“Ledges”

DREAD! (iPhone photo by BobbaLew.)

Altoony again to chase trains.
Alone this time. My brother was doing a motorcycle gig, and a retired fellow Transit bus-driver, also a railfan I’ve badgered for years, was too busy.
Train-chases in Altoona are a vacation of sorts, even though only three days. Altoona is five hours driving from home, so two of those days are partly making the drive. I’m chasing trains only one full day.
Train-chasing in Altoona has become fruitless. My brother and I take train photographs, and have already hit just about every favorable location around Altoona.
Many of these locations were shown to me years ago by my Altoona railfan friend Phil Faudi, who had a business at that time leading railfans like me around.
My brother and I found other locations. Phil probably knows ‘em; we just never got to ‘em.
One of Phil’s locations was “Ledges,” a high rock outcropping above the tracks climbing toward Horseshoe Curve.
The first time Phil and I went there he was leery I might not make it. I’m a railfan; we made it. We park in woods 20-25 feet below track level. In fact, we tunnel under the tracks to get to our parking. It’s a dirt-track to Altoona Volunteer Sportsmen's Association. They shoot guns; we hear ‘em: blam-blam-blam-blam!
A side Jeep-trail ascends to the rock-face about 30-35 feet above the tracks. The climb is arduous, the footing terrible. The path is strewn with rocks, and the grade is 20-30%. You probably could get a Jeep up it, but it’s more for four-wheel ATVs.
“Ledges” is not that photogenic. It needs two trains at the same time: one up on Three, the other down on One. And the best view, looking railroad-east, will be backlit if it’s sunny. Looking railroad-west, up The Hill, has to be morning light.
I had only two locations in mind, one of which was “Ledges.” Only because I’ve never run “Ledges” in my train-calendar.
I do balance training in the local YMCA’s swimming-pool. I bet my aquacise coach would suggest I avoid “Ledges.” I also think my brother might defer, as might my retired bus-driver friend.
But I’m alone, and I need that shot. The light was fantastic, not a cloud in the sky, strident morning sunlight. If it had been raining, I probably would have skipped.
I’m not stupid. You won’t find me walking a four-foot lake-dock without handrails. And no footstools for this kid! Stepladders only; I need to be able to grab something.
“Ledges” awaits = dread! If I’m hyper careful I think I can do it. I’m also in fairly good shape, so I don’t think the climb will cause a heart-attack. I’m out in the middle of nowhere, far from civilization. My cellphone is in my pocket; I hope 9-1-1 can ping it.
I made it. Some sit-down in a wash to “Ledges” itself; it’s off the Jeep-track. I set up and waited at least two hours, during which six to eight trains passed. And I got my double.


Extra-591 (empty unit coal) returns to the mines. (Photo by BobbaLew.)


The foul-smelling “trash-train” goes up The Hill behind one helper-set. (Photo by BobbaLew.)


A “slabber” gets pushed up The Hill by two helper-sets (four additional locomotives). (Photo by BobbaLew.)


40-foot shipping-containers get dragged up the mountain. (Photo by BobbaLew.)


Here it is, readers! The whole reason I fought my way up here. A “mixed” descends on One, while double-stacked domestic containers (53 feet) get pushed up Three. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

Next was getting back down. I had to crawl some of the wash-path. The last couple feet of it are probably 50-60% back up to the jeep-trail and loaded with rocks.
Again, made it. Toy not with the master! I needed that shot. I thought I could do it. A struggle, but I did it. Up and down added probably at least an hour. But no falls = pay rapt attention to my footing, and I do it.
It’s probably the last time I visit “Ledges;” it’s not that photogenic. Enough for my train-calendar if I get a double — which I did.
After “Ledges” I went to Cassandra Railroad Overlook, an old bridge over the railroad up the west-slope of Allegheny Mountain. Railfans hang out on the bridge. I’ve described Cassandra before.


9805 (GE Dash 9-44CW) hammers probably a stacker up the west slope; assaulting the heavens, under Cassandra Railroad Overlook. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

“How come your scanner gets that, but mine doesn’t?” I asked a railfan.
“Depends on where you are, I guess.”
Usually my scanner gets both defect-detectors near Cassandra, but this time nuttin’. All of a sudden here came that picture above.
My other must-do was trackside down in Altoona. 10th Avenue parallels the railroad. It’s another “on-my-own” find. I also went the previous day after arriving (see below). In June, light is still excellent until 5 p.m. when shadows start ruining things.
10th Ave. is not as good as I hoped. Everything has to be just-so. Lighting is afternoon; morning would be backlit. Westbounds are often on the track right next to the street. I prefer ‘em on the middle track — one track over. Plus there is shrubbery to work around.
My railroad-radio scanner tells me something is coming, so set-up is easy. I also hear anything approaching, especially westbounds accelerating for the climb ahead.
Again I made the mistake of arriving late enough for Amtrak’s westbound Pennsylvanian. Same as the day before.
“I think we’ll be waiting for Amtrak to clear,” said the engineer of 23Z to his pusher-crew. They were waiting for railroad over the mountain.
Finally Amtrak came by, and on the middle track, a slam-dunk, but too in-yer-face.


Amtrak’s westbound Pennsylvanian passes 10th Ave. on the middle track; 237 miles from Pennsy’s old Broad Street Terminal (gone) in Philadelphia. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

Even more in-yer-face.


Amtrak gone, 23Z passes right next to my vantage point; also 237 miles from Pennsy’s old Broad Street Terminal. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

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From the day before:

Instead of going directly to my motel, I pulled off in Tyrone. I took pictures, but my camera wasn’t auto-focusing, probably because I hadn’t charged it before leaving home.
I focused manually, and my viewfinder image was wonky.
After Tyrone I went to Riggles Gap Road, which has a highway overpass over the railroad. Again, my pictures were poorly focused, plus Riggles Gap isn’t very photogenic. Both directions look down long tangents.
A 71-year-old on an old Yamaha motorcycle stopped to chew the fat. “Yrs Trly was lucky enough to witness steam locomotives in actual revenue service,” I commented.
He was a railfan. An ice-cream truck stopped atop the bridge, but we didn’t buy. Expect anything on lonely Riggles Gap Road. Cars were occasional, trains frequent.
Next I went to the crew-change point in Rose Yard in Juniata north of Altoona. It’s right underneath an overpass.
An eastbound stacker stopped to change crews. The new crew came off a helper-set they had to tie down, so the crew-change wasn’t immediate. A westbound stacker passed.


The eastbound stacker awaits its new crew. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

The dispatcher has to also make sure nothing slams the back of the train stopped for crew-change. Crew-change is taking place on the express through-tracks.
Finally, 10th Avenue in Altoona.
“You want me outta here?” I asked a resident after I parked.
“Be careful,” he advised. “People roar through here well over the speed-limit.”
I set up behind a Jersey barrier. 592 appeared and stopped right in front of me. 592 is an eastbound loaded coal extra.


1126, leading 592, is an EMD SD70ACe, six axles, AC motors, 4,500 horsepower. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

“592 in emergency,” its engineer told Altoona-East. (“Altoona-East” is the dispatcher for railroad in and east of Altoona. He’s based in Pittsburgh.)
Racha-racha-racha-racha! A brakie, or the conductor, set the handbrakes on 21 cars — it was probably a 100-car train.


Eastbound stacker passes stopped 592. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

What to do. 592 blocked eastbounds on One. The crew suspected a goofy brake-valve on one of the cars. They’d try pumping up the air again; it held. But 592 needed inspection.
The westbound Pennsylvanian pulled into Altoona’s Amtrak station, and Altoona-East asked its engineer if he could do a roll-by inspection as he passed 592 — that is, make sure everything was still on the rail.
“That you up ahead, 592?” asked the Amtrak engineer. The westbound Pennsylvanian would provide the roll-by.
Here it came: Amtrak’s westbound Pennsylvanian. “Everything looks fine to me,” said the Amtrak engineer.
Cleared, 592 continued east. 23Z was then clear to go up the mountain.


23Z (westbound). Seems 23Z often follows Amtrak’s westbound Pennsylvanian. 592 (eastbound) is back on-the-move. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

• RE: “Trash-train......” —The “trash-train” is an extra train of containers-on-flatcar holding trash and garbage being transshipped to a distant landfill. (“Extra” meaning not regularly scheduled.)
• RE: “Slabber........” —A “slabber” is all gondola-cars. The cars contain thick steel slabs being transshipped to a distant rolling-mill, where they will be rolled into thin sheet-metal. It’s also “extra.”
• Containers for ocean shipping have to be 40 feet. “Domestic” containers can be up to 53 feet = maximum legal highway length.
• A “tangent” is a long straightaway. Railroaders call ‘em “tangents.”