Mighty Oval on the Mighty Keystone

Some railroad photographers relish making images of Norfolk Southern heritage locomotives on the former home rails of the company that the engine commemorates.

For example, I recently saw online a photo of the Erie heritage unit on a former Erie Railroad route going over a concrete bridge that still bears the “Erie” name.

I’ve had had few opportunities to get NS heritage locomotives on their home roads and it has only occurred three times. In all of those instances the situation involved a Conrail family member, e.g., Conrail on ex-CR, Penn Central on ex-PC.

Last Saturday I was in Pittsburgh when we got word that NS 1066 was leading a 65R across Pennsylvania and would arrive in the steel city in late afternoon.

No. 1066 wears New York Central markings and the 65R was traversing former Pennsylvania Railroad tracks.

I wanted to get it amid a scene that said PRR and what better way to do that than with PRR-style position light signals.

We waited in Leetsdale for the 65R to come trundling down the Fort Wayne Line.

We later had another opportunity to photograph NS 1066 waiting at another generation of signals, this time the Safetran signals installed by NS just east of the entrance to Conway Yard.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders

 

Tags: New York Central, New York Central heritage unit, NS 1066, NS Heritage locomotives, NS heritage units, Pennsylvania Railroad, PRR position light signals, Railfanning in Leetsdale Pa