Helm Financial Corporation (HATX) 504 - EMD GP40-2

And ready to go. This CSX detour Q 156 sits behind Rocket Plaza on Upper Court St waiting for a crew. It wont wait much longer, and Ill shoot him going through Kirkwood in a short while.

During summer track work season, CSX would send detour trains over NYSW on a daily basis. Mostly these were low priority trains, usually Q 403 and 404. Q 156 was a higher priority train that often made the trip via Binghamton. We see it here passing Kirkwood Industrial Park along US 11 with a UP leader, with 46 freight and 79 stacks for Jersey.

A HATX lease unit leads BH 2 down the ramp at Old State Road as it heads out of Binghamton. The unit was once one of B&Ms last order of new diesels, a GP40-2 delivered in 1978, and a frequent visitor here via the D&H.

Sometimes NYSW would run short of power, and find themselves in the lease market. Sometimes this meant some really ratty looking diesels. Here we see a pair of ex Guilford units at Old State Rd in Port Dick heading north late in the day.

HATX 504 drills cars in Ridgefield Park, NJ 5/2004

NYSW 3618 is on the point of SU-100 which has outlawed at Port Jervis 10/16/2004

HATX 504 is on the point of WS-2 at Oakland, NJ 4/2005.

HATX 504 and HATX 516 bring some cars to the "MC" tracks in Ridgefield Park, NJ 3/20/2005

Why is he parked behind a no parking sign?

SU-100 passes through Ridgefield Park at 6:59 AM

A view of the power setting off its train at 3:40 PM.

Coming down on SU-100 arriving at Mt Vernon St at 3:40 PM.

WHAT A RAT !

Finally arriving on the MC tracks the 100 slows to 10 mph to drop the train and bring the power in for service.

With growing storm clouds the SU100 speeds towards Ridgefield Park where they will split it up and get the power ready for the SU99.

Now at Campgaw the SU100 notches up to pick up more speed after a speed restriction.

I caught the SU100 by suprise in Newfoundland and beat it to Butler where i saw its impressive lashup for the first time.

The SU99 is really making good speed with four locomotives and a medium sized train.

Now going through BA at track speed the 100 makes good time and will make it to WS within an hour.

Passing the former Newfoundland station and semaphore the 100 is rolling a little bit under track speed.

The SU100 is now slowly getting underway and the smoke from the 3618 can be seen rising up.

The 100 stopped for a few minutes and i was given this oppertunity to photograph the train at a stop. You can see steam rising off of the top of the 3618.

With a smokey 3618 leading, the SU100 pulls its long train over Sparta Mountain.

A WS local pulls a small cut of cars with an ex-Guilford GP40-2

HATX seen in the consist of WS-4/SU-100.

The SU99 blasts through Vernon on a quiet sunday morning.

HATX 504 is on WS-1 at Ridgefield Park, NJ 10/30/2004

The power from the SU100 sits in the engine area with the rebuilt 3618 leading.

MNCR awaits its next call to duty at Port Jervis, NY 10/16/2004

HATX 504 will become the trailing unit on Q-271/SU-99 7/17/2004.

Heading down to the NYSW engine terminal WS1 passes by light with ex Guilford HATX 504.

Here the power for that nights Q271/SU99 heads east with the HATX and LLPX unit.

Here HATX 504 sits with a cut of cars that was dropped off by detour train Q156. You can see that the radiator fans are still blue a sign of this units history when it used to be with the Boston and Maine.