Grassroots Railroad Sports?

With time on the clock, we made another runby back in Arcade, with them backing across Main Street and then running back towards the depot.

Tired horses headed back to the stable.

And, new kid on the block, freshly arrived on Thursday, Arcade & Attica RS-3u #114. Originally a D&H RS-3, the D&H had Morrsion-Knudsen overhaul eight RS-3s with chopped noses, numberboards over the windshields, control stands set up to run short hood forward, dynamic brakes moved to the long hood, and the 1600hp 244 V12 replaced with a 2000hp 251 V12. It is the only surviving D&H RS-3u, was once one of the D&H's bicentennial units, then did time on the Tioga Central, before ending up at Western New York & Pennsylvania, who then sold it to Arcade & Attica. Absolutely goregous machine, and I'm curious to see how the apply the A&A colors.

Lurking in the background is A&A #111, which was another 44-tonner, and the locomotive that officially ended steam's reign on the Arcade & Attica. It ran more recently than the #110, but was parked due to becoming increasingly unreliable. GE 44-tonners are quite difficult to keep running in this day and age. They are supposedly working on getting the #111 operational again to use for special occasions. There's a certain irony to a photo with the diesel that ended steam's reign on the A&A and the diesel that is ending GE center cabs' dominance on the A&A. That's also the tender of A&A 2-8-0 #18 tucked behind the #110.

And then #112 and #113 getting in on the scene, bringing A&A #111, #112, #113, and #114 all together.

And a big thanks to the accomodating and friendly staff of the Arcade & Attica.

Thanks for bringing that report and great pictures to us!

Dumb question; were the center cab locomotives able to be equipped with dual control stands so that either end could be the "front?"

In reply to TheMagicRatchet :

I think they could be ordered with dual control stands (details on the GE critters are surprisingly sparce). But the display of A&A #110 allowed you up into the cab, and that was definitely set up with only one stand.

And #112 and #113 were also set up with only a single stand, because on the southbound photo stops, the engineer's were on the "wrong" side, since they were running backwards. So any time they were posed for a static photo, the conductor would have to radio up to the engineers to come stand on the other side of the cab (Yes, they were that accomodating. Yes, we passed a hat around and raised quite a bit of money for the crews.) Also, on the southbound trip, despite the locomotives looking the same way as the northbound trip, every time we started moving, they had to give three quick blasts on the horn (instead of two) because they were running in reverse. You might be able to see in some pictures that the frames had F and R decals as well, to denote front and rear

So, I've discovered that when you travel around for this sort of stuff, there's people you keep encountering. And it's usually not the ones you want to encounter. For example, there was a guy who irritated the living E36 M3 out of me when I was at the Reading & Northern when they did the first passenger run of #2102 last May, and then, imagine my surprise, and displeasure, when I ran into the same guy out to Indiana for the NKP #765 trip last year.

So, last fall, at the trip on Conway Scenic, there was a guy who was a real hassle. Maybe 02Pilot remembers who I'm talking about, shaved head, beard, round-lens glasses and a shirt that said RUN EMD. He was the last off the train at every photo stop, then would hike way off away from everyone, then we'd be sitting there waiting for him to get back aboard. And then every time he was near me, he was bitching about how few photo ops we were getting, ignoring the fact that he was part of the reason we were lagging behind schedule and having to scratch runbys. Perhaps the most egregious incident was when we stopped at Willey Brook Trestle and ol' boy crossed over the tracks (we were told not to cross the tracks there) when the train shoved back, then climbed way up some rock escarpment, all so he could get his perfect shot. Then, we sat there for literally 15 minutes while he tried to figure out a way to get down, which caused us to get to Frankenstein Trestle, the prime photo location on the line, pretty much right as the sun went away.

So yesterday, when we get off for the photo stop at Reisdorf Brothers, I look over, and, guess what, there's this shiny happy person again. And a couple of the photo stops, I see him go hiking way away. When we stopped at Java Center, he was practically standing in the middle of a two-lane road, and did the same thing at Curriers, while at Empire Distributing, he hiked way off to some hillside and then took forever to get back.

Where it gets really funny is on the final leg of the trip back to Arcade, I was hanging out in the baggage compartment with the two trip organizers and the A&A conductor talking with them, and the organizers were mentioning how well the trip was going (no major arguments, weather was cooperating, lots of photo ops and we were on schedule) and I mentioned how, uh, frazzled that Conway trip was. They expressed interest in it, and I was talking about the trip, including mentioning that guy.

The conductor goes "Oh, we got a guy who's just like that today. Last off the train, last back on, all over the place. Real pain in the ass. "

I look at him and go "Oh, he's not like that guy. He is that guy. Same person."

Someone apparently threw a fit about the fact that A&A #113 had a broom in a hanger on the "front" (actually the rear) when the #113 was leading, and the engineer had to go grab it and put it in the cab. I was never able to figure out who exactly did it, but I want to bet it was this guy.

Also, there had to be ground rules about drones on the trip. Apparently they had a charter trip on the NY&LE where someone was flying their drone close in and at a low level so that it was in everyone's shot and there was a huge argument about it. So, right off the bat, they told us "If we're getting two runbys at a location, no drones on the first, you can fly drones on the second, but please be courteous. If we're only doing one runby at a location, no drones." They also mentioned that the guilty party wasn't present.

Later on, we had an issue with a freeloader, who was following by car to all our sites, flying a drone in to some of our photo spots and then getting in people's shots, and the organizers ended up having to go chase him off. Someone was jokingly saying "Oh, that must be [name redacted]. I was at the NY&LE trip, and he was telling people 'Drones are the future and you just need to get used to them being in your photos'."  I won't say the name, but I've posted some of his photos here, he has a business, and he does a lot of drone shots. I like his photos, but I've met him in person, and he's pretty abrasive and difficult to get along with, and that sounds like something he would say

In reply to NickD :

Yeah, I remember him. There's always one, no matter what the circumstance. My buddy was up at Lime Rock a couple weeks ago running autox lapping in the Hyundai Accent we've been building up, and there was one guy who was late for everything, to the point that he couldn't get where he was supposed to be, so he damn near drove onto the hot track trying to get across to where our run group was set up. Never in the car when he needed to be, slowing everything down, yadda yadda yadda.

Some people just live in their own little bubbles and refuse to acknowledge that the rest of the world exists except for their personal convenience.

So today was supposed to be the second part of the A&A charter with the new RS-3u, but the late date that it arrived forced it to be scrubbed. I had a hotel for tonight in Fredonia, NY because I want to photograph the New York & Lake Erie's MLW FPAs tomorrow, and had a day free. So I decided to head south to the Oil Creek & Titusville, a tourist and freight line that is under the same operator umbrella as the NY&LE. I had mentioned going down to it while on the trip yesterday, and the charter organizers told me "Don't plan on chasing it, it's way too remote", which was fine, because I had just planned on riding it anyway.

Titusville, PA, located along the aptly-named Oil Creek, is home to the first ever commercial oil well, drilled in 1859 by Edwin Drake. The OC&T operates along the original Oil Creek Railroad, constructed to haul oil out of the area, which eventually became a part of the PRR. Their motive power consists of an M420W for freight usage, and two ex-South Buffalo Railway Alco S-2s on lease from the NY&LE for passenger usage. They have a number of old clerestory-roof coaches, an ex-Wabash Cannonball coach for first class seating, an open-air car made from a gondola, and the only active RPO in the United States. Yes, their RPO still has mail service, and you can mail postcards from the train. Which I did, because I literally never get to mail anything from an RPO ever again.

Oil Creek & Titusville #75 waiting at the Titusville station. She runs cab first 13 miles north to Rynd Farm, then runs around the train for the southbound trip.

You can see the unique Alco-built Blunt trucks that distinguished an S-2 from an S-4 (and an S-1 from an S-3).

Running along Oil Creek. This line crosses the creek four times in 13 miles. There's also a narration about historical points along the way, including the pits that the Native Americans dug to collect oil from and the site of Edwin Drake's first oil well. Also, there was tons of wildlife along this route: I saw a black bear, four or five white tail deer, an eagle, and three or four grey herons. The bear was especially noteworthy, since I don't think I've seen a wild one before. And then, after getting back, my dumb ass went hiking on a nearby trail and I got a good ways out and thought "Wait, I know there are bears in these woods, I literally just saw one, what am I doing?"

The mailbox in the RPO.

The Alco running around the train at Rynd Farm

Some old structures from the oil boom days that dot the woods

Petroleum Center is a ghost town of what was once the Oil Creek oil fields.

Back at Titusville, they unhooked the #75, ran it around the back and parked it, since they only run one trip per day. This gave me unobstructed photos of the front of it.

Their M420W sitting off, hooked up to some freight cars in the distance.

Oh, and I forgot, video of a runby headed south over Ghost Pond on the A&A. You can hear #113 giving it all she's got. I wasn't a huge fan of the excessive horn-blowing, especially because there wasn't even a grade crossing in this direction, but it was what some of the other people requested and the crew obliged.

In reply to NickD :

That dude sounds like lots of fun.....  sorry you've had multiple encounters.  May your next several train experiences be selfish dude encounter free!

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah, usually when just shooting normal operations it's not too bad. But when it's a special run or photo charter, that tends to bring out a lot of people, and you run into the ones that you don't care for. And with such limited opportunities, you're guaranteed to run into some of the same people. It's not all bad though; on the charter trip on the A&A, I bumped into a guy I've seen down at the Reading & Northern who's a pretty decent guy. Then come yesterday, and I'm waiting at a crossing on the New York & Lake Erie and here comes the same guy, along with one of the A&A charter organizers and another rider of the A&A charter. We had a pretty nice day chasing the NY&LE.

Pete, the guy I mentioned from R&N, was saying the same thing while we were waiting at South Dayton, about how so many railfans are either abrasive tryhards or just absolute weirdos. He has a 19 year old son who travels with him sometimes, and he said his son has told him "Jeez, dad, when we go on these trips, all these kids my age come up to me, and every one of them weirds me out."

In reply to NickD :

Que up the doors.....  people are strange.

One time at church a dude broke out into a profanity laced tirade aimed at the pastor and the pastor said, "this is what happens when you open the doors and invite everyone and anyone inside."  
 

I don't shy away from standing up for myself and others and stating my beliefs, but I don't interrupt others lives like these "rail fans."  I'm very much a rail fan light compared to those guys.  I try and ride some scenic railroads when I get a chance.

I really enjoy your photography and information though.  I really wish more people understood how steel, oil and the railroad made this country into what it is.  People seem so detached from history now.

And on the subject of the New York & Lake Erie, I spent yesterday afternoon chasing it from Gowanda, NY thirteen miles sout to South Dayton, NY over former Erie trackage. For motive power, they were running MLW FPA-2u #6758 and MLW FPA-4 #6764 with three coaches in tow.

Headed out of Gowanda and hitting the first grade crossing at East Hill Road. Similar to how the Oil Creek & Titusville uses a PRR-based livery and operates over ex-PRR trackage, the NY&LE uses an Erie-based livery.

I was admittedly relieved when I saw those FPAs round the corner. I wasn't able to get down to the Gowanda depot to get a photo of the train beforehand, and I know that a while back one of the FPAs was laid up with a leaky radiator and they were using their ex-Erie Alco S-1 instead. While an S-1 is neat, I really wanted it to be the FPAs, since I've never seen any in operation before.

Approaching the Maltbie Road crossing on the outskirts of Gowanda. The #6758 is the last surviving FPA-2, which was the steam generator-equipped variant of the Alco/MLW FA-2. Canadian National had it, along with two FPB-2s and another FPA-2, rebuilt to FPA-4 specs in 1958 to improve reliability. This mostly just involved replacing the 1600hp 12-244 with an 1800hp 12-251 engine. Since the FPA-2 used the same body shell as the FA-2 and FPA-4, it's hard to tell any difference without knowing the actual story behind this unit. The other FPA-2us, and all other FPA-2s, are long gone, leaving the #6758 the last of her kind.

Crossing Church Road in Dayton, NY. A lot of this line is pretty grown-in and has the "green tunnel" effect, so no large shots of ponds or crossing fields here.

Crossing Merchant Road near South Dayton