Railfanning Kew Gardens rush hour mostly. M9’s galore. 7/7/20 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-09-27 | Railfanning Kew Gardens rush hour mostly. M9’s galore. 7/7/20
LIRR Labor Day Weekend Montauk Branch Horn Honk experience!!! 9/3-9/7/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-09-09 | We spend a few days around the Labor Day weekend on the LIRR Montauk Branch soaking up the “Horn Experience”. You will hear some great sounds, horrendous exasperating sounds, piercing sounds, and a rejuvenated sound after years of crucifixion to the tympanic membrane.
Scranton Railfest. 9/6/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-09-08 | On a beautiful day with an early Autumn chill in the air, we visited Steamtown in Scranton, Pa. to check out their annual Railfest. We visited on the last day of a three day event. We see all kinds of steam and diesel power on display. Steam was provided by Baldwin Locomotive Works 0-6-0 #26 with the whistle off of NKP 2-8-4 #759. Sounds fabulous. Another NKP diesel, GP9 #514 had an RS5T horn that sounded grand even though the engineer wasn’t blowing it full thunder.  You will see a lot of specially painted locomotives as well as track speeders and hand cars. We will even see some vintage army tanks and other vehicles. You will meet a couple guys I know from the Twin Forks Chapter of the NRHS which is on Long Island.  we see some of the equipment being turned on the turntable at the end of the event. We finished with an evening walk around downtown Scranton.
A Summer of LIRR Cannonballs. May to September 2026 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-09-05 | The LIRR Summer Flagship Cannonball from Penn Station NYC to Montauk! I did not get all of them during this summer season but I got the majority of them in various locations. Bay Shore was a favorite because of the numerous crossings for horn action plus these were hot days and there was a nice shady spot right by the crossing where I could park. You will hear some great horn action including several appearances of the #518 with its stunning K5LA horn plus the now famous #521 painted in a 250th anniversary scheme. Let us not forget the great K5LLA horn that that engine has. We conclude with the very last run today. Regrettably the horn on the lead unit was a disappointment and a slap in the face to this great train making its final run for the Summer. The #521would have been more appropriate!
NYCTA R211A takeover under Central Park West. 9/2/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-09-04 | First we take a quick visit to the LIRR section of Penn Station including a look at the new Tracks Bar and Grill that reopened recently there. We take a tour of the 8th Avenue Subway from 34th Street up to 125th Street. We see trains of the A, B, C, D, and E. All but the E are operating the new Kawasaki R211A cars. The A, B, and C operate them heavily along with Bombardier R179’s on the A and C. The B is completely taken over by the R211’s. The D still runs elderly Westinghouse R68’s but several R211’s are beginning to operate on the line since July 1, 2026. We see a few of them. The E runs mainly R160 type cars. We also see some World Cup wrapped R179 cars in addition to showing a few classic trains at 125th Street back in 2019.
Witnessing a PM rush-hour at the newly renovated Hollis station on the 4 track mainline. 8/31/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-09-01 | We witness a couple of hours of heavy duty action on the LIRR Mainline. Hollis is a recently renovated station on the busy 4 track main east of Jamaica.  You’ll see a lot of MU and diesel trains. M3/M7/M9 MU’s will be seen along with DE and DM locomotives. You will also see the 250th painted #521. Sauerkraut and the Flying Yankee also provided much entertainment.
More LIRR Montauk Branch horn roasting. Bay Shore area. 8/28/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-29 | On this humid Friday evening, I went to my favorite haunt for diesel train action on the railroad. We are in Bay Shore as we catch a number of trains with horns of all kinds. We see the usual Summer Friday performance of the Cannonball whizzing by with horns front and back. We hear those hideous cab car horns on a westbound and catch several eastbounds. 3 of them having K5LLA horns both strong and weak. The 402 and 504 engines put on a grandiose performance. It’s always entertaining at this location as it is a short distance from home, the trains are moving, and the horns are blasting (usually!!)
Another LIRR Horn Roast at Bay Shore. 8/26/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-27 | A number of good horns were on locomotives that passed by Bay Shote on this pleasant evening. Some sounded as good as I expected them to sound, and others were either austere or very disappointing. Just another day on the LIRR.
Railfanning LIRR Hunterspoint Avenue station during PM Rush. 8/24/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-25 | I felt the need to railfan at the LIRR Hunterspoint Avenue station after a long absence since Line 2 into the East River Tunnels was recently reopened after extensive repairs and renovations. Line 2 passes by this station and sees a plethora of train variety from Sunnyside Yard moves to revenue Amtrak trains. In addition this station is a terminus for many diesel trains on the LIRR. Not only that, you have the number 7 subway across Line 2 which can be clearly seen from the train station. The 7 provided many wrapped trains for the US Open. If you like variety, the Hunterspoint Avenue station is probably the best in the business for rail entertainment in the New York area.
LIRR DE30AC #402. New K5LLA horn sensation!!!! 8/22/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-23 | LIRR DE30AC has recently received a new K5LLA horn. It sounded very strong but it wasn’t at full capacity. One of the bells wasn’t putting out 100 percent, but some tinkering in the shop fixed that problem and today you will hear all 5 bells blasting out uninhibited symphonics. We catch older scenes of the 402 in addition to today’s scene at Kings Park. Fettuccine Alfredo loves diesel jobs and his hands itch to blow these musical instruments. Like the old Doobie Brothers song, “Listen to the Music”
Riding the Cape Flyer to/from Hyannis, Ma. and checking out activities for Railfan Day. 8/15/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-21 | I have been persuaded many times over the years to ride the Cape Flyer from Boston to Hyannis on Cape Cod.  For a variety of reasons this never happened, but I just couldn’t resist anymore. John practically twisted my arms off to get me to come down this year, so here we are. The Cape Flyer ride was definitely worth it as it is a highly scenic ride. The Cape Cod Canal area is particularly breathtaking. I asked myself “What took me so long to get out here”?  The jointed rail closer to our destination really got me ecstatic. Once at Hyannis, my escort John who is a Cape Cod Central RR took me around to check out the locomotive displays for Railfan Day and went after the excursion train with ex NH FL9’s with their stunning K5LA horns. The Cape Flyer itself had the MBTA New York Central and New Haven heritage units. We finished the day with a beautiful late evening ride back to Boston. I couldn’t ask for more perfect weather for my first Cape Cod experience.
Classic EMD overdose on the MBTA North Side for PM Rush Hour. Heritage Parade. 8/14/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-20 | I was debating whether or not I wanted to ride on the commuter rail on “Free Fridays” or look out for Heritage locomotives on the line in and around Boston North Station. Afternoons are fantastic for shooting action in this area and the weather was gorgeous this day. It was highly recommended that I spend some time by Boston Sand and Gravel and around Tower A just north of the drawbridges as the tower is due for demolition shortly as the bridge area will be rebuilt. We catch train after train on the Commuter Rail with so much classic EMD power, you easily get spoiled rotten. We see a couple of Blue MASSDOT GP40MC’s as well as the #1130 Easter Egg GP40MC. Of course the F40’s were plentiful including several catches of the #1030 B&M Heritage plus the F40PH-4C #1005 Gray Ghost.
Amtrak Legacy Acela highlights train #2150. New York to Boston. 8/14/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-18 | This relatively short video shows highlights of the ride to Boston. It is more truncated than past videos of this ride but it tells stories and we reminisce about the previous owner of this line, the New Haven Railroad. Graphics and quite a bit of narration. If you hate listening to the sound of my voice, then don’t watch this video. There are a few people who say that I do not have a voice for narrating, but thankfully that’s just a few out of a very large number. I think the reasonable amount of success that I have on my channel says a great deal.
Amtrak Avelia First Class experience. Highlights from Boston to New York. 8/16/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-17 | I took a ride in First Class on the Avelia from Boston to New York. First time I ever rode in First on the high speed trains. We capture the amenities as well as highlights of the ride. We capture mainly the high speed and scenic parts of the ride. At the end, I will give my assessment of the First Class experience on these trains. Graphics, narration, and voiceovers tell the story.
A New Yorker’s final tribute to Caltrain’s great fleet of EMD F40’s. A great memory forever!!!! Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-12 | Those journeys I took in 2023 and 2024 to capture Caltrain’s stalwart fleet of EMD F40’s will long be remembered. Happily, many of these locomotives will continue to operate in a new life in Peru. 3 of the newest F40’s also found new life running on Amtrak California trains as part of a 5 year lease by Amtrak to alleviate a motive power shortage. With one exception, F40PH-2CAT #919, the remainder of the fleet will have many more years of life left in them serving passengers in Peru and in other parts of the Bay Area. Long live EMD!!!!!!
LIRR diesel and MU action at Lindenhurst and Dispatcher creativity. 8/9/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-10 | Laid on a Sunday afternoon you have a parade of diesel trains going through Lindenhurst. You have two trains from Montauk and one heading for Patchogue. There is also an additional westbound from Patchogue, but I was mainly interested in trains that had locomotives leading. One of the westbound trains from Montauk was late and I was concerned it was going to take the Central Branch, but creative dispatching allowed it to travel through Lindenhurst and run around a slower local up ahead.
Ridiculous to the sublime. Annoying LIRR cab car horns and lovely Cannonball K5LA horn. 8/7/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-07 | I don’t like to go out and watch trains in the hot weather, but knowing LIRR DM30AC #518 was leading the Cannonball with its spectacular K5LA horn, I made the supreme sacrifice. Unfortunately, before it came, I was subjected to a couple of irritating cab car horns from a couple of westbounds. It’s like drinking poison and then taking an antidote.
The Metro North Charger invasion. 8/4/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-06 | Today I witnessed the opening of a new chapter of operations on Metro North. For the first time, I felt that the Siemens Chargers were making significant headway towards the retirement of the GE P32ACDM’s. The GE’s I saw were in the minority. We did a Day Pass crusade between Tarrytown and Croton-Harmon also visiting Philipse Manor, Scarborough, and Ossining and saw Chargers in quantity at each location. A refresher was the #201 Conrail Heritage seen and we also saw a few other P32’s. These Chargers look good but are extremely quiet in both diesel and electric modes. The only noticeable noise from these are their loud K5LA horns. Employees have found the Chargers mechanically deficient but they continue to see more of them in service. Whether you love them or hate them, this is the new order for MN and eventually the LIRR. This is supposed to be progress but is it digress in disguise? Time will tell. We begin the video with a musical tour of Grand Central Terminal and end the video with an upbeat musical assessment of the Chargers. One must try to look at these machines with hope and expectation that they will deliver fine service to Metro North for many years to come.
Cheese Pizza Engineer run on #12 hotshot. Hunterspoint Avenue to Westhampton. 7/31//6 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-08-01 | We meet a newly certified LIRR Engineer nicknamed the “Cheese Pizza Engineer” as he loves that delicacy. We ride on arguably the 2nd hottest eastbound on the railroad behind the Cannonball. We ride from Hunterspoint Avenue in Long Island City out to Westhampton. We record virtually the entire ride. Photographer Joe Stroppel accompanied me. Our engineer was an artist with the horn however the horn on the 410 is blasé and uninspiring but he did his best. He made a good run and we arrived early in Westhampton where we detained. Narration and graphics identify the locations and most of the crossings. We wish “Cheese Pizza” the best in his new career. We end with a passage of the Cannonball on the way home.
Last day of the LIRR full position light signals at Queens Interlocking. 7/24/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-29 | The final day of operation of the LIRR full position light signals are observed as we capture the final PM Rush Hour past the signals at Queens Interlocking. We see the eastbound signals at “Queens 1” by the Queens Village station, and the westbound signals at “Queens 2” by the Elmont UBS Arena station. In addition, I captured by best memories of those signals on 2 occasions where they were silhouetted by dramatic lighting conditions. All of these signals have now been replaced by smaller Reduced Aspect Signals with color lights. Another vestige of the LIRR’s former owner, the Pennsylvania Railroad, has gone out to pasture.
Septa SL5 RFW from Philadelphia to Norristown. 7/23/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-28 | On the gorgeous day, we take a ride on one of Septa Regional Rail’s more scenic lines, thru the Schuylkill River Valley to Norristown. We pass thru many communities that have undergone many changes over the years. This was once part of the passenger route for Reading Company passenger trains between Reading Terminal Philadelphia and Reading/Pottsville.  Years ago there were many different passenger routes to take to get to Norristown from the Philadelphia area. Graphics and narration give lots of information on the journey.
Septa SL5 RFW from Newark, De. to Philadelphia with Engineer Bill. 7/23/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-27 | We take another ride with Engineer Bill as he pilots this Silverliner V from Newark, De. to Philadelphia. He was delayed getting into Newark earlier due to a crew issue at Suburban Station. He was roughly 15 minutes late getting into Newark from Philadelphia. He had to make a very fast turnaround and departed a few minutes late back to Philly. Thanks to his speedy Silverliner V’s with their superior dynamic braking, he was able to easily get back to Center City on schedule.  Narration and graphics tell the story as well as Engineer Bill himself. The video starts with a brief montage of Philadelphia which is a city that I love very dearly.
Several Sauerkraut servings on the Patchogue Scoot. Some mixed with poison. 7/25/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-26 | The Sauerkraut Engineer was working the LIRR Patchogue Scoot this afternoon. We see him pass performing his 4 runs for the day. His conductor is also heavy on the sauerkraut. This was the LIRR version of the DB (German National Railways). We see other trains too as well as a 12 car set with the 250th #521 on the rear. Sauerkraut does an excellent job blowing crossing sequences, unfortunately, hearing him do full crossing sequences with those horrid cab car horns challenges the sanity of yours truly. He loved every minute of it 🤣🤣🤣. Enjoy this great action on this beautifully warm Summer day. 
Next Gen nonstop Philadelphia to NYC on train #2124 highlights. 7/23/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-24 | I rode on the Next Gen on train #2124 which goes nonstop Philadelphia to New York. We made a quick run in only 67 minutes. We capture highlights of the trip including the 160mph in New Jersey. Candid narration and graphics tell the story of these new high speed trains.
Remembering Engineer Ben from NJT. The “French Onion Soup Engineer”. He got a new job in Vermont. Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-21 | We see numerous scenes of Engineer Ben nicknamed the “French Onion Soup Engineer” The name was coined by yours truly and I was surprised that the nickname stuck. We see numerous encounters with Ben at various locations. As you can see, he was very popular with railfans young and old alike. He is no longer with NJT. He has found a new career with the Vermont Railroad. We wish him luck.
The New Jersey Transit World Cup Wrap ALP45DP’s. 7/19/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-20 | We capture these colorful locomotives powering trains to the last World Cup match at Met Life Stadium in Rutherford, NJ. The Erie Lackawanna heritage also made several appearances. You will see these locomotive several times over as the beautiful sunlight on this pleasant day accentuated the colors.  We begin at the Bergen County Line station downtown and get a couple of trains. We proceeded to the E. Union Ave. crossing to capture these trains, but unfortunately, we were soon booted out of there due to security concerns but dignitaries passing through the area. We found a good spot behind a Lowe’s store that provided a decent vantage point to capture these trains making the connection to the branch to the stadium.  We had no problems with security there. Congrats to Spain winning the trophy.
Montauk Branch and Port Jefferson Branch Friday evening rush hour trains. 7/17/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-18 | Tonight we get two LIRR diesel branches for the price of one. I capture a few trains at Bay Shore on the Montauk Branch with good and stinko horns including the Cannonball which is always popular. We then rush over to the Port Jefferson Branch at Kings Park and get a few eastbounds including the two dual-mode consists from Penn Station that use the branch.  The horn blowing is rather nondescript until train #664 comes in with the Cheese Pizza Engineer spreading those thick slices of mozzarella. The Italian delicacies from Engineers spoil me rotten on this railroad.
Chicago Metra Heritage Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-16 | In a couple of trips to Chicagoland, I’ve had the pleasure of capturing all of Metra’s Heritage locomotives except for the 250th Anniversary SD70MACH. Metra follows in the footsteps of many other commuter railroads providing numerous specially painted locomotives. We show all of them in action on the Metra system. These were shot between 2022 and 2026.
Chasing the Big Boy and NS on Harrisburg/Pittsburgh Lines. 7/7-7/8/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-13 | This Union Pacific lover couldn’t resist pursuing the Big Boy in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We capture it several times on this sojourn. The traffic and crowds were unprecedented in what are largely rural areas but the 4014 made for excitement unprecedented in my life dealing with trains. We mix the action up with NS freights that are identified by name, origin, and destination. In addition to the deafening whistle of the Big Boy, we get a few melodic K5LLA horns. The Big Boy and its colorful diesel entourage helped make up for all the GE junk I saw leading trains. We see how communities dealt or didn’t deal with crowd control. I encountered quite a few interesting fans although some young and old fans around me seemed like they felt “entitled” as well as the usual track encroaching pea brains. I’m glad i was able to soak up a lot of this massive machine on his east coast venture. Many will disagree but I am hoping the Union Pacific will attain this NS takeover.
An afternoon/evening capturing the Montauk’s and seeing the new Babylon station. 7/10/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-11 | We check out some of the Friday summertime trains to Montauk during the afternoon and evening in the Babylon area. We got a good look at the newly completed Babylon station with its 12 car platforms. We capture a number of diesel and electric trains here including the 250th Anniversary unit on train #20.
Conrail’s Magnificent SD40-2’s Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-10 | One of the greatest diesels ever built if not THE greatest, the EMD SD40-2. These popular and super reliable locomotives were loved by many railroads and railroaders. We feature these great locomotives which helped make Conrail the envy in the railroad world.  We see many of them in action powering a number of trains in various locations on the Conrail system. They are not only leading trains, but also pushing them. They were invaluable locomotives for helper service out of Altoona, Pa. Their Leslie RS3L horns add to their mystique. Enjoy these EMD marvels. No GE can equal these marvelous machines.
LIRR diesel action Pre 4th of July. We see 2 Cannonballs and the #521 heritage. 7/1-7/3/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-04 | The temperature sizzles, as well as the action on the Montauk Branch just prior to the Fourth of July. We see numerous trains around the Bay Shore area including several catches of the DM30AC #521 which is the 250th Anniversary Heritage locomotive. You will hear lots of great horn performances. We end the video with a musical salute to the #521 as we usher in America’s 250th Anniversary!!!
A Canada Day capture of LIRR 250th Heritage unit #521. 7/1/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-07-01 | At LIRR Bay Shore station, we capture a few trains on this warm day leading up to a late train #17 with the 250th Anniversary engine #521 leading. This is a highly popular locomotive these days, and why not? Fans have been waiting for a heritage unit on the Long Island Rail Road for a long time. Hopefully, more will follow.
Conrail Chicago Line All-Nighter at Waterloo, Indiana. July 1997. Not AI enhanced Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-30 | This is the last of the Conrail footage in my possession. I had posted this video earlier, but it was posted with low audio video quality. I subsequently removed it in favor of this more superior video. This one is much clearer and the sound is much sharper. If you want to see Conrail at its best, you will see it in this all night vigil that I spent on their busy Chicago Line at Waterloo, Indiana Amtrak station. Conrail ran most of their intermodal TV and Mail trains through during the night plus many other trains plus the Amtrak Capitol Limiteds and the Lake Shore Limiteds.  I was there from 7 PM until 9 AM the following morning. It was kind of a chilly night, but the fast and frequent trains kept me warm. All trains are identified by name as well as originating and terminating points. The station lighting illuminated the passing trains.  Night time is the best time to be here as during the day there are very few trains. (I have shot a lot more videos of Conrail than this. Trains were shot in many areas. I had shot this for another video producer but the footage was seemingly lost. The producer could not locate their whereabouts. If this footage is found, I’m hoping it can be returned to me so I can try to have that posted on YouTube. Meanwhile, enjoy what I have put out this far)
Checking out LIRR US Open extras plus other trains on the busy Montauk Branch. 6/18-6/21/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-27 | From June 18-June 21, the LIRR ran extra service for the US Open Golf Tournament at Shinnecock Hills in the Hamptons. The branch was choked full of trains on these days, especially on the days of the finals matches on 6/20 and 6/21. We sample service on Thursday and Friday afternoons, Saturday morning, and all day Sunday. We visited a lot of places and got some really good horn performances and a couple of really bad ones ( you will know which 2 I reacted to 😆😆😆). You will see the newly wrapped 250th anniversary locomotive #521 several times. You will also meet a retired LIRR Conductor of 33 years who offers his own assessment of these U.S. Open specials. He’s a bit of a celebrity too. As an epilogue to this video, we capture additional trains featuring DM30AC #508 with its new hypoxic K5LLA horn and DE30AC #402 with its new K5LLA horn which sounds fabulous. It has been an exciting week on LIRR’s busiest diesel line, the Montauk Branch. On this weekend especially, it’s the busiest I’ve seen it in my long life living on the island.
24 hours at Huntingdon, Pa. on Conrail’s busy Pittsburgh Line/gorgeous August 1997 day. Not AI Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-24 | Side note. Unlike my 1990 Conrail video posted on YouTube, this is not AI enhanced) On a beautiful day and night back in August 1997,  I spent 24 hours alongside the Conrail Pittsburgh Line at Huntingdon, Pa. This is a pleasant town in Central Pennsylvania. We capture every train that passed from around 9 AM to 9 AM the next day. Most trains are identified by train symbol and origin and destination point. Those clean blue locomotives look awfully good under a clear blue sky. It was a grueling stay but believe it night. It was the second time that I did that there. This was a much nicer day than the first time I did it. You’ll see all kinds of trains plus the four Amtrak trains.
Amtrak Pennsylvanian rear RFW Huntingdon, Pa. to Harrisburg, Pa. 5/26/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-23 | In our final part three of the series, we traverse a higher speed section of the Pittsburgh Line the rest of the way to Harrisburg. The beautiful scenery continues as we travel at speeds anywhere between 65 and 79 miles an hour. We pass through many small towns and run along mountain ranges. Meanwhile NS sends many freight trains past us. We identify the towns and interlocking that we passed through. Voiceover narration tells the story of this exhilarating and pastoral ride through the Pennsylvania countryside.
Amtrak Pennsylvanian rear RFW Tyrone, Pa. to Huntingdon, Pa. 5/26/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-23 | In part 2 of this series, we travel the slower winding route along the Little Juniata River between Tyrone and Huntingdon, Pa. Lots of curves are negotiated along this lowly populated route. We travel through the raised for double stacks tunnel at Spruce Creek. After the tunnel, we travel thru a lengthy work area where track 2 is being massively overhauled. Lots of track equipment is seen. After the work area around Warrior Ridge, we resume track speed before we arrive at Huntingdon. Next is part 3 which is a much faster ride thru pastoral scenery to Harrisburg.
Amtrak Pennsylvanian rear RFW Johnstown, Pa. to Tyrone, Pa. 5/26/26. Part 1 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-22 | We capture a rearview ride on the Amtrak Pennsylvanian from Johnstown to Tyrone, Pa. We get a good glimpse of the old PRR. We climb the grade out of Johnstown and round the Horse Shoe Curve, we see a huge deadline of locomotives outside of the Juniata Shop, and cruise into Tyrone. We passed numerous freight trains.  Graphics and narration tell the story. This is the first of a three part series covering the journey to Harrisburg.
Ride behind R&N #2102 from Nesquehoning to Pittston highlights plus Big Boy #4014. 6/14/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-18 | We take a ride on this long awaited trip behind R&N 4-8-4 #2102 from Nesquehoning to Pittston, Pa. This ride features parallel running of the Union Pacific Big Boy #4014 and we get numerous glimpses of this giant. The ride itself is quite scenic and we really hear the #2102 working hard. If you live steam whistles, you will love this presentation. You will hear the passenger and freight whistles of the #2102 as well as the deep throated and loud steamboat type whistle of the Big Boy. At Pittston, we will see both locomotives turning their respective trains. We capture more highlights of the ride back to Nesquehoning as the Big Boy heads to Scranton. Engineers Ed Dickens on the #4014 and Shane Frederickson on the #2102 put on fantastic performances with their locomotives.
R&N trains at Jim Thorpe and big steam in the Lehigh Gorge. 6/13/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-17 | On this beautiful late spring day, we observe activity on the Reading & Northern in the historic town of Jim Thorpe. Those EMD locomotives put on quite a show.  Well then take a ride behind the F units into the highly scenic Lehigh Gorge. We conclude the day by capturing several trains in the gorge at Glen Onoko showcasing the R&N F units, the Big Boy #4014, and the R&N #2102.
BNSF Triple Track interludes. 5/19/26 and 5/25/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-16 | I capture some action at a few locations on the BNSF Racetrack. First visit was to LaGrange, Il where I caught numerous BNSF, Amtrak, and Metra trains.  I then returned on a beautiful May 25 and caught action at Stone Avenue in LaGrange as well as Downers Grove, and Naperville.  There wasn’t much dead time on that line. We see a special Amtrak P42 and a Montana Rail Link locomotive.
Philadelphia Area railfanning on Amtrak lines. 6/9/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-16 | We spent a glorious day on the NEC at locations such as Croydon, Holmesburg Jct., North Philadelphia, and the newly renovated Ardmore station. We capture lots of SEPTA and Amtrak trains plus a couple of NJT trains and a Conrail Shared Assets train with the CSX Conrail Heritage. We even have a couple of encounters with Engineer Bill. I tell it like it is trackside.
Some Bay Shore Railfanning and humor before LIRR 250th unit grand entrance and tribute. 6/12/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-12 | LIRR DM30AC #521 was painted in a 250th Anniversary paint scheme to honor America’s 250th Birthday. We see this locomotive leading the Cannonball at Bay Shote. Looks fantastic.  We capture a few other trains and cast some horn humor before the #521 steals the show!!!!
South Shore Lines RFW Chicago Millennium Station to South Bend Airport. 5/20/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-12 | We save the best cab ride for last as I was privileged enough to get a set of bilevel cars on train 11 from Chicago to South Bend International Airport. We travel on the superbly engineered high-speed right of way and take advantage of the recently completed double track project to Michigan City. You will see the new station at Michigan City that did away with the street running there. Once we pass the shop complex at Michigan City, we are off on a high speed rural run along fairly straight track towards South Bend. This section between Michigan City and South Bend takes on the characteristic of a high-speed interurban railroad from bygone days. Indeed they call the South Shore the “Last Interurban” and this portion lives up to that branding. With the double track project the South Shore has become a dynamic commuter railroad with faster schedules and additional trains.
BNSF Metra Super Express RFW from Aurora to Chicago. Nonstop Naperville to Chicago. 5/19/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-10 | This super express ride was not to be missed. This is one of two BNSF Metra trains in the AM Rush that travels 28 miles nonstop from Naperville to Chicago. It was the most exhilarating super express ride of the bunch that I did. We scoot right along.the BNSF Racetrack. It lives up to its name. The usual narration accompanies the video so you know exactly where you are and what’s happening. I was looking forward to doing a lot of cab rides in Chicago and I was extremely pleased with the results.
LIRR Budd M3 nighttime cab ride New York Penn Station to Lindenhurst. Train #192. 6/9/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-10 | After an exciting railfan outing to Philadelphia during the day, I was treated to a 1980’s built Budd M3 on my train home to Lindenhurst. This was quite a treat. We capture pretty much the entire ride from the railfan window cab. This skillful engineer overcame delays to our train and sped us over the road safely finally getting to my destination on schedule. Stations, switches, signals identified. Fighting the questionable window pane and darkness, it doesn’t look as good as some of the other ones that I’ve done, but it seemed interesting being a night run. It was the best I could do with the resources I had and the opportunities to do. These cab rides doesn’t come frequently so I have to jump at it. (I took the video down because I didn’t think it looked that good but make your own opinions folks. After my Chicago trip, it wasn’t one of my better cab rides that people are used to seeing)
Kenosha to Chicago mostly RFW on Metra UP North Line. 5/24/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-08 | We record the entire ride on this ex Chicago and Northwestern Chicago to Minneapolis mainline. The ride from Kenosha just south of Zion is a side view, but then we get the much desirable railfan window ride from there to Chicago OTC.  This line parallels the old Chicago, North Shore, and Milwaukee Railroad lake front line through many of the same communities that we are traveling through. The North Shore discontinued in 1963 and the old right of way is now a hiking trail. You will see the left-handed running that the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad was famous for still being practiced on the Union Pacific. Stations and interlocking and passing trains are identified. It was a gorgeous day to travel on this former C&NW line. Many references to the North Shore will be made in this video. We conclude the video with a glimpse of the Metra Veterans Unit at OTC.
Big Railfan Outing on the Hudson. 6/6/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-07 | It’s time for our Bi-annual Railfan Gathering on the Hudson. A bunch of railfan railroad employees and just plain railfans get together twice a year to enjoy the CSX/Metro North/Amtrak action in the scenic Hudson Valley. We even had a barbecue. In between trains, we kid about almost everything. No need to introduce the players. You have probably seen them before on my videos. Warning!! Mets fans may be offended watching this video. 😆😆. Phillies fans will love this video. All CSX trains are identified as well as the psssenger trains. We did CSX at Mine Dock Park and the passengers at the hiking stop at Manitou.
Horn pageant at Bay Shore. Who wins and who loses. Which engine wins the award?? 6/5/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-05 | We see 5 eastbound trains, each with its own horn type and horn quality. We rate on the horn quality and the best spread blowing thru the crossings. The winner will surprise you. We hear K5LA, K5LLA, and what I think is some kind of a K5LL horn. I’m still trying to figure that one out.
Railfanning the South Shore, NS, and CSX in Indiana. 5/21/26 Retired Railfan Horn Guy 2026-06-05 | This was the first and only opportunity I had to Railfan the South Shore Line trackside. I visited two noteworthy locations on the railroad. We first visit Ogden Dunes/Portage where the South Shore parallels the NS Chicago Line. NS ran a ton of trains by in several hours, many with foreign power including a CPKC trackage rights train and a couple of Amtrak trains . The South Shore put on a good show as well with their beautiful P3 horns. Next we headed to Hammond Gateway where we captured numerous South Shore trains sounding their horns for the numerous crossings there. We also catch several trains using the new line to Munster/Dyer. Even a couple of CSX were captured on the parallel CSX main.  I was even fortunate enough to catch a South Shore freight heading east before I returned to Chicago. Quite an epic day of passenger and freight trains. All freight trains are identified. Special thanks to Ian Tasch for his train ID assistance!!!!!!
