PASSING TRAINS PT44; KCT35 PT3

The end of KCT35...

KCT35 handles alot of UPS traffic, such as this 53' container on chassis.

An aging -soon to be retired- 28' possum-belly trailer shares platform space with a 28' container on chassis.

More 28' equipment, many with the new "Shield" logo.

A pair of 28' container-chassis combos ride in a FEC 53' All-Purpose Husky-Stack; an unusual load for a car which normally sees 53' containers stack in its well, but demonstrating the versatility of the car.

A Werner Enterprises trailer leads a string of C.R. England reefers on a five-unit spine car. Werner is another one of the growing number of trucking companies embracing intermodal operations.

The balance of the trailers are mostly reefers, with one Interstate van thrown in.

The EOT flashes as the end rolls out of town and on to Trenton. Note the generator car outside the shop. It will be used to provide power to the business car fleet, since none of the AP&W's locomotives have Head End Power (HEP).

PASSING TRAINS PT44; KCT35 PT2

Train KCT35 is rolling through Hillsdale,,,

Swift trailers on spine cars are a common sight on this train.

Swift containers can also be found, despite the fact that KCT35 is a "piggyback" train; note that they are single-stacked on a spine car, as opposed to being double-stacked.

Still more Swift trailers!

The versatility of Trailer Train's "Triple-57/Twin-28" spine cars is shown here; pairs of 28' pup trailers are loaded on each unit. Previous cars could only carry one pup per unit, resulting in much wasted space.

The secret is a longer unit, as shown here. Two 28' trailers equals 56'; the car is designed to carry up to a 57' trailer, but those are rare so the car was probably intended for the 28' market from the start.

A trio of Arnold Transportation trailers. Like an increasing number of companies, Arnold has turned to intermodal service to help combat a shortage of drivers -and high fuel prices.The conclusion of the train next week.

PASSING TRAINS PT43; KCT35 PT1

After the passing of OM518, train KCT35 can now proceed...

The crew in the yard watch, as ES44AC 1960; the Erie Lackawana heritage unit, rolls its train through the yard.

Another shot of 1960, with a pair of lease units behind her.

The lease units are Citirail ES44AC's, 1310 and 1321. Their road numbers match the year they were built; 2013. As such they are three years younger than the 2010-built 1960. While the CREX units are most commonly seen on the BNSF, the AP&W also leases a number of the units.

A going away shot shows the front-end striping on a blue nose. Citirail purchased more ES44AC's in 2014, as well as EMD SD70ACe's in 2012, all in this scheme.

The combined 13,200hp of the three engines are put to good use pulling lots of trailers, most of them on spine cars like this one.As usual, there will be more to come next week.

Until then, HAPPY EASTER!

PASSING TRAINS PT43; OM518

Another oil train rolls through town...

Train OM518, the Baltimore-Chicago unit oil train, rolls under the bridge, led by a pair of leased SD70M-2's.

The "buffer car" is an old Airslide hopper, still in baby blue.

The tank cars are split between VMSX and TILX; VMSX is the reporting mark for Valero Marketing, while TILX is the reporting mark for Trinity Leasing. All cars are the newer design, with end safety shields for extra protection in derailments.

Once again, another train is waiting for clearance to proceed. This is KCT35, the Kansas City-Trenton, NJ. piggyback train.

OM518 rolls through the yard; note the bulkhead flats, loaded with removed ties.

More loaded flats are seen here as OM518 passes the waiting train.

The last tank car is VMSX 310015.

And the last car is AP 64011, the buffer car on the rear.Next week, KCT35 will be cleared for movement, stay tuned!

PASSING TRAINS PT42; GM407 PT2

From last week...

An ex-CNW hopper rolls by, now owned by the Arkansas & Oklahoma (AOK).

The CRDX hopper is probably carrying a load of soybeans, given its larger size, as apposed to wheat grain, like the GATX hopper in front of it.

A colorful string of bright yellow DM&E hoppers.

Iowa Interstate hoppers, with the Rock Island inspired herald.

A set of grimy second-hand hoppers owned by The Andersons.

The train is ended by a string of BNSF hoppers, a common sight on grain trains; BNSF is one of the top grain haulers in the world!