Giving thanks for the harvest

     Saturday Nov17, 2012 was a symbolic day to be reminded of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and harvest season in general.  The forecast since Thursday was clear skies and sunny.  To be rewarded with such awesome weather and a lack of good trains can indeed be frustrating.  So would be Saturday.  Traffic on NS was lack luster as was CSX…with the exception of V705 the B&P coal train which was reported heading north from Emerald mine toward Pittsburgh.  Reports indicated an early afternoon arrival into New Castle…of course the worst sun angle for a westbound!  Anyway, its was worth a shot.  So off I go to West Pittsburg to maybe catch him coming up the ramp…unless I have time to go to Wampum.  As luck would have it, I see the end of the the train pulling into the yard in New Castle as I approach UN interlocking.  Oh well!…that was a wasted trip.  

     Ok, as I drive up to sit across from the yard office…I remember seeing a 64D crude oil train called at Cleveland earlier in the day…where could he be now?  Turns out he is already past Alliance, so off I go to New Galilee for a shot.  After a short wait, a NS unit has 3 BNSF pumpkins leading a train of North Dakota Nectar (yep, no Texas tea here!) east.  NS 64D-16 has NS 9398-BNSF8807-BNSF6335-BNSF8963 leading 106 cars (104 loads of crude oil and 2 buffer cars) from Dore, ND to Sunoco's Eagle Point transfer terminal in Westville, NJ, via BNSF in Chicago.  At this point, I could consider the day saved!

     As I head home, a quick stop by the yard in New Castle reveals that V705 has changed ends and is ready to become B&P NCRI…destination Riker yard in Punxsutawney, PA…ultimately the coal will feed the Homer City power plant.  So after all the frustration all morning, another save!  B&P NCRI-17 has 3341-3343-3345 with a solid train of BPRR coal hoppers.  

     Soon I hear a G367-12 is ready to leave the yard and head west, so back to the yard office.  While waiting I hear a 62M calling the signal south at mp73.  Damn!  Off to Castle (aka CP-75).  With only seconds to spare (no time for video) I manage to get a shot of him splitting the NYC style signals at the interlocking.  NS 62M-17 has 103 loads of stone from Ashtabula harbor destined for Moldock in Leetsdale, led by 2760-8875.  

     So far a triple play in less than an hour.  Rushing back over to Mahoningtown, I just miss G367 as he heads west.  Oh well, how can I complain, after how the day started!  

So lets recap.

                               Harvest colors:  orange BNSF pumpkins on 64D

                                                            orange B&P units on NCRI

                                                            reddish hoppers on 62M

                        Harvest from the earth:  North Dakota crude oil on 64D

                                                                  Pennsylvania bituminous coal on V705/NCRI

                                                                  Ontario (I think?) stone on 62M



                                                       Happy Thanksgiving!