On November 22 I will be railfanning in Angola,NY and Depew,NY. I have some questions:
Which is better: Angola,NY or Depew,NY
What trains run through here (ex. CSX Q393)
Could I please have the Subdvisions names and Radio Frequencies for both CSX and NS.
Thanks,
Cody
I’m not really familiar with railfanning in the Buffalo area. What I can discern is that Depew is definitely on the CSX “Chicago Line” and it appears Angola may be as well. Both are in the Albany Division, dispatched from Selkirk.
You’ll find a lot of the CSX information you want here.
There are other railroads with a presence in the Buffalo area as well, I’m just not sure who.
You might also find this forum useful.
The Depew Amtrak station is a pretty good place to start, but there isn’t much variety there. The sun angles should be better there for photography because the line is due east/west. Trains are generally slower in Depew since they are entering or leaving the yard area, and of course Amtrak stops there.
Angola is along the lake Erie shore, so the track is oriented northeast/southwest. Sun angles aren’t so good especially later in the day, although they are better in winter than summer. The Angola area gives you more variety if only because you can easily cross the tracks to change your viewing angle. Best of all, Angola also offers NS action along with CSX. If you have time, you can find lots of excellent locations farther west. Check out Dunkirk, Silver Creek Brocton and Westfield. Keep going all the way to Erie and you will find a dozen more venues, good for both railroads.In most places NS and CSX are side by side.
So the short answer to your question is that although Depew is good, go west.