September 1: WACR <HOT> NPWJ train - it was...94-degrees!
Kevin Burkholder
With a very hot forecast on tap – despite clear skies – I wanted to head out on Sept. 1 to catch the Newport to White River Jct., VT (NPWJ) train southbound on the north end of the WACR Lyndonville Subdivision. I made an early departure from the house and arrived in plenty of time at the MMA Newport Yard, having heard the MMA 710 job returning to the yard from Farnham around 0600 hrs on the scanner. The CLP GP38-2 204 is currently assigned to the WACR Conn River District, as is the VTR GP38-2 202, so the red unit would at least break up the monotony of the haze and humidity. My plans were to follow the train until around 1100 hrs and then head back home to enjoy the remainder of the day in air conditioning and with our new little guy and gorgeous wife.
I had arrived in Newport in plenty of time to catch the crew turning the CLP 204 on the turntable for the trip south, however I was scouting out some locations south of town and figuring out where to aim the kayak for next week’s shooting. When I returned to the yard, the CLP 204 had pulled down to the yard office and the crew was busy inside figuring out which cars, of the more than 40 that had accumulated off the MMA, they were going to take. The locomotive idles on the yard runner.
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A shot of the yard overview – including the CLP 204 and the aged CP roundhouse – visible to the distant left in this and the previous photo.
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The 2000 horses jump to work around 0915 hrs and the CLP 204 heads down to grab a cut of cars off Yard #2.
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Then the pull out of the yard with the first portion of today’s NPWJ.
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CLP 204 would then grab the empty CSXT/NS boxcars off of Yard #1 and back the entire consist into Yard #2 with a marker attached before doing so.
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Retrieval of a single NOKL empty hopper was made back off of Track #2 and the train departed Newport – passing Feed Commodities at the south end of the yard.
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South of Newport at the Lake Memphremagog south outlet, the NPWJ crosses a short trestle.
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And is seen a few miles south just after Coventry Station with the CLP GP38-2 204 contrasting nicely against the green background and swampy foreground.
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South of Coventry Station the CLP 204 is earning its keep with the 22-car train bound for WRJ.
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Just north of Orleans, the NPWJ is passing the Lyndonville Subdivision Mile 8 sign.
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Rolling through the curve south of the Ethan Allen plant in Orleans, the CLP 204 crew is attempting to take in as much air as possible – sweltering mid-90-degree temps making it quite unbearable and it’s only 1000 hrs!
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The train would pass May Farm just south of Orleans.
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And my final shot of the day before heading home would be at Barton, VT, where State Route 16 crosses the tracks near the junction with Route 5.
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