Railfanning around Binghamton

That makes sense, turn the locomotives in 1/3 of the time.

today, on our way to, and from the train show, i saw a few trains.
Next to a salt plant, there was a pair of G&W SW units. That was it o the way up. Then on the way home, we were in Pittsford, and there was a CSX maint. truck next to a crossing on the racks. When we got to Syracuse, there was a CSX Autorack going W/b by the Carousel MAll. Then, about 10 minutes later, a w/b Empire Service train went by w/b with Amtrak P32AC-DM 710 in control of 5 amfleets. nothing else after that.

Just a correction, NS 6754 is a SD60I, not a SD60M as previously stated.

Andy, see what I mean about waiting for a big train on CSX? Sundays can be kind of dicey- it's either feast (lots o' trains) or famine (i.e. sit for 5 hours to see nothing). Too bad you didn't see a GWRR move! I guess the salt traffic is slowing down as the weather warms up.

Going back to the earlier posts about the Elmira yard- it's small because the only major customers are Thatcher Glass, the ABB facility and the Horseheads industrial complex. Alot of the old customers I knew as a kid, like Ward LeFrance, closed in the late '70s or '80s. The ex-Erie yard was bigger then and there was still an ex-DL&W yard, too.

There is some trace of ex-LV ROW on the east side of Elmira and Elmira Heights. The raised roadbed snakes across several streets incl Grand Ave. All grass now, but I remember seeing an LV RS-3 pulling a few boxcars thru there circa '74 or '75. Does anybody remember when PC and LV both had crossings at grade on Rt. 17 in Horseheads?

Yea, i was kinda disappointed also. But we might be going to Altoona next week. So that will pretty much make up for it

I remember the LV crossing but rt17 crossed over the PC AFAIK. There is an exit to rt14 just west of that PC bridge, with four lane road deadended toward the east. Was that the original rt17 that crossed the PC?

Some of the tracks are still on the DL&W ROW, they run out of Elmira yard by Wegmans to industries west. There is only maybe five miles left. Grand Central Ave parallels but does not cross the DL&W until almost to Madison Ave.

PC used to cross Rt. 17 at grade- this was a remnant of the PRR Elmira Branch. By the time I was old enough to be aware of trains, the flood of '72 and PC's bankruptcy had really cut down the traffic on that line. I saw just three trains cross Rt. 17, one during the PC era ('75?) and the others during early CR ('76-'77). All three ran with PC power. The bridge over the line wasn't built until the early '80s.

I guess my questions really are: 1. Does anybody have pics of that area during PC or early CR? 2. What were the operations on the line during PC/CR?

Andy, have fun in Altoona!

I think that bridge is earlier than 1980s; During the 70s we had relatives we used to visit in Horseheads, we used to go to the Arnot Mall, and I don't ever remember there not being a bridge there. I was in middle/high school during the 70s and my memory isn't vague about that bridge. I remember when A&P - for one whole year - occupied that huge factory near there. Not disputing any grade crossing at all, just when the bridge was built.

I never saw one train on the PRR or the LV in Horseheads. Even then PRR traffic was light 'cause the coaling trestle in Sodus Point was gone. I was nine when Flood of '72 came through. I remember the PRR Southport yard, the rolling stock, the roundhouse, and the huge coaling tower before '72. LV was serving the Holding Point then, very little traffic. I remember the LV crossing near Hanover Square. Never saw one train.

OK, the moment you've all been waiting for....
On our way in, a CP was coming off the wye to go into East Binghamton yard. Power was 3 CP SD40-2's. There was a pair of NS units by the office. Every from of NYSW power was there. Anybody know what kind of airhorns are on GP20 2064? On the way out, there was a NYSW switching with, gasp.A B40-8!!!!!! the other was a tunnel motor. If anyone has that horn infom it would be much appreciated.

NYS&W doing the CNY chores at Frito Lay this afternoon!

What was the power?

Today my CAP squadron went to the Warplane Museum in Elmira. On the way, my eyes were glued to the 'tier. When we were on our way to CAP, i looked out my window on Court Street, and thwas a pair of NS Dash 9's pulling out of Conklin Yard heading W/B. It was a mixed freight. After we left, we caught up with it near tri-cities airport. Anybody know what number this could be? We're going to give trains on our layout numbers that correspond to the real ones on the tier. Anyhow, on the way home, I saw a train going towards Binghamton. It was going at a decent clip, but was slowing down because it was nearing Endicott. It had 3 NS units, and was also a manifest. After we dropped off our 2 passengers, we decided to go do some railfanning in Binghamton. Here's the results:

NS 167: there Power: in a place doing things.

NS

SD70 Spartan Cab 2501
C40-8 Ex. CR 8302 was at the end of a cut of cars next to a mystery ALCO in CP colors. Anybody got any ideas of an ID?

Theses are the 3 locos of that train, which were stopped on the bridge.

NS

C40-8 8731, form NS's first order of C40-8's
C40-8 8727, also from NS's first order of C40-8's.
C40-9W 9688, recent paint, autostart equipped, standard NS paint scheme, no Horsehead.

CN

These two were here ALL DAY

SD75I 5731, new style HT-C trucks
C40-8M 2437, cowl body Dash 8.

NYSW

SW900 901
U23B 2208
GP18 1802, was being pushed trough shop to shop lead by GP20 2064

that's all folks!

We went car hunting today, so i assumed Railfanning, and the rest is history.

When we went over the first time, i got some things, but wanted a closer look

NYSW

GP18 1802 was sitting outside the shops, along with
SD40T-2 3014
SW900 901
U23B 2208
that ERIE boxcar, recently acquired by the Sayre HS.
GP20 2064 was knocking cars around. then, a cut of cars moves in front of us, Guess what the Power is!

CN

SD75I 5744, this was here yesterday, along with
C40-8M 2437
they were also switching

NS

SD70 2501, same place as yesterday
C40-8 8302, same place as yesterday

there was a train coming off the wye, it wasn't 167

UP

SD70M 4120

NS

D8-40CW 8407 in CR paint
D9-40CW 9371, Horsehead Paint

After this, we went ouit towards Kirkwood, doing a check of the Roadnames of the Copvered Boxcars that asked for
the only one wasn't blue and silver it was ROIX, but on the way, there was a train waiting to go East, towards Jervis, it had 5 locomotives!

NYSW
(in order)

SD40T-2 3016
SD45 3618
SD45 3634
SD40T-2 3010
SD40T-2 3012
a crew truck was waiting, we couldn't figure out why. You'll find out later in this post.
we went further east after this, and all of a sudden, there was a train going towards Binghamton!
It had 3 locomotives, here they are in Order

NYSW
GP40 3040
MLW 636 NYSW/RRPX 78
MLW 636 NYSW/SIXX 41
All of a sudden, that Crew truck pulls up aliongside the locomotives, which had stopped near JAck Sherman Toyota, followed by a blue Pickup, and then the Crew Changes. Upon this, a horn sounds in the distance, and that other train prepares to leave.
Oh by the Way, that mystery alco's Number is 4326, in CP paint, with a faded multimark, 4 axle, the cars in front of it had been moved. Anybody know of this locomotives RR/ Status?

Andy,
based on roster info I could find on-line, it looks like CP 4326 should be an Alco C424!!
(or..more likely, a MLW M424)
But all of CP's Centuries/MLW's have been retired for years now, so its definately not something on the active roster..
I wonder where it is going?
anyone have any idea?
Scot

I'll try to get photo of it sometime, if you go over the bridge at the west end of the yard, the one by the old station, it's on the right side, on one of the tracks near the one coming off the wye. Hope this helps!