2Railz

2Railz We are 2Railz, we create videos about things that run on two rails - mostly trains.

Based largely in the Washington DC Metro area, and as such focused on CSX and Norfolk Southern operations in Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia, 2Railz produces railfan-focused content in video form.

VRE services at AlexandriaAlexandria Union Station is an Amtrak stop just to the south of Washington, DC. It services Am...
16/09/2025

VRE services at Alexandria

Alexandria Union Station is an Amtrak stop just to the south of Washington, DC. It services Amtrak, VRE, and WMATA (MetroRail - at a dedicated station area). VRE is the Virginia Railway Express, a system opened in the early 1990s that services commuters headed to the DC are from as far South as Spotsylvania and as far West as Manassas.

In this vid we observe several VRE services in the evening rush. Train numbers "31x" service the Fredericksburg Line to Spotsylvania, numbers "33x" service Manassas. In the evening, all runs on the Fredericksburg line are southbound. On the Manassas line there are a couple of reverse runs that head back into DC to complete additional outbound services. We are lucky enough to capture one of these here too.

At Alexandria, there are a couple of Amtrak services scheduled in the evening, and CSX Freight Trains will be interspersed as needed. We'll see some of those in other videos coming up.

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2Railz equipment:

Field Recording:
Canon GX10 (Camera) -- https://bhpho.to/3vlvlBD
Panasonic HC-VX1 (Camera) - https://a.co/d/46pB12B
Zoom H6e (Audio Recording) -- https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1805576-REG/zoom_h6essential_32_bit_float.html
Te****le Sync -- https://bhpho.to/3paLWqI
DJI Osmo Action (Action Camera) -- https://amzn.to/3vlXTLk
Tripod -- https://amzn.to/3lNcEU9
Whistler WS1010 (Radio Scanner) -- https://amzn.to/3lZgPMZ

Studio:
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme ISO (Video mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3DPb7mM
Zoom Livetrak L-8 (Audio mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3FQVTzo

Also in the bag:
Zoom H1n -- https://amzn.to/3DTRxpk
Zoom H4n -- https://amzn.to/3vlF1Mm
Zoom H6 -- https://amzn.to/3B4kQUF

Alexandria Union Station is an Amtrak stop just to the south of Washington, DC. It services Amtrak, VRE, and WMATA (MetroRail - at a dedicated station area)....

Colorado AutoracksLast week I talked about how cool it was to see the contents of autoracks - this week we see it even b...
09/09/2025

Colorado Autoracks

Last week I talked about how cool it was to see the contents of autoracks - this week we see it even better exemplified.

Earlier in the summer I spent a couple of days in Denver (thanks, employer!) and was able to spend an evening watching trains on the Joint Line between Denver and Pueblo, CO. The scenery is epic, the trains are frequent, the experience amazing. I won't be sad to have to go back some day, and I might have to take the family out some time too.

The one thing I learned is that BNSF doesn't call train symbols in the same way that CSX or NS do. To that end, I don't actually have train symbols for these trains. I also don't have origin/destination pairs for them. All I have is what I could see from the outside.

And on this particular train, one thing grabbed my attention while I was pacing it south of Castle Rock: The lead unit had a very classic air conditioning unit. Just behind the cab on the left/conductor's side, an old Warbonnet paint job shows just how old the AC unit is.

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2Railz equipment:

Field Recording:
Canon GX10 (Camera) -- https://bhpho.to/3vlvlBD
Panasonic HC-VX1 (Camera) - https://a.co/d/46pB12B
Zoom H6e (Audio Recording) -- https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1805576-REG/zoom_h6essential_32_bit_float.html
Te****le Sync -- https://bhpho.to/3paLWqI
DJI Osmo Action (Action Camera) -- https://amzn.to/3vlXTLk
Tripod -- https://amzn.to/3lNcEU9
Whistler WS1010 (Radio Scanner) -- https://amzn.to/3lZgPMZ

Studio:
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme ISO (Video mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3DPb7mM
Zoom Livetrak L-8 (Audio mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3FQVTzo

Also in the bag:
Zoom H1n -- https://amzn.to/3DTRxpk
Zoom H4n -- https://amzn.to/3vlF1Mm
Zoom H6 -- https://amzn.to/3B4kQUF

Last week I talked about how cool it was to see the contents of autoracks - this week we see it even better exemplified.Earlier in the summer I spent a coupl...

ABC: Autoracks for Baltimore with CarsMost Autoracks aren't solid-sided, if you get a good angle and light you can easil...
02/09/2025

ABC: Autoracks for Baltimore with Cars

Most Autoracks aren't solid-sided, if you get a good angle and light you can easily peek in from the outside and see what they're carrying. I didn't bother with this train - so I can't tell you what cars it was hauling east to Baltimore, nor could I take a reliable guess as to whether they were destined for the US market (though that seems by far the most likely) or export.

If you pay attention, you'll spot the moment that an empty coal train crosses in the background on its way back to West Virginia. You definitely catch the tail end as M276 clears!

=====================================
2Railz equipment:

Field Recording:
Canon GX10 (Camera) -- https://bhpho.to/3vlvlBD
Panasonic HC-VX1 (Camera) - https://a.co/d/46pB12B
Zoom H6e (Audio Recording) -- https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1805576-REG/zoom_h6essential_32_bit_float.html
Te****le Sync -- https://bhpho.to/3paLWqI
DJI Osmo Action (Action Camera) -- https://amzn.to/3vlXTLk
Tripod -- https://amzn.to/3lNcEU9
Whistler WS1010 (Radio Scanner) -- https://amzn.to/3lZgPMZ

Studio:
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme ISO (Video mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3DPb7mM
Zoom Livetrak L-8 (Audio mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3FQVTzo

Also in the bag:
Zoom H1n -- https://amzn.to/3DTRxpk
Zoom H4n -- https://amzn.to/3vlF1Mm
Zoom H6 -- https://amzn.to/3B4kQUF

Most Autoracks aren't solid-sided, if you get a good angle and light you can easily peek in from the outside and see what they're carrying. I didn't bother w...

Coal Empties going WestCoal may not be the "king" that it once was, but it isn't quite dead just yet. CSX still has seve...
26/08/2025

Coal Empties going West

Coal may not be the "king" that it once was, but it isn't quite dead just yet. CSX still has several scheduled coal trains on the old B&O, and this is one of them, taking empty hoppers from the Curtis Bay Coal Pier in Baltimore, MD, back to Grafton, WV.

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2Railz equipment:

Field Recording:
Canon GX10 (Camera) -- https://bhpho.to/3vlvlBD
Panasonic HC-VX1 (Camera) - https://a.co/d/46pB12B
Zoom H6 (Audio Recording) -- https://amzn.to/3B4kQUF
Te****le Sync -- https://bhpho.to/3paLWqI
DJI Osmo Action (Action Camera) -- https://amzn.to/3vlXTLk
Tripod -- https://amzn.to/3lNcEU9
Whistler WS1010 (Radio Scanner) -- https://amzn.to/3lZgPMZ

Studio:
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme ISO (Video mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3DPb7mM
Zoom Livetrak L-8 (Audio mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3FQVTzo

Also in the bag:
Zoom H1n -- https://amzn.to/3DTRxpk
Zoom H4n -- https://amzn.to/3vlF1Mm

Coal may not be the "king" that it once was, but it isn't quite dead just yet. CSX still has several scheduled coal trains on the old B&O, and this is one of...

Free-mo Setup/Teardown at the Railroad Museum of PennsylvaniaEvery year for the last few years, the Railroad Museum of P...
22/08/2025

Free-mo Setup/Teardown at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

Every year for the last few years, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (in Strasburg, PA) has hosted a Model Railroad Festival. They invite model railroad groups from the region to participate, bringing their layouts and trains for the visitors to see.

The challenge in a space like this museum is that they don't close off a portion, or allocate special time off-hours to set up. We're opening doors to the facility to access the space whilst visitors are present, and setting up while they walk the aisles looking at the exhibits. As our fearless leader commented a couple of times, "today we're demonstrating how to set up a modular layout!"

Another challenge is that the space we're assigned is almost always linear - we rely heavily on straight modules that don't have significant protrusions away from the main line. Curves can be useful, but again - we can't deviate much more than a couple of feet from the center line of the platform before we need the layout to curve back the other way.

This year we were a bit tight on modules offered - a small handful were expected but were unavailable on relatively short notice. It was brief, but everyone seemed to have a good time.

Next show: Great Scale Model Train Show in October at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, MD.

=====================================
2Railz equipment:

Field Recording:
Canon GX10 (Camera) -- https://bhpho.to/3vlvlBD
Panasonic HC-VX1 (Camera) - https://a.co/d/46pB12B
Zoom H6e (Audio Recording) -- https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1805576-REG/zoom_h6essential_32_bit_float.html
Te****le Sync -- https://bhpho.to/3paLWqI
DJI Osmo Action (Action Camera) -- https://amzn.to/3vlXTLk
Tripod -- https://amzn.to/3lNcEU9
Whistler WS1010 (Radio Scanner) -- https://amzn.to/3lZgPMZ

Studio:
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme ISO (Video mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3DPb7mM
Zoom Livetrak L-8 (Audio mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3FQVTzo

Also in the bag:
Zoom H1n -- https://amzn.to/3DTRxpk
Zoom H4n -- https://amzn.to/3vlF1Mm
Zoom H6 -- https://amzn.to/3B4kQUF

Every year for the last few years, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (in Strasburg, PA) has hosted a Model Railroad Festival. They invite model railroad gr...

Model Railroading Days at the Railroad Museum of PennsylvaniaEvery year for the last few years, the Railroad Museum of P...
22/08/2025

Model Railroading Days at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

Every year for the last few years, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (in Strasburg, PA) has hosted a Model Railroad Festival. They invite model railroad groups from the region to participate, bringing their layouts and trains for the visitors to see.

As I participate with Capitol Free-mo, I was there on our weekend. Present this week were (in order of Video appearance):
0:00 Intro
0:42 Capitol Free-mo | Capitol Free-mo
1:27 Lebanon Valley Rail | Lebanon Valley Rail
1:36 Northeast Corridor Historical Society | Northeast Corridor Historical Society (Philly Corridor Crew)
3:12 Lower Susquehanna Valley Modular Railroaders | Lower Susquehanna Valley Modular Railroaders
3:49 Brick Reading Railroad | Brick Reading Railroad
5:37 Strasburg Model Railroad Club | http://trainweb.org/smrc/
7:30 Capitol Free-mo (Again)

=====================================
2Railz equipment:

Field Recording:
Canon GX10 (Camera) -- https://bhpho.to/3vlvlBD
Panasonic HC-VX1 (Camera) - https://a.co/d/46pB12B
Zoom H6e (Audio Recording) -- https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1805576-REG/zoom_h6essential_32_bit_float.html
Te****le Sync -- https://bhpho.to/3paLWqI
DJI Osmo Action (Action Camera) -- https://amzn.to/3vlXTLk
Tripod -- https://amzn.to/3lNcEU9
Whistler WS1010 (Radio Scanner) -- https://amzn.to/3lZgPMZ

Studio:
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme ISO (Video mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3DPb7mM
Zoom Livetrak L-8 (Audio mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3FQVTzo

Also in the bag:
Zoom H1n -- https://amzn.to/3DTRxpk
Zoom H4n -- https://amzn.to/3vlF1Mm
Zoom H6 -- https://amzn.to/3B4kQUF

Every year for the last few years, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (in Strasburg, PA) has hosted a Model Railroad Festival. They invite model railroad gr...

Norfolk Southern train 18N With a Pleasant Surprise!This last weekend I was in Strasburg, PA - once again at the Railroa...
21/08/2025

Norfolk Southern train 18N With a Pleasant Surprise!

This last weekend I was in Strasburg, PA - once again at the Railroad Museum supporting their Model Railroad Festival. Another successful show, in my opinion. While I was there, I got out and about a bit.

I say Harrisburg, but really it was a small town just to the east called Hummelstown. As the Harrisburg Mainline heads east it passes through Rutherford and then Hummelstown just around the corner where there are a couple of at-grade crossings - ripe for railfanning.

I arrived early on Sunday Morning and checked the Heritage Units site for indications of what might be coming. I didn't quite believe it as the nose came over the horizon! =====================================
2Railz equipment:

Field Recording:
Canon GX10 (Camera) -- https://bhpho.to/3vlvlBD
Panasonic HC-VX1 (Camera) - https://a.co/d/46pB12B
Zoom H6e (Audio Recording) -- https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1805576-REG/zoom_h6essential_32_bit_float.html
Te****le Sync -- https://bhpho.to/3paLWqI
DJI Osmo Action (Action Camera) -- https://amzn.to/3vlXTLk
Tripod -- https://amzn.to/3lNcEU9
Whistler WS1010 (Radio Scanner) -- https://amzn.to/3lZgPMZ

Studio:
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme ISO (Video mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3DPb7mM
Zoom Livetrak L-8 (Audio mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3FQVTzo

Also in the bag:
Zoom H1n -- https://amzn.to/3DTRxpk
Zoom H4n -- https://amzn.to/3vlF1Mm
Zoom H6 -- https://amzn.to/3B4kQUF

This last weekend I was in Strasburg, PA - once again at the Railroad Museum supporting their Model Railroad Festival. Another successful show, in my opinion...

New Vid on Youtube!
20/08/2025

New Vid on Youtube!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Trash Train in Shenandoah JunctionCSX is perhaps well known in some parts for carrying trash from the Northeast to the S...
19/08/2025

Trash Train in Shenandoah Junction

CSX is perhaps well known in some parts for carrying trash from the Northeast to the South. Any opinions I might have on this (and I don't really have any) are irrelevant to the fact that train M406 is one of those trains returning north.

Interestingly, this one comes out of Petersburg, VA and heads to Selkirk in New York, but it doesn't go up the east coast route: rather it goes West via Cumberland and then loops around that way.

=====================================
2Railz equipment:

Field Recording:
Canon GX10 (Camera) -- https://bhpho.to/3vlvlBD
Panasonic HC-VX1 (Camera) - https://a.co/d/46pB12B
Zoom H6e (Audio Recording) -- https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1805576-REG/zoom_h6essential_32_bit_float.html
Te****le Sync -- https://bhpho.to/3paLWqI
DJI Osmo Action (Action Camera) -- https://amzn.to/3vlXTLk
Tripod -- https://amzn.to/3lNcEU9
Whistler WS1010 (Radio Scanner) -- https://amzn.to/3lZgPMZ

Studio:
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme ISO (Video mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3DPb7mM
Zoom Livetrak L-8 (Audio mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3FQVTzo

Also in the bag:
Zoom H1n -- https://amzn.to/3DTRxpk
Zoom H4n -- https://amzn.to/3vlF1Mm
Zoom H6 -- https://amzn.to/3B4kQUF

CSX is perhaps well known in some parts for carrying trash from the Northeast to the South. Any opinions I might have on this (and I don't really have any) a...

Strasburg DepartureAs this video posts, I'll be in Strasburg PA once more, setting up another Free-mo layout for the vie...
15/08/2025

Strasburg Departure

As this video posts, I'll be in Strasburg PA once more, setting up another Free-mo layout for the viewing public at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

I'm excited to see the museum again - to see what has moved, if anything - to see the beginning of construction on the new roundhouse - to see Live Steam at the Strasburg Railroad across the street. I'll have to pay a visit to the permanent model railroad, and the model railroad store just down the road too.

Leave a comment, tell me what you want to see at the RRMoPA this year!

=====================================
2Railz equipment:

Field Recording:
Canon GX10 (Camera) -- https://bhpho.to/3vlvlBD
Panasonic HC-VX1 (Camera) - https://a.co/d/46pB12B
Zoom H6e (Audio Recording) -- https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1805576-REG/zoom_h6essential_32_bit_float.html
Te****le Sync -- https://bhpho.to/3paLWqI
DJI Osmo Action (Action Camera) -- https://amzn.to/3vlXTLk
Tripod -- https://amzn.to/3lNcEU9
Whistler WS1010 (Radio Scanner) -- https://amzn.to/3lZgPMZ

Studio:
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme ISO (Video mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3DPb7mM
Zoom Livetrak L-8 (Audio mixer) -- https://amzn.to/3FQVTzo

Also in the bag:
Zoom H1n -- https://amzn.to/3DTRxpk
Zoom H4n -- https://amzn.to/3vlF1Mm
Zoom H6 -- https://amzn.to/3B4kQUF

As this video posts, I'll be in Strasburg PA once more, setting up another Free-mo layout for the viewing public at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.I'm e...

Capitol Free-mo at RRMoPA - Setup and Packdown TimelapseWE'LL BE BACK: August 15-17, 2025!This is from last year, settin...
12/08/2025

Capitol Free-mo at RRMoPA - Setup and Packdown Timelapse

WE'LL BE BACK: August 15-17, 2025!

This is from last year, setting up and then packing down the weekend-warrior layout at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Timelapse makes it look quick, but it does take a fair bit of effort to load everything in, wire it up, and get trains moving.

If you can, come and see us again. If you can't, RRMoPA will have a myriad of model railroads for the month of August. Plus they have a massive facility with lots of locomotives and other railroad equipment, so maybe pay them a visit anyway.

WE'LL BE BACK: August 15-17, 2025!This is from last year, setting up and then packing down the weekend-warrior layout at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania....

There and Back AgainWE'LL BE BACK: August 15-17, 2025!This is from last year, running a train from one end of our very l...
10/08/2025

There and Back Again

WE'LL BE BACK: August 15-17, 2025!

This is from last year, running a train from one end of our very long, not very wide layout at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Such an environment presents unique challenges -- curves need to be balanced!

If you can, come and see us again. If you can't, RRMoPA will have a myriad of model railroads for the month of August. Plus they have a massive facility with lots of locomotives and other railroad equipment, so maybe pay them a visit anyway.

WE'LL BE BACK: August 15-17, 2025!This is from last year, running a train from one end of our very long, not very wide layout at the Railroad Museum of Penns...

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