Reading & Northern - Pittston Locals, SD38 and SW8s, RDCs and Fast Freight SD50-2s

August 29th, 2021 was a long but productive day on the Reading & Northern with my friends Don and Nick. Starting up north in Pittston for an unusually busy morning for a Sunday. A Sunday from to the Scranton Runner, PISB signed up to run a train of reefers and insulated boxcars to the Kane 5 Warehouse in Keyser Valley. Starting out on the Scranton Branch at Bridge Street in Old Forge, PISB rushes through led by GP38-2 2014, a former NS unit, and SD38 2000. We catch the train again entering the Stauffer Industrial Park as they make their way up the Scranton Runner towards Kane, check out those Cryo-Trans cars rocking..

Later in the morning, the Pittston Yard Job, YJPI signed up to run nine outbound cars to interchange with NS in Taylor Yard, and then return back to the yard. A real treat powered the train today in the form of two ex LV SW8Ms, RBMN 803 & 801, with a caboose to protect the long shove up. We see the train at Duryea, Old Forge and in Taylor, before catching the train running back to Pittston with just the caboose in tow. Not long after, SBPI returns from Keyser Valley with their empties for Pittston, now led by SD38 2000.

Now for the afternoon and this is when things started getting dicey. The day's NRFF was featuring a sharp lash-up, both Fast Freight painted SD50-2s, RBMN 5019 and 5018, plus GP39RN 2535, with the 5018 being freshly repainted into the latest rendition of the scheme. Starting at East Mahanoy Jct, we see the train battling the grade, 5019 looks like it suffers some sort of mechanical issue as it enters the frame. Next, we skip to Tippets Lane in Hauto for another catch, peep the new welded rail here in place of the old jointed rail. Afterwards at Ametek in Nesquehoning, we see the train meeting the RDC excursion, with RBMN RDC-1s 9168 and 9167, before our last spot at the rock wall in White Haven. Not only did the clueless mouth-breather in the mini cooper bomb my video, but I caught a nail in my tire not long after, ending the chase, and the day, it was now time to change my tire out and limp the car home.. Not every day ends perfect!

Thanks for watching!