Taylor Shuffle
Another Friday spent along the rails of Cape Cod did not disappoint.
My main goal was to photograph newly repainted FL9 2011 which I did and then I had planned to again photograph the meet and swap with the northbound energy train. But those plans got changed when Mass Coastal train MC2 was unexpectedly thrown into the mix. They came down from Rochester with a string of empty C&D gons for Cassova at Otis which they were going to swap out with loads before heading back north to Rochester and on to Wareham.
They had to hold the main here at Taylor for a bit waiting for Cape Cod Central passenger train to finish up their station work and clear up the single track there. With the excursion train safely tucked in the siding here at MP 54.9 on the MassDOT owned and Mass Coastal operated former New Haven Cape Mainline, MC2 is pulling south.
Leading the way is MC 2008, a GP9RM blt. Apr. 1956 as CN 2020. On the south end of the passenger train is MC2009, a rare model GP28 built by EMD in Nov. 1964 for the Illinois Central as their #9439. Only 31 of the 1800 hp units were built and only 16 of those were for US roads.
Once the bridge is lowered the 2008 will head south toward the Falmouth Branch and on to Otis meeting the waiting energy train at Canal Jct. The latter will use the same bridge closing to scoot back here and hold the main for a meet and crew swap with the passenger consist before they each then head on their respective ways to Seamass and back down to the station.
For a small little shortline it sure got busy here for a moment requiring some decisions on what I wanted to prioritizing shooting. Not a bad problem to have!
Wareham, Massachusetts
Friday September 15, 2023
Taylor Shuffle
Another Friday spent along the rails of Cape Cod did not disappoint.
My main goal was to photograph newly repainted FL9 2011 which I did and then I had planned to again photograph the meet and swap with the northbound energy train. But those plans got changed when Mass Coastal train MC2 was unexpectedly thrown into the mix. They came down from Rochester with a string of empty C&D gons for Cassova at Otis which they were going to swap out with loads before heading back north to Rochester and on to Wareham.
They had to hold the main here at Taylor for a bit waiting for Cape Cod Central passenger train to finish up their station work and clear up the single track there. With the excursion train safely tucked in the siding here at MP 54.9 on the MassDOT owned and Mass Coastal operated former New Haven Cape Mainline, MC2 is pulling south.
Leading the way is MC 2008, a GP9RM blt. Apr. 1956 as CN 2020. On the south end of the passenger train is MC2009, a rare model GP28 built by EMD in Nov. 1964 for the Illinois Central as their #9439. Only 31 of the 1800 hp units were built and only 16 of those were for US roads.
Once the bridge is lowered the 2008 will head south toward the Falmouth Branch and on to Otis meeting the waiting energy train at Canal Jct. The latter will use the same bridge closing to scoot back here and hold the main for a meet and crew swap with the passenger consist before they each then head on their respective ways to Seamass and back down to the station.
For a small little shortline it sure got busy here for a moment requiring some decisions on what I wanted to prioritizing shooting. Not a bad problem to have!
Wareham, Massachusetts
Friday September 15, 2023