Uploaded September 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On September 5, 2014, BC Rail Dash-8-40CM 4608, which is over 3000 miles from home, leads a rather late Norfolk Southern auto and intermodal train through Eastern Pennsylvania on the NS Harrisburg and Reading Lines. Trailing is Canadian National SD70M-2 8911. Canadian National took lease of the British Columbia Railway in 2004, which is why it is not uncommon to see the remaining BC Rail fleet around the system throughout Canada and the United States, however, it is very rare that BC Rail locomotives run as foreign power on NS and CSX. While this is not the first BC Rail locomotive to traverse the NS Harrisburg and Reading Lines, it is the first one I can recall seeing lead a train since I started railfanning in 2006. It is certainly far from its home rails in British Columbia.
At the first location, 290 slowly works its way through the rock cut near Milepost 77 on the Harrisburg Line. (The train is moving slow due to a 25 MPH speed restriction at the crossing to the west). Then, we catch up to the train at the beginnings of the Reading Line just northeast of Reading, PA. The train is climbing out of the valley as it heads east through Blandon with a lot of horn for the crossings.
BC Rail 4608 was built in 1990 at GE in Erie, PA (so perhaps its not far from home after all?). The Dash-8-40CM is unique to most other Dash-8's, because it has a cowl body (signified by the "M" in the model designation). Another thing that makes BC Rail locomotives unique is they are equipped with Nathan K5L horns; however, this one had its replaced, for some reason, with a Nathan K5HL, which are usually found on the new GEVO's.
290 is an auto and intermodal train that originates in Birmingham, Alabama, and heads north via Atlanta, GA, Kannapolis, NC, Lynchburg, VA, and Hagerstown, MD, then east via Harrisburg and Reading, PA to Croxton, NJ, outside of New York City.
On September 5, 2014, BC Rail Dash-8-40CM 4608, which is over 3000 miles from home, leads a rather late Norfolk Southern auto and intermodal train through Eastern Pennsylvania on the NS Harrisburg and Reading Lines. Trailing is Canadian National SD70M-2 8911. Canadian National took lease of the British Columbia Railway in 2004, which is why it is not uncommon to see the remaining BC Rail fleet around the system throughout Canada and the United States, however, it is very rare that BC Rail locomotives run as foreign power on NS and CSX. While this is not the first BC Rail locomotive to traverse the NS Harrisburg and Reading Lines, it is the first one I can recall seeing lead a train since I started railfanning in 2006. It is certainly far from its home rails in British Columbia.
At the first location, 290 slowly works its way through the rock cut near Milepost 77 on the Harrisburg Line. (The train is moving slow due to a 25 MPH speed restriction at the crossing to the west). Then, we catch up to the train at the beginnings of the Reading Line just northeast of Reading, PA. The train is climbing out of the valley as it heads east through Blandon with a lot of horn for the crossings.
BC Rail 4608 was built in 1990 at GE in Erie, PA (so perhaps its not far from home after all?). The Dash-8-40CM is unique to most other Dash-8's, because it has a cowl body (signified by the "M" in the model designation). Another thing that makes BC Rail locomotives unique is they are equipped with Nathan K5L horns; however, this one had its replaced, for some reason, with a Nathan K5HL, which are usually found on the new GEVO's.
290 is an auto and intermodal train that originates in Birmingham, Alabama, and heads north via Atlanta, GA, Kannapolis, NC, Lynchburg, VA, and Hagerstown, MD, then east via Harrisburg and Reading, PA to Croxton, NJ, outside of New York City.
