Norfolk Southern's F units in Lafayette

[Stew Winstandley]

For those interested in seeing the Norfolk Southern's F9As and F7Bs as it crosses Indiana, here is information about the trip from jreb.org:
"A Blue Ribbon Special (employee safety award trip) is scheduled to run April 25th and 26th from Lafayette, Indiana to St. Louis with the F units and OCS cars.

Thursday, April 25th the train will depart Lafayette at 8am and operate to Decatur, Ill.

Friday, April 26th the train will depart Decatur and operate to St. Louis.

As far as deadheads, I would expect them to deadhead the train from St. Louis to Louisville this weekend (April 27th or 28th), as the train is expected to be in Louisville to prepare for the Derby guests on the evening of the 28th."

Today, 4/22/13, the train is headed towards Bellevue, Ohio.  Attached is a photo I took of the train on the K&I bridge a few years ago.

Stew

[Ron Marquardt]

Here's picture of those NS F's someone sent me several years ago.  They sure are pretty.  / Ron

[Stew Winstandley]

Ron,

That's a photo I took at the wye north of Danville, Ky. on a Sunday after the Derby.  NS deadheads the OCS from Louisville back to Altoona the day after the Derby.

Stew

[Stew Winstandley]

Ron,

I now remember why I emailed you that photo.  At the time I was curious about the two exhausts on the roof near the rear of the F9As.  Those are the exhausts from the head end power that was added to the F units.  In the good old days the passenger locomotives had steam generators, and now they have HEPs to generate 480 volts for the cars.

Stew

[Ron Marquardt]

You're right Stew, now I remember.  I apologize for not noting the photo credits when I saved it.  I really think thats a great picture.  / Ron

[Stew Winstandley]

The report on Thursday morning is that the NS OCS train will be westbound out of Peru at 8 am instead of Lafayette.

[Stew Winstandley]

The NS F units and OCS were supposed to have left the St. Louis area after 5 pm Friday, headed to Louisville.  That sounds like the trip across southern Indiana will be in the dark.  The OCS tends to get priority over other traffic.

Stew