Lilly, Pa is situated a few miles West of Cresson and is also located adjacent to the NS Pittsburgh Line between Gallitzin and Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
The grade is stiff through this area, with heavier Eastbounds often slowly making their way upgrade, often with SD40-2 helpers assisting.
A video taken recently with my old camera of a heavy Eastbound NS 10N mixed freight grinding slowly upgrade through Lilly, PA with a set of SD40-2 pushers on the rear.
The truth is I have yet to see a steep grade in PA. every time i hear about pushers its always 2 sd 40s on the rear. over here where we railroad its 2-3 big units on the head end and always 2 dash 9s or sd70s on the rear.
Alot of coal drags on this line get a 4 pack of SD40-2’s on the rear…and on occasion, a set will be tacked onto the head end and another one or two sets will go on the rear along with it, giving a total of up to 6 SD40-2’s in addition to a two or three unit road power lashup , especially if the head end power is not up to snuff to get it over the hill or if the road crew is low on time and won’t make it to the recrew point at ROSE in Altoona, in which case the head end helper takes over the train to get it down to ROSE. Heavier general manifests will usually get a set on the rear, and occasionally head end help as well.
Alot of the fun of railfanning in that area, at least for me, is watching and hearing those SD40-2’s still in helper service.
Oftentimes when trackside on the mountain, one can hear an approaching heavy train grinding upgrade for quite awhile before it reaches your vantagepoint.
The sound of the rear SD40-2 helpers can often be heard in the distance working hard on the upgrade above the sound of the head end newer widecab power , as the newer power is more muzzled and quieter than the SD’s.
NS is starting a rebuild program on its SD50’s, rebuilding them from the frame up, and derating them to 3,000 HP and reclassifying then as SD40E’s
Some of the first rebuilds are being placed into helper service alongside the SD40-2’s
The SD50’s were originally built after EPA noise standards went into effect, so the 50’s are quieter than the SD40’s as far as exhaust and turbo sound.
The SD40E rebuilds retain the SD50 style exhaust silencers, so there is a noticeable difference in sound between the SD40-2’s and the SD40E rebuilds.
On occasion, the NS SD80MACS, which usually serve in local duty, will haul a loaded drag over the mounta