made my first visit to the Horseshoe Curve and the area this past weekend (OCt 20-22) stayed the weekend in Cassandra and we hit the OVerlook, Carney’s Crossing, the tunnels, Curve and Cresson. I was amazed by all the train action that I didn’t want to leave.
I was hoping to find some help in identifying the trains that I saw over the weekend from Friday til Sunday morning, didn’t really catch any of the trains that went through after 7pm… but was hoping to find out what trains, symbols and even engine #s that were on the trains I saw…
Next time that you are in the area, stop by the Museum at Gallitzin by the Gallitzin Tunnels…Check at the Caboose or in the Museum itself … You will find train schedules for NS for Horseshoe Curve available for a 50 cent donation…It lists the times, symbols, and deciphers the origins and destinations of each symbol…If they are out of them, check down at Horseshoe Curve Giftshop, though the Curve giftshop will be closing down for Wintertime season soon…Timeframe is not accurate as freights run as needed, but when you hear a symbol over the scanner, the schedule will help identify them as far as deciphering the symbols… After some time, you will be able to identify trains by their symbols by sight…For example, Eastbound autorack trains are 12N and 18N, which usually pass in that order each day…Westbound steel slab trains (gons loaded with steel plates) are usually identified as either 69J or 67Z… WB 11A which is a mixed freight will usually have Reading and Northern hoppers mixed in with the consist loaded with anthricite coalThe Eastbound Ethanol train is usually a 64R or 68Q…You can quickly identify this train as a solid consist of tank cars, with boxcars at either end as ‘spacers’…I did see several Ethanol trains last week, and one used a corn syrup tanker as a spacer on the head end instead of a boxcar…Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown