Yeah its Trailing But Look What its Trailing

In my perfect world the first Canadian National heritage locomotive I would see and photograph would be ET44AC No. 3008 on the point of a southbound on the former Illinois Central mainline in east central Illinois.

As it turned out my first CN heritage unit was the 3008 and it was running on the ex-IC in east central Illinois. But it was trailing and headed northward.

What’s special about the 3008? It’s the Illinois Central heritage locomotive.

Yeah, my first sighting of it was as a trailing unit, but just look at what it is trailing. No. 3008 was assigned as the third of three units pulling train A407, the daily Centralia, Illinois, to Kirk Yard in Gary, Indiana, job.

In recent months this train has typically operated with former IC SD70 units, many of them still in their IC “death star” livery.

So what we had on Saturday, May 1, was a pair of original IC SD70s, Nos. 1028 and 1001, both wearing their “death star” look teamed up with a “death star” IC heritage unit.

This begs the question of which of these units is the heritage unit.

The 3008 could have been the leader on the A407. It’s nose was facing north. I would later learn that the 3008 was removed from the A407 in Champaign and put on another northbound train as a leader.

I don’t know if working with original IC units is a first for the 3008. CN heritage units are allowed to roam the CN system, which is quite vast so the 3008 will be matched with a wide range of CN motive power.

Whatever the case, this motive power consist was one instance in which I didn’t mind all that much that the heritage unit was trailing. Three out of five isn’t a bad day’s work in railroad photography.

IC 1038 Looked Familiar

With another Super Bowl game in the books, I was looking through photographs I made during railfan outings on past Super Bowl Sundays with Marty Surdyk and Craig Sanders.

On Feb. 4, 2018, the day the Philadelphia Eagles upended the New England Patriots 41-33, we caught an inbound Canadian National train at Conneaut with Bessemer & Lake Erie SD40-3 No. 905 on the lead and Illinois Central SD70 No. 1038 trailing.

That meant the 1038 would lead coming out of the lakefront at Conneaut. We were surprised, but happy that B&LE SD38AC No. 867 was put on for the outbound move.

We chased the southbound as far as Hartstown, Pennsylvania, with intermediate photo stops in Albion (shown below) and Conneautville, Pennsylvania.

For some reason, the IC 1038 looked familiar to me. 

In my search for upcoming stories I found where I had seen it. In August 2007 Ursula and I were vacationing in the Galena, Illinois-Dubuque, Iowa area.

We visited the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, which is adjacent to the CN (former IC Iowa Division) mainline.

After we toured the aquarium, I heard activity outside on the railroad.

Mystery solved; that is where I had seen and photographed IC No. 1038. That date was Aug. 7, 2007

In the top image, the CN train in Conneaut is passing under U.S. Route 20.

In the second Dubuque photo, look at the road sign at the far right edge of the image.

Photographs by Edward Ribinskas

I See the IC

One of my primary motivations for going to Conneaut to railfan is the hope of catching a Canadian National train on the former Bessemer & Lake Erie. Of course, my objective in doing that is getting the former Illinois Central SD70 locomotives that have been assigned to the route since March 2015.

Since the IC units have been assigned to the ex-B&LE, every train I’ve spotted on the line has had IC motive power.

The IC units are not always leading. Much of the time, the motive power consist includes at least one engine painted in CN colors and markings.

On a rare occasion, there has been a unit still wearing its B&LE colors and markings. I’ve also seen pure IC motive power consists.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, I was sitting by the Main Street crossing monitoring the rail traffic on Norfolk Southern.

Then the gates started coming down on the B&LE tracks at the Main Street crossing. The incoming train had CN 5422 leading and IC 1034 and IC 1018 trailing.

That was good news. It would mean IC power would be leading when the train came out of the yard heading south.

Last September, the last time I caught a B&LE train, there had been a CN unit leading southbound.

I didn’t chase this train out of town. I photographed it from the east bank of Conneaut Creek, from the Main Street crossing, and from the U.S. 20 bridge. That was enough for this day.

Reflections in Conneaut

Illinois Central SD70 No. 1018 and its running mates are reflected in the relatively calm water of Conneaut Creek.

One of the challenges of railroad photography is finding new ways to portray something you’ve already captured a dozen or more times.

Even then it might not be that you are doing something new as much as putting a new twist on something you’ve done before.

I ended up doing that during a visit last Sunday to Conneaut. My objective in going there was the same as it always is: Capture all three railroads that come into town.

But I also wanted to do something I hadn’t done in awhile. I recently showed some images of Norfolk Southern trains crossing the trestle that I had made in November 2005.

During that outing, fellow Akron Railroad Club member Ed Ribinskas and I had stood fairly close to the trestle carrying the former Nickel Plate Road tracks over Conneaut Creek.

I’ve been to Conneaut dozens of times since then, but seldom have I stood near the trestle. All other times I photographed from a distance with a telephoto lens.

I did that this past Sunday, too, but for the passage of eastbound NS intermodal train No. 206 I got close to the trestle.

The lighting conditions last Sunday were similar to what we had had during that 2005 outing. Both were sunny days with low sun angles that produced a warm feeling.

I created an image of the NS motive power crossing the bridge that was similar to the work that I did in 2005.

But after photographing the NS motive power, I noticed that the train was being reflected in the relatively calm water of Conneaut Creek.

I had to step back to fit the train and its reflection into the frame. The results are shown below.

I also created some reflection images when the Canadian National taconite pellets train came out of the yard later that day on the former Bessemer & Lake Erie. Those results can be see above and below.

The reflections are not as pronounced as they were with NS 206 and its containers and trailers, yet still pleasing.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve used Conneaut Creek as a mirror. It was the first time I’ve done it since the ex-ICRR locomotives showed up in 2015 and it was the first time I’ve focused on reflection photography from the NS trestle in this manner.

 

Still Some Bessemer Orange to be Found

Since early 2015, Bessemer & Lake Erie motive power has been scarce on the former B&LE. Owner Canadian National sent a fleet of former Illinois Central SD70s to the property that extends between Conneaut and the northern Pittsburgh suburbs.

I was sitting in Conneaut waiting for Norfolk Southern traffic when a car came up and a guy about 12 years old got out with his cameras and started walking briskly toward the tracks.

His mother explained that there was a train with an orange engine coming.

I knew what that meant. A few minutes later I heard horns to the south. A train would be arriving on the B&LE in Conneaut soon.

It turned out to have a dog’s breakfast of motive power, B&LE 867, IC 1018, IC 1034 and CN 5422.

For whatever reason, this same motive power set would leave town minus the B&LE 867. Maybe it was being ferried to Conneaut for yard duty.

IC, CP and an All Day Wait for NS 1074

Achieving my first objective of the day was easy. A Canadian National train with three Illinois Central locomotives showed up shortly after I arrived in Conneaut.

Last Sunday didn’t get off to a good start. I got up later than I expected or wanted.

I had toyed with the idea of leaving at 5 a.m. and trying to catch the eastbound Lake Shore Limited in Conneaut or North East, Pennsylvania.

But with the weather looking iffy, I didn’t want to get an early start only to have mostly cloudy skies. Catching No. 48 can wait for a better day.

Shortly before 7 a.m. someone posted on Heritageunits.com that the Lackawanna heritage locomotive of Norfolk Southern was leading the 14M at Wampum, Pennsylvania.

A quick online check of NS train symbols showed the 14M to be a Conway to Buffalo, New York, train.

How long would it take to get to Conneaut? I figured it to be a manifest freight that might work in Youngstown and even in Conneaut. Somewhere along the way it would need to change crews.

I didn’t get away until about 8:30. As I drove on I-90 past Carson Yard on the NS Youngstown Line south of Ashtabula I looked to see if the 14M was there. It wasn’t.

Once in Conneaut I headed north on Mill Street but nothing was sitting in the yard other than the usual yard power.

I got stopped at the CSX crossing by an eastbound ballast train. I parked in the lot for the Conneaut Historical Society across from the CSX Erie West Subdivision tracks.

I had three objectives for the day. Catch a train on Canadian National – the former Bessemer & Lake Erie – get the 14M and bag a pair of those Citirail units that CSX has been leasing of late.

There was no guarantee the Bessemer would be operating today from Conneaut, but there was  a good chance that it would and that it would have Illinois Central motive power.

The 14M looked like a good bet but bagging the Citirail units would be a long shot.

I set up my antenna, checked the frequencies on my scanner and waited. Less than two minutes later I heard a transmission on the B&LE channel. A train was working in the yard.

Over to the Main Street crossing I went. The B&LE channel got quiet for about 10 to 15 minutes before the switching moves resumed.

By now NS 316 had arrived in town and was working the yard. In the process they discovered they had a loaded car destined for Bellevue. Should they leave it in Conneaut or take it to Buffalo?

“Take it with you,” was the response of the Youngstown Line dispatcher.

It was getting to be late morning when Illinois Central 1034 and two sister IC units came out of the yard and poked their noses out beyond the NS trestle over Conneaut Creek.

The crew was wrapping up putting together its train. I was hoping to get the lead unit of the NS 316 crossing the trestle above IC 1034, but it was not to be.

The CN train had left town by the time the 316 ambled eastbound with Canadian Pacific No. 8917 on the point.

Under normal circumstances, I would have chased the CN train into Pennsylvania. But today I still had unfinished business. I returned to the historical society parking lot next to the CSX tracks.

It was about noon when I heard the Youngstown Line dispatcher make radio contact with the 14M.

The discussion occurred on the Youngstown Line frequency so 14M still had yet to reach Ashtabula.

Eastbound traffic on the former Nickel Plate Road mainline through Ashtabula was heavy, so the dispatcher agreed to recrew the 14M at Carson.

In the eastbound parade were intermodal trains 22K and 206 along with auto rack train 28N.

I didn’t bother to seek out the 22K or 206. Instead I focused on CSX for awhile.

An eastbound rail train came through around 12:30 p.m. that was followed by an eastbound stack train.

Shortly thereafter, a westbound monster freight, the Q393, slowly made its way through town with all 15,000 feet of it making all of 30 mph.

Welcome to the world of E. Hunter Harrison’s precision scheduled railroading.

I later heard the IH dispatcher tell another train he would do his best to get that train around the Q393, but it would be difficult.

Around 1:38 p.m. the Youngstown Line dispatcher talked with the 14M again. The new crew was on board and the train was on the move.

It must have moved slowly because by mid-afternoon it still wasn’t out of Ashtabula. It would follow train 310.

In the meantime, another story began playing out on NS. I had heard the dispatcher periodically tell the crew of westbound 287, an auto rack train, that it would be waiting in yet another siding for yet another eastbound.

The 287 must have been in and out of every siding between here and Buffalo.

Around 3 p.m. the dispatcher told the 287 it would have to go into the siding at PA for the 310 and the 14M. The latter was just now coming around the Buffalo connection in Ashtabula.

The 287 crew reminded the dispatcher it had been on duty since 5 a.m. But his brushed that aside saying they needed to take that up with the first trick dispatcher who was on duty “when that baby was born.”

I also learned that the 14M would be dropping off a locomotive at Conneaut. Less than 15 minutes later the dispatcher, his supervisor or the NS computer program that makes train dispatching decisions had a change of heart.

The 287 would come into Conneaut for a recrew. But the new crew would have the same experience the old crew old had, having to wait for opposing traffic. In this case it would mean waiting at the west end of Parish siding for the 310 and 14M.

It was getting to be late afternoon and I was getting impatient. Where was the 14M?

I decided to go look for it. I drove out to Parish Road on the west side of Conneaut, parked and walked up onto the bridge.

But there was no sign of the 14M and the signal at the west end of the yard for eastbounds was red. A CSX westbound passed by but I didn’t pay it much mind.

I noticed that the connecting track from NS to CSX, which I’ve been told was put in during the Conrail era and once hosted a detour of Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited, is still in place, but overgrown with weeds.

NS has altered the switch so that it now appears to act as a derail yet it is no longer possible to move a train into the connection track to CSX.

As I waited for the 14M, a large bank of clouds moved in and covered the sun. It had been sun and clouds for most of the day, but the weather was taking a turn.

I was about to give up and go back into town when I heard a horn to the west. Maybe that was the 14M.

Soon a headlight popped up on the horizon. The signal at the west end of the yard was still red and the train was moving slowly.

A glimpse through my telephoto lens confirmed that the Lackawanna H unit was on the point.

The 14M stopped but it didn’t last long because the signal turned to an approach indication.

I got my photographs and drove back to the historical society. Shortly after arriving, the heavens opened and we had an intense, although brief, shower that produced small hail pellets.

I listened to the 14M on the radio as it worked in the Conneaut Yard. During the process I got a CSX westbound freight that was a mere 300 plus axles. I guess those cars wouldn’t fit on the Q393.

By now it was apparent I wasn’t going to get any Citirail units leading on CSX today.

The 14M finished its work and I drove over to the Main Street crossing of the B&LE to photograph NS 1074 on the trestle over Conneaut Creek.

It was nearly 5:30 p.m. and I needed to head for home. It had taken all day, but I had finally got a heritage unit, the first one I’ve photographed since January.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders

Looks like it is going to be a nice spring day.

IC 1034 and its train will be leaving town shortly.

Looking west down Main Street.

NS train 316 had a Canadian Pacific leader and a loaded car that was supposed to have been routed to Bellevue.

The W021 has a load of rail bound for some eastern work site.

The ATVs racing along side this eastbound CSX stack train were not part of the original plan for making this image.

Trying to show Q017 along with a pair of flowering trees.

The crew of NS train 287 was relieved to hear the dispatcher say there had been a change of plans and they would come into Conneaut sooner rather than later.

A black locomotive and a bright red garage.

At last the 14M is approaching Conneaut with the feature attraction of the day on NS.

Coming into Conneaut on an approach.

After the rain came a short by today’s CSX standards manifest freight.

The last image of the day was one I waited several hours to get.

Easy Catch in Conneaut

I had a hankering to see some Illinois Central motive power so, naturally, I went to Conneaut to find it.

It didn’t take long. I had parked opposite of the former New York Central passenger station along the CSX Erie West Subdivision.

I turned on my scanner and the first radio transmission I heard was a Canadian National crew making switching moves in the yard of the former Bessemer & Lake Erie.

So off I went to the Main Street crossing to wait. Within 15 to 20 minutes IC SD70 No. 1034 and two other IC sister units pulled down by the Norfolk Southern trestle.

It would be the easiest catch of the day.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders

Sunday Surprise (and Prize) in Bellevue

Illinois Central No. 1028 leads the W08 off the Toledo District of Norfolk Southern in Bellevue and into the mini plant.

I knew I wanted to go to Bellevue this past weekend. The question was whether it would be Saturday or Sunday.

The original plan was to go on Saturday. But as Friday night approached I began having second thoughts. I had work to do at home over the weekend and the banquet of the Railroad Enthusiasts to attend on Saturday night.

The weather forecast for Sunday called for temperatures in the 70s and mostly sunny skies. It would be warmer than it was going to be on Saturday. And I’d have more time if I went on Sunday because I wouldn’t have to leave as early to attend an evening event.

So I went with Sunday. Of course Saturday would be the day that two Norfolk Southern heritage locomotives — the Interstate and the Norfolk Southern units — passed through Bellevue.

I would learn that four Ferromex locomotives also made an appearance in Bellevue on Saturday. So there would have been much to see had I gone out there on Saturday.

I had time to think about what I had missed on Saturday during my first hour in Bellevue on Sunday, which wasn’t too bad. Traffic was steady and a couple of trains were led by Union Pacific motive power, not that that is all that unusual of a sight in Northern Ohio.

I mentioned to the railfan who gave me the “what I missed on Saturday report” that I was hoping to something great today.

As it turned out, I didn’t have to wait long for that.

About 10:30 a.m., the railfan was looking through his binoculars and said an inbound train on the Toledo District had what looked like an Illinois Central unit in the lead.

What! An Illinois Central locomotive on an NS train in Bellevue? That seemed to good to be true.

There aren’t that many ICRR units left and they hardly ever show up in Northern Ohio, let alone leading a train.

But it was true. IC SD70 No. 1028 was on the point with a Canadian National unit trailing of the W08 making its way into Moorman Yard.

For what it’s worth, I never did see any NS heritage units on this day. I did see a Wheeling & Lake Erie train come into town and into the yard on the Brewster connection. The railfan who gave me the Saturday report said the Wheeling didn’t come in on Saturday.

If you know me, though, then you know how Sunday was the better day for me to have been in Bellevue.

Article and Photograph by Craig Sanders

After Botching Things I Stumbled Onto Success

The signal indication at the north end of the double track at Karen near Adamsville indicated that the train I thought I had missed had not yet arrived. But I didn’t know that at the time.

It was not one of my better railfanning days, although it didn’t start off too badly.

I arrived in Conneaut around 8:30 a.m. to await the arrival of a Canadian National (nee Bessemer & Lake Erie train).

I had a particular photo location in mind for the outbound train, which I knew from previous outings would depart Conneaut in late morning or early afternoon.

Around 9 a.m. I thought I heard a locomotive horn to the south. The CN train was about to arrive. Or so I thought.

I stood on the bridge carrying Old Main Street over Conneaut Creek and waited. But no train arrived.

After about 15 minutes I gave up and went back to my car. It sure had sounded like the horn of an Illinois Central SD70.

The scanner was silent. An eastbound had departed town on Norfolk Southern shortly before my arrival. But otherwise, nothing was moving on either NS or CN.

I heard a few CSX trains on the radio and saw them through the trees. That is to be expected as CSX is by far the busiest rail line in Conneaut.

About 11:30 a.m. I concluded that CN wasn’t working today in Conneaut.

I drove over by the museum in the former Lake Shore & Michigan Southern station and parked across the CSX tracks at the Conneaut Historical Society. At least trains were moving on CSX.

In early afternoon, the NS channel came to life and I decided to go back over to Old Main Street to get an NS train crossing the trestle over Conneaut Creek.

Just as I was arriving, a CN truck made its way along the tracks toward the yard. Maybe there would be a train today, after all.

Around that time I realized that although I had unlocked the CN radio channel on my scanner, I had not unlocked the bank on which it was located. All morning my scanner had not been scanning the bank with the CN frequency.

Shortly after I unlocked Bank 3, I heard some chatter on the CN channel, which I thought was a train trying to tone up the dispatcher.

It actually was a train calling the Conneaut yardmaster. I didn’t quite understand all of what they were talking about, but apparently the crew left something behind by mistake.

Then the yardmaster said, “you guys did a good job up here today” and something about reporting them having left Conneaut.

Then it dawned on me. The CN truck was going back to the yard because it had done a roll by inspection of a departing train.

That sent me scurrying to find that train. I didn’t see anything at Pond Road and didn’t see anything on the roads that parallel the ex-B&LE en route to Albion. But not all sections of the B&LE can be seen from nearby roads.

As I came into Albion I heard the train I was chasing say something about milepost 120. That is beyond Albion. So off I went barreling down Pennsylvania Route 18.

I heard the crew say something about another milepost but the transmission was faint. They were getting well ahead of me and out of radio range.

I heard the dispatcher talking with the train to clear up the track warrant for authority between Conneaut and Albion. But I couldn’t pick out the crew’s end of the conversation.

As I reached the outskirts of Conneaut Lake, I heard the detector go off at MP 117. That must be the Hartstown detector and the CN train must be well ahead of me.

My only chance to get it would be at Sandy. The Conneaut yardmaster had told the train that the re-crew wasn’t on duty until 7 p.m., so the outbound crew would tie ‘er down. I’ve seen that done at Sandy, which is located at KO Road.

I could see from the highway that no train was sitting at Sandy. The re-crew apparently would be at Kremis.

I was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I had missed the train I wanted because I had failed to unlock a bank of channels on my scanner.

Had I been scanning the CN frequency, I would have heard the train working in the yard and stayed put until it left.

I began heading back toward Conneaut and as an afterthought, turned onto Atlantic Road and drove east to look at the signal at Karen,  the north end of the double track near Adamsville.

It displayed a green over amber indication, which on CN means limited clear. Could it be that the train I was seeking had not yet arrived? Could it be the reason the radio transmission had gotten weaker was because I was outrunning the train and not the other way around?

There were some yellow flowering plants along the right of way, so I parked and got out to photograph those. At least I would have something. How nice it would look with a train here.

I didn’t know what to make of that signal indication. It could be a train that might not come along for hours. Should I wait to see what happens?

It wasn’t long before I heard the Hartstown detector go off. The earlier detector I had heard was just beyond Albion and the Hartstown detector is near milepost 97 not milepost 117.

Shortly thereafter I saw a headlight in the distance belonging to IC 1018. The motive power consist had two other IC SD70s.

I was pleased with the images I was able to get of the flowering plants and the train that I was sure I had missed.

The events of that day provided two object lessons for future railfanning trips. First, double check to make sure you are scanning all of the radio channels you mean to scan.

Second, study the route you are chasing before setting out. I had a CN employee timetable page for the ex-B&LE, but it is not safe to study a timetable while driving.

Had I known the milepost locations of the detectors I would have realized that I was ahead of the train not trailing it. I also need to do some more fieldwork of the ex-B&LE to learn where there are roads from which the signals can be viewed.

I still don’t know when the CN train came into Conneaut. It might have been while I was off railfanning CSX or filling up my car. Maybe it arrived in Conneaut before I did.

I didn’t get the image I had wanted to make, but I’ll take what I was able to get.

You can be sure that next time I have a free weekend and good weather I’m heading to Conneaut to do a makeup outing.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders

Never was I more pleased to see the IC “death star” through my telephoto lens than I was on this day as the train rolled past Adamsville, Pennsylvania.

About to cross Atlantic Road.

They’re probably weeds, but they sure added a touch of color to this spring image near Adamsville, Pennsylvania, on the former B&LE

The trio of IC SD70s and their train are about to diverge onto Main No. 2 at Karen.

Illinois Central Black Against Ohio Autumn Gold

Illinois Central 1018 comes into the curve on the former Bessemer & Lake Erie in Conneaut just before Welton Road. The motive power consist included three IC SD70s and a ratty looking CN unit.

Every picture tells a story. Or so they say. And behind every picture lies a story about how it came to be made.

It was late Saturday morning in Conneaut. Adam Barr and I had just chased a train on the former Bessemer & Lake Erie to Pond Road just inside Pennsylvania.

That train had the B&LE No. 905 on the lead. The weather was less than ideal but it might be the last opportunity that I’ll have to photograph a B&LE tunnel motor leading a train on the now Canadian National route.

We might have given chase further except that we both needed to be back home by around 1 p.m.

As we were leaving, we heard the CN dispatcher tell the 905 that it would be meeting a northbound.

The radio reception was intermittent and I didn’t catch the meet point. But it is common for meets to be made at Sandy, which is at KO Road north of Greenville, Pennsylvania.

The dispatcher had told the 905 that the northbound was taking the alternate route, which I thought meant the Greenville Subdivision through its namesake city.

We returned to Conneaut hoping to catch the 23K on Norfolk Southern, which had the Conrail heritage unit in its motive power consist.

The CN dispatcher came on again, having been keyed up by the B&LE 905 to clear up the track warrant between Conneaut and Albion, Pennsylvania.

But no sooner had that occurred then the dispatcher was giving that northbound a warrant to proceed to Conneaut.

The meet had occurred in Albion and the alternate route was the scale track between RX and CE. The latter is where the Erie branch diverges from the Bessemer Sub.

We thought about going back to Pond Road, but I suggested Welton Road, which is at the apex of the horseshoe curve that trains must go around arriving or departing in Conneaut.

There was good autumn color there and I was excited about the prospect of getting an IC “deathstar” against all of that gold.

There is ample room to park at the Welton Road crossing, yet being ready for a train’s arrival is tricky.

There are no gates and flashers here, just good old-fashioned cross bucks. By the time an inbound train begins blowing its horn for the crossing, it is almost on you.

You can’t count on hearing the rumbling of diesels and the next crossing down is a little distance away.

Adam heard what he described as a feeble-sounding horn that wasn’t CSX or NS. So we got into position.

It was another good catch on a day that had been filled with them.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders

You won’t find an IC “deathstar” enveloped by this type of autumn foliage going around a curve back on the home territory of the Chicago-New Orleans mainline.

Almost to Welton Road. A light rain was falling at the time.

The last of the empty hoppers crosses Conneaut Creek.