A Blast From The Past

 

 

 

 

              While attempting to stay cool during this recent heatwave, I was looking at some folders on my computer. I thought it might be nice to revisit the year 2012. It was early in the day on August 11th and Frank and I were on a mission. We were going to chase the Nickel Plate 765!

 

              (Note: These “facts” are 8 years old and so, not all of them could be accurate. My mind has a way of changing things as the dates get further away!)

 

              We arrived at Baden, PA, location of the Conway RR Yard around 8 in the morning. As we were driving towards the community we could see the smoke from the engine. We pulled over and RAN across the street and took a few pictures as the train was leaving the Conway yards.

 

             The train was an employee appreciation ride, only Norfolk and Southern employees were on the train.  The rail fans of Pittsburgh could only watch as it passed by, there were no extra seats. The engine pulling the train was the Nickel Plate RR #765.

                This locomotive was built in 1944 and worked for the NPRR until 1963 when it was retired. The Fort Wayne Historical Society rebuilt it and uses it for excursions. It had been in the Pittsburgh area a couple times.

                Behind the steam engine was a newer locomotive, a Norfolk and Southern Heritage engine, 38100, painted with the Nickel Plate colors.  There were about 12 cars behind the engines.

                After taking shots at the Conway Yards, we turned around and started our chase, heading towards Pittsburgh.  We stopped at a bridge crossing the Ohio River in Ambridge, thinking that we’d take pictures as the train passed underneath us, but unfortunately, there was no road surface on the bridge. Just open girders, they were resurfacing the bridge. So much for that idea.

                As we drove along rt.65 we could see all the rail fans waiting for their chance to watch this vision of the past speed by.  We went to a spot in Glenfield to wait for its approach. There was a nice set of signals there which gave a nice look for pictures. Sadly, with the new signal system these lights have been removed.

                After it passed here we continued on to the North Side. The train would be going onto the Ohio Connecting Railroad Bridge to reverse its direction. We met some of the NFS police while we were searching for a place to photograph from. There were a lot of them floating about and the places I’d normally shoot from weren’t available on the day.

               We followed the train later that day to Homewood, in Beaver County where it reversed at the wye there to continue back to Conway again. We joined lots of railfans standing on a bridge overlooking the tracks. Dads and moms, grandfathers and grandmothers who brought kids to see the train, people who lived during the times of steam reliving the past and people who just loved the noise and power of these huge machines.

                We took some shots and then headed back towards home, we didn’t chase it back to Conway. We had been on the road for quite awhile and we were ready for home. It  had gone by quickly and it was a great day, but we were tired. It was a fun ride and a fun chase and it was filled with lots of good memories! We were like a couple kids and there is nothing wrong with that! Ah yeah, great memories!