CHRISTMAS TRAIN

Once again, it's time for the Christmas Train to come through!

With Santa on the front end, the Christmas Train rolls into town.

Parked on the siding, the train shows some newly added cars.

One new car is an old hopper for the Santa Claus Coal Express -with a full load of coal for the "naughty" folks' stockings! (How appropriate that this train is headed to Washington, D.C.!)

Another new car is the Military Tribute boxcar ahead of this gondola. While the Operation Lifesaver gon has been a long-time fixture in the train, this year, instead of Christmas trees, it is loaded with flattened cars -to emphasize the car's message about grade crossing safety!

One thing never changes; Santa meeting with the kids!

Brad and the engineer converse. The engine recently received the new AP&W logo on the front.

Santa's helpers wave from the caboose as the train rolls out. Just ahead of the caboose is the MIA/Freedom car, which is the final car new to the train. With a large number of veterans among its employees, the AP&W wanted to make sure that their sacrifices were appreciated; hence the military appreciation cars in the train.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

PASSING TRAINS PT8

An eastbound coal train rolls into town with a full load of coal.

Both locomotives sport the new "star" logo.

The long string of black stretches through the yard. Like most railroads, coal is a major source of revenue for the AP&W; with the recent closing of two major power plants in southwestern Pennsylvania this traffic will see a definite drop off.

 The engines come around the curve on the return trip later that day.

The silver string of now-empty coal gons follow behind.

The train rolls past Main Street as traffic rolls along Main Street. And if you look in the yard, you'll see the tail end of the Christmas train parked on one of the tracks!

TOWN LIFE PT6

A new business has opened up on Commerce Road! The empty brown building on the left is now occupied.

The newly opened Vic's Barber shop is now ready to help the men of Hillsdale keep their hair in check! The upstairs apartment is also rented out to Vic; imagine only having a 30-sec commute to work!

Leon rides his moped on a chilly fall day. At least it's not raining!

On a warmer day, a man takes advantage of a clearance sale on mowers to bring home a new riding mower. After loading it in the back of the truck, he's all set to go.

Tony's Garage is also busy, as many owners bring their cars in for pre-winter tune-ups. Fall is also a time for repairs -it's deer season!

IN THE YARDS PT8

Gen-set 300 returns from Pete's Plastics with HLP21 and a string of empty plastic pellet hoppers.

The train has double the usual number of hopper cars, as the holiday season brings a increased demand for plastic bottles and flatware.

On the tail end, are a pair of LPG tank cars and a pair of empty centerbeam flatcars from Smitty Lumber. Fall is also a busy time for the local LPG distributor, as it is used as a heating source; in gaseous form, it is called propane.

Also busy is Johnson Foods; here a string of reefers rolls in from Dale City on train DCL9.

More on-going track work has resulted in more replaced ties. While many are removed in pieces, some are still good enough to salvage and re-sell to the public. The local building supply dealer makes good money selling these to the public; one area resident is reportedly building a storage shed with these!

DOWNTOWN CHANGES PT2

Continuing the ongoing changes downtown...

A view of the west end of downtown.

The center.

The east end, the business district.

Now, the center has been re-arranged! I felt that the big engineering building was a better fit on the business end of town, with the smaller buildings taking center stage. I also re-arranged some of the smaller buildings and added a new one.

A closer look at the block. This now has more of a small town feel, with an old pickup to match.

The new business is the Perfect Perk Cafe, a new coffee house ready to serve those who need some help to wake up in the morning!

DOWNTOWN CHANGES, PT1

Downtown has seen some changes lately. Let's follow them...

Two small buildings start off between two larger industrial-sized buildings. Note, however, that you can still see the train behind them.

Now, they are joined by Midtown Appliance Sales and Service, helping to fill the space and hide the tracks (and trains) otherwise visible along the back of the layout.

Now, two more buildings have been added, including Tenth World Comics, which was relocated from Market St. between the corner market and the parking garage.

And now, the one industrial building - one-half of the former Armstrong Electric from the old layout set-up - has been moved yet again, now farther down the street. Now, the block looks more like one found in an eastern town, with smaller buildings for small, family-owned businesses near the center of the city.

Lastly, to celebrate Veteran's Day with my fellow vets; here's a specially painted boxcar honoring the various branches of the military, including the Coast Guard and the National Guard.

And, the AP&W's POW/MIA car. Happy Veteran's Day!

TOWN LIFE PT5

Traffic rolls along Market Street on a quiet afternoon.

It's quiet on Main Street as well.

With the light traffic on the road, and comfortable temperatures, the pastor and his wife sit outside the church and watch the grass get cut. Meanwhile, several women go about their errands on foot.

Christie's Pet Supply has a big new sign hung over the door; if it doesn't catch passerby's eyes, then nothing will!

A recently completed project by the city was a sidewalk up and over the bridge. Now, even pedestrians can leave town!

IN THE YARDS PT7

Another day in Hillsdale on the AP&W...

Train DCF13, the City Fizz Turn, returns home from Dale City behind new gen-set engine 300.

The first car is a well-weathered RailBox car, that not only delivered bottles to City Fizz, but is necessary for crew protection from the tank cars. Even though they're empty, the residual syrup in the cars is still considered hazardous by the railroad -unless it's water, tank car contents are "hazardous"!

A string of ADM tank cars follows; most with the new "leaf" logo.

300's crew prepares to stop and get the cars ready for departure on a passing manifest. While summer was a busy time for City Fizz, fall and winter are just as busy -it's football season!

Also busy is Johnson Foods. Mark Davis walks past a string of reefers ready to make a delivery of fresh vegetables from the west coast.

Sam and Briggs take a break outside the shop. Soon, it will be too cool outside for those short-sleeved shirts, but for now, they enjoy the mild temperatures.

Two vehicles are parked by the spur that runs past a currently unoccupied factory. Once upon a time, various garments were made here, including women's lingerie. But, like many American garment factories, it succumbed to foreign competition. The spur itself is used as a team track from time to time, although its elevation above the ground limits its usefulness as such.

PASSING TRAINS PT7

Fall is grain train time! And surely enough, here comes another one...

This one is an NS run-through, led by two of it's newer GE ES40DC units.

While the first unit is in the standard black, the second one is still in primer; to expedite delivery, NS had GE deliver some units in primer paint. They have all since been painted black.

Almost all of the train is comprised of BNSF hoppers. As one of the top grain haulers in the world, their hoppers get around!

On the rear of the train are several LPG tank cars, with more hoppers behind.

While similar at first glance, these two cars are different; the first one has a long platform on top, while the second car has a short platform and a full-length walkway on top.

Another shot of the motive power. While most railroads bought GE's Evolution Series locomotives rated at  4400hp, NS opted to rate theirs at only 4000hp; thus the ES40DC designation. NS has since purchased the ac version, rated at the full 4400hp.

A close-up of the second car in the train; a Cargill hopper that has seen several patches of paint to cover up not only old logos and blemishes, but also graffiti along the bottom half of the car! Coming right behind the primered NS engine, we have plenty of grey up front. At least the sky is blue!