IN THE YARDS; PT 14

 

SD40-2 1947 rolls in -wrong main- with a transfer freight from Cumberland. This unit will soon be re-assigned to Uniontown.

An eclectic mix of power sits in the west end of Hillsdale Yard, including a visiting Farmrail GP38-2.

The tail end of AT57W rolls through, past a parked TTX boxcar.

GM408 stops for a crew change on its way to Baltimore.

The Air Products man has arrived to service the shop's welding tanks.

The UPS driver makes yet another delivery of office supplies.

TOWN LIFE PT 21

 

A custom Peterbilt 389 leads a worn Hapag-Lloyd container into town, headed for the KIDCO warehouse.

A bulk hauler heads up County Lane after dropping off a load of flour at Hubbard Mills Bakery.

A pair of crew-cab work trucks are parked across the street from KFC.

The first truck carries various supplies and road signs.

The second truck has a work crane, tool boxes, welder unit, and a tank for carrying weed killer. Both belong to a local contractor who maintains industrial properties and also helps maintain local roads for both the county and the city.

Traffic on County Lane is busier than Hillsdale Yard on this Friday afternoon, as the yard is mostly empty.

Jake, now off from work, drives past Dairy Queen on his way home. It is a warm day; not only does he have his windows down, but the woman in the parking lot has removed the top from her Corvette!

The driver of the Sysco truck heads out after making his stops in town.

Meanwhile, the Smitty Lumber truck makes another trip into town with a load of building materials for a construction site.

A blue International 9900i Eagle, with a Mid-Rise raised-roof sleeper, pulls a CMA-CGM 20' container loaded with a pair of brand new molding presses built by TC's Tool & Die. They are headed for Mexico.

HIGH AND WIDE PT 3

 Last week, a high and wide load parked in Hillsdale Yard.  Today, we take a closer look at the cars...

GECX 2029, painted in the new colors of Wabtec Freight, is the motive power for Extra 2029.

AP&W 24594 carries equipment and supplies.

A pair of crew members walk to the forward caboose, as preparations are made to roll back out.

Brad talks to one of the car operators. Each half of the Schnabel car has an operator cab, as the load may need to be shifted sideways or raised to clear obstacles along the way.

A pair of workers check both the load and the car for any potential issues. With a load this huge, smooth operation is a must!

The cab operator at the other end of the car sits down as he waits for the call to action.

TTMX 80636 is an old 68' flatcar being used as a spacer in the train -and to add braking power as well.

And HDTX 4726 shows off its new look, as the Hillsdale Yard crew has added FRA-compliant conspicuity striping to the sides. The other caboose will receive them as well at a later date.

HIGH AND WIDE PT 2

 A "high and wide" movement has arrived in Hillsdale...

Chris is on the radio, helping back extra 2029 into its spot in the yard.

Extra 2029 begins backing up. Normally, there would be a crew member on the caboose platform, but apparently not today.

Yard personnel watch carefully, as the train slowly backs down. A derailment here would foul the eastbound main  for quite some time, as it would take a while to get the proper equipment in place to right the extremely heavy load.

The empty well car, added for extra braking effort.

The head end slowly, but surely, approaches. With a 200+ ton load, nothing is being rushed!

Train in place, the engineer ties down for the night.

A loaded CEBX 801 is one massive car!

HDTX 4726 will look a little bit different when she leaves. While she is sitting in the yard, an minor upgrade will be performed.

Stay tuned...

HIGH & WIDE PT1

A "High & Wide" movement is entering Hillsdale!

Rounding the curve into Hillsdale Yard is Extra 2029.

The train is led by Wabtec-painted GECX ET44AC demonstrator 2029,

The load is a transformer being shipped to the Port of Baltimore for export. The opposing track is clear to allow for the extreme overhang of the loaded car as it rounds the curve.

The massive load rides between the two halves of a massive Schnabel car.

Already moving slow due to the load, 2029 slows down even further, as it prepares to stop.

The "A1" end of the car.

The "A2" end of the car.

Caboose HDTX 4726 brings up the rear.

Next week, Extra 2029 will back into the long siding and tie down for the night.