Having successfully lensed our second wild 11A lashup in as many days, we departed East Conemaugh to return to Cresson, or the general vicinity at least. Rather than returning to the Station Inn and setting up across the tracks by the pumphouse by habit, we continued through town and stopped at the Route 53 overpass. The road had recently reopened after a months-long closure so the aging bridge could be replaced, and happily the vantage point from the old abutment alongside remained intact, save for the loss of the stand of trees that would have been at our backs. All the better to let in a little more light, if the clouds would leave us alone that is.
Our motley ranks increased by one with the arrival of a distinguished guest. We were joined trackside by video maven and fellow railfan Doug Obert, creator of the 'Around Our Neighborhood' promotional videos for the Station Inn, who was also staying at the Inn for a few days. Doug's stories about his railfanning adventures and his days as a cameraman in the D.C. press pool are always a great source of entertainment, and his contributions to our banter were welcomed as we awaited the flood of trains that traditionally appeared in the late afternoon.
Before the flood, a trickle. At 4:36, westbound autorack train 11J cruised past under the classic signal bridge, led by ES44DC 7538 and C44-9W 9374 with SD40Es 6333 and 6312 assisting from the rear. After 11J, it was another 45 minutes before eastbound stack train 20Q roared out from under the bridge behind SD70M-2 2772, SD70M 2599, and C40-9 8808. The sun shone brightly on a long parade of Hub Group, EMP, and J.B. Hunt containers as the head-end trio charged towards the summit. The pace slowed noticeably as the head end crested the grade and prepared to brake the consist 6 miles down the mountain into Altoona. SD40Es 6329 and 6323 bunched up the slack from the rear, ever vigilant against the negative effects of gravity. As the pair curved away towards Gallitzin, they were met by westbound stack train 23M, led by ES44AC 8129 and ES44DC 7700, their dynamic brakes wailing in full song as the duo maintained their speed.
The sound of 23M fading into the distance mingled briefly with the deep-throated crescendo of a hard-working eastbound, but the pace of the newcomer was too slow to keep the camera rolling. Whatever it was, it was heavy. Two more minutes of undeniably-GE chugging noise ensued until 14G finally struggled into view behind ES44AC 8110 and C44-9W 9339. The booming bass chug of the GE pair faded into the quiet clanking and creaking of the freight cars, which itself faded several minutes later into a rapid EMD drumbeat. SD40Es 6320 and 6332 leaned hard against 14G's tail to keep it moving the last mile or two into Gallitzin.
After 14G disappeared around the curve, we barely had time to get a word in edgewise before Amtrak's westbound Pennsylvanian showed up, led by P40 821. We had a little more time for conversation after Amtrak's passage before we finished up our visit to the abutment with SD40Es 6310 and 6318, running light westbound 12 minutes behind the Pennsylvanian. We had seen 6 movements total in 80 minutes counting the light helpers, but the last 5 passed in the last 36 minutes. What it must have been like to stand here in the heyday of Pennsy's four-track main...
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