D45 Southbound by XO
Canadian Pacific train D45 is southbound on the modern day Colonie Sub at MP 19.7 passing the former Delaware and Hudson XO tower. This is the same train I had originally planned to shoot on Fri morning northbound departing Kenwood Yard in Albany. It is scheduled as a turn job out of Saratoga Springs to and from Kenwood. Historically it ran 7-days a week but lately it has been running on the night that saw a train 252 come down from Montreal earlier the same day. Since there was a 252 arrival Thu afternoon this D45 local was supposed to run Thu night. But due to crew availability issues it did not. Then there were reports that it was going to be on duty at 0600 on Fri to run instead. I spent much of Friday waiting on it only to find out that again due to crew issues it did not run.
Come Saturday morning I had fully expected that I would find in Kenwood ready to head north. But again no sign of it. As I later found out the CP was still struggling to find conductors for this job and it did not ultimately leave Saratoga until nearly 11 AM on Saturday. By this time the train had swelled with cars off another train 252 from Montreal and would head south with 135 cars totally 12,100 tons and 8400 feet behind CP 8608 (GE AC400CW), 8917 (GE ES44AC) & 2262 (EMD GP20C-ECO).
They are passing XO tower that was built in 1914 by the D&H to control the junction of their mainline with the B&M coming in from the east. From here west (or north in D&H parlance) stretched joint trackage until the B&M cut west for Rotterdam and the D&H split headed toward Saratoga and points north and and Oneonta and points south. The tower also controlled the maze of switches into the massive B&M hump yard on the south and the smaller D&H yard on the north side. By 1971 the tower was closed and the yard itself followed in 1990 and was removed by 1995. Although in 2012 it saw a small renaissance as Pan Am Southern built a new intermodal and automotive facility and support yard. consisting of 8 new tracks in total on a portion of the old yard lands.
The tower is now owned and preserved by the city and it continues to witness the passage of 6 to 10 trains a day on the two modern successors of those legendary roads.
Mechanicville, New York
Saturday June 13, 2020
D45 Southbound by XO
Canadian Pacific train D45 is southbound on the modern day Colonie Sub at MP 19.7 passing the former Delaware and Hudson XO tower. This is the same train I had originally planned to shoot on Fri morning northbound departing Kenwood Yard in Albany. It is scheduled as a turn job out of Saratoga Springs to and from Kenwood. Historically it ran 7-days a week but lately it has been running on the night that saw a train 252 come down from Montreal earlier the same day. Since there was a 252 arrival Thu afternoon this D45 local was supposed to run Thu night. But due to crew availability issues it did not. Then there were reports that it was going to be on duty at 0600 on Fri to run instead. I spent much of Friday waiting on it only to find out that again due to crew issues it did not run.
Come Saturday morning I had fully expected that I would find in Kenwood ready to head north. But again no sign of it. As I later found out the CP was still struggling to find conductors for this job and it did not ultimately leave Saratoga until nearly 11 AM on Saturday. By this time the train had swelled with cars off another train 252 from Montreal and would head south with 135 cars totally 12,100 tons and 8400 feet behind CP 8608 (GE AC400CW), 8917 (GE ES44AC) & 2262 (EMD GP20C-ECO).
They are passing XO tower that was built in 1914 by the D&H to control the junction of their mainline with the B&M coming in from the east. From here west (or north in D&H parlance) stretched joint trackage until the B&M cut west for Rotterdam and the D&H split headed toward Saratoga and points north and and Oneonta and points south. The tower also controlled the maze of switches into the massive B&M hump yard on the south and the smaller D&H yard on the north side. By 1971 the tower was closed and the yard itself followed in 1990 and was removed by 1995. Although in 2012 it saw a small renaissance as Pan Am Southern built a new intermodal and automotive facility and support yard. consisting of 8 new tracks in total on a portion of the old yard lands.
The tower is now owned and preserved by the city and it continues to witness the passage of 6 to 10 trains a day on the two modern successors of those legendary roads.
Mechanicville, New York
Saturday June 13, 2020