June 24th, 2006
I took Kevin, Steve, Brian, and Laura down to the US for Kevin and Steve's first taste of American railfanning. We worked our way along the coast of Lake Erie all the way to North East, Pennsylvania, stopping at Angola, Dunkirk, and Westfield. Our total haul for the day was around 38 trains, including several that we saw without shooting as we travelled. BNSF's lone "vomit bonnet" led NS #310 through Angola, among other interesting catches.
Angola, New York
(map) In the township of Evans, New York are the towns of Angola and Derby where the CSX Chicago line parallels a somewhat quieter NS track between nearby Buffalo, NY and Chicago, IL. A great spot for shooting both of these is at Sturgeon Point Road, with plenty of warning from talking defect detectors, CTC signals and headlights.
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A CSX westbound crosses Sturgeon Point Road.
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NS #309 crosses Sturgeon Point.
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A CSX ADM unit train heads West.
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CSXT #Q156 heads for Buffalo.
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AMTK #48 heads for Buffalo several hours late.
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CSXT #Q232 heads east.
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CSXT #Q159 heads West.
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NS #310 sports the Barf Bonnett, one of a few unsuccessful experimental paint schemes of the post-merger BNSF.
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CSXT #Q351 with all UP power heads West.
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A CSX westbound passes through the town of Angola.
Dunkirk, New York
(map) The former Conrail Buffalo-Chicago now operated by CSX runs along the coast of Lake Erie through the town of Dunkirk, outside which is an excellent photographic overpass for the CSX line. The nearby Nickel Plate, now NS, line is a bit further South.
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A CSX westbound crosses under an overpass in Dunkirk.
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A CSX eastbound heads under the bridge in Dunkirk.
Westfield, New York
(map) Westfield is along the NS and CSX lines between Buffalo and Chicago near the border with Pennsylvania.
North East, Pennsylvania
(map) The town of North East is the home of an excellent museum of preserved railway equipment, including a weird GE-built "little Joe" Russian electric locomotive that was never delivered to the former Cold War adversary. The museum is on the web here. The museum is built around a well-preserved station on the busy CSX Buffalo-Chicago line and encourages railfans with a scanner blaring over the platform and a clear view of both the CSX and NS lines.
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CSXT #Q363 heads West with a DME-painted rental unit.
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A CSX westbound passes through the station at North East.
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Another CSX westbound heads through the station.
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An unhealthy sounding horn marks the arrival of a Conrail unit on a CSX eastbound.
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A UP-powered eastbound passes through the station.
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A CSX intermodal train passes a CSX autorack train at the platform.
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A CSX intermodal heads east.
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A rental unit trails on a CSX eastbound.
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NS #384 crosses through the station with 2 NS SD70M-2s for power.
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An HLCX unit leads westward on the CSX.
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An NS train heads through North East.
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Three BNSF units run fast and light westbound.
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A CSX passes westbound.
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An eastbound intermodal passes through the station as the light begins to disappear.
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An intermodal train passes under a bridge near the PA-NY border.
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A CSX TOFC train passes westbound, wrapping up a very successful day.
