waterloo on the GEXR Guelph Sub. | |
| 8 images | 1 videos | Marks: VIA |
| Cambridge, Ontario | (map) Cambridge is the home of Babcock and Wilcox, Toyota, the CP Waterloo sub, the CP Galt sub, the CN ex-Fergus sub and a lot of trains. | |
| 8 images | No videos | Marks: CP ETTX TTGX |
| Paris, Ontario | (map) Paris is just West of Brantford on the CN Dundas sub and was once the site of the junction between the Dundas sub and the completely defunct Drumbo sub that connected Paris and Stratford. There's also a large trestle in Paris. | |
| 95 images | 6 videos | Marks: ACFX AEX ASHX BAR BNSF CN CPCX CSXT DTTX ECUX GBRX GTW ICE MDW MRL NAHX NATX NS NW SSW VIA WC |
| December 20th, 2006 | VIA #85 was well over an hour late resulting in a Guelph meet with GEXR #432. They met just out of sight at mile 49. | |
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| Guelph, Ontario | (map) The city of Guelph is my home town and is just East of Kitchener-Waterloo on the GEXR Guelph sub, and the Ontario Southland Railway/Guelph Junction Railway track, the other end of which is at Guelph Junction. | |
| 40 images | 2 videos | Marks: AEX AMGX CN CNW CNWX EQUX GEXR GFSX GPLX LLPX PPGX PROX QCCX RLK VIA |
| December 21st, 2006 | With NS #327/#328 in their dying days, I went down to Ingersoll for a late #327. In the afternoon I shot CP London Pickup and #424 at 51.90 Galt sub. Lousy lighting in all cases. | |
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| Ingersoll, Ontario | (map) The CN Dundas, the CP St. Thomas, and the OSR Port Burwell subs are very active through Ingersoll, with the CP Galt sub just to the North in Zorra. | |
| 17 images | 1 videos | Marks: NS NYC UP |
| Killean, Ontario | (map) This is CP's name for the passing track at Cambridge on the CP Galt sub. | |
| 27 images | 2 videos | Marks: CP CPAA UTLX |
| December 23rd, 2006 | We went to the Halton sub hoping for CN #278. We caught CN #271 at Silver Junction in Georgetown, CN #278 at Brampton GO station, then, with nothing else in the area, wandered up to Vaughan Intermodal Terminal to see what was happening there. CP #103 showed up shortly after we did with 5 AC4400CWs and 6 autoracks to pick up its intermodal cars, a yard job was working, and CP #104 took off with two SD90/43MACs light power. We returned home via Streetsville, where we just missed a CP eastbound, then headed to mile 30 where we caught CN #393 and #422, the latter being the only CN train of the day lacking foreign power. | |
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| Brampton, Ontario | (map) Brampton is mile 15 of the CN Halton sub and mile 8 of the Orangeville-Brampton Railway (OBRY) shortline. | |
| 17 images | 1 videos | Marks: BNSF CN CP CPAA ETTX SOU SSW |
| Georgetown, Ontario | (map) Georgetown's CN Silver is the site of the junction between CN's Halton sub and the CN-owned, GEXR-rented Guelph sub. It is between Guelph and Brampton on highway 7. | |
| 15 images | 1 videos | Marks: CEFX CN CNA CP ETTX GTW TTGX |
| Scotch Block, Ontario | (map) Scotch Block is an excellent photography location at mp 30.0 CN Halton sub, between Milton and Georgetown. | |
| 43 images | 2 videos | Marks: ACFX AEX AOK CGLX CN CSXT DBUX ETTX FURX GNRR GTW IC NCIX PROX RBOX TBOX TCTX TILX UNPX UTLX WC WPRR |
| Vaughan, Ontario | (map) Vaughan is just South of Bolton on the CP Mactier sub and is host to CP's Vaughan Intermodal Terminal. | |
| 56 images | 4 videos | Marks: CP TTGX |
| December 26th, 2006 | I heard a CN #351 with a D6R at Paris Junction. It sounded like he was going east, in spite of the westbound number, so once I figured that out for sure I headed down to Mansewood and chased it up toward Georgetown. It had one engine, a handful of cylindrical hoppers serving as dimensional spacers, and a weird cylindrical thingy in white plastic coverings. | |
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| Mansewood, Ontario | (map) Mansewood is a nice open spot with nowhere really good to park near the tracks. It is immediately North of Milton and South of Scotch Block on the CN Halton sub. | |
| 27 images | 1 videos | Marks: CN QTTX |
| Scotch Block, Ontario | (map) Scotch Block is an excellent photography location at mp 30.0 CN Halton sub, between Milton and Georgetown. | |
| 15 images | 1 videos | Marks: CN QTTX |
| Speyside, Ontario | (map) Speyside is a small community with a siding on the CN Halton sub, between Milton and Georgetown, just North (East, in track terms) of Scotch Block. | |
| 15 images | 1 videos | Marks: CN QTTX |
| December 28th, 2006 | D&H 7303 led on CP Galt sub on the 27th, but we were on our way south at the time and could do nothing about it. We spent the 28th in Altoona picking up NS trains, catching 17 Conrail-painted units including one SD80MAC among many trains, stopping to see Horseshoe Curve, Cresson, and surrounding sites... More to come! | |
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| Cassandra, Pennsylvania | (map) Between Cresson and South Fork, Cassandra is a small town with a disused road bridge over the tracks that is now explicitly a railfan platform, complete with a "Welcome, Railfans!" sign at the end. | |
| 13 images | No videos | Marks: CR NS |
| Cresson, Pennsylvania | (map) Cresson is the summit of the hill for which Horseshoe Curve exists. There is an engine facility where several sets of helper units park, the SD80MACs that work in nearby South Fork spend their weekends there, and NS interchanges with R. J. Corman on the wye. There is even a city-owned railfan observation platform at the tracks across from the wye. | |
| 189 images | 9 videos | Marks: AOK ATSF BNSF BRAN BTTX CCBX CNW CR CRYX DOWX DTTX ETTX GACX GATX GFSX GPFX GVSR HLMX HPJX INLX ITTX MET MP MQT NBIX NOKL NS NW OTTX PFMX PPLX PSPX SOU SSW TFM TOE TTGX VCY |
| Gallitzin, Pennsylvania | (map) Just west of Horseshoe Curve on the NS is a 3000 foot tunnel which comes out in the town of Gallitzin. | |
| 20 images | 1 videos | Marks: CNW HS NS STSX |
| Horseshoe Curve, Pennsylvania | (map) Horseshoe Curve, just oustide of Altoona, is the site of a Pennsylvanian State Park and purpose-built railfan observation platform, complete with its own cable-drawn tram to get up to it. The tracks change in elevation by 122 feet as they go around the observation deck. | |
| 34 images | 2 videos | Marks: ACCX BNSF ITGX KEYX NS NYC SMNX SOU UP |
| Jamestown, Pennsylvania | (map) Another small town, Jamestown is between Cresson and South Fork and hosts an in-service road overpass over the NS line. | |
| 27 images | 2 videos | Marks: BNSF CP NS RTTX TTAX TTEX TTGX |
| Lilly, Pennsylvania | (map) Just outside of Cresson to the west on the NS line, Lilly is a small town with a couple of good locations for railfaning. | |
| 103 images | 7 videos | Marks: ACCX AMTK ATSF BNFE CELX CR CSXT DOWX GATX GFSX GIMX GPFX GVSR MET MLMX MQT MVRY NS NW OHCR PFMX SCMX SHNX SOU SSW TBOX TFM |
| South Fork, Pennsylvania | (map) Home of the SD80MACs, this junction on the NS serves as the service line for coal mines in the area, which are serviced by NS' few SD80MACs. It is about thirteen miles west of Cresson. | |
| 42 images | 2 videos | Marks: ACFX ANGX CGLX CR GATX LMIC MTTX NS NW PTTX SHPX SOU |
| Summerhill, Pennsylvania | (map) Summerhill is a small town between South Fork and Cresson on the route 53 railfan point list. | |
| 8 images | 1 videos | Marks: DTTX NS TTAX |
| December 29th, 2006 | We took off from Altoona northward searching for shortlines, stopping to check the NS/Nittany and Bald Eagle interchange at Tyrone and their base at Lock Haven, shot the RDCs at Bellefonte, and returned to the other side of Altoona to hunt for the Everett at Hollidaysburg, following their tracks until we found them switching at Roaring Spring before heading to Gallitzin for one coming out of the tunnel and wrapping up the day at Cresson and Lilly. | |
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| Bellefonte, Pennsylvania | (map) Bellefonte is a small town serviced by the Nittany and Bald Eagle a few miles off interstate 80 near where interstate 99 will eventually intersect with it. There is an RDC-based tourist operation there at the old station. | |
| 12 images | No videos | Marks: BHRX |
| Cresson, Pennsylvania | (map) Cresson is the summit of the hill for which Horseshoe Curve exists. There is an engine facility where several sets of helper units park, the SD80MACs that work in nearby South Fork spend their weekends there, and NS interchanges with R. J. Corman on the wye. There is even a city-owned railfan observation platform at the tracks across from the wye. | |
| 22 images | No videos | Marks: BNSF DTTX EQUX NATX NS SOU UP |
| Gallitzin, Pennsylvania | (map) Just west of Horseshoe Curve on the NS is a 3000 foot tunnel which comes out in the town of Gallitzin. | |
| 23 images | 1 videos | Marks: BNSF FEC NS RTTX |
| Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania | (map) Just outside of Altoona to the south, Hollidaysburg is the site of an enormous, totally abandoned freight yard and freight car shop. There is a second, smaller car shop that is still in service. The town is the interchange point between the Everett Railroad and Norfolk Southern. | |
| 9 images | No videos | Marks: ACFX FBOX KYRX NAHX TLDX |
| Lilly, Pennsylvania | (map) Just outside of Cresson to the west on the NS line, Lilly is a small town with a couple of good locations for railfaning. | |
| 29 images | 2 videos | Marks: NS PPLX RTTX |
| Lock Haven, Pennsylvania | (map) An hour and change north-east of Altoona, Lock Haven is the interchange point between NS and the Nittany and Bald Eagle and the northern end of the Nittany and Bald Eagle's operation. | |
| 21 images | 2 videos | Marks: GATX NBER NDYX NS NSHR PGTX UTLX |
| Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania | (map) A few miles south-west of Holidaysburg near Altoona, Roaring Spring is a small town with a large rail-using facility serviced by Everett Railroad. | |
| 40 images | 1 videos | Marks: ACFX ENGX EV GATX SHPX UNPX |
| Tyrone, Pennsylvania | (map) About 15 minutes north on interstate 99 from Altoona is the town of Tyrone, the northern limits of the Nittany and Bald Eagle's operation and the site of a second interchange with NS, right at the town's Amtrak station. | |
| 6 images | No videos | Marks: AGR CR PRR |
| Unionville, Pennsylvania | (map) Unionville is a small village along the Nittany and Bald Eagle between Bellefonte and Tyrone. | |
| 9 images | 1 videos | Marks: EQUX NBER |
| December 30th, 2006 | We headed for Horseshoe Curve to start the day catching two there, moved to Cresson for the Amtrak and a few trains, and migrated toward South Fork in hopes of finding the SD80MACs. We didn't immediately, but did meet an SD80 nut named Dan who we chased while he chased a coal train the short hop up to Summerville, and then headed up to Creslo Station to shoot coal train C90 coming from the mines -- with 5 SD80MACs for power (3 at the head end, 2 pushing). After spending an unholy amount of time chasing and watching the SD80s, we returned to Altoona to see the museum, which closed the week before for the season, and then spent some time exploring the area around the museum and Amtrak station. | |
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| Altoona, Pennsylvania | (map) Railfan City. Altoona's sports stadium is in the shape of a roundhouse, railfans are welcome, and trains are everywhere. Just a few miles away is Horseshoe Curve, Cresson, the Gallitzin tunnel, the SD80MACs at South Fork, and other sites making the region a virtual Mecca for railfans in this corner of the US. | |
| 115 images | 3 videos | Marks: BNSF CR DTTX NS NW PRR REX SLC SOU TTGX TTRX |
| Cassandra, Pennsylvania | (map) Between Cresson and South Fork, Cassandra is a small town with a disused road bridge over the tracks that is now explicitly a railfan platform, complete with a "Welcome, Railfans!" sign at the end. | |
| 13 images | 2 videos | Marks: BNSF DTTX FEC NS |
| Creslo Station, Pennsylvania | (map) Just south of South Fork, Creslo Station is a point on an NS coal spur serviced by NS' few SD80MACs. | |
| 35 images | 1 videos | Marks: CR NS NW |
| Cresson, Pennsylvania | (map) Cresson is the summit of the hill for which Horseshoe Curve exists. There is an engine facility where several sets of helper units park, the SD80MACs that work in nearby South Fork spend their weekends there, and NS interchanges with R. J. Corman on the wye. There is even a city-owned railfan observation platform at the tracks across from the wye. | |
| 86 images | 5 videos | Marks: ACFX AMTK ARMN AWXX BNSF CEFX CGLX CHUX CP CR CRYX DJLX DTTX EAFX EQUX FEC GIMX GVSR JTLX MNCR NS PRR SLGG SRCX TTAX TTEX UP |
| Horseshoe Curve, Pennsylvania | (map) Horseshoe Curve, just oustide of Altoona, is the site of a Pennsylvanian State Park and purpose-built railfan observation platform, complete with its own cable-drawn tram to get up to it. The tracks change in elevation by 122 feet as they go around the observation deck. | |
| 19 images | 1 videos | Marks: NS RTTX TTAX TTEX |
| South Fork, Pennsylvania | (map) Home of the SD80MACs, this junction on the NS serves as the service line for coal mines in the area, which are serviced by NS' few SD80MACs. It is about thirteen miles west of Cresson. | |
| 190 images | 9 videos | Marks: ACFX ADMX BRAN BTTX CN CP CR CRLE DTTX FEC NOKL NS PPLX RTTX SHPX SOU TTAX TTEX TTGX UTLX |
| Summerhill, Pennsylvania | (map) Summerhill is a small town between South Fork and Cresson on the route 53 railfan point list. | |
| 26 images | 1 videos | Marks: NS PPLX |
| December 31st, 2006 | With 2006's dying hours at hand, we returned home from Altoona stopping to see what we could find on the way, culminating in a stop just outside of CSX's southernmost Buffalo yard at Lake Avenue, where a CSX security officer gave us a CSX 2007 calendar and wished us a happy new year. Happy new year indeed! | |
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| Clearfield, Pennsylvania | (map) Clearfield is the home of the RJ Corman Pennsylvania operation. They have a small yard and a large enginehouse hiding the power. | |
| 4 images | No videos | Marks: RJCM RJCW |
| Dubois, Pennsylvania | (map) Dubois is a large yard on the GNWR-owned Buffalo and Pittsburg. | |
| 6 images | No videos | Marks: BPRR |
| Lackawanna, New York | (map) Lackawanna is immediately south of Buffalo and hosts Buffalo and Pittsburgh, Buffalo Southern, NS, and CSX tracks. | |
| 34 images | 2 videos | Marks: ADMX AGPX BN BNSF CEFX CMHX CRLE CSXT DMIX GATX PGTX TILX TTAX WCRC WW |
| Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania | (map) Better known for its annual ground hog day celebrations, Buffalo and Pittsburg's inaccessible Riker Yard is found just outside of this town. | |
| 6 images | No videos | Marks: BPRR GIEX PSR |
| Salamanca, New York | (map) Salamanca hosts a small yard on the Buffalo and Pittsburg (GNWR), and is an apparently-disused interchange point with the Western New York and Pennsylvania. | |
| 20 images | No videos | Marks: BPRR JTJX SOU |