PASSING TRAINS PT50; CNY60

On this New Years' Eve, the America Units are in charge of yet another intermodal train...

CNY60, yet another Chicago-NYC intermodal train, rolls into Hillsdale.

All of the containers on the head end are PacerStacktrain boxes, in transcontinental service.

More Pacer boxes, some with red corners.

Continuing the sea of blue, are these APL boxes, also in transcontinental service.

FedEx Intermodal boxes finish out the train. FedEx is a growing presence on the rails, both with containers and trailers. And like the rest of the containers in the train, these are also in transcontinental service.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The annual Christmas Train rolls into Hillsdale.

But instead of the usual pair of GE 44-Tonners, this year's train is lead by a brand-new Scale Trains GE ET44AC!

Another newcomer in this year's train is this hopper car, loaded with "snow".

A photographer is on hand to record the gift-giving festivities. There are a lot of presents in the back of that pick-up!

Santa is on the front of the engine, ready to depart.

Santa's helper waives to the men as the train moves on to its next destination; Cumberland, Md.

With the year finally coming to a close, this one word sums up the hope for the future: Believe!

TOWN LIFE PT29; THE HOLIDAYS

It's holiday time in Hillsdale!

Truck traffic is still rolling through town, with merchandise for area malls and shopping centers.

Holiday travelers ride home from D.C. on the Steel City Express.

More ride the bus. The destination sign says "Chicago".

Last-minute shoppers are scoring deals at the clothing store's sidewalk sale -the ones willing to brave the cold!

The Greyhound bus leaves town, continuing west on its long (2+ day) journey from Washington D.C. to Chicago.

As one bus leaves, another rolls in, this time a Trailways bus.

As always, the Salvation Army is ready to assist the local homeless population with food and shelter.

TOWN LIFE PT28; TRUCKS (HOLIDAY SHIPPING)

As the holiday season heats up, so does the truck traffic in Hillsdale...

No, not a "shipper", but still important, is this vacuum truck.While used year round, the fall is an especially time, keeping the sewers free from clogging debris such as accumulated leaves and trash.

One of the many semis headed to the downtown warehouses, as the internet retailer cranks up. Cyber Monday was good!

A UPS semi heads out for the highway, loaded with holiday packages.

A pair of reefer semis heads for the grocery distributor downtown.

The first truck has a Freightliner Coronado tractor, with a raised "penthouse" sleeper roof.

The second semi has a Peterbilt 387 tractor, also with a raised roof sleeper. Both trucks also have chromed 53' reefer trailers with spread axles; a custom touch.

GECX DEMOS PT5

From last week...

A string of empty AEX hoppers lead the way after the tank cars; the rear end of the train has all of the empty hoppers that delivered the corn to the facility.

Like the tank cars, many of the hoppers are ADM-owned.

Note the contrast between newer and older paint on the cars. The car on the left has been recently repainted, and has ADM's new logo, while the car on the right still has its original paint from the 80's.

A partially-repainted CPLX hopper and a NOKL hopper are also in the mix. The CPLX car is a Canadian-style cylindrical hopper, common north of the border, but also common in the US. This car is owned by CP Rail, hence the partially covered "Pacman" on the end of the car. The NOKL car is a former Transport America car, hence the white stripe on the end.

This blue CATX car is leased to the UP.

Another NOKL car, this one ex-CNW, and a BNSF car fill out the train.

The EOT flashes to show the end of the train. Till next time, the end!

GECX DEMOS PT4

Another look at the GECX ET44AC pre-production units in town...

GECX 2039 leads FEL31, the ethanol train, westbound to Uniontown.

On the head end, as usual, are loaded covered hoppers of DDG pellets, including this trio of North American Ethanol cars.

These are followed by loaded ethanol tank cars, with these ADM cars being typical.

The train passes traffic on County Lane on the left and a mostly empty yard on the right.

After the string of hoppers up front, the string of tank cars follows behind.

Since Farmingdale Ethanol is an ADM facility, ADM cars dominate the train.

Not all the cars are ADM of course; a number of the tank cars are leased from TILX.
Next week, the rest of the train.

IN THE YARDS PT35; NIGHT SHOTS

One night in Hillsdale Yard...

One of the GECX ET44AC test units stops in Hillsdale Yard for a crew change during a night run with an east-bound unit coal extra.

The lights shine upon the closed shop door and a stored plastic pellet hopper.

The cabooses and the coal gons are highlighted at the opposite end of the yard.

Another view of the cabooses and the parked vehicles in the lights.

The parking lot, work shop and "bathroom facilities".

The yard office. More lighting is planned for the south end of the yard, around the shop building, to facilitate nighttime work -and improve worker safety.

IN THE YARDS PT34

Another trip around the Hillsdale Yard...

With the fall maintenance season here, M.O.W. equipment sits in Hillsdale Yard.

Stacks of tie plates sit on the ground, ready to use.

More equipment sits at the ready. All three of the machines in front are modified to handle railroad ties.

A signal maintenance worker prepares to get into his truck. The bucket truck is perfect for changing burned-out light bulbs in the signal heads, especially ones mounted in over-the-track signal bridges.

Veterans Day Weekend brings unit 91101 through town, with a short tribute train.

The Armed Forces Tribute boxcar.

The POW/MIA car brings up the rear.
And once again, happy Veterans Day to my fellow vets!