Durfee Selling 2020 Calendar

Vintage diesel locomotives and fallen flags highlight the 2020 Railroading Calendar being offered by sale by Akron photographer Roger Durfee.

Issued via his Digital Durf Photography business, the calendar features images made by Roger largely but not exclusively in Northeast Ohio.

Among the railroads represented are Amtrak; Conrail; Erie Lackawanna; Santa Fe; Missouri-Kansas-Texas; Gulf, Mobile & Ohio; Toledo, Peoria & Western; Baltimore & Ohio; Western Maryland; Lehigh Valley; Ohi-Rail; Chicago & North Western; Chessie System; Illinois Central Gulf; Seaboard Coast Line; Southern; Soo Line; Monongahela; Ontario Northland; Penn Central; and Norfolk & Western.

Many of the aforementioned roads are represented as “heritage” power that still wore its original colors and markings after its owners was merged into another railroad, most notably Conrail and the Chessie System.

Each month has a feature photo and two to three smaller photographs.

The calendar costs $10 if purchased in person from Roger and $12 is ordered by mail. To order a copy of the calendar contact Roger at rad6573@hotmail.com

The calendar was arranged with the assistance of graphic artist Keith Adams and printed by Ron Smith Printing.

The cover image shown above portrays Amtrak’s westbound Lake Shore Limited at the Cleveland station as a Conrail train waits for a signal. In the background behind SDP40F No. 604 and an E unit is the former Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

What’s Roger Seen Lately?

Wheeling 7005 on Z642 in Akron on July 17.

Some out of the ordinary motive power has operated through Northeast Ohio lately and if you missed it, Akron Railroad Club member Roger Durfee has you covered.

Roger caught up with those moves and sends along some images of them along with a few routine operations that he captured.

Photographs by Roger Durfee

NS 20E (detour move) meets two tied down stack trains at Bellevue on July 8.

Clean shot of NS No. 34 at Bellevue on July 8.

KCS 3909 at Akron with Q292 on July 11.

FEC 104 at Sandusky on July 8.

BNSF 759 on Q277 at Cuyahoga Falls on June 15.

 

Boats and Trains in Port Huron

Here are two photos of the new Lake State Railway operation in Port Huron, Michigan, mentioned about a week ago in the blog. The first photo is pushing cars into Dunn Paper while the Algoma Central boat Radcliffe R. Latimer heads out into Lake Huron. The second is a grab shot of the sharp looking MP-15 under the Blue Water Bridge to Canada. Both photos were taken on June 20, 2018.

Photographs by Roger Durfee

Chasing UP 1943 in Pennsylvania, Ohio

Here are a few images of Union Pacific No. 1943 leading the passenger special that recently ran on Norfolk Southern to and from New Jersey/New York.

I started off in Altoona. It was cloudy but that kind of helped since it would have been a harsh “noon in June” high sun when it first came through.

The first two images are from Altoona and include a train and roster grab. The third photo is from the Route 22 bridge in Cresson.

The fourth is from Leetsdale. The last one is a “in your face” type of shot. I went with that to highlight the nose as from what I can tell this is the only non Armour Yellow unit to wear the wings.  It was made at Smith Goshen Road just east of Sebring, Ohio.

Article and Photographs by Roger Durfee

C&O ‘Heritage Unit’ in Lake County I

I had a chance to catch the PRLX 4834 today after work. Crappy weather, but at least it was leading the W10. It is shown at Milepost 168 in Wickliffe at the West 305th Street crossing in the top photo and at Painesville on the trestle crossing the Grand River.

Photographs by Roger Durfee

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

 

Difference of 42 Years at Voris Street

Few places in Akron have shown the changes in the railroad scene more than Voris Street. It was once the far west end of the lead tracks to the Erie Railroad’s McCoy Street Yard.

At one time, the Baltimore & Ohio, Pennsylvania and Erie railroads all sent trains through here.

A cluster of buildings once served by rail stood there for decades.

The yard was removed after the Erie Lackawanna was taken over by Conrail in 1976. The buildings near Voris Street have been razed within the past year to make way for a new highway ramp.

The top photograph was made in 1975 when the EL was still in operation. The bottom photograph was made recently from the Thorntron Street overpass.

Photographs by Roger Durfee

What Has Roger Seen Lately? Take a Look

Akron Railroad Club member Roger Durfee has been catching up on showing some of his more recent photographs.

He writes that this gallery is nothing too special, just some stuff from around work and nearby locations that he has captured.

The top image was made on one of the rails in the yard. Conrail’s welded rail plant was Lucknow in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

A splash of Kansas City Southern color on train 22K passed the Brookpark yard office when Roger was nearby.

Then there are these two views of LMIX 132, a car billed to Amtrak. Note the gas grill on the one end of the platform.

The Savannah & Atlanta heritage unit on was NS train 310 passing through Sheffield Lake. “[I] did the best I could with the higher summer sun,” Roger wrote.

You never know what you might find, including a restored Lake Shore Electric car in Avon.

Finally, here is the “Blue Mane” DC to AC conversion No. 4004 at Rockport.

Photographs by Roger Durfee

Heritage Covered Hoppers?

We’ve all heard about heritage locomotives, particularly those that Norfolk Southern created to celebrate its 30th anniversary back in 2012.

If you pay attention as a train passes you at trackside, you might spot some freight cars in some semblance of their original livery.

It might be an outline of a former herald, e.g., Penn Central or Conrail, or it might be the faded markings of a one-time owner.

And then there is this covered hopper that can be described as heritage, BNSF style. One of its grain cars is shown in Cleveland with an added “Burlington Route” emblem on it.

Photograph by Roger Durfee

Wabash Heritage Unit Makes Appearance

The Wabash H-unit made a pass through Cleveland on Tuesday leading the 21Q. I was lucky enough to be able to get off work in time to catch it. As luck would have it, 21Q was held up near where I had set up to photograph it. Both scenes are in Olmsted Falls, the first one at Milepost 196 (Lewis Road) and then near the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern depot.

Photographs by Roger Durfee