Railfanning in Romulus, MI

Close to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport NS and CSX mainlines are meeting at a busy crossing at the small town of Romulus just at the north west corner of the airport area. NS runs east-west and CSX north-south. The crossing is easy accessable and a well known spot for railfans. During one Saturday afternoon I met 3 hobby collegues. If you take care at the crossing area it seems the railroad people don't have a problem with railfans here, engineers, track crews and inspection personnel were all friendly greeting.

The area in front of the diamond is used for some storage if ties and rails.

The diamond!

An old Chessie caboose is on display at the local museum. In the background you will see the CSX tracks.

But now to the action. An eastbound tank train rolls by. As usual elder NS engines are build to "long hood forward" as GP38-2 #5559 demonstrates here. She is supported by another Geep - 4148, a GP38AC.

The same direction comes this Canadian Pacific merchandise train. ES44AC (CP 8786) and AC4400CW (CP 8571) make a quite bright and clean impression.

Ol' Smoky comes from the mountains...

The piloting engine is an elder Conrail Genral Electric C39-8, supported by NS 9969, a C40-9W.

An Intermodal train from Detroit shoots by. Both engines (#9562 in the front and # 9520 at second place) are AC4400W but much less tidy as the ones before.

CSX 7859 and 7321 are heading southwards with their automobile train. The track runs below the busy Interstate 94.

Just banging over the first parts of the crossíng. 7859 is a C40-8W, 7321 has "only" a standard cab, it is a C40-8.

Quietly approaches this inspection vehicle the crossing without blowing the horn or even activating the gates.

BNSF 4690 (C44-9W) and UP3286 (SD40-2 "Snoot Nose") rush a double stack train northwards.

The double track section of CSX ends directly in front of the diamond.

CSX 7880 (C40-8W) and CSX 8041 (SD40-2) bring wind power plants northwards. The acceptance of renewable energies has gained a lot of momentum in the US in the last time and many of these plants are shipped in at southern ports.

The backside of the same train. At the end the typical "Flashing Rear End Device" to control the completeness of the train.

Just in the last minute before a thunderstorm starts SD70M-2 # 2712 heads westwards with an auto train.

...the last car is this tanker in the special light of a nearing thunderstorm.

The first thunderstorms is gone and the heat of the hot day is still in the tracks - steaming up the rain into foggy clouds. Only two minutes later the next rain shower starts.

Sheltered by the bridges of I-94 this last picture of that day was made - CSX 7740 with her short freight train in the pouring rain.

Quite close and southwards of the crossing there is a CSX yard. An autotrain rolls by the parked auto cars. The engines of this southbound are CSX 7395, an C40-8W and CSX 7602, an C40-8.

The autoracks are reflecting the bright headlights of the next train.

It looks a bit overkill... two big brutes for only three boxcars. General Electric supplied the first engine as a C44-9, second is an EMD SD engine with unknown number.

A red flag at the end is only allowed at short trains.

Two blocks south I meet again with these two Dash 8's. The engineer waited until I was in photo position and fired up his gear.

Back at the diamonds I was able to shoot ES44AC #CP 8757 with her auto train.

Covered hopper cars are moving nothwards behind CSX 7804 and 7338 . Both engines are GE C40-8W.

Just before I had to leave to the airport I was lucky again: The RoadRailer train appeared! SD70 2517 pulls the trailers westwards.

The RoadRailer train consists of special truck trailers prepared to accept specific trucks between the trailers.

The last picture of this session of in total 3 afternoons schows again an inspection car driving very carefully over the diamond.