Elkhart 9-30-2022

[GP30M4216]

It's the last day of the fiscal year, and a sunny day was expected, so why not head out and see what Elkhart had to offer?

The action began even before I arrived - I missed the Lackawanna NS heritage unit leading an eastbound COFC train which hit the Elkhart platform at 08:28. I rolled into the parking lot about halfway back in the endless line of well and spine cars.

Next up was a 3-way meet. At 08:34, a westbound mixed freight behind NS power came in on M3 heading for the yard. At 08:38, a westbound CP Rail autorack train came rolling by on M1 behind a grungy looking CP GE. A surprise was heritage Canadian Pacific 7016 serving as a mid-train DPU, not that a photo would have been easy at this early hour. Splitting the difference, an EB NS COFC train passed the platform at 08:39. It was a loud few minutes!

You can't go wrong with a good photo of the depot sign. This Lake Shore and Michigan Southern RR depot is celebrating its 122nd birthday this year.

Amtrak's tracker showed 49 was not far out, only running about 10 minutes late. The Lake Shore Limited rolled in behind P42 Genesis 96 and 113 at 08:52 with a typical eleven car consist: Viewliner 1 sleeper, Lounge Car and 2 Coaches from the Boston section, and 3 more coaches, 1 Diner, 2 Viewliner sleepers (1 & 2) and a baggage car from the NY section. A tough shot in the morning light, but I wanted to capture it passing the Conrailesque lettering on the relay box.

Passengers boarded and alighted while the train blocked another 3 way meet, with an eastbound mixed freight on M2 behind NS power and a westbound mixed freight rolled into the yard from M3 behind. Quite the symphony of horns! Good thing I wasn't aiming for a sunny side shot from the NYC Museum property!

[GP30M4216]

The great thing about the Elkhart VR cam is that they can zoom down the line toward 423 and get a good perspective on what might be happening at the throat of the yard which can't be seen from the station platform. A quick zoom by the cameraman and wait, was that a high hood? Time to jump in the car to see!

There's not a great parking spot, it was worth a quick stop - being careful to stay clear of the gravel drive where crew vehicles and MofW equipment come and go. Corner of 10th and Wagner. One of the hump puller sets made the long trip east down North Freight before showing a long cut back toward the hump. I didn't realize Elkhart currently uses SD40-2/RPU6 slug sets with an additional locomotive - on this set, an ex-SOU GP38-2.

Look close, can you see the "heritage?"

The RPU6 slugs fascinate me. For all the youngsters out there, catching one of these is a little slice of history. The canted corners shed light on their original configuration - as Pennsylvania Railroad Alco RSD12 locomotives. They were later cut down and converted into MT-6 yard slugs by Conrail, and NS rebuilt them again about 15 years ago. Elkhart typically keeps a pair of slug sets busy shoving cars over the hump, but I understand they keep 1-2 extra slugs around to rotate through when inspection time comes. Former Alco slug sets have been switching Elkhart for decades - I have photos of GP10s and 4-axle MT-4 sets switching here back in 1989.

[GP30M4216]

But wait, there was most sluggin' and history to be found on NS. As the 5236 slug combo set was shoving back, the other hump puller slug set was coming out on South Freight with its own set of cars. A car of Indiana railfans arrived and claimed how rare it is to see a slug set down this far, let alone both sets. Cool deal! This one's third unit was SD40-2 3357.

And the slug on this set:

They pulled even father east and waited for several minutes before shoving back. In the meantime, NS train 269 rolled by westbound on M1, with the Erie heritage unit as the leader on this short COFC train. It would have been a tough photo even if the hump set weren't in the way. Also sneaking by behind the hump set on North Freight, local train B23 shoved by on their exit from the yard, heading for Goshen. Today's consist included assigned shoving platform/caboose NS 555616, a former N&W class C31P cab with a 1969 build date, 6 gons, 1 covered hopper, and NS 5289 for power. I headed east down Indiana Avenue in time to beat them to the area just south of the underpass where I captured this somewhat timeless angle:

You can't see the conductor, but he's riding high in the cupola.

[GP30M4216]

The next stop was a general drive by the Elkhart Yard. 269 had come down to 426 for a crew change and was waiting on a westbound signal. Another train was working off the yard lead, and an eastbound mixed freight was waiting in Osceola. Lots of trains sitting, but no trains moving. Various yard units were sighted, including at least one other GP38-2 high hood. I also noted a shiny and new BKTY boxcar in Union Pacific paint.

I always recommend railfans visit the NYC RR Museum if they're visiting Elkhart for the day. They need your $6 admission, and your tick mark on their visitor count. You probably need their clean restroom. You might also need their heat or A/C depending on the season of the year. Whether you''re into the NYC or not, a visit here fills the dead hour on the mainline in the late morning. Did I mention the restroom? Here are a few photos:

Bet you didn't think a can opener would be opening photo! The paint is just starting to age on this work caboose - it was painted around 2007.

Wait, is that wispy smoke? Can I bankroll the painting of the 3001 number on the engineer's cab side?

I love this rods-down side view. It almost looks like a model!

[GP30M4216]

Meanwhile, in the back yard....

The irony of the 250-T wrecker derrick parked in its current location under the wires... I know this used to be fired up and was how they would rearrange equipment from time to time, but I don't think that's the case in recent years.

And speaking of cranes, this track crane and N&W tender flat are parked just outside of the gate on the museum lead.

4882 looking weathered. Slap a PC logo up on the (other) side and it'll fit right in! There's nothing like the sculpted body of a Juniata product, though, so you always take a picture. Built in February 1939.

[GP30M4216]

The museum has a great collection of NYC photos and artwork. Here are just two:

The rest of the report coming tomorrow!

[DaveO]

It's the last day of the fiscal year, and a sunny day was expected, so why not head out and see what Elkhart had to offer?

Let me be the first(and probably the last ) to wish you a Happy New Fiscal Year.

[GP30M4216]

29V broke the 2 hour late-morning dry spell, heading east from 2 to 1 at 421 behind UP 5561. About 20 cars after the power went by, WHOOSH! the train went into emergency and came to a stop. The conductor had to walk the train - I'm not sure how many cars it was, but it took a full hour. The power came to a stop not far beyond the WAS 421, easily visible from the end of Starr Street off Main, a good spot for a photo with a 300mm zoom:

It provided a good opportunity to find some lunch in Dunlap. 29V finally got underway at 13:05, clearing up the mains for other eastbounds to follow. Eastbound photos are impossible from the depot after mid morning, but there are several hours of great sunlight once they're around the curve, all the way down to Goshen. Next up was 14N, a heavy mixed freight coming out of the yard with mid train DPU and a fresh, clean leader, NS 4580. But wait, a CP Rail rack train was also coming east on M1, behind grimy CP 9360. A race was on. I caught 14N again at Starr Street, where the CP train was poised to overtake the slow mixed freight:

I hustled further down, to past Hively (419 signal), where I got ahead of both trains again, where 14N must have had a clear and the rack train must not have, as they were picking up speed on M2 while the rack train was slowly losing speed. So no chance for a true racing photo. Waah Waah!

[GP30M4216]

Another westbound mixed freight cleared out of the yard with NS power around 13:35. I missed a shot of it, but the leader wasn't too clean, anyways!

From the chatter on the VR cam chat, a few westbound trains were lined after these eastbounds cleared out. I debated about trying to shoot over the fence at the museum, but ended up back at the depot parking lot now that the sun had firmly swung over to a favorable position.

First up, at 14:19, westbound mixed freight with NS and Union Pacific power on M2 crossing over into the yard:

VR chatter got more intense as it turns out the Conrail GEVO heritage unit was approaching on train 22X. at 14:26, I got set up to incorporate the CP 421 lettering in my shot thinking CR blue would be leading the train, alas, it was the trailing unit. Still worth a photo, though, especially coming in hot on M1! Oh, hey, that Dreyfuss-streamlined Hudson in the photo from the museum a few posts up is in the exact same spot at the first photo below.

Last, just as 22X cleared, at 14:30, B23 came back into Elkhart from Goshen, on M3 crossing over on South Freight into the yard. Their unit 5289 towed their caboose and a single covered hopper for the return run. No photo of this one.

[GP30M4216]

14:30 was my cue to start to trek back north for home. But to end on a friendly face:

I hope you enjoyed this trip down to Elkhart!

[GP30M4216]

It's the last day of the fiscal year, and a sunny day was expected, so why not head out and see what Elkhart had to offer?

Let me be the first(and probably the last ) to wish you a Happy New Fiscal Year.

Thanks DaveO! Indeed, you were the first, and last of everyone other than some of my ironically wry coworkers to offer me this wish