Nickel Plate 765 Harrisburg Excursions and Norfolk Southern OCS

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• published: 20 Aug 2012
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On three different days, you will witness NKP 765 at a variety of scenic mainline and downtown locations near and in Harrisburg, PA. The NS F-Units also make an appearance! So sit back, beat the crowds, and listen to the beautiful stack talk and reverberation of the whistle off of the downtown hi-rises and river-side hills—a distinct sound of America's past that built the very city of Harrisburg—one that certainly has not been heard in a couple of decades and is sure to send chills down your spine! As capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg has a rich past as a major center of the Pennsylvania Railroad and its surviving iconic structures, such as the Rockville Bridge, Harris Tower, and numerous position lights and catenary equipment. Let's also not forget the juncture of the Reading Lines on the east end of town, which also includes surviving signals and an arched bridge over the Susquehanna River. On Monday, August 13th, 2012, witness the deadhead run at a couple of places along the Pittsburgh Line. The 18th and 19th include locations hosted for the Harrisburg Employee Appreciation Excursions, which are listed below with a corresponding excursion and video time, as an easy click-access for skipping through and rewatching parts of the video. 0:00 - NKP 765 passes the JVRR Yard just west of Lewistown. 1:43 - Passing the Position Lights at Newport. 2:46 - The best lit shot of the day, EB 0900 run at the PA-39 Bridge, Rockville. 4:59 - We wanted to catch the meet of the OCS and NKP from the overlook, but after getting lost, and uncertain of where the staged meet would occur at the time, we just went back to the 39 bridge. All was not a loss, despite getting clouded, this shot offers a nice view of NKP 765 passing operations at Harrisburg Terminal. 6:40 - The OCS then heads east through Rockville Interlocking. With time between NKP 765 excursions, this definitely called for a chase! We then see it book westbound down the Lurgan Branch at Rossmoyne Road - 9:00 9:47 - This shot of the noon excursion on the Mulberry Street Bridge was specifically planned to catch architecture of both the railroad and city, including the Amtrak Station and several downtown structures. However, I had not realized this location was plagued by 20+ MPH wind gusts and downwash that come off the leeward sides of the hi-rises. Unfortunately, a huge gust picked up as the train rounded the curve, shaking the camera a bit. I do apologize for this, but the wind block on the mic saved the audio. 10:41 - The train reverses on the Lurgan Branch wye at Front Street, entering the beautiful Reading Bridge over the Susquehanna River, with the abandoned PRR Bridge in the background. After this, we took a quick break to chase 203 down the Lurgan Branch with a CN leader, and a horn and marker light happy engineer, knowing that there would be 2.5 hours until the 3 o'clock excursion. A video of this chase will be up momentarily. On the drive back into Harrisburg, with a planned shot at Harris tower, we heard that the excursion left early, and had just passed upon arrival. Oops! After the train wyed, we catch it heading west past the generating station - 14:48 16:35 - Backing into Enola underneath Overview Bridge. In the meantime, 33A was pulling out of the yard ready to head east for the Harrisburg Line. In modern day terms, 33A had a great consist, including a former NW SD40-2, GP38-2, and GP59 in the Operation Lifesaver scheme. 19:02 - The train backs into Enola Yard to end the day, where it will take on water and rest for Sunday's excursions. Hurray again for clouds! But once the sun came out, it was time for some beautiful rosters! 21:42 - It was back to the capital city on Sunday where once again, despite the clouds, NKP 765 would be the dominant sound within the city Harrisburg, which was otherwise awfully quiet on that cool morning. The eastbound noon excursion was viewed atop the State Street Bridge. Note the rare Reading signal bridge—there are less than a handful of these in existence. 23:38 - Seen from the "rapids" the noon excursion returns to Enola making good time across the Rockville Bridge. 25:37 - Up high from the overlook on Blue Mountain above Rockville on the east side of the river, is a view hosting several mountain ranges and the river valley, carved by man's progress, including I-81, US 11/15, and the vast Enola Yard. Being on the hillside by myself was quite a paradox given how many people you can see packed at the locations below me, such as Overview Bridge, the Rockville Bed&Breakfast;, and the eastern boat launch. Needless to say, watching the train leave Enola Yard and crossing the Rockville Bridge at a continuous 10 minute span was an experience that will never go forgotten. 30:07 - Entering Rockville Bridge. 34:01 - The last hoorah in Harrisburg, NKP 765 really puts on a show here! Viewed from the State Street Bridge overlooking the Amtrak Station and Harris Tower. Thanks For Watching!