E8's & Flaming Foilage Express (Harrisburg-Renovo) Oct.

The Juniata Terminals E8's are running Saturday 14th October from Harrisburg to Renovo, Please can anyone give me some more times and route for this train, I already know it departs Harrisburg at 7.30 am.
Thanks.

It's supposed to be at Renovo by noon for a fall festival. It will be turned at Keating and depart at 4:00 for Harrisburg.

I might try to snap a few pics of the train....I had already planned a trip down to the Enola area this weekend, and forgot that the E's were also running too....the timing sounds a bit tough as far as lighting though down in the Harrisburg area..it will be early morning and early evening when it is running through there....Dave W.

http://nrhs-hbg.pennsyrr.com/Events/2006_renovo.pdf You'll need acrobat to open this pdf link but it will give the timing and itinerary for those planning to chase it....Dave Williams

Thanks for the PDF. I'll be on my way to watch my alma mater stick it to the Wolverines (hopefully) in Happy Valley, and can easily accommodate this. Looks like a great Saturday is ahead.

Is there any way to accurately estimate its placement versus time? I will likely take Rte 220-I180-80 (so as to hit the line in Williamsport and Lock Haven). If the trip takes four hours, is it safe to assume that it should be in Williamsport at roughly 10:30 a.m.?

10:30 would probably be a decent guess as far as Williamsport...I would say get there earlier to be on the safe side....I am going to assume that the good photo locations down along the Susquehanna near the Rockville Bridge area will probably be tough for shooting this train due to the time of day....might be in shadow of the East Mountains in the AM and just too dark in the PM....Dave W.

If you're interested in railfanning farther north:

Travelling from Lock Haven to Renovo via Farrandsaville Road --> Graham Road --> Township Road 449 parallels the tracks to Renovo. Notable is the alignment from the photo below to Renovo, where the distance between the two seems to be no less than a few hundred feet, at most.

Specifically, Township Road 449 looks a lot like Route 11 to Binghamton, where the line is at arms' length from the pavement for extended periods of time.

The lighting should be nearly overhead, and because the route parellels the West Branch of the Susquehanna, there should be little shadow effect. See below for an example of the layout of the road versus rail off of Route 449. Seeing the E8s come around that bend would make a great photo or video clip!

Enjoy the Beauty of Autumn by Train in the Susquehanna River Valley

The Harrisburg Chapter of the National
Railway Historical Society proudly announces
a chartered Amtrak train excursion to be run
on Saturday, October 14, 2006. This trip will
run non-stop to Renovo, PA to visit the
Pennsylvania State Flaming Foliage Festival.
The chartered, private train will leave the
Harrisburg Transportation Center (Amtrak
station) at 7:30 am and return at
approximately 8:00 pm. The train’s route
goes north on Norfolk Southern’s freightonly
Buffalo Line from Harrisburg along the
scenic main stem and West Branch of the
Susquehanna River while passing through
towns such as Millersburg, Halifax, Sunbury,
Milton, Williamsport and Lock Haven.
Estimated time of arrival in Renovo will be
approximately 12 noon. There, passengers
will be able to detrain and walk 2 blocks t o
enjoy the popular PA State Flaming Foliage
Festival and the hospitality of Renovo. A
two-hour parade featuring five divisions
begins at 1:30 pm. Over 20 food vendors and
100 craft vendors will be set up in Renovo as
well. Those riders who want to experience
more freight-only mileage will be permitted
to remain on the train for an additional ride
of 10 miles to the town of Keating, where
the entire train will be turned and returned t o
Renovo. Please check the ticket form if you
are planning to ride to Keating. At 4:00 pm,
the train will depart Renovo for the return
over the same route to Harrisburg, arriving at
the Amtrak Station at approximately 8:00
pm.

The Train Consist

This unique excursion train will be pulled by a
pair of beautifully-restored E8 diesel
locomotives owned by the Juniata Terminal
Company and repainted in their original
Pennsylvania Railroad color scheme.
Numbers 5711 and 5809 were built in the
1950's for the Pennsylvania Railroad and also
were used to power Conrail’s executive train.
These locomotives, which look very much
like they did when originally built, are
privately-owned and used solely in excursion
train service.
For our passengers, there will be coach
seating in Amtrak-owned, reclining seat, airconditioned
coaches available for $135 per
seat. A café car will offer for sale morning
coffee and pastries, and during the return trip,
hot dogs, snacks and beverages. Coach
passengers are also permitted to carry food
on board. Bountiful food will be available in
Renovo at individual expense from food
vendors featuring both table and food stands.
In addition to coach seating, there will be 24
first-class seats offered on a restored parlor
car, the “Warrior Ridge,” at $375 per seat.
First class service includes assorted pastries in
the morning and a light meal on the return
trip, with beverages available all day. First
class is sold out as of July 19.
Each passenger will receive a trip guide as
part of their fare. It is planned to have
various souvenirs and items available for sale
on the train. Special T-shirts, sweatshirts and
coffee mugs marking the operation of this
trip, will be sold on the train or in Renovo.
Full details on these items will be mailed with
your tickets.
This is a chartered train, so tickets can be
ordered only from the Harrisburg Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.
Amtrak does not sell tickets for this
chartered train. Questions regarding this trip
must be directed to the Harrisburg Chapter
NRHS answering machine at 717-232-6221,
not to Amtrak.

We are dirving over from the Willow Grove area, Where is the best place to park near the station?

Thanks in advance

rdgrailfan wrote:We are dirving over from the Willow Grove area, Where is the best place to park near the station?

Thanks in advance

There is a public parking garage across from the Harrisburg Station...I believe that I read in the PDF file of the pamphlet that $3 would be charged for the day to park in the garage for ticket holders....Dave W.

There's plenty of parking along the streets near the station - meters are free on weekends. These streets include Walnut, 4th, 3rd, (all alongside the state capitol complex).


I'm still deciding if I want to chase (well, not chase, but photo) the train this time...(I rode it last time).

gp80mac wrote:There's plenty of parking along the streets near the station - meters are free on weekends. These streets include Walnut, 4th, 3rd, (all alongside the state capitol complex).

I usually park on Walnut, but signs have been erected since my previous trip that say no parking Saturdays from 6 to 10 AM, so I parked around the corner on 3rd near Market.

Bob

http://chuchubob.rrpicturearchives.net/ ... ?id=535701