CraigZ

The WOW kits are very convenient...however to my eye/ear they suffer from a lack of variety. Example - no specific EMD switcher sounds such as no V12-567 as heard in an NW2. No V6-567 as heard in an SW1, and so forth. ESU has a much broader variety of sounds available and with the Full Throttle feature the ESU has been my go-to after starting with TCS.

While in New York you MUST visit Grand Central Terminal. It's essential to see what a great New York station can be, and remember that in many ways the original Penn Station was even grander. The current Penn Station is a dump, an embarrassment of a place for a major US city, nothing more than a glorified subway (underground) station. Before leaving the UK you might consider getting a GPS app like Scout for your smartphone. It will let you download maps ahead of time so that you don't use data running Google Maps etc. With it you'll be able to figure out which bridge you're crossing, which yard you're passing etc.

We've got dopes aplenty here around the tourist railways...this one is nearly inexplicable.

Blown turbo...and I strongly doubt there's anything malicious in the driver's actions. I imagine he's just trying to get the train into the yard around the next couple of bends so that he doesn't tie up the railroad. If it was a hot axle bearing or cracked wheel etc, he'd stop where he was. This is not in that class...it's dirty, nasty and ugly but it's probably not unsafe. There is, by the way, a webcam of that location albeit facing the other way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcc_huNwEfg

Believe it or not, the C40-8 is old enough to have been delivered for US roads without ditch lights. The Canadians were of course using ditch lights at that time...

A friend of mine here has finished up, more or less, his kitbash of the Norfolk Southern's office car train as it would have been seen in 1998. He used Walthers passenger cars as cores and either replaced the sides with laser cut styrene sides or replaced the window 'strip' in those that needed to keep their riveted sides. It's a darned impressive train as it eases by in this video. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7rXu1JFEH6jbmdhRzlWc0pwV00/view?usp=drive_web

Mopac and WP are still roaming together...just came by the camera 14:50 Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -5).

Could be battered cars...the double stack I just saw heading for Clinton zipped by with nary a sway. And the diamonds are much quieter too...no more rap-rap-rap of the wheels crossing the flangeways.

About three hours after the first screencap, the diamonds were completely out; dusk was falling and the big work lights were up and on. I bet the neighbors LOVED that...

And a westbound rolling thru...9:22 EDT GMT-5, moving about normal speed for a train that I'm guessing is going into the intermodal yard around the curve...

And about 12 hours later...the ballast tampers and regulators are hard at it.

And some SERIOUS track work going on today...replacing the diamonds. 6:00 PM GMT -5 29 May 2017.

Correct...NS 3346 is ex Conrail 6387; NS 6123 is ex N&W 6123 with the iconic N&W triple clasp brakes; NS 3261 is ex Southern 3261, rebuilt/defaced with a low nose. Me, I like my SD40-2s looking like this : My photo in Raleigh, NC in 1985...

An ex PRR H30, built about 7 years ago from the Rail Shops kit. And with the appearance of the excellent Bowser models, there's now no reason to build the Rail Shops (or Funaro & Camerlengo) kits of the X30. Life's too short...

Well dang. That's really nice. The warning light is a nice touch too.

That does sound wonderful...the horn, not so much though But that distinct V16-645 rhythm is there in its glory. The SD45 and SD45-2 sounded, to my ear, even better...their 20 cylinder engines had a very distinct cadence that was clear over the howl of the turbocharger...living in SCL land I heard them regularly.

That characteristic EMD howl can be heard as Norfolk Southern train P61, a local, is working hard climbing out of the Yadkin River valley at Spencer, North Carolina. The train just left the large NS yard at Linwood, NC. Video shot by a friend of mine on 15 April https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7rXu1JFEH6jWTUwSHJ2LXBLRzA/view Now if they were just high nosed SD40-2s...

Ted Culotta at Speedwitch Media has just released a new book on steam/transition era refrigerator cars....it's a great book of b&w photos. www.speedwitchmedia.com

Herzog & Friends today. Both moving eastbound...

And a visit today from Herzog...

A UP local yesterday - GP15/SD40-2/GP15 and about 15 cars. All three units were on line...

One regularly sees loaded centerbeams going around toward Global 3...is there a lumber yard back there or some sort of team track? I can't tell from Teh Googles Earth...

And new power this morning on the BNSF local - #2003 has replaced #1500...the latter probably due for its 90 day inspection or similar.

Finally, a meet...! 23 Dec at 16:30 eastern standard time...

Especially that far north. Farther south where I live in NC, the sun makes a noticeable difference on a -9 C day...