Sunday, June 01, 2008

Some Unresolved Railroad Photo Business

In early April, I had this vision of posting several images of Amtrak trains from my personal archives, and I failed miserably in doing so. However, before I let go of that disappointment completely, I wanted to post a few images for my reader out in the western part of the Keystone State.

First is a shot of Amtrak 272 preparing to make its way through an underpass in Gallitzin. It had just exited one of the tunnels that makes the little town a big draw for railfans.



I took this in early August, 1984.

Here is a shot of a Conrail van train at the other tunnel entrance.



I can't say for certain, but I think the train was exiting the tunnel. In this area, trains required helper units tacked on the rear side of the train, so you'd see power on the front and the back. At least back in the days when cabooses were still in use, you got a little bit of a clue. :-)

Finally, here is a shot of Pennsylvania Railroad 1361, a K4 that sat at Horseshoe Curve for many years.



She looks rough and rusted in that photo. A year or so later, she would be removed from the static display and restored to operating condition. PRR 1361 ran some excursions before encountering some serious structural problems. A long running major restoration effort has been undertaken, and it has undergone several starts and stops. In some ways, this engine has withstood a very long existential crisis.
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