TOWN LIFE PT 29

 The busy holiday season is in full swing...

A Transport America semi leaves town after visiting the Kidco, Inc. warehouse, picking up loads for delivery to shopping malls in the Northeast.

A brand-new UPS van rolls through town. These have been steadily replacing the older package cars that have been seen since the early 80's.

A Western Distributing semi rolls into town, behind an International Lonestar. All that blue looks good!

It's still a warm fall day, as a woman rides around in her Jeep with the top off.

One of the local dairy farmers has a load of hay trucked in, for winter bedding and foraging for his cows.

An old Chevy truck, with a lift, rolls through town. Note the CB antenna on the driver's side fender and the "pipe" steps -this is an Old School pickup!

A blast from the past: a Greyhound Package Express bus leaves town after dropping off several packages at the bus station. The recipients would then be notified to come pick up their items. This is a modified ex-Trailways Eagle Model 10; note the doors at the rear of the bus in the "cargo" section. While not a major force in the delivery game, the service lasted until 2022.

VETERANS DAY WEEKEND

 Two special trains this Veterans Day weekend...

A rare engine; a Baldwin RF-16, one of only a handful still in existence. Painted up in WW2 fighter plane colors, this engine is about to receive a special assignment.

The rare engine is pulling the fall excursion train in place of the usual steamer. 4-4-0 #34 is out of service due to a broken side rod. Still, the passengers are pleased to hear the rare sounds of a Baldwin diesel!

The three-car train rolls past town. The open coaches are popular during warmer weather, but not so much on cold and windy days!

A close-up of the Baldwin.  Built during the early 50's, the RF-16's were not good sellers; only 109 cab units and 51 b-units were built. By comparison, the Alco FA-2/FB-2 sold three times as many units. Of course, EMD's legendary F7's sold by the thousands. While Baldwins earned a reputation as good pullers, the company failed at standardization of its units: even engines from the same order could have differences between them! This was one of the reasons Baldwin closed up in 1956. EMD built about as many F7's alone as Baldwin built diesels total. That this one is running is a testament to the dedication of a group of volunteers who restored the unit to working condition over the course of a decade. Now, once again, the distinctive sounds of a Baldwin locomotive reverberate in Pennsylvania! 

Another train is on the move this weekend; a military train of Bradley M2 APV's (Armored Personnel Vehicle). And on this day, the train is lead by ET44AC 2032, the Salute To Service unit!

The M2's are being moved to Baltimore for shipment to the Middle East, probably Iraq.

Bringing up the rear is a matching caboose! FGC (Florida Gulf Coast, a subsidiary of AP&W predecessor MC&K [Memphis, Chattanooga & Knoxville]) 1111 travels the system -often in the company of 2032- showing support for our nation's veterans, many of whom work for the AP&W.

Happy Veteran's Day weekend to all my fellow vets!

Breast Cancer Awareness

 Once again, the AP&W is running a special Breast Cancer Awareness train during October...

ET44AC 500, as always, leads the special, train BC500EX (Breast Cancer 500 EXtra).

A pair of Halliburton pink hoppers.

A pair of RailBox boxcars, including a 50' high cube and a 50' regular boxcar, both with the "On Track For a Cure" slogan.

A 53' Husky Stack car, also with the "On Track For a Cure" slogan, carries a pair of 20' ONE also containers painted in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.

An old VTTX converted flatcar brings up the rear with another pair of ONE breast cancer containers.

IN THE YARDS PT 16

 

A company Caterpillar CT660 sits with a CAT 320D excavator load. While the CT series were good trucks, they didn't sell well, and production ended in 2016. This one was still going strong in 2020.

The mail shows up at the main office. (Thank you Walthers for making this vehicle!) Note the pickup with the Bud Light tailgate wrap, and the one right beside it with the roll bar and ATV in the bed.

HTTX 90117 is loaded with a pair of movie prop vehicles. They will be used in an as-yet-unnamed action movie, reportedly starring Dwane Johnson. (Actually, a pair of Hot Wheels T-Rex Transports that caught my eye. They make a fun load for a flatcar!)

GP40 50 has returned from Wilson Steel Works with loads of steel coil.

Several gons of open coils are on the head end.

Followed by a string of US Steel coil cars carrying more coiled steel. With the AP&W serving several appliance factories as well as a number of auto plants, a lot of steel coils travel the system.

EEC (East Erie Commercial) 5673 shows off its rusty roof and faded paint. Cars like this often show up loaded with baled paper/cardboard for recycling at the paper mill.

TOWN LIFE PT 28; TRUCKS

 

An 80's era Kenworth T600A pulls a 40' COSCO container, headed for KIDCO's warehouse with a load of merchandise.

A orange Lonestar pulls a matching Schneider 53' container into town to drop off a load of paper goods at the grocery warehouse.

A tanker of Shell gasoline rolls into town. Right now, there is only one gas station in town!

Ten Mile Hike's line of shoes is carried by Amazon. This semi is heading out after picking up a load of shoes from 10 Mile Hike. Their line of hiking shoes is selling well across the country.

Another 80's semi -a Ford LTL9000- pulls a 20' container, also headed for downtown, but with a new die cutter for TC's Tool & Die.

Headed for the grocery warehouse, this reefer was last seen in the spring truck parade. Since then, she has gained running lights and new Continental tires on the tractor, and new wheels and another fuel tank on the trailer.

This close-up shows the new running lights below the cab, and the new Continental tires.

A FedEx semi has just turned onto County Lane, and is leaving town, after stops at KIDCO, Ten Mile Hike, and TC's Tool & Die.

PITT27 PT 2

 A look at the locomotive and cars of PITT27...

2022 is a GE ES44AC, built to NS specs, including front and rear ditch lights and high (cab mounted) headlight.

A CHTT 68' gon carries a load of new telephone poles.

USSX 100354 has  four large steel coils stood on end. While nor common, sometimes coils are shipped this way.

The next two US Steel gons also carry coils stood on end.

A pair of 68' RailGon gondolas carry pipe loads.

CGW X3027 was built in June 1966 for the Chicago Great Western as a bulkhead GSC flatcar . Retired in 2000 from active freight service and placed in MOW service, it has recently been converted into a wheel car, and is seen here carrying 36" wheelsets to the Cumberland car shops.

Trailer Train owns the flatcar, TFM owns the rack. Formally, Transportacion Ferrovianan Mexicana, TFM was also known as KSC de Mexico. To be carrying new Hondas from Kentucky to New Jersey, this Mexican car is a long way from home!

The second half of  TAOX 880180 shows the newly applied "Heritage" logo.

Joining the UPS trailers on the first spine car is this FFE Frozen Food Express reefer trailer.

On the next spine car are these two 28' pups, one Yellow, the other YRC. Both now fallen flags.

A pair of 53' FedEx Freight trailers finish off PITT27, as the EOT flashes red.

While other major railroads are embracing PSR (Precision Scheduled Railroading), the AP&W is still committed to serving its customers -not the shareholders and accountants. Customer service may be more expensive and less efficient, but the AP&W believes that it will pay off in the end, with more repeat customers and new ones being attracted to better service. Time will tell.

PITT 27 PT 1

 PITT27, the express manifest between Pittsburg and Philadelphia is passing through Hillsdale...

Today's PITT27 is lead by a leased Scale Trains ES44DC, engine 2022. On the head end is a string of plastic pellet hoppers.

Trailing the pellet hoppers is another covered hopper, but black.

TILX 570046 is painted up for shipper Empyreal's 75th anniversary.

Next are a pair of 68' gondolas carrying telephone poles.

More 68' gons are hauling steel pipe from the US Steel foundries of Pittsburgh.

More pipe loads, a wheel set car, and a string of autoracks.

The racks are loaded with Honda CR-V's and Acura RDX's from the East Liberty, Oh. plant.

The autoracks include a pair of articulated Thrall cars.

A pair of spine cars round out the train.

2022 rolls past the MOW trucks lined up on the side of the road as she moves on. With a full train of loads, she has work to do, but today's PITT27 is short enough (only 22 cars), that only one engine is needed to maintain the 25 mph average track speed.

Next week, a look at some of the cars -and loads- in the train.