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!

IN THE YARDS PT6

An unusual visitor sits behind 3163 today, NS Southern Heritage unit 8099!

This unit was the second Heritage unit to come out of the Altoona Shops in 2012. Coupled to 3163, it seems to be in local service on the AP&W!

Brad talks with one of the yard crew members about recent events in the area; it seems that one of the electrical relay cabinets was broken into in a possible attempted copper theft.

Briggs takes a break outside the shop and watches as an intermodal train rolls past.

October is pumpkin month! Every year, a local farmer brings his crop to town, including a stop by Hillsdale Yard. How many pies do you think one of those bigger pumpkins can supply?

PASSING TRAINS PT7; AUTUMN TRAINS 2

Another autumn excursion train!

The smoke rises from engine 34 as she passes underneath the bridge.

As she rounds the corner, we see that she has a new, fully enclosed, passenger car in tow, along with the open car.

With the cooler weather of fall, the closed car becomes increasingly popular! The open car still has its weather-hardy fans though; nothing beats the sounds and smells of a hard-working steamer!

Following behind the train is a hi-railer truck, at the ready -if needed- for assistance. With the steamer approaching 120 years of service, a dedicated support team is a must!

The other excursion queen -F7 1- sits in the shop for a little TLC between runs. While not quite as old as the steamer, unit 1 was built during the late 40's, as the APRR was converting from steam to diesel power; she, too, requires a support team to keep her running.
With the fall excursion season underway, we wonder; will any other unusual (neat) trains pass through town?