NHN 503 (EMD GP18) roars through Rochester, New Hampshire, on a muggy morning in June, aided by NHN 3825 (EMD GP38-2) and NHN 3823 (EMD GP38-2). In tow is a 62-car consist of empty hoppers typical of the trains in these parts, albeit much longer. My brother and I woke up early to chase 503 (New Hampshire Northcoast Corporation) upon learning of the record-breaking consist on BODO (Pan Am Railways) the night before. While the unusual length of this train is cool to witness, what makes it special for me is the fact that the old Geep is leading for once.
NHN 503 was built in 1960 by Electro-Motive Diesel (General Motors). Her first 20 years were spent on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRIP 1341). In 1984, in the wake of Rock Island's abandonment and drawn-out liquidation, she was sold to the New England Southern Railroad (NEGS 503). New Hampshire Northcoast picked her up in 2014. As a GP18, NHN 503 weighs in at 240,000 pounds (108,900 kilograms) and produces up to 1,800 horsepower (1,340 kilowatts); these weight and power numbers yield a starting tractive effort of 65,000 pounds (289 kilonewtons) and a continuous tractive effort of 45,000 pounds (200 kilonewtons) at 12 mph (19.3 km/h). Her horn is a Nathan M5.
Special thanks goes to Jacob Mayo and Ryan Fothergill for the information that led to this catch. Additional thanks goes to Rob Selberg for the information on NHN 503's horn.
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Railfan for the love of trains and the betterment of rail transport.
Filmed with a Canon PowerShot SX230 HS, a GoPro Hero4, and a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V in beautiful Strafford County, New Hampshire. Edited with Apple iMovie.
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