the "Met" in winter

winters here are generally mild in comparison to the rest of the mid-Altantic or Northeast US.  the Pacer Farm's location at the centre of Montgomery County MD places it in a transitional zone for winter weather. 

it is generally warmer and less likely to snow in locations to the south or east, at lower elevations and conversely colder and more likely to snow to the north or west, at higher elevations.  most of the time during our winters conditions are not suitable for snow -- when it gets cold enough it's usually too dry for snow; when it gets wet enough it's usually too warm for snow.  what it takes to make snow happen around here is a large, warm, wet air mass comeing up from the South and running into a cold, fast-moving air mass from the North (the latter is a phenomenon for which nobody seems to want to take responsibility:  we call it a "Canadian" air mass; they call it "Alaskan" air, where it is referred to as "Siberian".  no, we don't know what it's called in Siberia, but we do  know what happens when it gets here). 

for the railroaders

winter railroadins is interesting to watch, photograph or eavesdrop upon but it doesn't seem to be much fun to do  it.  switches freeze, defect detectors start malfunctioning, the code line fails and takes out the signal system, trees come down across the tracks (sometimes even onto trains), trains become stranded and the contract transport service responsible for moving crews decides to suspend operations.  the people working so hard to keep things moving are always aware the the dispatcher, no matter how sympathetic, is in Jacksonville Florida. 

this was expressed succinctly in a radio exchange between crews of a freight, struggling west with one of their locomotives intermittently failing, querying an hours-late Amtrak Capitol Limited  about weather conditions up the line.  the Amtrak engineer had incomplete information, having relieved the inbound crew at Harper's Ferry, but what he had wasn't very encouraging.  the freight crew signed off with "it looks like Cumberland is just getting further and further away". 

at night

consider the possibilities raised by an activity as simple coming home to Washington Grove on the MARC train from the town of Garrett Park, our downcounty sister city.  P279 is a local that stops in both places.  running ahead of it is P277, a relatively heavy train (when these photos were taken its usual consist was seven coaches and a parlor car so it rated a locomotive at each end) whose express run causes it to skip most local stops (see schedule).  it has attained track speed well before getting to Garrett Park.  even from behind the safety line on the station platform, on a normal day its passage can be rather exhilarating.  add some snow, and see what happens: 
[note:  in the May 1999 timetable revision P277 and P279 became P877 and P879]

MARC P277 passing through Garrett Park at track speed
coming ..... and going

yes, the photographer got plastered with high-speed snow, but it was worth it.  even after it had soaked through his chilled blue jeans, it was still worth it (well, it was mostly  worth it). 

in the morning

we took 278 [now P878] from Washington Grove to Rockville the following morning.  here's the scene it presented on departure:

MARC P278 accelerates out of the Rockville station into the morning snow.

the snow softens the light of the clear signal, making it seem warm and inviting in the chilly morning's diffuse light. 

with the air clear of falling snow, dawn paints warm colours onto the scene as P878 leaves Washington Grove. 

MARC P878 leaves Washington Grove at dawn.

the appearance is deceptive, however, as the morning was cold by local standards. 

a little later, on a different morning, a westbound Q137 intermodal train presents a different appearance when it comes through town: 

westbound intermodal train passing Washington Grove

the winter landscape is lovely, with snow sticking to even the smallest tree branches and the interstices of the chain link fence.  but the train is cold, wet and dirty and it's running several hours behind schedule.  ahead of it is nothing but a long slog to Cumberland, throughout which it will get colder and snowier.  one hopes that the crew, snug in the cab of the lead unit, will be able to stay there without having to walk the train or replace a busted air hose or coupler knuckle. 

After the Snow

on occasion the snow gets deep enough for CSX to suspend operations.  this happened during the snows of February of 2003, and in order to reopen the line the B211 helpers were called out to run up and down the Met as a plow extra to clear snow and ice from the tracks and packed into switches and grade crossings.

operating as a plow extra, the B211 helper sends chunks of snow and ice flying from Aitcheson Crossing in Washington Grove.