Operating Session November 23rd, 2002

This was the third operating session of the year 2002, and the first for the 2002-2003 winter season.

The majority of Thanksgiving turkeys are still in the freezer as this operating session unfolds.  Unlike the previous two years, when we had the OS on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, this year it was the Saturday before.  This was due to the availability of the Pine Grove church Thanksgiving supper, making this Moose Valley YMCA appreciation weekend.  However, excellent deserts were still served in the Y cafe that evening thanks to Cindy Kohl, wife of Engineer M. Kohl.  Statistics were down this OS, due in part to a slight manpower shortage, a derailment and cleanup, and a large local.  Current accounting practices do not track local carloads, and this practice is being looked at, as it does negatively impact the numbers.  View the results here.

Greenspring Yardmaster R. Gantz, was on vacation on this day, so here we see Yardmaster V. Kiehl filling in.  Yardmaster Kiehl made quick work of several inbound trains, and was well liked by the inbound crews who did not find themselves waiting to long before being able to bring in their trains.

Here we see a typical West Virginia miner at work at WMCO#2.
  The mine was busy most of the night, with two Moose Valley trains making the run to the COPO plant at Enid.

Speaking of West Virginia, here is another mountain man, engineer K. McBee, at the throttle of northbound grain train MVG-2.

 
MVG-2 rounds the curve on Valley Loop.

Oops!  Was that signal red before or after engineer M. Kohl and conductor T. Bupp went through it?  The signal at Sleepy Creek is named for the body of water it is near, but perhaps it would be more aptly named Sleepy Engineer, as the signal at MP 117.3 on the B&O has given many an engineer an extended vacation!

Conductor T. Bupp keeps the paperwork in order on train MVPT-1.

What is this?  Guilford power in the early 70's?

Well, one could debate the likelyhood of that, but regardless of era, the Sleepy Creek signal won't be sending the MVPT-1 into emergency this time.

Elsewhere, engineer M. Kieser has the MV-20U passing
through Wachter tunnel.

Over at the CoPo plant, the crew of DMBS-80 is
busy wrangling the the local, and spotting the RIP track.

Speaking of the CoPo plant and Enid, compare this picture

with this one.

less than one year earlier.

The look on engineer J. Adams face tells the tale, as M. Kohl, and M. Kieser await word that the wreck has been cleared.  Wreck?  What wreck?

This wreck!

Train MV22-U has popped some cars on the Potomac Sub, while making a reverse move.

The wreck train is called into action.

Wreck Master K. Mazer supervises the effort.

The long faces of engineers and dispatcher trainee's alike, foreshadow the work of wreck train personnel.  Wreck train engineer M. Adams is in the white shirt, and dispatcher "Turtle" Agne waits with engineer K. McBee for word that the line is clear.  That word comes shortly.

Yea!  Holler the railfans, as the first northbound rounds Valley Loop.  Railfanning on a day when there is a mainline tie up due to a wreck, is never a good thing.

Their wait pays off, as a flood of trains parade past, one behind the other.

After the errant coal hoppers were re-railed, and the main line cleared, another recovery operation was put to task.  Earlier in the night, an empty cyndrilical hopper had derailed and fallen on its side.  Fortunately the line was not blocked, and the derailment had little impact.  Due to the tight clearances, a second crane was called to the scene to assist the WM big hook.

The car was recovered without incident.

Meanwhile, the Moose Valley Reading Yard Yardmaster is content in his work, as the mainline tie ups have had little effect on him.

H-B looks like a ghost town on this night.  Not a good place to railfan today.

Many thanks to the employee's of the Moose Valley from the Moose Valley YMCA, and to the congregation of the Pine Grove Presbyterian church for making YMCA appreciation night so wonderful. - The Y staff

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas from the management of the