THE 4TH WEEKEND, PT 1

 Over the 4th of July weekend, Hillsdale saw some interesting visitors...

As is often the case, the three America Units are on the point of a passing intermodal. However, the train is stopped for a meet with another intermodal...

A Shipper's Special, SPM4000X1, rounds the curve into town.

A pair of NS AC44C6M's roll into Hillsdale Yard.

The "shipper" of the Shipper's Special? Maersk Shipping!

NS 4000 is one of the two original AC44C6M's; standard cab C40-9's rebuilt with new wide cabs and AC traction motored trucks, replacing the DC motored trucks. There is also a new auxiliary "cab" with the AC cabinetry, displacing the a/c unit from behind the cab to underneath it. There was also an upgrade in horsepower, from 4100hp to 4400hp, as well as new electronics. This unit, and her sister 4001, were nick-named the "Sonic Bonnets" due to their unique paint scheme.

NS 4004 is another one of the original rebuilds, but she and her sisters 4002, 4003, and 4005, received black "manes" instead of blue. 4004 and 4005 have the blue edging, signifying their rebuild at NS' ex-Conrail, ex-Penn Central, nee-Pennsylvania Altoona shop. 4002 and 4003 have Tuscan edging, as they were rebuilt at NS' ex-N&W Roanoke shop. With a modest fleet of almost 200 Dash 9's now approaching 30 years old, the AP&W is testing NS' rebuilds to see if there would be an advantage to rebuilding it's own fleet versus buying new locomotives.

The meeting of engines. The America Units are a decade younger than the NS units, but the rebuilding qualifies the AC44C6M's as "newer!"

The America Units are in charge of CHINYC1136X, and the train is loaded with reefers and hot UPS and FedEx shipments. Normally, this train would take priority over the Shipper's Special, but trackwork has thrown the proverbial "Monkey Wrench" into the train scheduling.

Lots of FedEx traffic, along with reefer containers. The AP&W's preferred loading pattern is to have the reefer containers top-stacked, to protect the reefers from road grime.

More reefer boxes and FedEx and UPS dry boxes.

More of SPM4000X1 next week.

MMEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND PT 3

 During Memorial Day weekend, ET44AC 530 rolled through Hillsdale with a short military train. The rest of the train...

Behind the tanks and Bradley's are several TPDX 89' flatcars, designated "MILITARY USE ONLY." These are brand-new 110T flatcars, built by Greenbriar, for transporting military equipment, such as these Army containers. Seen here, from left-to-right are; a Quadcon, a 20' Conex, a Tricon, and another Quadcon. The Tricons and Quadcons are versatile mini-containers which can be joined together into a single 20' unit for shipping as seen here.

This car has all 20' Conex's, in three different colors! The TPDX flats also have chain slots in the deck for vehicle loads, as well as stack pockets on the sides, making them useful for a variety of loads. They are NOT used, however, for tracked vehicles -only DODX flats are used for those.

Bringing up the rear is a special Tribute car.

The full-dome is a fitting end to this Memorial Day Weekend train.

Final Tribute; a new KW T880 pulls the POW-MIA trailer through town.

Again, thanks to all those who have served our Great Nation and continue to do so.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND PT 2

 

ET44AC 530, the POW/MIA unit, leads a short military train east through Hillsdale Yard during the Memorial Day weekend.

The head end is loaded with M1A2 Abrams tanks. These six-axle trucked flatcars are the only ones capable of carrying a pair of these massive tanks; all other flats are limited to one tank, as they weigh 73.6 tons each!

More tanks on DODX flatcars.

A lone M3 Bradley rides a DODX flat behind the tanks.

More Bradleys follow.

530 shows off her rear POW/MIA decal, while rolling past a waiving track worker.

After the DODX flats with tracked equipment, follow TTX flatcars with a variety of military containers. There is also a special car at the end of the train. All for next week!

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND PT 1`

 Memorial Day Weekend in Hillsdale...

A Hamm's Beer semi rolls into town in this 80's photo.

Another Mack truck pulls a Pabst Blue Ribbon trailer in this "today" photo. Memorial Day and beer are a popular combination!

Another staple of Memorial Day is grilling; a reefer semi leaves town after dropping off a load of beef products at the distribution warehouse. Steaks, ribs, and hamburgers are now in stock! 

A local trucker headed home is this guy, with his Ford CL9000. His truck is 40 years old and still going strong!

Finally, ET44AC 530 is in town with a short military train. More on this train next week!

Remember, Memorial Day is for those who lost their lives for our nation -honor them well!

TEMPORARY BREAK

Right now, I'm taking a temporary break from the blog. While my health has been good overall, I still haven't able to make it into the basement on a regular basis recently due to a combination of poor leg circulation and bad knees. This is also keeping me from going upstairs to work on models for the layout. I do hope to make posts again soon, so stay tuned. And thank you for your readership!

Luis May
 

RAIL TRAIN

 At the start of "MOW Season", the rail train has been pulled out of storage...

Leased Scale Trains unit 2022 leads the rail train westbound to the loading facility, just outside of Cleveland, Oh.

The head car, with a bulkhead to prevent the rails from shifting forward, leads the support cars.

Passing through the yard.

The train. The symbol number is E2022W.

E2022W continues west for re-loading. Once loaded, the train will need two engines to pull it.

A final look at E2022W. Like CSX, NS, and other railroads in the Southeast, last year's hurricanes caused plenty of damage to the AP&W's rail lines -especially in North Carolina and Tennessee. Once loaded, this train will head south to Tennessee for a line upgrade on the former MC&K's main between its namesake cities; Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville. The line will be upgraded with heavier rail and concrete ties for faster transit times, allowing better competition with trucks across the state -and eventually on to Oklahoma City.  

TOWN LIFE PT 30

 

A Kenworth T600A, with matching red trailer, heads for the downtown warehouses. 

Another visitor to the warehouses is this Saia semi. Between Kidco, Inc. and Ten Mile Hike, a lot of truck traffic passes through town.

Another source of truck traffic is Hubbard Mills Inc., where this load of flour is headed.

On the way to a convention in New Jersey, the Awesome Diecast IconiCruiser bus leaves town. A refurbished 2001 MCI D4000 coach, owned and operated by Awesome Diecast, the IconiCruiser travels the country visiting conventions and collector shows.

Another bus traveling to the same convention is this restored 1969 Golden Eagle coach. And yes, the original Golden Eagles did, indeed, have "gold-chrome" sides!

Several men talk with the IT security guy. Nowadays, security is about more than just physical security, but also cybersecurity as well, and Hillsdale Yard has hired an outside firm to help protect against hackers and cyber attacks.

A MOW truck sits in the new storage shed. While not completely protected from the elements, it will help keep the equipment a bit cleaner -and drier!

PASSING TRAINS PT 48; MCP91 PT 3

 The conclusion of MCP91...

A string of brand-new Agrium Wholesale covered hoppers. They are leased from First Union, hence the FURX reporting marks.

A close-up of one of the hoppers. Agrium is a Texas-based agricultural company.

The pink "On Track For A Cure" boxcar, FBOX 504927.

HPJX 90229 is a second-hand car, while MEC 32132 is wearing a new paint scheme -the colorful "Pan Am" scheme. Unfortunately, Pan Am is now a fallen flag; it became part of CSX in 2023.

TTJX 81977 is a "finger-rack" car for transporting rebar.

Another carbon black car, and a pair of empty bulkhead flatcars.

A pair of grimy RBOX cars, showing their age.

A more recent repaint. This is a "combo-door" ABOX car, so named because it has both a sliding door and a plug door.

Another "combo-door" ABOX, this one with a replacement plug door.

The final two RBOX cars, both trashed with graffiti..