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!