In mid-October, Kris and I intercepted the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society’s excursion on the Nittany & Bald Eagle. This paused at Tyrone, Pennsylvania, where I made photos of Lycoming Valley 2011 (a former Southern Pacific GP35) surrounded by backlit brightly colored leaves of trees along the line.
In an earlier time I might have refrained from making these images because of the chain link fence between me and the tracks. In this instance, I accepted the fence as a feature of the location. The leaves more than made up for it.
A week later we returned to Tyrone. It was late in the day and the sunlight was low and foliage was brilliant. But during that brief visit, not a wheel turned, neither on the Main Line nor the Bald Eagle Branch, so I photographed the tracks with trees.
The former Pennsylvania Bald Eagle Branch diverges from the Main Line at Tyrone, Pa.
Our quest was to intercept an excursion operated by the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society in conjunction with the Nittany & Bald Eagle—one of several short lines part of the North Shore group.
Last year, Kris and I had caught the Bellefonte’s restored Budd RDC on the move. I anticipated this year’s trip to also operate with the RDC.
Following the directions to Washington Avenue (kindly provided by a fellow photographer on the Amtrak platform at Tyrone) we turned the corner and were surprised to see an EMD diesel in Erie Lackawanna style paint ambling down the street.
The excursion from Bellefonte included the aforementioned RDC, but this was hauled by North Shore 2012 along with three other passenger cars. At the back was Lycoming Valley 2011 (LV is another of the North Shore group shortlines) wearing a retro Reading Company scheme.
Although we had done a lot of driving, and made a few significant detours (including a failed mission to intercept Amtrak 42 at Newton Hamilton, Pa.), in the end we arrived at Washington Avenue just in time to catch this rare move.
My previous photography at this location was with photographer Mike Gardner in March 2001, when we caught a Norfolk Southern coal train bound Strawberry Ridge coming up the street.
Photos exposed with my Nikon Z-series cameras.
We turned on to Washington Street in Tyrone, Pa., to see North Shore Railroad 2012, a former Penn Central GP38, coming down the street. A scene to inspire model railroad builders.I was hoping to see the Bellefonte’s RDC but was expecting it to run on its own. Have I crossed paths with this former Southern Pacific GP35 before? Now it is dressed like a Reading Company locomotive. Purists be damned! This is a back lit view with a long telephoto, but with it I captured the scene, the unusual track arrangement, and the rare excursion.
