We were driving along Rt 222 and started to overtake a stopped freight on Norfolk Southern’s Port Road Branch near Port Deposit, Maryland.
Upon arriving in the village, we turned into a local parking lot adjacent to where the head-end of the train had tied up. This was an opportunity.
In the lead was NS AC44C6M 4334.
Kris and I made a few photos of the train. I like the number of the locomotive, which is a palindrome—a number (or word) that reads the same backwards and forwards.
I made a series of photos with my Nikon Z mirrorless digital cameras. The shadows were a bit harsh, so working with Adobe Lightroom, I lightened them appropriately to make for better (or at least more pleasing) images.
Over the course of recent weeks, Kris and I have explored locations on the Norfolk Southern’s Port Road Branch. This is a portion of former Pennsylvania Railroad that follows the Susquehanna River between the Harrisburg area and a connection with the Northeast Corridor at Perryville, Maryland.
PRR electrified the route in the 1930s, and it handled electrically powered freights until the Conrail era. The old electric catenary supports are evidence of this by-gone era. It has been more than 40 years since electric operations ended on this portion of the former Conrail system.
Daylight freight moves on the Port Road seem to be relatively rare, owing to an Amtrak daytime curfew on the Northeast Corridor route.
Last week, I left Lancaster very early and made my way to Columbia, PA where I picked up the Norfolk Southern Port Road line. In the morning glow, I found that home signal was lit ‘clear’ for a train movement toward Harrisburg. Expecting a train, I proceeded against it on the parallel highway to Washington Boro, PA, where I scoped a suitable location near a local park.
I waited for a few minutes, and soon heard the approaching freight.
I set up with my Nikon Z6 with 24-70mm lens and exposed this sequence of an NS empty coal train rolling up river.
Since the train wasn’t moving more than about 25 mph, I followed it along the adjacent highway. Stay tuned for more!
Former Pennsylvania Railroad electrified line at Columbia, PA. A high dew point made it difficult to keep the front element of my lens from misting over.In many places the road, the railroad and the Susquehanna River run adjacent to one another. The classic catenary supports visually identify the line as the former Pennsylvania Railroad.After just a short wait, this Norfolk Southern empty coal train came into view at Washington Boro, PA.Soft morning light on the coal train made for a classic view.This wideangle photo is at the same location in Washington Boro.Trailing view at Washington Boro, PA.View of the hoppers from Washington Boro Park rolling along from the opposite side of Highway 441.
