Roger’s Take on Toledo National Train Day

Among the first responders who posed with Norfolk Southern 9-1-1 were a Toledo Fire Department Truck . . .

. . . an a Norfolk Southern police vehicle and officer.

The former BNSF speeder that I rode.

The far east end of Toledo Central Union Terminal as seen from a speeder.

NS 9-1-1 and Ann Arbor 3879 lined up for display.

An Amtrak Thruway bus features the Amtrak logo as well as the markings of its owner/operator.

Greyhound now serves Toledo Central Union Terminal.

I stayed overnight in Toledo on Friday and then spent Saturday at the annual National Train Day festival. Here is a selection of special photographs that I made.

BNSF No. 336 is the speeder I rode. The station photo showing the old platforms  at the east end was taken from the speeder.

Photographs by Roger Durfee

NS 9-1-1, Amtrak 156, Ann Arbor Heritage Unit Shine Under Friday Night Lights at Toledo C.U.T.

Amtrak’s Phase I heritage locomotive was on the point of a four car display train that mimicked the consist of the Lake Shore Limited.

Here is a selection of the night photos from Toledo’s National Train Day festival that were made on Friday night.

The engineer is Engineer Steve, one of the main driving forces behind the National Train Day in Toledo and the one who set up the equipment. Lighting was provided by David Patch, a transportation reporter with The Blade of Toledo.

Photographs by Roger Durfee

Norfolk Southern’s
first responders tribute unit looks spiffy. Behind it is Ann Arbor GP38 No. 3879.

Watco brought out its Ann Arbor heritage locomotive, a GP38.

Engineer Steve poses at the controls of SD60E No. 9-1-1 on display at Toledo Central Union Terminal.

Engineer Steve climbs aboard Amtrak P42DC No. 156 as he “goes to work.”

NS 9-1-1 and the photographers that captured it under the lights.

 

Boston LSL Section Still Not Running Through

The Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited continues to operate as a shuttle train between Boston and Albany-Rensselaer, New York, with Amtrak yet to say when Nos. 448 and 449 will resume running through to and from Chicago.

In a service advisory posted on its website, Amtrak had said that the shuttle train arrangement would last through June 13.

But now the advisory has been removed and online reports indicate that Amtrak has been calling passengers booked with Viewliner sleeper accommodations in July to inform them they were being rebooked.

In one instance, the passenger was rerouted via New York City and placed on an Acela Express train between Boston and New York.

In another, the passenger was rebooked in a coach seat between Albany and Boston.

A check of the Amtrak website found that Nov. 2 was the earliest date for which a Viewliner sleeper room can be booked from Cleveland to Boston.

The online reports indicated that track construction near the Albany-Rennselaer station is continuing and Amtrak is unable to separate or combine the New York and Boston sections of the Lake Shore Limited. Once the project is completed, the track capacity of the station will be increased.

In the meantime, online reports indicates that Nos. 48/49 (the New York section) are operating with 11 cars, including a baggage car, three Viewliner sleepers, dining car, café car and five Amfleet II coaches.

Nos. 48 and 49 are typically pulled by a pair of P42DC locomotives. In recent weeks, the motive power consist has featured No. 156, the Phase I livery heritage locomotive.

A check of Heritageunits.com found that No. 156 has been assigned to No. 48 or No. 49 since at least late May, often leading either westbound or eastbound.