The Virtual Railfan 2021 Whistle Stop Tour, Part 2: East Conway And Emsworth

If grandiose director's cuts aren't your bag, watch the condensed version of the Whistle Stop Tour video here: • The Virtual Railfan 20...
Saturday, October 9th was the Whistle Stop Tour's day to roam Pittsburgh, accompanied by anyone who showed up to hang out. Sure we could have visited the art museums, or grabbed a sandwich at Primanti Bros., or taken in a myriad of yinzer cultural points of interest, but as railfans it was only natural there would be a contingent among us that wanted to take in sights of a railroad persuasion - no matter how much the weather tried to persuade us otherwise.
0:00 - East Conway - NS 14N
The bridge overlooking the east end of Conway Yard has long been on my short list of Pittsburgh railfanning hot spots to visit, and a little bit of challenging weather wasn't about to deter me from starting my day there. What looked like a westbound manifest entering the yard when I arrived was actually eastbound 14N backing in. Speculation ran rampant that the blue plow on AC44C6M 4169 had belonged to a Conrail unit before being relegated to the parts bin. While 14N made its move, stack train 21Q and manifest 37A waited their turns at the signal east of our vantage point.
2:06 - NS 20T
With 14N in the clear, eastbound stack train 20T crossed over in front to continue its journey, led by ET44AC 3619, AC44C6M 4172, and ET44AC 3622.
7:00 - NS 21Q
After 20T was out of the way, it was 21Q's turn. ES44AC 8013 and C44-9Ws 9933 and 9616 raised their voices and smoked it up a bit as they got their train moving again. In the distance to the west, local C28 pulled up slowly to await clearance east.
10:32 - NS 37A
A consequence of super-sized trains - ES44AH 8083, C44-9W 9892, and SD70ACe 1100 pulled into the yard with the first cut 37A, leaving the rest on the main to divide up later.
14:45 - NS 25V
37A was still pulling forward as SD70ACC 1812 and C44-9W 9936 passed with westbound stack train 25V.
15:52 - NS C28
The weather relented - if only briefly - as C28 resumed its journey east behind GP59E 4658 and RP-M4C slug 622, the former decked out in Operation Lifesaver livery. At the signal to the east, the lineup now included empty ethanol train 65T, 37A's rear section, and an as-yet-unidentified westbound.
18:42 - NS 32N/NS 65T/NS 37A
The clouds reasserted themselves as AC44C6M 4112 and C44-9W 9818 pulled 32N through the yard prior to backing in, repeating 14N's maneuver seen earlier. 65T got clearance to continue west shortly thereafter, and 37A's power returned for another cut of their train. With no other trains on the horizon for the time being, it was time for a break and a location change.
24:34 - Emsworth Locks - 20R
For the early afternoon, we moved east to Emsworth, about 13 miles from East Conway. Emsworth is host to a dam on the Ohio River, with locks to facilitate ship traffic. On the railroad side of things, Emsworth was formerly the location of a PRR passenger station located between the tracks, and the remains of the platform provided an ideal vantage point to watch the trains. We passed the time watching the (excruciatingly) slow progress of a tug and loaded coal barge negotiating the locks until eastbound stack train 20R appeared, led by AC44C6Ms 4369 and 4260.
28:30 - NS C07
Westbound C07 was next up, led by SD60Es 7005 and 7031.
31:37 - NS 6K4
We were due to regroup by 4 before heading to dinner, but before then we got a look at eastbound loaded ethanol train 6K4, powered by ES44AC 8006 and ES44DC 7519. Mustn't keep the churrasco waiting.
#trains #train #railfanning #railroad #pennsylvania

[@iusetano]

Thank you Dave. I needed that. Excellent video as always.

[@paulmatulavich7321]

An epic compilation that is sure to please all railfans. Actually I prefer to film and watch trains in inclement weather. It adds texture and atmosphere to the experience.

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

As long as I can shoot inclement weather without getting precipitation all over the lens filter, I'm good. I was pleasantly surprised to find that didn't happen much on this trip, but there was also quite a bit of wiping in between shots to pull that off.

[@ScottMichael82]

Another great video. I love Conway Yard.

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully I can get back there sooner rather than later.