sjgardiner Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Hello from the road in Corning New York, just back on the way to Buffalo on the Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam excursion. The Berkshire is haulin a 20 car train unaided. I'll have lots of pictures Sunday night/Monday after I get back to Toronto (we're riding today and chasing tomorrow). But for now, if this works from my phone, a couple from today: In Buffalo this Morning: https://flic.kr/p/vPUC2V Turning the train at Cornell https://flic.kr/p/wLQu6S Cheers Stephen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjgardiner Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 Wow, what a weekend with the Fort Wayne Railway Historical Society, Norfolk Southern and Nickel Plate Road 765. As I said, along with two friends, we rode the train on Saturday's run, and chased on Sunday. I have posted video on Youtube and pictures on Flickr linked below, along with some sample shots in the post. In terms of the trip, the train was 19 coaches plus a tool/generator car and the 2nd tender for both days, unassisted, just 765,no diesels in sight except in passing sidings waiting on us going by!! The route was the "Southern Tier" line, former Erie-Lackawana from Sloan Yard in Buffalo to the former Lackawana Depot in Corning. The day started and ended with long reversing maneouvers to get the lengthy train into and out of Sloan Yard, as far as i can tell, track geometry in the yard east throat meant the train had to enter/exit from the west end. Our run on Saturday was late departing by about 25 minutes (i won't have detailed timing notes for a bit from one of my companions who takes them, unfortunately he's immediately out on the road for work for a month!). We were about a half hour down arriving at Corning. The servicing there was long (I've heard various storeys about why and some issues with Saturday's servicing, but as i can't substantiate them, i won't repeat them). The consist was done turning and back just after 3pm, with departure back for Buffalo just after 3:30. Arrival back into Sloan at about 7:30ish in the evening. We hung around for a walk to the head end, and got rewarded with some Golden Hour sun when the clouds parted at 8pm. That was followed up by beers and amazing burgers at the Allen Burger Venture in downtown Buffalo, recommended if you are ever in the area. Sunday was a slightly later start for us, up at 7am instead of 6am to go chase instead of ride. We started the day in Depew, where there was a big crowd and not much security. The local yokel sitting behind us who was kneeling down in the 4' waiting on the train didn't seem to get that the reason they started whistling more and slowing was because they could see him and wanted him the elf out of the right of way!! From there, we chased to Spring Road east of Attica for a shot at a passing siding, down to just north of Dale for a run alongside the road. We used the slow order over the viaduct at Letchworth Park to get ahead, and then stopped east of Canaseraga where we got a run around a curve beside the highway. We then used the slow in Hornell for the rolling loading of lunch to get ahead again to Brown's Crossing where we got reflection shots in the Canisteo River. After this, the traffic jam of chasers meant we didn't get another stop, though my companions got some nice pacing shots from Interstate 99 around Painted Post on the way into Corning. Instead of our rushed lunch visit to the Corning Museum of Glass on Saturday, we had a relaxing lunch at the Market Street Brewing Company in Corning, then went to get some shots of the train being wyed and serviced. Given we had over an hour before departure, we used the time to get out into the Canisteo River valley to look for photo opportunities. We tried some back roads, climbed some hills looking for overlooks, but finding none, settled for the lovely location the locals told us was Whites Crossing, just downstream from Browns were we were in the morning. After that, the traffic was maddening, because of a couple of cars who decided to prevent anyone from getting ahead by putting their pacing shots first. Fortunately, we were able to dodge out of the traffic and get ahead through Hornell to go for our final shot of the trip, our only chance at a shot over the soon to be replaced Letchworth Viaduct at Portageville. The iconic shot from the valley with the waterfalls wasn't going to work in the afternoon, but with all the clearances happening for the new bridges impending construction, lots of good light opportunities viewing the bridge from above existed. All in all, we had a fantastic weekend, kudos to the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society and its volunteers for keeping 765 alive and going, to Norfolk Southern for being so forward thinking and running these employee specials with public sales using steam, to my travelling companions for a light weekend of banter and travel, and to the NY State Troopers for getting the guy racing in front of me on Sunday afternoon rather than me while en route to Letchworth!! Video of Sunday: https://youtu.be/OTAzRBmreNk Flickr Photo set: https://flic.kr/s/aHskdXr5Vo Some Shots: Golden Hour by Stephen Gardiner, on Flickr Power of the Berkshire by Stephen Gardiner, on Flickr Reflections in the Canisteo River by Stephen Gardiner, on Flickr 765 along the Canisteo River by Stephen Gardiner, on Flickr Cheers, Stephen Gardiner Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomMarkert Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Nice pics and narrative. I rode the 765 trips back in 1985(?) when they did the "Glass City Ltd" trips over the same line. The loading situation at Buffalo had the same problem, but worse back then, as Bison Yard was in a shambles with disconnected tracks, requiring extensive see-saw moves to get to the loading area. Was the train spotted in downtown Corning, on the branch from the Erie main? I believe the siding was actually an ex-NYC line.... The Western New York Railway Historical Society sponsored the Corning trips. The 765 is now down in the eastern Pennsylvania for a number of scheduled trips. I rode the locomotive in 1988 as an Engineer/ pilot when it traveled over the ex-Erie lines now owned by NJT. It is a fine class of locomotive and a good engine in particular. Thanks for the posts, Stephen. They bring back some great memories... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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