Car load photos pt2

More freight car loads...

Three flatcars loaded with sections of a brand new track alignment machine and ballast tamper, on it's way to CN. Now you can really have fun with those Custom Finishing track machine kits!

Car load photos, part 1

For all you modelers out there, here are some photos of loaded freight cars from here in Central Virginia.

A scrap metal load with what looks like part of a building roof! This gon actually stayed in Montview Yard for several weeks before it was finally taken to its destination!

For those of you who wondered about the tie loads from Moon Dog Railcars for the Exact Rail Centerbeam flatcars, here they are!

Here are more examples; these are the longer switch ties, and they have yet to be creosote-treated.

Two more photos of interesting loads; granite blocks! Now you have an excuse to put small pieces of gravel in your gondolas!

Also, note the ex-Sealand Twin-Stack in the background. Now re-lettered for CSX, this is the prototype for the A-Line car; note how faded the car has gotten!

BIG LOAD AT MONTVIEW

This past week there was a big load at Montview Yard.

This Siemens Schnabel car was sitting in Montview with a huge generator load.

Detail shots of the car and load.  Note that the generator was built in Charlotte, NC. Note also that the car is marked "DO NOT HUMP LOADED OR LIGHT". Yes, let's roll this thing down a hill and see what happens!

The caboose. For those looking to model it, its an ex-CP Rail 'van', the same as the Rapido Transcona Yard caboose; BLMA makes the roof top a/c units.

There was only one idler car; this OTTX flatcar. This train was headed north; to where I don't know.

DUPONT TRAINING CARS IN TOWN

Last month, a set of training cars were siting in Montview Yard.                                                               

The caboose has not only lost all of its windows, but has also had a rooftop a/c unit added.

 The boxcar in the set. Like the other two cars, it is a mobile classroom to help train crewmen and emergency personnel on how to respond to an accident involving hazardous materials.

The tank car. Not being a railroad employee, I don't know how the interior is laid out, but I believe the multiple domes, fittings and hatches are to train personnel on the different fittings found on various tank cars.

Another intersting find last month was these cars. Former ACF Coalveyers, they have since had extensions added to raise their height and make them more useful in their new role hauling scrap metal.

Seen in all of these photos is this building. Modeling details include the vending machine, outdoor bench, trash cans, fire extinguisher by one of the doors, security lights on the end and the vent in between them. The "M1" sign is the shop building number, and the other sign on the wall lists the proper hand signals to use. The white lines show the vehicle lanes around the building, and a collision post protects a tank beside the vending machine. Note also, the blue flag laying on the ground beside the truck.

A PAINT PATCH JOB

On a recent morning, I found a passing intemodal in Montview Yard. Among the cars was this stack car; It caught my eye due to the sharp contrast between the heavily weathered/graffitied sides and the fresh yellow patch for the new TTX logo.

When the train stopped (again), I had time to walk over to the other side, where I had a rare opportunity; to be able to shoot both sides of the same car at the same time! As you can see, a new patch was also used for the reporting marks.

Again, a fresh yellow patch for the new TTX logo. The "56" designation is for the well length; these cars were originally built to carry the UPS 28' containers (four to a well, hence the 56' length).

Another non-standard paint job is this boxcar. I couldn't get a clear shot due to the pipes, but if you look closely between the two vertical pipes, you will see that the car's number is spray-painted on the side! You know it's an old Southern boxcar only if you can read the rust that the lettering has become!

Finally, a re-paint and re-build. NS 5619 is a GP38 that has been rebuilt; the air horns have been relocated, an a/c unit has been added to the roof, displacing the radio antenna, and the unit now has a "liberated exhaust" with an extra pair of stacks next to the dynamic brake fan! If the unit is an ex-Southern unit, then it has also had its short hood lowered as well.

OLD CARS

It's amazing what you can find still running in today's trains.

Here is a prime example. This 65' mill gondola is still carrying its Penn Central reporting marks and paint scheme in 2011, despite the fact that PC became part of Conrail in 1976! That it still has paint left after 35+ years of service is amazing; you can still see the faded PC logo on the side(beside the tree).

All of the gondolas in this string of cars were in Maintenance Of Way service; this one had a Caterpillar excavator in it, probably with a claw attached to the end of its arm for picking up old ties along the right of way.

Another old car I found in Montview Yard recently was this ex-Chicago North Western grain hopper; now with DSRC reporting marks, yellow conspicuity stripes along the sides, and rust coming down from the roof. The car next to it shows what the railroads have to do when graffiti
covers the sides of their cars -they have to cover it up with a coat of paint along the bottom half.

The ex-BNSF SD40-2 locomotive that was working in Montview Yard has since been replaced by this ex-Union Pacific SD40-2. This unit has been repainted in CEFX's lease-fleet scheme, and can be identified as an ex-UP unit by the "can" mounted to the front handrail stanchion to hold the MU hose end when not connected to another unit. The MU (Multiple-Unit) hose is what allows multiple engines to be controlled from the lead unit; this is one of the advantages that helped diesels to take over from steam locomotives during the 1950's.

AIR SHOW PICS 3

Since it was Armed Forces Day, the military had a heavy presence at the show (lots of recruiting opportunities!).

To go with the military theme, here is a USMC cargo truck with tank trailer. During the show, people were actually re-filling their water bottles from the trailer! Lots of people also had their kids pose with the Marine for photos; one girl did it for her brother in Afghanistan.

Another aircraft was this Pietenpol Air Camper 1929 design airplane.

Details of the plane's construction. The owner built the plane from a set of plans. Total cost; about 15 grand. Try buying your next Learjet for that price!

The background on the plane's design. You can click on the pictures to enlarge any of them to read the details.