Reading and Northern Air Products High and Wide with an RS5T Horn!

Big load, big horn! Reading and Northern had the honors of moving the 100th Air Products LNG Heat Exchanger between Dupont, PA and Lehighton, PA on July 19, 2012. This was a big milestone for the Air Products facility in Wilkes-Barre, PA, as displayed by the banner hung from the north/east side of the load. And what a better way for a big load to be accompanied by a big Leslie RS-5T horn on Reading and Northern SD40-2 3056, which also has a snoot nose!

This is just one stretch of the heat exchanger's long and slow journey from Wilkes-Barre, PA, starting on the Luzerne Susquehanna Railroad to Canadian Pacific at Hudson, PA, then CP to Dupont, PA, then here on R&N to Lehighton, PA. Then Norfolk Southern takes the train on Friday from Lehighton, PA to Manville, NJ (via the Upper Lehigh and Lehigh Lines joining at Allentown, PA), then CSX's takeoever on Saturday from Manville Yard to Woodbourne, NJ on the Trenton Line, where it once again rejoins NS on the Morrisville Line to Morrisville, PA where it will ultimately be placed onto a ship for its final destination in Indonesia. Other heat exchanger's in the past have had destinations all over the globe, and these loads vary in size, this one being on the smaller end of the spectrum.

Despite the fact that the weather was terrible (incorrect weather man again), our goal was the start out at Dupont after CP dropped off the train, however, they were making great time and we first saw the train just north of Laurel Run (shot omitted due to horribleness and rain). The symbol for the train is APEX-19, simply, "Air Products Extra July 19." So, the first shot is taken just south of Mountain Top, PA at a location better known to the Railroad and Railfans as Crestwood, after the industrial park and road name. Here, the train is heading downhill through classic signals and a defect detector at milepost 152, which announces "NO DEBECKS", unforetunately I do not have a recording of this idiotic detector. We continue to Keenapple curve which is just beyond the south portal of the White Haven tunnel, where the train stretches its load on a sharped super-elevated curve! This location is north of White Haven by a few miles, and would be the only shot we would have in the White Haven vicinity because it started to pour down rain upon our arrival in town, not allowing a shot to be had. However, this allowed us plenty of time to set up in the Lehigh Gorge and catch a bonus train, the LGSR with SD50 426. The rain had stopped, and I set up close to the tracks to catch the curve and signal, expecting them to be on the Norfolk Southern main in the distance, instead, I ended up with a really tight shot as they continued on the RBMN main closest to us. In hindsight, that obviously made sense because the NS track is close to the rock cuts. Well, I think the angle is kind of cool, being almost underneath the load (at least the camera makes it appear that way)! Then the train used the hand switches at COAL at Glen Onoko, by the entrance road into the Lehigh Gorge State Park, to cross onto the R&N main that extends parallel to NS to Lehighton (no shot due to an obnoxious high fence) allowing plenty of time for us to set up at the curves behind the shopping center in Jim Thorpe. Packerton and Lehighton are next, being the final leg of the trip for the day until NS comes along tomorrow. The shots there are fairly scenic and display a nice view of the scale of the load! Anyway, that's all for now, so I hope you enjoyed and as always, thanks for watching!!!

Special Thanks to A & M MacDougall (sp8553) for letting me ride along.