Empty ethanol around the horn, along with the FRA, and FEC for flavor

Interesting day yesterday.  Things started out kinda ho-hum, and I figured that I wouldn’t get a chance to head out – had a bunch of stuff at work to do, and what really iced the decision was the fact that Providence & Worcester train NR-2 was coming out of Plainfield as light engines.  Oh, well, I resolved the fact that I’d be missing the nice day stuck in the confines of the office.  Well, as things worked out, I did manage to get out for a bit and catch something a bit different…well, actually a few different things.

After getting into work, I got word that the P&W was running an empty ethanol extra to the New England Central, eventually getting those 80 empty ethanol cars back to the midwest.  Word at that time was they were probably going to head down the Willimantic branch, and be handed off to the NECR in Willimantic.  OK, guess that was out of the question for me, so I figured I’d sit back and “watch” the action from a distance.

Well, around lunchtime, I got word again that the ethanol extra was in fact heading south of Plainfield, and would be handed off to the NECR in New London.  Now that changed things a bit…  And as it were, I was waiting on someone across “the pond” to get something done before I could continue on my latest task, so I figured I could probably bag them at Mill Cove in Ledyard, and possibly entering the NECR in New London before having to head back, since delays and unforeseen issues are the norm on the railroad.

But yesterday was quite different, as far as “normal” railroading goes – you know, on the railroad, nothing is for sure, and Murphy’s law rules.  What went differently is that things actually fell into place – PW made it down to Groton in time to make a window across the river, the Amtrak New London dispatcher sent him right over the Thames and into New London, where the NECR was waiting with a pair of engines – one NECR blue & gold GP38, and the FEC 437.  It also didn’t take too long to hand the train off, and have them head north.  So I was able to catch the ethanol making its way down and back up the Thames.  And during all of that, a DOT extra on the NECR, which was towing the FRA inspection car, also came south along the Thames River.  All in all, not a bad somewhat short time trackside.

The one thing I wanted to note and couldn’t get a picture of, though, was about the sheer size of the train (hey, for us New Englanders, an 80 car train is huge!).  As the P&W was pulling across the river, by the time the tail end of the train was moving off of the Thames River drawbridge, the head end was about halfway through the New London Amtrak station.  Here it is on a map (screenshot from bing.com) to give you an idea.

And now onto the good stuff.  But, instead of a play-by-play, here’s the shots, all in a row.  Hope you enjoy!

Thanks for looking!
Tom