MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

 ET44AC 530 is pulling a short train in honor of Memorial Day...

Extra 530 has pulled into Hillsdale Yard, to drop off several wreaths and flags for local volunteers to place on the graves of local veterans.

Power car 11 provides hotel power for the dome car.

The specially painted POW/MIA dome, un-officially called "Freedom," carries a small crew of AP&W volunteers to assist in distributing the flags and wreaths to communities along the route between Cleveland and Washington, D.C.

TBOX 662066 was loaded with thousands of wreaths for the journey.

KDC 016 was loaded with flags. In addition to on-line communities, other flags and wreaths were also provided to veterans' cemeteries in northeastern Ohio, southwestern Pennsylvania, and across Maryland.

Greyhound's Tribute To Our Heroes bus leaves town headed for Philadelphia.

A pair of  60's classics -including a 67' GTO on the right- sit in front of the ice cream shop. No formal car show this year due to the weather, but the classics still show up!

Enjoy the Memorial Day Weekend!

Hiatus

 Right now, the blog is on hiatus, due to health issues. The good news is that I am back working on a project (or two), so I hope to be back on the layout sooner rather than later.

THE 4TH WEEKEND, PT 4

 The America Units are passing through Hillsdale with CHINYC1136X, a priority intermodal. The conclusion to the train...

The Breast Cancer car, loaded with an XPO Logistics box on the bottom, and a FFE/KLLM reefer box on top.

Tiger Cool Express and Twin Logistics.

Blasphemy! A UPS box atop a FedEx box!

More FedEx and UPS boxes with Alliance Shippers and other's reefer containers on top.

More Tiger Cool Express reefers.

The final section is all C.R. England.

Since these are all reefer containers, the bottom containers are placed in the well with the reefer units facing away from the direction of travel -again, to keep them from intaking too much road dust and grime.

At the end of CHINYC1136X, is a DPU (Distributed Power Unit) helper.

Shoving hard om the rear is ET44AC 500, the Breast Cancer Unit.

As engine 500 shoves CHINYC1136X out of town, we come to the end of yet another train. What's next? We shall see!

THE 4TH WEEKEND, PT 3

 During the 4th of July weekend, the America Units met a Shipper's Special pulled by a pair of borrowed NS AC44C6M's. The Shipper's Special was a Maersk train, the end of which we see here...

An almost-new MAXI I well car, with both 40' and 45' containers, with a mix of lettering schemes.

A pair of 40' rebuilt Thrall well cars brings up the rear. Note the first car has the old logo, while the second car has the new one (and is much cleaner!).

With the Shipper's Special now cleared, CHINYC1136X now moves forward out of Hillsdale Yard.

As usual, the units are in numerical order, with 1876 ("Stars") being the "middle child."

In addition to being in numerical order, these hard working engines are also being kept unusually clean!

CHINYC1136X being a Priority intermodal, it has lots of reefer containers, as well as plenty of UPS and FedEx containers.

More hot traffic.

The AP&W's preference is to have refrigerated containers in the top-stacked position, to keep the reefer units from getting too much dust and reducing their efficiency. This also protects both the reefer units and the fuel tanks underneath them from any objects kicked up by the train as it rolls along at speed.

More grey FedEx containers, along with KLLM/FFE reefers.

Plenty of foodstuff -fresh and frozen- is moving east from Chicago to New York City, along with packages being carried by FedEx and UPS (the white containers).

Produce and various meats are in the reefers, along other temperature-controlled goods. Note the pink "On Track for the Cure" well car.

The conclusion to CHINYC1136X next week.

THE 4TH WEEKEND, PT 2

 During the 4th of July weekend, the America Units met a Shipper's Special pulled by a pair of NS AC44C6M's being tested by the AP&W. The Shipper's Special was a Maersk train...

While not all of the containers are Maersk, most of them are.

                                        

 DTTX 64019 is a Trinity-built 5-unit well car with 40' wells, and "assigned" to Maersk. Note the tarp-tops, along with a pair of 20' boxes.

A white reefer box and another tarp-top (also nick-named "rag-tops) under the 45' container.

A 45' box atop a pair of 20 footers.

                                                 

One of the "rainbow" containers, along with several lettered "MAERSK LINE."

Another 45' box, this one lettered Maersk Sealand. There are also a pair of COSCO containers, including a tarp-top, and an MSC 20' box.

More Maersk, this time in an AP&W well car. Note the ZIM tarp-top.

Another 45 footer is among the containers here.

The string of solid Maersk containers continue.

                                       

The America Units wait patiently for their turn. It comes soon!