Altoona PA 06.08.14: When It Trains, It Pours

[@gp3829]

Nice to see EMD Standard Cabs. Thanks.

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

It's getting harder and harder to see them on Horseshoe. The SD40Es were taken out of the helper pool and reassigned to local duties, and many of the SD40-2s that remain have had their cabs rebuilt among other things. The Geeps still retain the original nose in most cases, but about the only time you'll see them on this line are on the local late at night or very early in the morning. I'm hardly ever awake early enough to see them on the livestreaming web cam at the Curve. 😁

[@iusetano]

Great video capturing the congestion on track one. Even more dramatic in the rain. Excellent video Dave.

[@ctfireapparatus]

Excellent footage... good composition, good location and good quality audio. It also looks like the museum members have to start cutting the trees on the inside of the curve for good viewing. They cut the trees down in 2004.... looks like it is time again. !!!!

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

ctfireapparatus Thanks! The story I've heard is that NS is reluctant to let anyone cut the trees because they are 'worried about erosion'. Apparently folks have volunteered time and resources to do the job and have been turned away. I would love to shoot from the park at least once with my surround mic (the original footage in this clip was recorded with 5.1 surround sound; KZbin downsamples it to stereo), but the view is so grown in I'm not sure it would be worth it. Perhaps it's better in the fall leaf season when the foliage has thinned out a bit. Hmm...

[@ctfireapparatus]

***** that's too bad... have they forgotten that it is a railfan paradise and a Pennsylvania TOURIST destination. They should do what they can to accommodate TOURIST viewers and RAILFAN viewers !!!!

[@gwaithwyr]

Many thanks for a great reminder of a day in 2005 during my second railfan trip to the USA (from UK). Horseshoe Curve was almost as busy as here - but the weather was warm and sunny. This is a wonderful place, which I read about as a kid and in the end just had to visit. Maybe I'll be back!

[@TheRrxing]

The first train was beautiful! Awesome video!

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

Thanks!

[@BNforever2009]

nice video, i gotta get out there next year a few times.

[@BNforever2009]

we have a Horseshoe curve on the layout at Elmhurst Model railroad club

[@ThePhotoDog7]

Awesome video- thank you for sharing!

[@UjjawalKashyap]

Superb videos!

[@jeffreyyatkowski8720]

looks like a great spot. and best of all its free

[@Mikey300]

So, what was the problem with the back-ups for the eastbounds? Maybe NS should have kept ALTO in service?😃

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

Mikey300 No idea. My suspicion was that the intermodal that went down 2 had to cross over in front, but we never overheard anything on the scanner that would have explained the holdup.

[@videobruceb8879]

You mean Conrail!

[@thebrantfordrailfan]

someday i will go there, SOMEDAY!

[@jeffreyyatkowski8720]

hey fastflyingvirginain how do u get to that spot in the beginning of the video of altoona horseshoe curve

[@WhiteCamry]

Yup. Definitely calls for a fourth track. Think NS can squeeze one in there?

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

WhiteCamry Absolutely they could - it was 4 tracks here until Conrail took out the third one in 1981. Rumors of its return have been floating around ever since.

[@heatherallan2695]

i want to go here for a week

[@RenaissancePeopleNYC]

I love it!

[@TheNWClassA1218]

Nice actions and catches, even in that rainy weather! How did you get to that spot over there?

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

On the tunnel portal facing away from the park, there's a path up the left side and over the top, and then on up the hill. Once you're at the top, the ledge I'm on is off to the right. It's a good climb in places, but as you can see the view is rewarding. :)

[@TheNWClassA1218]

***** Cool! I actually like that view better than the normal Horseshoe Curve view. Plus it can be a little easier to catch 3 way meets without getting any of the trains fully blocked out. Do you still have to pay to get to that spot?

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

CottonBeltSD40T Nope, it's all highly unofficial, and not a spot I would recommend to the general public really. But be careful on the climb (up and down), don't act like a bonehead and get close to the tracks, and it's all good.

[@TheNWClassA1218]

***** Got it. I'll think about that next time I go to Horseshoe Curve.

[@titanx619]

11:23 wait do i see a prr gp7 at the left side

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

GP9 7048. It has been on display at the Curve since 1985.

[@Darthsimpletext]

Have you been to the curve after they cleared all the trees? Do you still have yet to visit?

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

I was up Memorial Day weekend, and it is an awesome sight. Even looking back at my oldest video from there (August 1994), it is clearer than it was back then; basically a clear shot as far as you can see to either end of the horseshoe. It is now possible to aim east over the reservoir and see both ends of the same train in a single shot. This latest trip was the first time I have ever filmed from the Curve park with my current camera and its surround sound microphone, so I'm eager to see and hear the results. I just need to work through my backlog of other material first...

[@snowgoosebob]

FFV INFO.... I watched the video a few times 2 weeks ago and enjoyed it, but when I wanted to watch it again last week the video no longer works on YT on my end! Tried to play it in IE, Firefox, Chrome browsers and won't play at all. Also doesn't play at all on all my Desktop, Laptop, Phone and Notebook Browsers on my end! It's been like that for a week now! Bob

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

snowgoosebob If it makes you feel any better, I just tried it from my page and see the same thing - it doesn't even try to start buffering. I tried a couple of newer clips and they play fine, but some clips uploaded around the same time as this one don't play well either; when I try to switch to HD they freeze. Unfortunately, about all we can do is raise the issue in the forums and hope KZbin can unscrew whatever's going on.

[@snowgoosebob]

***** Cool...Now the video is working after a week of not working! Time to now replay it in 1080p HD for the first time on my living room 50" flat screen TV! This will really get my wife mad now! She gets pissed when I play train video's on that living room TV! Now I'M going to have fun! Teeeee heeeee heeee & LOL

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

snowgoosebob Glad to hear it's working again; I tried it this morning on my tablet and it played okay. We have a 46-inch LED TV in the living room that I often test my clips on to get a different perspective on how the color works on something other than my computer monitors. I don't have a home theater setup on it though, so if I really want to wake the neighbors I play the clips back on my computer, where I have a set of THX 5.1 surround speakers plugged in. Those westbounds sound really nice piped through a 10-inch subwoofer. :)

[@HighballHank]

How do you get to that spot

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

You have to climb up the hill from road level on the outside of the curve. There is more than one way up, but if I go I take a route that avoids any walking along the tracks (which is a surefire way to get called in for trespassing).

[@jmumford9]

Any info on your rain cover for the camera?

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

Back when this was shot, I was simply using a cover that came with the camera bag and was meant to cover the bag, but I never actually used it for that. Nowadays I use a bigger cover for the camera that is actually meant for a DSLR, but it fits my HF-G10 well enough. It has two cutouts on the side for your hands to reach the controls, and another cutout on the front for the lens barrel, all 3 are adjustable via pinch-lock drawstrings. The rear of the cover is transparent, and I've found it has enough room that I can open the LCD viewfinder and see well enough to operate. My biggest problem more often than not is keeping droplets off the lens filter.

[@ImagesandWords]

Excellent footage. Can I ask what Camcorder you used and how do you get to that particular spot?

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

+TheFloydReport The camera is a Canon HF-G10 with a Canon SM-V1 5.1-channel microphone. You can get to the spot up the outside of the curve without having to venture near the tracks. NS does not play games when it comes to patrolling the area, so being on your best behavior and staying as far back as possible is paramount.

[@ImagesandWords]

***** Understood. Thank you. Great footage.

[@allenmurray7893]

Those were some long trains.

[@dwetick1]

Take clothes pins for your nose if you go there as most trains today haul garbage.

[@glennmcqueen9475]

Love piggy back

[@ForesteryManagement]

I will smoke a Bowl and Watch from home

[@FastFlyingVirginian]

At 4:20, I'm assuming.