Retired Amtrak Locomotives Going to LTEX

Some retired Amtrak locomotives are reported to be bound for LTEX in Northeast Ohio where they are expected to be used for parts.

They are P40-8 and F40PHR units that had been stored at Amtrak shops in Wilmington and Bear, Delaware.

The locomotives were moved in CSX train CSX train Q389-08.

LTEX has received former Amtrak F40 units previously, but this is thought to be its first experience with GE Genesis series diesels.

Amtrak is retaining possession of P40 No. 828 to use for training purposes in Wilmington. The unit was retired in 2005.

The Cleveland Commercial Power Fleet

On recent beautiful but chilly Sunday, I was in Glenwillow and joked with my friends about seeing a Santa Fe locomotive.

Huh! Santa Fe? Yep, we were seeing it right. Anyway it made for some good conversation as to why it may be here and I’m sure there is a logical reason.

I am no photographer by any means but I did take a few photos of the Santa Fe unit along with the other two locomotives that were parked there.

I know the photos were taken through some trees but I tried to capture the numbers and writing on engines without drawing too much attention or trespassing on railroad property as there were other curious people out and about walking and watching us and the engines.

Oh well, just thought I would share a happy moment with you. In my travels I find many people really enjoy seeing or watching a passing train, especially one with a bright cool paint scheme.

Photographs by Gary Laurenzi

Ya Think It Won’t Start Anyway?

The remains of a StL&H SD made a stop at work in its journey from LTEX to Pottstown, Pa. I thought the “Do not start” instruction on the non complying locomotive tag was a bit of a hoot.

Photographs by Roger Durfee

 

C&IM SD20s Reposing at Yanda

There are four former Chicago & Illinois Midland SD-20s working their way to LTEX. Last Sunday afternoon I did a few photos of them over at Yanda in Youngstown.

All were, of course, nose coupled but once they are in LTEX there won’t be much chance of getting them.

All started life as Southern Railway SD24s. The Illinois Central Gulf rebuilt them as SD20s.

That’s CSX Q375 passing them in the top photograph.

Two of the units still had the original C&IM logo on the rear of the long hood.

Yet another photo shows one of the unit’s recent history in layers of stickers.

Article and Photographs by Roger Durfee

Some C&IM in Northeast Ohio

Last Saturday, CSX had four former Chicago & Illinois Midland SD20s destined for Larry’s Truck Electric.

I caught this team on the Q388 at Kent but the weather was less than stellar. The sun would come out later but that’s the breaks.

Fast forward to Sunday. The Q388 had dropped them off on a siding at Yanda interlocking at Youngstown. The weather was perfect and I waited until afternoon for the sun to come around. The other photos are the result.

Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon

Durfee Program Can be Seen on YouTube

If you enjoyed seeing or missed Roger Durfee’s music and images tribute to Larry’s Truck Electric at the ARRC member’s night on Saturday and want to see it again, you’re in luck. Roger has posted the program to the website YouTube. The link is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuEZhqTl-i8&feature=youtu.be

“LTEX over near Girard is both a neat place  and a sad place,” Roger writes. “As you will see, hundreds of locomotives arrive at this location. Many get repaired and leased out after arriving at that facility, but for many the trip into LTEX is their  last ride.

“Cabs, frames, engines, and various pieces parts are scattered around the grounds like bones after the meat is gone. Stonehenge-like steel  monuments try to show us something that once was.

“I tried to convey  the  feeling of walking through a graveyard with this program.

“‘Put me on the  train, take me back my home,’ is a reference to not wanting to die and  ‘Look at all the places . . . where all my family died.’ could refer to a  graveyard. To walk among the dead so to speak, to be near what once was a bigger than life, loud, moving locomotive that has been reduced to  silent, rusting parts is a bit humbling.  I hope I evoke some emotions  of both sadness and respect in the program.”

The images are set to music created by Moby. The song is titled Pale Horses.

Plenty of ‘Powdered Sugar’ at LTEX

Snow covers the locomotives waiting to to into the shop for rebuilding or repair at LTEX on Jan. 5, 2013.

I paid a visit to Youngstown last Saturday, mostly in search of Norfolk Southern No. 1071, the Central of New Jersey heritage locomotive on slab train 67Z.

I found the train tied down in Haselton Yard and not going anywhere. I checked out a couple other locations in the area, including LTEX.

The “powdered sugar” snow covering the dead units made for some interesting photos. CSX was generally quiet, but I did a photo of the Q016 just about to knock down the EAS at Center Street with the Youngstown skyline in the background. You couldn’t get this angle back in the 1970s.
The clouds were moving in quick so it was over to the NS yard to take a few grab shots of the 1071.

The sun never really moves around during these short days so I had to settle for a slightly back lighted roster view and a cloudy train view.

Article and Photographs by Roger Durfee

When These Locomotives Were Still Working

Akron Railroad Club member Todd Dillon dipped into his archives to pull out some image of Buffalo & Pittsburgh SD45 locomotives. He reports that these units have since been cut up at LTEX. They are shown here in service in happier times.

Photographs by Todd Dillon

Good Old Fashioned Train Chase

The chase begins as we intercept the light power move west of Attica Junction, a.k.a. Siam, Ohio.We barely were able to get into position to get this shot.

I caught up with fellow Akron Railroad Club member Roger Durfee on Saturday morning in Macedonia for what turned out to be a good old fashioned train chase on CSX. The railroad was hosting a light power move of 11 former Santa Fe locomotives, most of them GP30s.

The retired locomotives were part of a group of 22 purchased by LTEX and being moved over CSX into two batches. Saturday’s move operated as symbol X791.

It seemed liked dozens of railfan photographers turned out to record the move. Here are nine images from among the many that I shot during our chase.

Photographs by Craig Sanders

Coming into Willard Yard along a still to be harvested corn field along Town Line Road 12 west of the town.

After about an hour in Willard, during which time the train changed crews, the X791 was on the move east again. The train is about to duck under Cornwell Avenue (Ohio Route 99).

No chase of a train on the former Baltimore & Ohio east of Willard is complete without an across-the-field shot after the crops have been harvested. This image was taken along Boughtonville Road west of the road’s namesake village.

Approaching the grade crossing east of Boughtonville with Boughtonville Road.

The X791 got delayed for about an hour west of Greenwich waiting on three westbounds. Track work on the New Castle Subdivision apparently had that line down to single track. Finally, X791 got a signal and proceeded east. Fortunately for the photographers, the last locomotive was facing the “right” direction.

Nova Tower still stands. Who knows how many Santa Fe and ex-Santa Fe locomotives have passed by it all these years.

Catching up with the X791 before it reached Akron seemed out of the question so we made a beeline for there. Our final images of the X791 would be from the Thronton Street overpass.

The Akron skyline looms in the background as the X791 takes the signal at Exchange Street and continues its trek to LTEX at Lordstown.

EMD Invasion of CVSR Continues

EMD-built locomotives continue to “invade” the motive power roster of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. The latest EMD product on CVSR rails is LTEX 2436. a former BNSF GP-30u wearing a Santa Fe livery.

Last weekend the 2436 was on the north end of the Scenic train operating between Akron and Rockside Road.

Photographs by Roger Durfee