NS 536 Coaldrag w/ an ALL CR BLUE Lashup and an SD40-E 4-Banger @ Portage, PA

[NSrailfest1]

I missed seeing a solid conrail lash-up on NS coal trains. Love the video!

[mutanay77]

what song is this

[AliceInChains243]

@mutanay77 "A Looking In View", Alice In Chains. Listen and enjoy.

[justkiddin08]

Nice catch!!!!

[AliceInChains243]

@justkiddin08 Thanks man, a catch like this is getting harder and harder to repeat as the days go on. 11 years ago yesterday, Conrail ceased to exist, and as of now if my info is correct, there are only 199 blues left on the NS system.

[Reevesinator]

wow dude, this video is killer.

[NSrailfan1]

Ive seen 536 with 2 CR SD60s not 3, thats awesome!!!

[hbkrulez1]

yeah, they come through Tyrone all of the time. Sometimes they have 3 black SD40-2s, i caught an SD70M-2 and a tophat on one also.

[NSrailfan1]

ive only ever caught the two SD60Is, tht wud be cool to see the 3 black 40-2s also

[87STEELE]

Sweet lash-up, man. 5* and a favorite!

[Guser223]

I always love this train!!!

[AliceInChains243]

You're not kidding, best drag of them all. (and since drags are my favorite trains on the West Slope by FAR...this is definitely the best train out here...well, tied with the 10N anyway)

[Guser223]

I can agree with that!!!

[montyvox0510]

I love how at the end of the video, gravity starts to take over. He has a good clip going when the head end power goes by, but you can gradually start to hear him slow down when the pushers make their appearance.

Nicely done video, again might I add.

Thanks

Matt

[AliceInChains243]

Yea this is where every and I mean EVERY train just BITES the hill on this line. They have a 0.77% climb coming up, and right where I stood here that grade more or less doubles to 1.4%, thats why watching the eastbounds here is so great, when they have help on the back its ALWAYS a show.

[o00o00ozy]

The different between an SD60M and an SD60I is, believe it or not, visibley comparable. The "I" in SD60I signifies that the engine has a isolated cab... pretty much just slabs of rubber fixed around the cab, that's what the lines are between the cab/rear hood, and the cab/nose door compartment; SD60M's don't have these spacings. An SD60M is simply and unmodified model, "M" in EMD models typically signifies a change, whether it be an upgrade, but most of the times it signifies a wide-cab.

[o00o00ozy]

Another note, the model SD40M-2 does not have a wide-cab. Why the M? Not really sure, perhaps it has been upgraded in some way plus -2 specs. NS does not have any SD40M-2's, I know HLCX has some. Also another note about isolated cabs... CN has some SD70I's, and CSX obviously has the other exConrail SD60I's. But UP and BNSF are getting the cabs on their SD70ACe's equipped with these spacings, you can see them in newer photographs, I think it is ugly as hell.

[o00o00ozy]

Nice, I had enough time to change my shorts without pausing the video before the helpers came into view. LOL, I bet you had to do the same.

Okay, so like when I was there this summer I got 536 with TWO blues, but the helpers were put ahead and on the rear because it was raining, so eh... I wanna get something like this REAL bad... and of course, NS put a black third unit on in Altoona; the next day I chased the train up the NBER.

Nuff said. GREAT video, glad you caught a good 536!

[AliceInChains243]

Hhahah yea, "blue eyes" tend to do...WONDERS in the pants hahahaha. But yea man, its ABOUT TIME I landed myself a good one. I mean shit everybody here on YouTube has nailed a good 536 except me...but NOT anymore!!

[xxxDeath9572xxx]

Aw.. Looks like my bragging rights are gone! LOL

[IC1034]

That is awesome. Conrail all the way!!!

[bikerarni]

super film with great music, thanks for posting

[xxxDeath9572xxx]

Beautiful Sounds!! I got this EXACT same train aways down from Perry!

[nanshant]

Well done, Mike. They're moving along pretty well. After visiting Crawford Hill I'm not sure who has the better helpers. The West Slope certainly wins for power but Crawford might be a bigger challenge as we watched a few trains go up the hill at no more than 5mph.

[AliceInChains243]

Yup, thats a 536 for ya!! Thanks for the compliment and the rating/fav!

[pahogger]

Yo Mike, bring those SD60I's to my house and park them in the front yard ok? Or at least take them to the museum in Strasburg! Great vid, but then again any vid is great with blue 60I's in it!

[joelp888]

You better blow that mother f****** horn! Nice video of big blue Mike.

[AliceInChains243]

Thanks man, its just nicer than nice that you can actually find lashups like that still hauling drags around.

[thomasagnew]

They gotta get rid of that squeak thing in the rail. It seems to be everywhere!

Those are some of the best looking 60s out there, usually the blue seems all washed out.

Keep churning these out!

[NSHorseheadSD70]

The 536 is always my favorite train to see. Hopefully it'll make an appearance on Thursday and Friday when I'm up there. He was getting a good run for the grade through the Cut wasn't he?

[AliceInChains243]

Yup, then...BIT THE GRADE!!!! Good luck out there by the way.

[gtw4918]

5 stars and favorited!

[AliceInChains243]

Thanks man! GREATLY appreciated!!

[vanillagorilla08096]

Nice!

[fleecejackets]

Wow. That was priceless, Mike. The Conrails were the cake and those SD40E's were the icing! Nice RS3L too. But really, this was amazing. How in the world did you not start screaming when you saw those blue beauties rounding the curve!!!!

[fleecejackets]

ps favorited!

[AliceInChains243]

Hahaha idk, but I bumped into the camera at one point, guess thats where my jumping excitement came out! Yea, I knew it was a 536 coming, but I was skeptical whether all 3 of the units would be blue...but they WERE!!

[fleecejackets]

Oh i didn't notice you did... I was drooling at these units! And yeah... must've been nice to have that be a surprise!

[AliceInChains243]

Haha yea man you're not kidding, its nice that unlike the 8W's, the ex-CR SD60I's have been holding their paint EXTREMELY well, as you can see here. And yea, once I heard "NS 536, clearrrrr 261, 1 east out." I was like OHHHHHHHH YEA!!!!! Bring on the blue and the 4-Bangers!!

[kf7strng]

by the way.. how in blue hell did you catch 3 blue units in 2009? I thought the conrail blues were all but gone! , but i guess not! :)

[YDMO4355]

awsomely spectaculerly stupendous..lol

[AliceInChains243]

Hahaha I'll make the assumption that you liked it!

[kf7strng]

The crew was polite enough to give you a toot! I love when I see that. I like to think that, for those of us that are respectful, the crews are happy to see people out there that enjoy /appreciate their hard work!

[AliceInChains243]

Yea lots of the crews are pretty nice out there for the most part, but there's ALWAYS those few who you could be jumping up and down doing jumping jacks and they STILL won't touch the horn!

[Stephenson18]

NICE!

[AliceInChains243]

Thanks!

[DirectorGuy13]

Nice job, Mike! Awesome video!

[AliceInChains243]

Thanks dude! Glad you liked the vid.

[iusetano]

Excellent video. ***** Seen a few myself. Hope to see a lot more.

[AliceInChains243]

Ahhh don't we all, these are the BEST!

[Higgieman68]

you are the man there buddy love those rebuilt sd50s now sd40e's hey u do good work my friend

[AliceInChains243]

Yea man they're not as loud as the SD40-2's...but I LOVE the new 40-E's, they just popped a new one outta Juniata 3 days ago, the 6317. Thanks for the compiiment.