Watching trains on a hot July day. 

  My grandson and I went to the Marion Station to watch the action on a very warm July day.  Fortunately, there was a cool breeze, some cooling rain, and lots of train action to keep our minds off of the heat.  We both enjoyed the day! 
  

 

Photo 1-A view of the NS office.  Notice the new cantilever with the new style of signals and the old NW signals to the right. 

Photo 2-My grandson is waiting patiently for the next train to come!

Photo 3 A  CSX Hy-Rail splits the signals heading west on the CSX line.

 Photo 4 The drive cautiously looks both ways as he crosses the diamond.  I would too! This is a very busy line!

 Photo 5- There he goes.

 Photo 6 If you look closely, you will a crew member working on the engine.  This engine was dragging a long line of tank cars out of the CSX yard to our left, came around the curve and promptly stalled.  It took them two attempts to start the engine.  Once it fired, the engineer "va-room, va-roomed" it!  Reminded me of trying to keep an old car I had running at idle! Eventually it ran and they backed back into the yard completing their job.

 Photo 7 After the yard job cleared, a south bound freight shows up.

 Photo 9 A NS crew shows up to check the diamond out, and while they are working, a CSX local comes by.

 Photo 11 The worker is tightening bolts that have come loose holding the diamond together.

 Photo 12 Checking the diamond out.

 Photo 13 Look what is on the end of another local?  An old Conrail caboose!

 Photo 15  Finishing the job.  The crewman on the right is on the lookout for approaching trains.

That is the end of our jaunt to Marion and its famous diamonds.  Here is one last shot of a NS local running in reverse with another Conrail caboose leading the way.  For once, we didn't hear the blast of the air horn, but the toot of the horn on the caboose!