NYSW operating the D&H-Binghamton west

Once the NYSW decided to paint their power, they put together some good looking consists. This SLN 5 has just pulled up to QD, and now that the rear of the train has cleared BD, it will back its 50 platforms and 4 freight into the D&H yard to change power and crews and roll for Buffalo. The power, an SD 45/F 45/SD 45 set, looks good in yellowjacket paint.

A westbound D&H train, with NYSW power now in charge, since Guilford put the D&H in bankruptcy and took all their power back to the B&M, rolls west at Owego as Conrail's WEEL 39 works down by the Ward & Van Scoy feed mill. NYSW SD's would become a common sight over the next several years.

A trio of NS C30-7s rolls MEBU past the Erie station in Owego, now 30 minutes into the trip to Buffalo.

SLN 4 sits at QD after arriving from Buffalo. It will get an NYSW crew here for the remainder of the trip to Little Ferry. This is probably not 6542s first trip to Binghamton. BN power ran through on EL for several years, and their SD 45s were frequent visitors.

BUAB crosses the Chemung River at Elmira behind a trio of NS GEs. A dozen years from now, NS will own this line. in 2015, it will get the south end of the D&H.

MEBU rolls past the signal at 236-2 as it prepares to meet BUOI-note the signal is red on track 2. The meet shot is in the CR on the Southern Tier-Susquehanna and Mahoning album.

This MEBU was waiting to meet an eastbound at West BD behind a solid set of Guilford power. Guilford had just cut the D&H loose, putting it into bankruptcy after losing a battle to impose Springfneld Terminal work rules.

An MEBU rolls through Owego on its way to Buffalo. Today we have D&H leaders, though NYSW tried to put one of their units in the lead whenever possible.

A pair of GEs waits to get into Binghamton, doing their best to hide in the fog.

KL 1 rolls west past Miller Beach Rd in Owego in charge of a multi colored set of NYSW power.

A pair of NW GEs bracket a pair of SD 45s, one an NRL lease unit of Southern heritage, the other one of NYSWs ex BN units, as they lead MEBU under the Lester Av overpass in Johnson City.

MEBU sits at the old D&H passenger station as it waits to get out onto the Tier at QD.

HAN 2, the weekly Hanjin stack train, rolls across the Chenango River to a crew change and the final leg into Jersey.

Where possible, Walter Rich wanted NYSW power to lead the D&H trains he was running. Heres an MEBU rolling through Elmira heeding those instructions.

An Sea Land train arrives from Buffalo behind a trio of Chessie units and one D&H GP 39. They are heading up the Buffalo Runner toward Bevier St, where they will get an NYSW crew, then back out onto the Tier and head for Jersey.

SLN 3 sits at QD, waiting for permission from the Hornell B dispatcher to roll west on the Tier. Hell get it, and be on his way to Buffalo shortly.

A pair of GEs lead a C424 on MEBU as it waits to get onto the Tier. This power will return on tomorrow's BUME, but with the C 424 in the middle.

BUME arrives with the power it went west with yesterday, except now the C 424 is mid consist. NYSW as a rule got pretty good utilization out of the power it ran, and it was not uncommon to see power go west one day, and come right back.

This westbound NY 9 had four Chessie units, including a GE, something Chessie did not have many of. Its rolling west at West BD, headed for a CSX connection at Buffalo.

BUAB, grain for the Port of Albany, rolls into town behind a mix of power that would be unusual anywhere else. At this time in history in Binghamton, just another day on the railroad.

A BUAB train for the Port of Albany rolls through QD behind a pair of NW units. Conrail's local, WABH 11, works on the ex DLW at left.

BUME rolls past a field of flowers as it approaches Page Av crossing in west Endicott behind and ex Reading unit and an NS GE. The building in the distance was a plastic pipe manufacturer, and Conrail customer. The factory burned in a spectacular fire two days before Christmas that year, and they relocated the new plant to Waverly, with rail service on the Ithaca Branch.

BUAY, to AYer Mass, rolls in from the west behind a pair of NYSW units. It is passing West BD, where the DLW main joined the Erie after 1959. The DLW would regain its own tracks at Gibson, east of Corning.

Chessies contribution to the NYSW during this period was mostly road power on stack trains-not surprising since they owned Sea Land at the time. The trains came off the ex B&O at Buffalo, and the power usually ran through to Jersey. Anything could show up, though it was typically GP 40s, but other power would make an appearance, such as this GP 30 leading HAN 2 taking the Buffalo Runner at QD, as seen from the Chenango St overpass.

Even with all the odd and obscure power coming through Binghamton, this was a surprise. Big GE's were almost unknown on these trains, so to catch not only a C30-7, but a U30C, which were becoming rare by then, on a stack was really a treat. SLN 3(DHT 9 on Conrail) takes to the Tier for its run to Buffalo.

MEBU rolls west across the Chenango River as it starts its trip to Buffalo.

NW and NYSW units roll the last miles off this BUMEs trip to Binghamton. It will recrew and head for Mechanicville

MEBU pulls down to QD, passing the ex D&H passenger station. It will shortly be on its way to Buffalo behind this trio of SD 45s-shades of the EL!!

Wherever possible, Walter Rich told his operating people to run a Yellowjacket unit in the lead. They did well on this MEBU waiting to get onto the Tier for its trip to Buffalo.

A westbound MTPL rolls back to the mines in western PA behind a B 40/F 45 combination, seen at East Corning.

With NS and CSX both contributing power to keep the NYSW moving D&H trains, some wild power sets came through town. This was one of them, seen at QD with an SLN 5.

SLN 3 sits on the Buffalo Runner waiting for a D&H crew to take it west. Power today is a pair of ex Seaboard SD 40-2s, a model so common everywhere else, but notable on the NYSW and D&H.

BUME crosses over to the Buffalo Runner behind three SD 45s. The leader is NYSW, the others are lease units.

The last of fall color splashes the Susquehanna valley as BUME rolls east, just about to enter Campville. The trailing units are a pair of Bangor & Aroostook GP 38s, fresh from rebuild, and which will go to the D&H on lease.

BUME crosses over from 2 to 1, and onto the Buffalo Runner as it makes its way up to Bevier St and a crew change before heading north.

BUME slowly approaches West BD, getting ready to stop and throw the switches to the Buffalo Runner a little under a mile ahead. Before it does that, it will meet OIBU, which is pumping air just east of the West BD interlocking.

Six units lead todays SLN 3, five of them Yellowjackets.

CSX seemed to paint everything in their "stealth" scheme including some old units. This GP 30 was on SLN 3 at Binghamton, about to go west on the Tier.

A set of Chessie power, one unit now in the new CSX scheme, leads SLN 3 waiting to get onto the Tier at QD.

When the NYSW took over operation of the D&H, the power was given a quick paint out, and sent on its way. Heres an MEBU rolling through Waverly behind a couple of GTI paint outs with one of the renumbered GP 38's leading, on a typically cloudy Tier day.

In recent years, some railroads have pretty much shut down, with only essential operations running. Apparently, Sea Land stacks were not essential, as this SLN 3 is backed onto the Utica Branch, waiting for a D&H crew that will come on later this evening for the run to Buffalo.

NYSW traditionally had numbered their MU equipped units with even numbers. This one SD 45 was the exception, numbered 6361. Here it leads MEBU at the south end of Bevier St

MEBU rolls west at MP 231 on the Tier.

After the first two BAR units arrived in late October, two more came in November. One from both pairs is assisting this BUAB as it gets started up the hill at Bevier St

NYSW 3636 leads a pair of lease units east at West BD, now on the final leg to a crew change at Binghamton.

SLN 5 rolls west behind a trio of SD 45s on the Southern Tier between Johnson City and Endwell. Heavy rail, deep ballast, big power. Looks like the major leagues. This was a good photo spot, as it was easily accessible from NY 17, as well as NY 17C, locally known as the George F Highway, which parallelled the tracks here.

SLN 5 rolls west past the stubble corn at Miller Beach Rd as it hustles a train full of Sea Land containers to a CSX connection at Buffalo.

This field in Owego was a favorite vantage point. There was a good, open view of the tracks, and the crops changed periodically, so it was always a new view from season to season, and year to year. Heres MEBU with a pair of GEs bracketing one of NRLs F 45s. How about that Rio Grande auto rack head out??

Just east of MP 233 there is a short stand of trees on either side of the tracks. The anticipation builds as you hear the train approaching, then burst from the shade. Tele view from Miller Beach Rd of MEBU.

A view of MEBU coming though Waverly shows the lay of town. On the right is CR customer Leprino Foods. On the left is the row of buildings down town, just beyond the Fulton St crossing. The train is about to pass Ted Clark's Busy Market, a Waverly landmark, just out of the photo to the left.