Uploaded April 2016 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On a beautiful, sunny morning, the Virginian Heritage unit leads Norfolk Southern train 36T down the upper portion of the Lehigh Line between Jim Thorpe and Allentown, Pennsylvania. As a bonus, we even see local H74 heading west with a pair of GP locomotives.
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April 15, 2016
0:00 - 36T (Buffalo, NY - Allentown, PA) has just exited the Lehigh Gorge, rounding the bend at milepost 124.
The bridge in the background is pat of the former CNJ mainline that now carries the Reading & Northern railroad (and bike trail) into the main tourist district of Jim Thorpe. 36T rides the rails of the former Lehigh Valley Railroad, now Norfolk Southern, and Reading & Northern on the closest track to the camera.
36T seemingly has two trains. This is because after the sale of the D&H from CP to NS, the old NS 13T and CP 258 trains now make up a single 36T—I let the camera roll to capture the block of manifest, followed by loaded autos, then a block of double-stack marine containers, followed by another block of manifest (including two NJT coaches being transported), with five locomotives on the head-end.
NS SD70ACe 1069 (Virginian)
NS SD60E 7000
NS C44-9W 9938
CP ES44AC 8954
CP ES44AC 8924
2:30 - A few miles south, the train passes under Interstate 476 and the aggregate place at Parryville.
4:00 - We catch the train a third time just above Northampton, passing a stone house and signs of the onset of spring foliage.
6:15 - H74 (Allentown, PA - Lehighton, PA) heads west past the abandoned Mauser Mill at Treichlers, near milepost 100, with a high-hood GP38-2 leading a cut of cement covered hoppers.
NS GP38-2 5171
NS GP40-2 3030
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On a beautiful, sunny morning, the Virginian Heritage unit leads Norfolk Southern train 36T down the upper portion of the Lehigh Line between Jim Thorpe and Allentown, Pennsylvania. As a bonus, we even see local H74 heading west with a pair of GP locomotives.
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Fan funding: The icon in the upper right corner allows you to make donations to this channel. We'd be more than thrilled by your extra support!
April 15, 2016
0:00 - 36T (Buffalo, NY - Allentown, PA) has just exited the Lehigh Gorge, rounding the bend at milepost 124.
The bridge in the background is pat of the former CNJ mainline that now carries the Reading & Northern railroad (and bike trail) into the main tourist district of Jim Thorpe. 36T rides the rails of the former Lehigh Valley Railroad, now Norfolk Southern, and Reading & Northern on the closest track to the camera.
36T seemingly has two trains. This is because after the sale of the D&H from CP to NS, the old NS 13T and CP 258 trains now make up a single 36T—I let the camera roll to capture the block of manifest, followed by loaded autos, then a block of double-stack marine containers, followed by another block of manifest (including two NJT coaches being transported), with five locomotives on the head-end.
NS SD70ACe 1069 (Virginian)
NS SD60E 7000
NS C44-9W 9938
CP ES44AC 8954
CP ES44AC 8924
2:30 - A few miles south, the train passes under Interstate 476 and the aggregate place at Parryville.
4:00 - We catch the train a third time just above Northampton, passing a stone house and signs of the onset of spring foliage.
6:15 - H74 (Allentown, PA - Lehighton, PA) heads west past the abandoned Mauser Mill at Treichlers, near milepost 100, with a high-hood GP38-2 leading a cut of cement covered hoppers.
NS GP38-2 5171
NS GP40-2 3030
Thanks for watching!
![Union Pacific SD60 Leads a Train! [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ta12NvOrbEQ/mqdefault.jpg "Union Pacific SD60 Leads a Train! [4K]
July 11, 2018: On a beautiful summer morning, Charleston, SC - Port Newark, NJ baretable train 24Q is led by an increasingly rare, Union Pacific SD60 2188 with UP SD70M 4904 trailing. This once a week train of empty wells satisfies the demand of incoming containers at the Port Newark - Elizabeth Marine Terminal, seen here passing through Fleetwood, PA on the Norfolk Southern Reading Line. The train eases eastbound through a 25 MPH speed restriction about a mile to the west. Some nice blue wildflowers accompany scene. Id be curious to know where the style of numberboard on 2188 came from?
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SD60s were common power on road trains up until around 2009-2010, when much of the fleet was sold to leasing companies, while the remainder went into storage. Same for the SD60Ms. Several UP SD60s and SD60Ms have been put back into service with a power shortage due to an increase in traffic. Most of these locomotives end up in local service, or on Norfolk Southern to repay horsepower hours, much like back in 2010 and 11 when NS also had a bunch of UP SD60Ms (and leased UP C40-8s) roaming the rails to fill trains ahead of the ES44AC/SD70ACe orders. There was also the occasional ex-UP SD60, typically HLCX, leading freights. Jump to today, especially with in the days of PTC installation and trip optimizer, seeing a leased or original UP SD60 leading a train on foreign rails is almost unheard of since most wind up in the trailing position. So with all of that said, this will be one of my prized catches for the year, even more so than the UP 1943 on the Union Pacific business train, which is just an over-rated spectacle in my opinion.
Thanks for watching!")
![Reading & Northern Diesel Duty with CNJ 113 [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TmxIe2z1sIA/mqdefault.jpg "Reading & Northern Diesel Duty with CNJ 113 [4K]
On December 6 and 20, 2015, the Santa Train Excursions ran between Landingville and Minersville, PA. Reading & Northern provided diesel power for the outbound move for CNJ 113s northward runs back to Minersville. On the 6th, RBMN SD50 5022 provides power, while on the 20th, one of the newer GP39RN (GP30 body) RBMN 2532 provides assistance. These shots are in no particular order, but more detailed information can be found below.
If you havent seen the video of CNJ 113, you can watch it here:
https://youtu.be/zXiXYX22mXw
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0:00 - The last trip of the afternoon on December 6 passes the freshly restored depot at West Cressona.
1:20 - On December 20, R&N 2532 eases around the bend along Cressona Yard with plenty of R&N goodies laying around, most notably the Lehigh & New England inspired box cars.
2:35 - Later that afternoon the train eases around the bend at Landingville, where not long after CNJ 113 would storm back north.
3:30 - That evening, the last trip of the day passes through Schulykill Haven.
http://www.rrproject113.org/
http://www.lgsry.com/
Thanks for watching!")
![Freight and Passenger Trains on the Amtrak Keystone Corridor [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WXZ2v4kfvyg/mqdefault.jpg "Freight and Passenger Trains on the Amtrak Keystone Corridor [4K]
In February and March of 2015, Norfolk Southern rerouted two priority intermodals over the Amtrak Keystone Corridor as a detour around SEPTAs weekend track reconstruction in Norristown, thus blocking the connection from Norfolk Southerns Harrisburg Line—the normal route of the trains—to the Morrisville Line.
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0:40 - (Skip Intro)
February 14, 2015
On a bitter cold Valentines Day morning, a few Keystone Service trains are seen running ahead of the detours. On weekends, Amtrak runs about half the trains they during the week. First was 662 racing through the remains of the Eby Chiques Road crossing just east of Mount Joy, where we set up for the rest of the morning.
0:40 - 662 - Harrisburg, PA - New York, NY
AMTK AEM-7 940
Next, an AEM-7 pushes Keystone Service 661 west toward Harrisburg with the newly compete overpass and catenary system visible in the shot, which replaced the crossing in the foreground that retained the ghosts of the crossing arms, lights, and bells until they were removed several months later.
0:55 - 661 - New York, NY - Harrisburg, PA
AMTK AEM-7 939
A few minutes later 664 heads east with the next station stop at Lancaster. NS runs local trains on this line at night, shifting a wide array of industries, including the mill in the background.
1:15 - 664 - Harrisburg, PA - New York, NY
AMTK ACS-64 620
Entering the Keystone Corridor at ROY, 24K follows not far behind the 664. Because of the low catenary system, the intermodal trains were filleted to all single containers.
1:30 - 24K - Rutherford, PA - Morrisville, PA
NS ES44DC 7568
NS C44-9W 9334
Just over an hour later, the Delaware Lackawanna & Western Heritage Unit leads 21E at Eby Chiques road. This is the first time a Norfolk Southern Heritage Unit has ever led a train over the Keystone Corridor, but we would soon learn it wouldnt be the last!
2:45 - 21E - Morrisville, PA - Chicago (47th Street), IL
NS SD70ACe 1074
NS SD70 2515
At 3:30 we arrive just in time to catch 21E speeding through Middletown.
Later that afternoon in Mount Joy again, this time at the remains of the Newcomer Road crossing, the diesel-powered Pennsylvanians speed through:
5:00 - 42 - Pittsburgh, PA - New York, NY
AMTK P42DC 188
5:15 - 43 - New York, NY - Pittsburgh, PA
AMTK Dash-8-32BWH 513
February 21, 2015
Next Saturday was equally as cold, but with snow in the forecast. First up was 661 and 664 speeding through Salunga only a few minutes apart, both running push mode, representing the changing of the guard with a newer City Sprinter on 661, and an older AEM-7 on 664. AEM-7s were still plenty at this time in 2015, but by this time next year, the AEM-7s were less then a handful, serving their final hours on MARC.
5:45 - 661: ACS-64 614
6:00 - 664: AEM-7 944
6:15 - Once again, 24K was running about 20 minutes behind the 664, with four locomotives today.
NS C44-9W 9550
NS C44-9W 9952
NS C44-9W 9049
NS SD60 6716
7:15 - During the hour wait for 21E, a wet snow fall started.
NS C44-9W 9561
NS SD70M 2608
NS C44-9W 9272
Snow was still falling when 666 also passed through Salunga with 614 returning east.
8:30 - 666 - Harrisburg, PA - New York, NY
AMTK ACS-64 614
At Newcomer Road, 663 starts to slow down for its next station stop in Mount Joy.
8:50 - 663 - New York, NY - Harrisburg, PA
AMTK AEM-7 663
March 21, 2015
To our surprise, detours were on again a month later after the work on SEPTA was not quite finished back in February. This gave a nice opportunity to catch some of the detoured freights at different angles.
9:10 - First up we catch 24K rounding the bend at the Newcomer Road remains with a pair of consecutively numbered ACes.
NS SD70ACe 1157
NS SD70ACe 1156
10:30 - Now on Norfolk Southern rails, 21E passes under the flyover where the Keystone Corridor swaps sides with the Royalton Branch, which will continue to parallel Amtrak until its junction with the Harrisburg Line at PAXTON near the Harrisburg Train station.
NS ES44DC 7700
NS C44-9W 9132
NS C44-9W 9949
March 28, 2015
The next and final weekend of detour trains brings us another historic moment. The Southern Heritage Unit leads 21E out of Morrisville, while also likely being the last through freight train to ever run across these sections of rails.
11:30 - After having just missed 24K, I made it a goal to chase the special 21E, setting out for the remains of the Irishtown Road crossing in Ronks, PA, near the Strasburg Railroad in Lancaster County.
NS ES44AC 8098
NS ES44DC 7523
12:35 - From there, we beat the train to Middletown. 21E crossed over the the eastbound track at RHEEMS, and slowly enters the NS Royalton Branch to stop for a recrew at the station platform. I did omit the footage of the stop since there was a good solid 2 minutes of nothingness, and shown is the train approaching and then starting up again for the remainder of the trip to Harrisburg.
Thanks for watching!")
![Trains on the Norfolk Southern Buffalo Line - Summer 2018 [4K]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/X-vheED6Lqw/mqdefault.jpg "Trains on the Norfolk Southern Buffalo Line - Summer 2018 [4K]
On June 25 and 26, 2018, we set out to catch North Shore and Norfolk Southern rail action based out of Northumberland, PA. This yard is still a busy place, with a handful of NS and NSHR locals filtering in and out throughout the day, as well as occasional coal loads and empties passing by on the main. Further south at the connection to the D&H South Line, two daily daylight manifests 11Z and 14R add to the mix.
After chasing the K21 to Kreamer in the previous video, we set up for a chase of the Lycoming Valley Railroad job LVRR1 heading south from Williamsport. A H45 was heading north at the time to work Watsontown. Back at the yard, LVRR1 and K21 return for the night as a loaded PPLX train for Strawberry Ridge remains tied-down in the background. The next morning, we follow H53 south, returning to Sunbury in time to catch 11Z before NSHR2 departed for the Shamokin Valley Railroad, which will be featured in the next video along with the NSHR6 from Monday afternoon.
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June 25, 2018
LVRR1 crosses the North Branch of the Susquehanna River at Montgomery with a matching set of GP35 rebuilds in a livery inspired by Reading Railroad.
0:00 - LVRR1 - Newberry, PA - Northumberland, PA
LVRR GP35R 2011
LVRR GP35R 2016
1:55 - LVRR1 heads through Watsontown, slowing down for a meet with the northbound H45 at SOUTH FAIR.
3:30 - H45 - Northumberland, PA - Sunbury/Watsontown Local Turn
NS SD40-2 6127
NS GP38-2 5323
4:30 - After getting the signal at SOUTH FAIR, LVRR1 blasts through Milton.
5:35 - LVRR1 arrives at Northumberland and puts their train away.
Not along after, K21 arrives back to the yard with the power and train from Kreamer and Herndon as seen in the previous video.
8:00 - K21 - Northumberland, PA - Herndon/Kreamer/Boyd Station Local Turn
NS GP38-2 5004
NS GP38-2 5354
June 26, 2018
H53 goes on duty in the yard to start assembling their train with the usual pair of SD40-2s. Its generally a quick grab and go since their train is mostly cars off of LVRR1 from the previous evening.
10:30 - H53 - Northumberland, PA - Enola, PA Turn
NS SD40-2 3347
NS SD40-2 3423
11:55 - H53 departs the yard heading across the Susquehanna River onto Packers Island.
13:25 - H53 flies past Herndon Reload at track speed.
Later in the day, 11Z comes off of the D&H South Line, heading through downtown Sunbury with an interesting P5 horn on the leader.
15:00 - 11Z - Binghamton, NY - Enola, PA
NS SD70ACU 7286
NS ES44AC 8023
NS ES44DC 7664
NS SD70ACU 7311
Thanks for watching!
Presented in 4K-30p from the Sony AX-100")
