MERRY CHRISTMAS

It's Christmas! Time for the Christmas train!

The train  rolls into town.

The two GE 44-tonners, 12 and 25, lead the train as usual.

Parked in the yard, the lead engine, 12, shows off its snowplow and red paint.

The handing out of presents to the local children of the Hillsdale House, an annual tradition that the kids always look forward to -and so do the railroad employees.

The train crew travels in this lounge car on the road; they stay in local hotels during overnight stops.

After the stop, the train moves on, headed to Cumberland, and eventually Baltimore.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

TOWN LIFE PT23

As the holidays approach...

A FedEx semi rolls into town. This time of year is always busy for them.

UPS Freight is also busy. Both trucks are headed for the downtown warehouses, which are shipping out holiday gifts by the truckload!

The local UPS driver is also busy making deliveries around town -as is the FedEx man!

Street traffic is up, and so are sales at the furniture store!

Speaking of sales, the local clothing store is also having a last-minute sidewalk sale, despite the cold! One man leaves with several gift boxes. His family will be happy this Christmas!Note also, that the store now has a partial interior. Now it just needs a name!

IN THE YARDS PT30

Briggs and two other shop men talk outside the shop. The tan Buick LeSabre belongs to Briggs; that it looks nearly brand new is a testament to the care it has received over the past two owners and four decades!

A pair of pressure-differential hoppers sit in the east side of the yard, awaiting pickup for the trip back west,

Also awaiting pickup is a string of pipe loads from Wilson Steel Works.

Lastly, a string of plastic pellet hoppers sits in storage, awaiting final delivery of their loads; not all will wind up at Pete's Plastics.

An electrician checks the installation of a pair of solar panels. The AP&W is increasing the use of solar energy at its facilities, helping to reduce its carbon footprint -and its light bills!

ANOTHER DAY

On a late fall day in Hillsdale...

The Union Cold Storage delivery truck heads downtown, loaded with bagged ice for the supermarket and convenience stores.

A big Trinity reefer sits in the yard, outside the shop. A problem with the reefer unit sidelined the car.

Briggs talks with two other shop men on break. After the break, he will take the pickup out on a repair job; a non-working signal unit just outside the city.

Speaking of repair work, a contractor's work van rolls through town. They just left the hardware store. Judging by the old Cadillac with the top down, this was an unseasonably warm day!

After finishing the reefer work, Head-End-Power car 11 sits in front of the shop, ready to go in for some upgrade work on the engine generator.

PASSING TRAINS PT39; GATEWAY CHEROKEE Pt3

A set of HUB Group containers, with another C.R. England reefer box among them.

More Hub boxes, this time in the newer green.

Trailers on spine cars, including a JB Hunt intermodal trailer and an Arnold Transportation Service trailer.

The "Triple-57'/Twin-28'" spine car lives up to its billing, carrying a pair of YRC Worldwide 28' pups.

Interstate and Xtra leasing trailers.

The EOT flashes, signalling the end of the train. And note that the semi in the background also has an XTRA Lease trailer!