It was a Wednesday. Akron Railroad Club member Peter Bowler noticed online that Norfolk Southern heritage unit 8098 was leading a westbound intermodal train.
He had enough lead time so he headed for Olmsted Falls to intercept the ES44AC paying tribute to Conrail as it led train 21Q.
According to HeritageUnits.com, the 21Q was reported through Olmsted Falls at 3:05 p.m.
It would continue to Chicago where it apparently flipped and came back east the next day when was reported to be leading the 20Q.
The 8098 spent a few days out east before coming back through Northeast Ohio and then making another return trip shortly thereafter.
It can be interesting to track the travels of a heritage unit. In the case of the 8098, since Peter photographed it the unit has been in 10 states, assuming that all of those reports on HU are accurate.
During much of its travels in the past month the Conrail H unit has burnished former Conrail routes — such as the one shown here — and had its photograph taken who knows how many times.
The fascination with NS heritage units is still going strong more than four years after No. 8098 because the first of those locomotives to be released from the shop for duty.