A couple of weeks ago, Kris and I brought Seamus for a walk at the Fort Hunter Mansion State Park on the east bank of the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, Pa.
This offers some stunning views of the magnificent Rockville Bridge.
After a little bit of wait, I heard a Norfolk Southern train call the signal at Rockville heading west. This was an empty unit coal train. I’d preselected a view across the river where I could frame up the bridge with a tree in the park. I made these views using my Nikon Z6 with 70-200mm zoom.
Soft evening mid-summer light nicely illuminates the northside of the bridge.
I was surprised to hear a whistle to the west, when we were exploring the Shikellamy State Park along the Susquehanna River near Sunbury, Pa.
Then when the train came into view on the far side of the river, I had vivid sense of Conrail-blue deja vu.
The last time, I’d visited this bridge, photographer Mike Gardner and I had caught the eastward Norfolk Southern freight symbol 13W led by a former Conrail GE C40-8 still in the classic Conrail paint, and then a little while later, we photographed the westward NS 41T with Canadian National locomotives. But that was back in November 2001!
From my slide archives: Norfolk Southern 13W led by a former Conrail DASH8-40C. November 2, 2001.From my slide archives: A photo from my earlier visit to the Shikellamy State Park back on November 2, 2001 (Exposed on Fujichrome film). NS 41T with CN diesels.
From my slide archives: A photo from my earlier visit to the Shikellamy State Park back on November 2, 2001 (Exposed on Fujichrome film). NS 41T with CN diesels.
From my slide archives: A photo from my earlier visit to the Shikellamy State Park back on November 2, 2001 (Exposed on Fujichrome film). NS 41T with CN diesels.
Fast forward: Conrail’s days as an independant Class I carrier are now a quarter century behind us, so what was this modern GE in blue paint Kris and I saw last week?
As the unit coal train (NS 632) rolled across the multiple-span truss bridge, I realized what I was looking at:
Norfolk Southern’s specially painted Conrail heritage locomotive! This is a General Electric ES44AC, engine number 8098, an Evolution-series 4,400 hp low-emissions diesel-electric.
Conrail never owned anything quite so advanced.
I made my photos and then Kris and I decided to follow the train back down NS’s Buffalo Line. This was a rare find! It was our lucky day! Lucky!
I had a couple of prime locations in mind, if we could only stay ahead of the train!
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom. Look what’s trailing! Another EMD diesel number 1127.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom. Look what’s trailing! Another EMD diesel number 1127.
Norfolk Southern 632 crossing the Susquehanna River between Northumberland and Sunbury, PA—February, 2024. Nikon Z7-II with 24-70mm Z-series zoom. Look what’s trailing! Another EMD diesel number 1127.
In late October, Kris & I drove down the east bank of the Susquehanna to Port Deposit, Maryland. This historic town offers some magnificent views of the river.
The four bridges in the picture from closest to furthest are: Interstate 95, CSX’s former Baltimore & Ohio, US Highway 40, and Amtrak’s former Pennsylvania Railroad bridge that runs between Perryville on the east bank to Havre de Grace on the west bank.
I made this photo with my Nikon Z6 and 70-200mm Z-series zoom set at 200mm. I wonder what I could do here with an even longer telephoto lens?
