My train-calendar for November, 2019

25V claws toward the summit-tunnel atop Allegheny Mountain. (Photo by Jack Hughes.)

—The November 2019 entry of MY calendar is Norfolk Southern stacker 25V doing the last of the climb up Allegheny Mountain.
It’s westbound on Track Three.
It was taken by my brother. He is on the dirt-track to Bennington Cemetery. The road is right next to the railroad. It could be said the road is part of the railroad right-of-way.
If I could do my 2019 calendar over, this picture would be the cover. I had already picked the picture below, but it’s dull. It’s by me, but often my brother does better. His picture is also sunlit.
Bennington was a coal-mining camp long abandoned. It established a cemetery, and that is still there. It’s off in the middle of nowhere, only accessed by this trackside dirt-track.
Getting to it involves a long drive down a twisting single-lane unpaved road from the actual summit. The railroad tunnels under the summit, and the mine-camp was railroad level.
I’ve never seen the cemetery. All I’ve done is this trackside location. I guess the dirt-track is gumint maintained, a public road.
At least it isn’t “no-trespassing.” Other trackside locations are attained by access dirt-tracks that might be locked by Norfolk Southern.
The dirt-track to Bennington Cemetery has you right next to the railroad. At least it’s safe, but trains are in-your-face.
So here my brother is probably right where the dirt-track turns away from the railroad toward the cemetery.
Trains slow as they climb the grade. This train probably started The Hill at 30-40 mph. As it neared the top it probably slowed, I estimate 15-20 mph for this train.
Allegheny Mountain is a constant climb of 1,016 feet over 12 miles. It’s hard to think of Pennsy as mountain railroading, but it is.
I see Armour-Yellow in the consist. That’s Union Pacific; so are they run-throughs, or Norfolk Southern rebuilds not repainted yet?
Diesel locomotives are so standardized railroads run power through. You may be on CSX. but there goes Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
Norfolk Southern is rebuilding Union Pacific cast-offs at its Juniata shops. I’ve seen NS trains with all Armour-Yellow power.
Usually run-throughs have a Norfolk Southern engine leading to properly interface with Norfolk Southern’s signaling system.
If a Union Pacific engine were leading, it’s probably rebuilt by NS, not yet repainted.

• The correct pronunciation of “Juniata” is “June-eee-AT-uh.” My mother insisted it was “Juanita.”

My cover-shot; an eastbound trailer-train on Track Two in Gallitzin. (Photo by BobbaLew.)