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.

AIR SHOW PICS 2

The stars of the show -the Blue Angels! Here the planes are lined up at the start of the show, they took off during the last hour.

Another plane that performed during the show was this Cold War veteran -from the other side!

Here the bi-planes of the air circus are lined-up and ready to rumble. And rumble those old radial engines did! Radial refers to the fact that the cylinders are literally placed in a circle around the crankshaft to drive the propeller.

The Barnstorming father/son duo return from their flight. During the flight, they literally walked on the wings of the plane; in addition to riding on the top wing, one of them also hung sideways from the post on top of the wing -like a flag. The best stunt was when the father hung upside-down from the bottom wing -holding on with his ankles!

The restored transport plane that the Army Black Knights jumped out of during the show. They made two jumps (different groups) and were quite visible with their red smoke units!

AIR SHOW PICS

This weekend, there was an air show here in Lynchburg featuring a flying circus and the Blue Angels! Unfortunately, camera limitations prevented me from shooting any of the planes while in flight -a slow shutter speed wouldn't capture the bi-planes, let alone the FA18's!

There were some things I could get on film; like these World War 2 vehicles.

The Willys Jeep, the vehicle that made Jeep famous!

An old Army pick-up truck. Note the winch on the front bumper.

Another WW2 vet was this T-4-C trainer.

The informational plaque. This plane was actually in service with Canada during the war training their pilots!