Action on NS 'Reading' Main with an 'Heritage' unit

[Mario_v]

Here's some footage depicting one of NS's 'heritage' unit ('Virginian' SD70, a little off it's 'natural' territory) with Hotshot 21M (anyone know its origin & destination). 3 things I)'ve remarked ;

1) The new 'chime' horns on these units are quite melodious, even nice (well I'm european and over here we get a 'two tone' dull diet on this subject) ;

2) Teher seems to be a fixation in the US, at least in some roads for wood ties (mainly western 'biggies' like NS and CSX, but Canadian roads too), wich is something I do not undertand, since such ties tend to last much less and are lighter than concrete. Maybe the fact of most of these roads having places in wich there are many tight curves will be a good explanation for that (in that case concrete sleepers will need a special anchor on the 'high side of the curve), even if their tracks appear to be in top shape ;

3) On the second part of the video the train seems to be moving quite fast, maybe 60 or 70 Mph, wich isn't much different from Reading´s top speed for passenger trains (gotta look at at ETT to confirm it)

watch?v=R9clATA5VuU

BY the way, wasn't Hershey 'the chocolate town'? If that's the case, then it's a sister railtown to a whole railroad in Cuba

[oltmannd]

21M is a solid Croxton NJ to Englewood IL train.  It is a "Premium" intermodal train which means it runs on a somewhat faster schedule and has a higher priority of movement on the road.    Notice the UPS and FedEx trailers on the train.  This train would have been symbolled "Mail9" under Conrail.

Top speed for any intermodal train anywhere on NS is 60 mph.

In the last days of the Reading passenger trains, speed was 70 mph between Reading and Phila.  

Hershey IS the chocolate town.  Lots of sugar and cocoa beans still find there way there by rail.

[lookatrane]

Only sugar and corn syrups are brought to the Hershey Plant by rail. Shipments of cocoa beans by rail ended with the placement of the last boxcar load in May of 2008.. All cocoa beans are pre ground before it arrives at the expanded West Hershey plant.. Alas the original Hershey Foods plant in the center of Hershey, is being torn down to make room for other venues...