I spent the weekend in St. Louis, Mo. My first since 2001, and an earlier visit in 1994.

She's still an elegant station, even after 125 or so years later.


The Union Station complex looks as nice as ever on the outside, but she is losing her charm as a festival marketplace on the inside. The foodcourt seems to be the only thing that is active, at least on a Monday at lunchtime. A few of the sit-down restaurants are still active, too.

the station also acts as a sort of annex to the Museum of Transportation, run by St. Louis County. Even halfway across the nation, here is a piece of home. An oil can from the DL&W, probably shipped along with 4-4-0 no. 952.
In another display case is a no. 2 gauge (Buddy L) train set. Not enough track for it all to be on rails, though.


The Yard, or what remains, is very quiet now. Constant passenger activity in the sheds are only a memory.

But I did catch this lone diesel from Amtrak, shuffling around. No train at this time, but one was at the new Amtrak station later, when I rode the Metro on my way back to the airport.

Just west of St. Louis is one of the best collections of RR locos anywhere. They even have a 4-8-8-4, and a camelback. Last time I was at Union Station they also had some older EMD covered wagons out back by the train shed.

My favorite railroad, the D&I continued to run a few night trains last week. They are pretty much at the end of their season--they haul quarry rock for construction. They've also completed their track work and have no need to run at night now. I managed to get one last shot as they rolled past Baltic, SD. I used x4 WL X3200 monolights, x1 SB-28 flash, which gave me ISO 800 & f4. That's quite a bit of light!

Kent in SD

From today.

CSX B211-27 coming down the PEPCO lead at Dickerson, MD.


CSX B211-27 sitting at WAS ROCKs one two main, with a medium clear


Two CW44ACs on yard air with coal loads...likely for Bennings. It's sitting on #4 runner, the "Low Grade" in Brunsneck, er, Brunswick.


The GMS-1 monstrosity sitting on the MoW siding at ROCKS.


Letting all of us feeble minded employees know how dangerous crossings can be on the way into work...

Valley Railroad Train 6, at Milepost 6.



Enjoy,
Lee

Providence & Worcester Train NR-2 passing the station at
Old Saybrook, CT. Taken today.

Lee

Tim - You get into Saint Louis again, go to the Barriger Library at the University of Missouri, Saint Louis. You will not be disappointed.

Link

Morning mist at Cumberland:

BACK AT CUMBERLAND

These two SD50's had to rescue this autorack off Sand Patch!

Ed

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jeffrey Sessa:
From today.

CSX B211-27 coming down the PEPCO lead at Dickerson, MD.



Jeffrey,

There is beauty in misty weather, just like what I experienced this morning standing on the train platform going to work. You have captured that feeling of enraptured mist in that photo.

Thanks for posting. What a great picture!

Prairie

Terrific photos guys.

Jeffery - I'm not to familiar with the train #s and what not but I assume the train on the PEPCO lead is what is locally known here as "The Trash Train" that runs Monday - Saturday (?) correct? Anyway, what time of the day does that train (or any others) come onto the PEPCO trackage. I would love to catch one crossing Mouth of Monocacy Road someday in the future.

Thanks!

This train was short, heavy and in for a long trip. We were in the middle of a fleet of trains held up due to a derailment out on the #2 west bound main.



While we waited, we were treated to this sunset.

Greg

Greg--

Crop the center out of your sunset shot and make it a vertical. That gets rid of a lot of "blank" area. See what you think.


Kent in SD

Thanks for the kind words!

SJC, that is not the MoCo "trash train" (D765). B211 is the Brunswick switcher. They usually sort cars in Brunswick, but their other duties include taking loads or empties to and from Mirant, formerly PEPCO at Dickerson, and shoving loaded coal trains, typically down the MET. In the shot, he's hauling ash loads to Brunswick which the 401 will pick up the following morning for ACCA.

The B211 goes on duty at 1000 hours, but depending on what they're doing, they could be anywhere at anytime. Simply luck catching him.

A re-occuring theme when I was working was we'd get called for coal loads out of Brunswick on a 6am job based at Bennings, and we'd taxi to Brunswick for loads.

Usually we'd get done putting the power on the train and hang the marker, brake test, etc..sometime around 9:30ish.

Well, we'd usually get the B211 to push us, and more than once, we'd be ready to go, only to find that B211 has run to Pepco or is switching cars in the yard and we need to wait for him. Grrrr! Talk about "hurry up and wait".

I caught B211 that day aroud lunchtime, and today he shoved loads east on the MET..was running back home lite on approaches beind the Q751, Millville "rock runner".

Kent,

I did several crops, and ended up taking a bit off the bottom also.


This one I cut off at least half the dark bottom and cropped a bit of the edges.


Improvement, you decide. I'm not sure.

Thanks for the input, always welcome.

Greg

I like the top one, in vertical. Now, crop it so it is square. That gets rid of a lot off the top, and seems to give the shot more impact. Generally, the more "concentrated" an image is, the more impact it has. The tighter square crop ties the sky and tracks together much better, I think.

Kent in SD

Zach

I like the wide one, Greg.
Wyhog

quote:

Originally posted by Ed Mullan:
Morning mist at Cumberland:

BACK AT CUMBERLAND

These two SD50's had to rescue this autorack off Sand Patch!

Ed

Ed,
Must be a bad week. Yesterday I was listening to Railroadradio.net and heard they had to pull an SD40-2 that was switching near Rockford and put it on the back of one going east. One of the helpers had low water and shut down.

Gene Anstine

From this morning, including the Montgomery County "Trash Train" discussed above.

Former B&O C27-A caboose. The C27-As were built by Fruit Growers Express in Alexandria, VA in 1980. These were the last new cabooses purchased by the Chessie System, this particularly built in July of 1980. After active service as a caboose, this became a shoving platform on CSX.


MARC GP39H-2. 75 is the highest in the series, the last of 6 motors. The 75 sports yellow reflective tape on the anticlimber instead of the typical white because white was all they had after 75 smacked a tractor trailer a few years ago at Metropolitan Grove Road.


Somebody has cracked the plastic lense cover of the "No Right Turn" signal at Summit Ave. This thing has been here for at least 25 years. I hope I can get it when they replace this signal.


Metropolitan Grove Road.


The P878-29 departs Metropolitan Grove as the trash train, D765-29 books it west on track main one.


If only P878 was a smidge earlier I could have gotten the GP40WH-2 on the rear passing the SD50 #8578 on the head end of D765. Track speed!


Going to Dickerson...

Jeffery,

Thanks for the info. I will save it for future reference.

Terrific photos once again. It sure is strange to see a different caboose up at Gaithersburg. I was told that a passenger car (BUDD RDC???) may be swapped with the WM troop car. Would love to see all that equipment put in "order" (engine, car, caboose and give a nice cosmetic restoration but I'm happy with what is there now.

Thanks again.

Taken from the Northbound Coast Starlight, not far from San Jose.



Lee