Monthly Calendar-Report for August 2015

Eastbound crude-oil follows Monongahela Heritage-Unit through South Fork, PA. (Photo by BobbaLew with Phil Faudi.)

—As far as I’m concerned, this is the best photograph in my calendar.
It’s train 66A, a loaded oil-train, headed around the curve at South Fork, PA.
Phil Faudi (“FOW-dee;” as in “wow”) and I were chasing trains about a year ago down in Altoona (PA).
It was the last time Phil and I would chase trains together; that is, me driving with Phil in the shotgun seat with his railroad-radio scanner telling me where to go.
Phil is the railfan extraordinaire from the Altoona area who is a fountain of railroad knowledge.
I know quite a bit, but not as much as Phil.
Phil used to drive me around. He was doing it as a business. He called ‘em “tours.”
He had to give that up after a couple near accidents.
Then he had to give up leading me around, because his wife has Multiple Sclerosis, and he’s afraid of her falling with him not around.
So he stays at home, but still monitors his railroad-radio scanner and calls my cellphone.
But this picture is still Phil and me.
It would be my calendar’s cover-picture if it were a Norfolk Southern locomotive.
Actually it is, but it’s one of their Heritage-Units, painted the colors of Monongahela Railway, one of Norfolk Southern’s predecessors.
Monongahela served southwestern PA, and also WV.
8025 is a General-Electric ES44AC, “AC” standing for alternating-current traction-motors.
Diesel locomotives have been direct-current for years, but alternating-current pulls better.
8025 is one of 10 General-Electric Heritage-Units. 10 more are EMD SD70ACe.
I’ve seen a few, and they attract lots of attention.
All are painted the schemes of predecessor railroads, Pennsylvania Railroad, Nickel Plate Road, Southern, Erie-Lackawanna, and Central of New Jersey, for example.
The railroad is the ex-Pennsy main through South Fork. The train is climbing the west slope up Allegheny Mountain. It’s not as challenging as the east slope, but the train probably has helper-units — SD40Es, six-axle SD50s downrated by the railroad for helper-service on The Hill.
Norfolk Southern used double-sets of SD40-2s for years as helpers on The Hill, but finally had to retire ‘em.




1970 SS-454 Chevelle. (Photo by Peter Harholdt©.)

—Here it is; what to me is the second-most desirable musclecar of all.
The August 2015 entry in my Motorbooks Musclecar calendar is a 1970 454 Chevelle.
Most desirable to me is the first G-T-O, 1964.

1964 G-T-O. (Photo by Peter Harholdt©.)

Not my brother’s car, but similar, a ’71 (same paint). (Photo by BobbaLew.)

My brother-in-Boston has a 454 Chevelle, but it’s 1971. Only two headlights, and a different rear-bumper.
He thinks two headlights look better but I prefer four.
Whatever, the car is still a taxicab with an extreme motor.
We went to buy gasoline, my brother driving; “no histrionics, please.”
20 gallons, $100; racing-gas.
And everything was shaking: hood, fenders, etc.
That 454 was indeed pounding the pavement, even at idle.
On the way home we stopped to pick up my brother’s Harley, which had been detailed.
“Do you think you can drive this?” he asked.
My brother would ride his Harley home, and I would drive the 454.
It’s automatic, but I can drive standard.
I backed out the driveway, and the motor almost died.
It was sooting the plugs; I had to rev it to keep it running.
Rumpita-rumpita-rumpita-rumpita!
I managed to get back to my brother’s place, but he would put it away.
If anyone smacked his garage with it, it would be him.
My brother will sell his 454; he’s thinking of buying a Model-A Ford.
“Jack,” I said. “Buy a hotrod. Model-As are a dime-a-dozen; at shows you’ll be one among many.”
And you can’t boom-and-zoom a Model-A. When it was made roads were good for 20-30 mph.
$100 for a tank of gas is insane. My brother is also getting old enough to no longer enjoy what a 454 is capable of.
The car pictured is an LS6, Chevrolet’s maximum horsepower Big-Block.
My brother’s car is an LS5, but it’s hot-rodded. It was dynoed; it generated at least 500 horsepower.
An LS6 was rated at 450 horsepower, the most a stock musclecar had.




Pride of the Brits, a “Spit.” (Photo by Philip Makanna©.)

—It’s a Spitfire, but a friend tells me those markings are Czechoslovakian.
The August 2015 entry of my Ghosts WWII warbirds calendar is a Supermarine Spitfire, a British fighter-plane, but in the Czechoslovakian Air Force.
Czechoslovakia was land-locked; it had no sea-access. It needed a powerful air force to offset its not having a navy.
Prior to the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe, Czechoslovakia used Allied planes to bolster its air-force, although it had a small airplane industry.
This probably accounts for why we see a Spitfire in Czechoslovakian markings. There also was a Czechoslovakian contingent of the Royal Air Force, engaged in the Battle of Britain.
After the Soviets took over Eastern Europe, Czechoslovakia turned toward using Soviet aircraft, like MIG jets.
But the Spitfire was Britain’s premier WWII fighter-plane.
I’ll let my WWII warbirds site weigh in:
“The Spitfire is as deeply ingrained in the collective psyche of most Britons as the P-51 Mustang is to most Americans.
First flown on March 5th, 1936, the Spitfire sprang from the design desk of R.J. Mitchell, who had previously submitted an unsuccessful design for a similar fighter, the Type 224.
Once given the freedom to design an aircraft outside of the strict Air Ministry specifications, his Type 300 emerged as a clear winner; so much so that a new Air Ministry specification was written to match the new design.
The Spitfire Mk I became operational at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, in July of 1938. As time went on, the Spitfire was to become one of the most versatile and modified aircraft in existence, with various wing designs, armament changes, and engine changes dictating its many identities.
By the time WWII began in September of 1939, nine squadrons of Spits were operational with the Royal Air Force, and the Spitfire quickly lived up to its good reputation by downing a German He 111 over the United Kingdom the following month.
Ten more Spitfire squadrons were on strength by the fall of 1940, when the Battle of Britain tested the nation’s resolve and military resources.
The Spitfire served, and continued to be built, throughout WWII. It served in many theaters, and with many Allied nations, including the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union.”
Significant as the Spitfire was, it wasn’t the plane that turned back Hitler’s Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain.

A Hurricane. (Photo by Philip Makanna©.)

That would be the Hawker Hurricane.
They would shoot German bombers out of the sky.
If I am correct, the Spitfire is a manifestation of a racing seaplane — complete with pontoons.
The airplane pictured has the Rolls-Royce Merlin 61 V12, 1,515 horsepower.
Good as it was the North American Mustang was better.




I think the caption on this picture is wrong. (Photo courtesy H. Gerald MacDonald Collection ©.)

—The August 2015 entry of my Audio-Visual Designs black-and-white All-Pennsy Calendar is not inspiring.
But I know exactly where it is.
It’s approaching Bell tower in Bellview, northern DE, not far from where I used to hang out as a teenager.

Northbound GG-1 express flies over the Edgemoor yard entrance. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

Northbound GG-1 express flies over Shellpot Creek. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

I’m not sure the caption is right on this picture. What I remember is the electrical substation was to the west, so the train is northbound. They have it as southbound toward Edgemoor Yard.
Although I may have the location of the substation backwards. It may be on the east side of the tracks. That’s about 55 years ago.
An interlocking was nearby, along with Bell Tower. My guess is that interlocking may be what was left of Pennsy’s original entrance to Wilmington’s Edgemoor Yard. Pennsy built a flyover over a new Edgemoor Yard entrance to avoid delays. —Particularly to passenger expresses.

One of my worst pictures; a single P-5a electric leads a freight on the Edgemoor Yard entrance east of the flyover. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

The railroad in this picture is electrified; in fact, that substation for the railroad is in the picture.
Yet the train is powered by two steam-locomotives, both L-1 2-8-2 Mikados.
The L-1 is the same boiler as the K-4 Pacific (4-6-2). Pennsy was obsessed with standardization. The boiler of the E-6 Atlantic (4-4-2) was also used on the G-5 4-6-0 commuter engine, and H series Consolidation freight locomotives (2-8-0). In fact, you could say the H-8 came before the E-6. (There were also H-9s and H-10s.)
Pennsy even had a K-5 Pacific based on the gigantic boiler of the I-1 Decapod (2-10-0), but only built two.
Pennsy broke from standardization with its M-1 Mountain (4-8-2), although with smaller drivers it was supposed to be a dual-purpose engine, passenger or freight.
But it was mainly used to haul freight. Dieselization was making inroads.
Pennsy never developed a 4-8-4 during the ‘30s comparable to what other railroads developed. They were pouring investment into electrification.
Pennsy’s post-war T-1 (4-4-4-4) could be said to be their 4-8-4, except it’s duplex, four cylinders, not two.
What they’d do is doublehead K-4s, expensive, but Pennsy could afford it. That’s two engine-crews; you can’t multiple steam-locomotives with a single crew as you can diesels.




’67 RallySport Camaro.

—Again, my Jim LePore Musclecar calendar is pretty good. Its August 2015 entry is a 1967 RallySport Camaro.
—A car I would want myself; but not the RallySport trim-option.
The calendar says the Camaro was hugely successful. It was, but it was Chevrolet’s better-late-than-never response to the hugely successful Ford Mustang.
Chevy had the motor: its revolutionary SmallBlock V8 introduced in the 1955 model-year.
Ford’s small-block V8 was a better-late-than-never copycat.
To me at that time, part of the appeal of a Camaro was that SmallBlock motor.
Chevy had the components to make a “pony-car,” a Mustang-like car.
But they were tied to the Corvair. in fact, compared to the Corvair, Ford’s Falcon was immensely successful.
Ford even had a sporty version of their Falcon called the Futura-Sprint. It had the new small-block V8, and a four-speed floorshift.
I used to think it was appealing, but then Ford introduced its Mustang.
Mighty GM was caught with its pants down. They had to bring out the Chevy II to compete with the Falcon.
And compared to the Mustang, the Corvette had only two seats, and the Corvair was weird.
It wasn’t until the 1967 model-year that GM introduced its Mustang competition, the Camaro, and also the Pontiac Firebird.
I never owned one. At that time I was hornswoggled by the alleged superiority of European sportscars.
Every once-in-a-while I get an early Camaro jones, ’67 or ’68. But not a RallySport. I prefer exposed headlights.




The crepe-myrtle are blooming. (Photo by Mark Shull.)

—Another flowery Shull picture.
The August 2015 entry of my Norfolk Southern Employees’ Photography-Contest calendar is a picture shot by Mark Shull in Thomasville, NC.
Shull admits he is obsessed with flowers. He tries to get them in his photographs, and he shot 4,300 photos to get this one contest winner.
Well, I guess I’m old-school. I don’t shoot 89 bazilyun photos to get 13 for my calendar.
I come from the era of film. —And what a joy it is to not be locked into 24 or 36 images.
I shoot digital with my camera, and could go hog-wild.
Digital images are a slam-dunk; just put ‘em in my computer.
I don’t have time or interest to pore through 89 bazilyun image-files.
What I get can be more successful than expected, but to me it’s more important to compose in my viewfinder.
I also think the train is more important than the background. About the only time I worry about background is in fall-foliage or snow.
Otherwise, I go for the dramatic train-shot.

Another Dash8-40C hood. (Photo by BobbaLew with Phil Faudi.)

What interests me is the lead-unit, 8756, is a General-Electric Dash8-40C, a hood-unit, not a wide-cab.
The Dash8-40C is still a road-unit, 4,000 horsepower, six axles.
These things are rare any more; mostly you see wide-cabs on both GE and EMD units.
I managed to snag one (above) on the old Pennsy main through Tyrone (“tie-ROWN;” as in “own”) north (railroad-east) of Altoona.
It was a few years ago, and snow was still on the ground.
Tyrone is where the Pennsy main turns toward Harrisburg. It’s following the Juniata river (“june-eee-AT-uh”) through a notch in the mountains.



Alco FA pulls freight toward Enola Yard. (Photo by Charles Houser, Sr.)

—The August 2015 entry in my All-Pennsy color calendar is a Pennsy freight approaching Enola Yard (“aye-NOLE-uh;” as in “hey”) near Harrisburg. An Alco FA cab-unit is in the lead. Alco eventually tanked when General-Electric entered the locomotive market.
The photograph was taken August 9th, 1964. I’m about to begin my junior year of college.
Dieselization is complete on mighty Pennsy, a railroad that stuck with steam locomotion as long as it could.
This train probably traveled Pennsy’s storied Middle Division across central PA from Altoona to Harrisburg, once the stomping-ground of Pennsy’s fabulous M-1 Mountain 4-8-2 steamers.

Pennsy’s Mountain (4-8-2).

Dieselization meant the incredible coaling and watering facility at Denholm could be removed. The Denholm facility was once at least 10 tracks, with overhead coaling stations. Pennsy’s Middle Division widened out at Denholm to service locomotives, both eastbound and westbound. A train couldn’t cover the entire division. Denholm was near Mifflin.
What I find interesting is the power used on this train. It’s an Alco FA in the lead, followed by a cabless Geep booster, and an Alco road-switcher.
Cabless road-units only have a small control-stand inside so hostlers can move the unit in a shop or yard. They don’t operate as independent locomotives. They have to be multipled to a unit with a cab, in this case the FA.
All the locomotives are probably 1,500 horsepower. The train, a mixed freight, is long, but today’s trains could probably be longer.
And two units would probably be enough.
Altoona to Enola, eastbound, is gradually downhill. Westbound trains would have to be shorter. Westbound is following the Juniata River uphill, although it’s an easy river grade.




1928 Model-A two-door sedan. (Photo by Scott Williamson.)

—The August 2015 entry in my Oxman Hotrod Calendar is a chopped and lowered 1928 Ford Model-A two-door sedan.
The car projects a “bad boy” image, prevalent in the ‘50s.
Well, I wonder where the driver sits? Probably in the rear. The car is so chopped you’re probably scrunched even in the rear.
There are two things wrong with this car, beside it being a two-door sedan.
Enough to make it my boobie-prize, despite it being a good picture.

It should be as below. (Photo by Scott Williamson.)

The best-looking hotrod radiator-surround, the 1932 Ford (stock in this case).

—A) is the radiator-shroud. It’s 1935 Chevy, and the 1932 Ford’s radiator-surround (below) is the best-looking hotrod grille there is.
—B) is the motor. It’s completely chromed.
Sorry, seeing an old Ford FlatHead is welcome, but completely chromed isn’t.
“If ya can’t drive it, what fun is that?” an old friend, since deceased, asked.
How do you drive a completely chromed motor without it getting dirty?
Suppose it leaks oil? What if it dribbles antifreeze on the chromed head-castings? How does one keep finned head-castings clean?
“Trailer-queen,” I say. It looks butch if ya avoid that radiator-surround.
Not too far from where I live someone has (or had) a ’32 Ford two-door sedan much like this car. It was chopped and lowered, and had a souped Chevy SmallBlock, unmuffled of course.
It was in flat-black primer, and had that gorgeous ’32 Ford radiator-surround.
I could hear it cruising miles away; it was a fabulous sound.
I haven’t seen it lately, but have seen a radically lowered ’49 Ford pickup, slammed to the ground, perhaps 48 inches high.
So I wonder if the ’32 Ford two-door was converted to that pickup?
The color of this car also turns me off: sea-spray green.

’48 Chevy taillight lenses

It uses ’59 Caddy taillight-lenses. They look out-of-place. The taillight-lenses the car needs are late ‘40s postwar Chevy.
But mainly it’s that radiator-surround that puts this thing in the penalty-box. It should be vertical to match the car.