Coal Train Day in Pittsburgh with Heritage Unit appearances!

August 28th
This episode of SCT consists of nothing but CSX and NS coal trains in Pittsburgh area, with special appearances from two NS heritage units.
The first two trains captured are on the south end of McKeesport Yard. Rolling through the beginning of the footage are 3 GEVO ES44's and an older Dash 8 unit grouped together creating a light power movement to the north. The second train appeared just a mere 3 minutes later, and off in the distance, revealed an ES44AC and an SD70MAC pulling a heavy consist underneath the Riverplex Overpass and past the yard's south end signals.
From there we head only about a mile south into Glassport, and to my surprise, CSX 719 was parked on the siding track on the north end of the Monongahela Branch. The first engine was shut down and vacated. The trailing engine was actually running, perhaps to keep air pressure in the brakes or to conserve fuel on the lead engine. (Not exactly sure of the reason for this.)
I head back across the Monongahela river to catch a rare sight in the town of Duquesne. Parked only about a quarter mile from CP-16, was a lash-up consisting of two Norfolk Southern Heritage Units. The first was NS 1067, the Reading Company SD70ACe, and the trailing engine was NS 1071, the Jersey Central SD70ACe. (Unfortunately I could not capture a moving video because they were sitting in the most inconvenient place, and it had gotten too dark for my camera. I later learned that this particular train had resumed its journey north at around 10:30pm)
Finally, to end the video I made sure that there was some action on NS's side of the river. (These trains were actually recorded the day after.) Passing through Duquesne once again I spot a parked NS train with a BNSF engine in the lash-up. The train had begun to move so I set up shop a little farther down the line. The Type-G signals in Homestead displayed a green signal on the northbound track, however, off in the distance headed south, is another NS coal train. Realizing I wouldn't have enough time to catch the northbound train I make the last minute decision to turn and face the southbound. To my delight, the southbound train, NS 9773, also had foreign power in its lash-up. A Union Pacific SD70M had made its way onto the Mon Line and was helping move empty hoppers down to Shire Oaks Yard. After NS 9773 had passed, we can see the northbound train is loaded and heavy. It finally roars off into the distance in a foggy haze of rust, dust, and coal fumes!
SCT - Episode 9