Norfolk Southern Mainline Amalgam on the Harrisburg Line

Whether it is leasers, historic or foreign catches, or just heavy freight trains ramming through the country-side, you'll find it here in this 25 minute-long feature of the NS Harrisburg Line! Included are summer sightings of both Canadian Pacific haulage rights trains and an assortment of Norfolk Southern trains totalling 15 individually unique sightings!

What a better way than to start off with classic-powered CP train in the sweet morning light? A rare catch for this nocturnal train.
30J / 158 - 7/18/11
ICE SD40-2 6416
CP SD40-2 5908
ICE SD40-2 6214

Later that morning the interesting combination of power continued with automotive/intermodal train 212, note the rare and endangered SD50 in Conrail livery.
212 - 7/18/11
UP SD70M 4191
NS SD50 5438 "Conrail Quality"
NS D9-40CW 9385
UP SD70M 4140
NS D8-40C 8709
NS D9-40CW 9547

Hotshot intermodal train 21M speeds west on the opposite main as it is a few miles from passing empty autorack train 11J who stopped at PRESCOTT.
21M - 7/22/11
NS SD70M-2 2691
UP AC45CCTE 5331
NS D9-40CW 9889
NS SD60M 6806

Roughly 5 minutes ahead of the CP train caught exactly one week prior, this one sneaks by with a leased "ghost" just after dawn. For the following days this train would return to the ghost in the night.
30J / 158 - 7/25/11
CITX SD40-2 3100
CP SD40-2 5963

That afternoon torrential rains moved in and caused flash flooding. Brand new GE products battle through the pouring rains.
517 - 7/25/11
NS ES44AC 8089
NS ES44AC 8081

A heavy 20K had a failure in one of its units resulting in a helper set to remain ahead of the train east of Altoona. I'm surprised the train kept these on the front east of Harrisburg, it was about 7000 tons into Harrisburg, but just shy of 4000 tons after departure from the terminal.
20K - 7/26/11
NS SD40-E 6316
NS SD40-E 6300
NS SD70M-2 2722
NS D9-40CW 9865
NS D9-40CW 9456

With about 17,500 tons of train, these 8000 horses have quite a load on their shoulders. This loaded coal train throttles hard to keep the train rolling as it re-enters 50 MPH track. (Lebanon has 40 MPH head-end only in effect due to the crowded crossings and population around the tracks).
502 - 7/26/11
NS ES40DC 7718
NS D8-40C 8705

Shortly there-after, the train I was waiting for arrives, passing one of Pennsylvania's finest industries: feed manufacturing. Unfortunately, the sun dissipated behind the clouds, but not to worry, meets are always a nice treat!
15T - 7/26/11
BNSF ES44DC 7389
BNSF D9-44CW 4314
NS SD60M 6782

Because ethanol comes from the Midwest, there are great chances of this train have a pumpkin or red or yellow nose engine on it. However, this one was a real treat, supporting a Santa Fe War Bonnet and a KCS, while led by the class unit of Norfolk Southern's newest GE products.
66Q - 7/27/11
NS ES44AC 8000
BNSF D9-44CW 635 "Santa Fe"
KCS AC4400CW 4614

There is nothing special about this train this evening, but I like the location at this time of year where the sun rarely crosses to the north side of the tracks to illuminate the Browns Feed Mill.
15T - 7/27/11
NS D8-40CW 8406
NS D9-40C 8844

Rainy weather forms behind me as 19G transports 3 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority GP motors to Altoona for work.
19G - 7/29/11
NS D9-40CW 9323
NS SD70M 2588
MBTA GP40MC 1133
MBTA GP40MC 1126
MBTA GP40MC 1128

19G rounds the nicely lit curve and also note the cows running across the pasture once that nice Leslie horn sounds.
19G - 7/30/11
NS SD70 2515
NS D9-40CW 9932
NS D9-40CW 9265

Anthracite empties from the Pennsylvania Coal Region along the Reading and Northern system are returning to Reading to be interchanged with RBMN and will waste no time being loaded. This loaded train runs to the Midwest, and the coal is actually put on a ship near Sandusky, OH, because it is actually cheaper to be shipped to Minnesota that way!
573 - 8/1/11
NS SD70 2579
NS D9-40CW 9028

Continuing the morning east bounds, 9500 ton 10N is overtaken by a hot intermodal train. 10N takes a stop at the DORF signal just east of (behind) my location while the 24Z crosses over in front of him, notice the conductor calling the LIMITED CLEAR signal after the train passes. 10N is stopped on a bit of a hump, and the slack in the train causes it to roll backwards a bit after stopping way short of the signal. I packed up and went over to DORF to get him on the move once he got the clear.
10N - 8/1/11
NS SD70M-2 2663
NS D8-40CW 8321

24Z - 8/1/11
NS SD70M 2625
NS D9-40CW 9791

Thanks for watching!