CSX: What in the world happened?

Coming into 2017, CSX, like most class one railroads, were looking for a bright future. The election of Donald Trump would hopefully help bring back the coal business and help the railroads out. Things were looking up, and then a major curveball was thrown into the paths of the Jacksonville, FL railroads' employees, and the railfans.

On March 6, 2017, CSX named E. Hunter Harrison the new CEO of the railroad. He replaced Michael Ward, who had retired in February 2017. From an article posted on CSX's website, Harrison said that he was "...proud to join the dedicated and talented railroaders at CSX. Together, we will implement Precision Scheduling Railroading - a model proven to improve safety, create better service for customers, produce a proud and winning culture for employees, and generate exceptional, lasting value for shareholders."

Flash forward to May 15th, 2017 (the day this article was written). A lot has happened in a short two month span. On March 30th, Harrison closed their Osborn Yard hump near Louisville, KY. It was the third yard in two weeks, joining Stanley Yard in Toledo, OH on April 1st, 2017 (it was reopened two weeks later) and Tilford Yard in Atlanta, GA on March 22nd, 2017.

In mid-April, Harrison announced that the giant yard in Hamlet, NC was going to be closed as a hump yard, and, like the others, converted to flat switching.

On May 15th, it was announced that Selkirk Yard in Selkirk, NY, a suburb of Albany, would also be closing. This move came as a shock, as Selkirk was the largest yard that the New York Central had. To add to that, the yard is the meeting point of at least four or five subdivisions that CSX operates on. Reportedly, these jobs will possibly be moved to the Conrail Shared Assets Operations in Oak Island, NJ, Syracuse, NY, Rochester, NY, or Buffalo, NY. Selkirk will remain open as a flat switching yard, however.

So with the closure of these yards, this begs the question: What more will Harrison do? Will all CSX Hump Yards be closed (Waycross, Willard, Barr (Chicago))? We'll stay tuned on this story as it unfolds.

Transformation: Part 1

Ever since I was maybe four or five years old, I have been railfanning in Westfield, NY all my life. Whether it was with my grandparents, my mom or dad, my friends, we always enjoyed making the 45 minute drive from Jamestown.

For years the iconic former New York Central Union Switch & Signal tri-lights mounted on a bracket would welcome you to the crossing at North Gale Street. They governed CSX’s Erie West Subdivision, and was known as CP 58. The signals have been up for a while, and have seen a lot in their years of service.

With Positive Train Control forcing out many of the old signals, the old bracket was soon to be replaced. All of the signal bridges in the Buffalo area were falling. I was expecting that they would go down the Erie West from Buffalo all in succession. I was wrong.

My dad and I drove up to Westfield on January 22, 2017. After catching NS 309 in downtown, we mosied over the bridge that traverses CSX, hung a left, then turned onto North Gale and drove to the tracks. I looked to the west, and saw a silver box. Uh oh.

We parked in our usual spot and saw more signs of changes - a pile of ballast, another silver relay box, and a base for the new signal. I was distraught - CP 58 was bound to be replaced SOON. I have plenty of pictures to share of CP 58, and those will be posted as an album on “Worldwide Railfan Productions” on Facebook, including the progress of the replacements.

I hope to cover the transformation of this life-long memory of mine. It will look different from now on, and even myself am not quite ready for this change to come. Progress always has to happen, whether we like it or not.

The new relay box next to the crossing.

Fiber optic cable.

CP 58 lined for a westbound train.

The "A" box for CP 58.

Ballast used to lay foundation for the relay boxes and the signal bracket.

The signals from our parking spot.

The signals from the side.

Rear view of the signal.

Overall rear view of the signal.

The box and the base.

CP 58 "A"

The new signal will go here.

Things I Trust More Than E.H.H: Part 2

Part two of things I trust more than E. Hunter Harrison running a railroad:

1. Mexican Tap Water
2. A porcupine with a “pet me” sign
3. Donald Trump’s spray tan
4. Obamacare
5. Elevator rides with Ray Rice
6. A relationship with Taylor Swift
7. Doodlebob with the Magic Pencil
8. NS Dash 9’s not catching on fire
9. Any GE not catching on fire
10. Timothy White (Wimothy Thite?)
11. The guy from that John Cena prank call thing
12. CSX not wrecking a train
13. A foamer
14. Floyd Wall
15. A boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

Things I Would Trust More Than Hunter Harrison Running A Railroad

Article  by Ian Cole

Hunter  Harrison  has developed  a bad rap as a railroad  executive. On paper he may look ok, but three failed mergers, a bitterness  towards hump yards and a lack of appreciation  towards employees doesn't  help his case at all. Today at RPJ we made a list  of all the things we'd  trust more than Harrison running  a railroad.

1. Helen  Keller taking my family pictures.
2. OJ Simpson driving  a white ford bronco.
3. Hillary  Clinton  handling  emails.
4. Brock Osweiler throwing  a football..
5. Gas station  sushi
6. A two year old driving a car
7. Bill Cosby as a bartender
8. Casey Anthony  babysitting  my children
9. Myself driving around through the hood of detroit at night
10. Flint tap water
11. Milk thats been out of date for two years.
12. Amtrak making sure they get to me on time.
13. A rex ryan promise
14. Bill bellichick  and a video camera
15. Those annoying  ads that say "singles are 8 miles away waiting  to meet you"
16.  A white van that says free candy in spray paint  on the side
17. Russian  hackers
18. A sex offender as my urologist
19. A moving  company ran by two ex cons that were arrested  for burglary.
20. The crap that comes out of Donald Trumps mouth.
21. Dinner with a cannibal
22. Hiring  slipknot to perform at a three year olds birthday party.
23. And pretty  much anything  but Hunter  Harrison  running or helping to run a railroad....

December 27th: The Last Trip of 2017

With 2016 coming to a close, and a week off from school, my dad and I took December 27th as a day of railfanning. We got up early, well before sunrise. A friend with ATCS noted a trio of westbound Norfolk Southern trains on the Lake Erie District. We raced to North East, PA to intercept.

We got to North East around 6:45am, arriving at a car repair shop on Washington Street, with some street lights to shine the rails. At 6:52am, the cantilever signal activated, and NS 205 raced by us under the command of a D9-44CW and an ex-Conrail D8-40CW. After 205 cleared, the defect detector at QD 68.2 on CSX read off a “No defects” and 35 mph train.

We raced over to the opposite side, and at 7:00am, a CSX manifest slowly hobbled through North East, with a CSX ES44AH and ex-Conrail D8-40CW slowly building speed. By the time the train cleared, and we returned to the other side, NS 145 was within range. At 7:12am, 145 raced through North East with a Canadian Pacific duo.

From there, we moved up a mile or so to Bort Road. An old wooden bridge, soon slated for demolition and no replacement, stands to guide vehicles over CSX. This leads directly to a crossing with Norfolk Southern's Lake Erie District.

We were only there for a few minutes, when at 7:39am, CSX’s Q090, the Salad Shooter, as local railfans call it, raced by with UP ES44AC #5395 leading UP AC4400CW #6488 and UP SD70M #3974.

Amtrak 48 had left Erie at 7:47am. By the time he came to North East, NS 23K could be heard a couple miles up. I set up on the opposite side of the NS tracks, by the grapefield. I pressed record on the camera in time to get Amtrak’s passing as 23K rounded the bend with a Canadian Pacific ES44AC leading a BNSF ES44C4 and BNSF D9-44CW.

Things quieted down for a little under an hour before L227 came around with SD40-2 #8181 leading D8-40CW 7730. Things went quiet again until an eastbound CSX intermodal raced by at 9:29am with CSX AC4400CW #376 leading SD70MAC #4795 and AC4660CW #660.

Thirty-one minutes later, Q393 dragged itself down the Erie West Subdivision with AC4400CW #560 leading D8-40CW #7697.

We lingered for a few minutes, then went to Cemetery Road on the west side of North East in hopes of catching NS local C62. At 10:36am, we saw Q022 race by with ET44AH #3310 leading ES44AH #721 and AC4400CW #215. Q020 promptly followed about ten minutes later with a duo of ES40DCs.

We went to lunch, then while stopping at Subway to grab some dessert (their cookies are amazing!), we heard a crackle on CSX with a train coming through. We sped back to Washington Street and just made it for a westbound manifest. CSX ES40DC #5121 was leading ES44AH #834 and D8-40CW #7364. After, we promptly returned to Cemetery Road.

We were at Cemetery Road for a good half hour, when at 12:06pm, CSX S256 came through with SD50-2 #8565 leading SD40-2 #8135.

We began to make our course up to Westfield, when we heard a train trip the Ripley Defect Detector. We swung in at a crossing at the state line with plenty of time. It was Q127, enroute from South Kearny, NJ to North Baltimore, OH, with ES40DC #5211 leading AC4400CW #537.

We went to Westfield but saw nothing. Then, we heard the dispatcher tell NS 316 to go in the hole for some NS eastbound action. NS 309 was up in Silver Creek as well, and NS 287 was leaving Bison Yard. We raced to Rogerville Road, at hamlet called Forsyth.

At 1:17pm, Q158 raced east with ET44AH #3321 leading ET44AH #3281. Five minutes later, NS 206 raced east with a D9-40CW duo.

At 1:47pm, CSX responded with Q264, eastbound autoracks from Toledo to Framingham, MA with a D8-40CW duo, #7840 and #7753. NS 26R was chasing his tail end with BNSF ES44C4 #6628 as the lone power.

After a little bit of lingering, NS 316 finally dragged out of the siding at Whitehouse and passed us at 2:10pm, with NS ES44DC #7702 leading UP SD70M #4118.

Around twenty minutes later, CSX K142 passed us with BNSF “Fakebonnet” #758 leading BNSF SD70ACe #9146.

Our stay at Rogerville Road continued when a westbound CSX intermodal passed at 2:54pm with a CSX ES40DC, CSX AC4400CW, CSX ET44AH, CSX AC4660CW and a CSX ET44AH. NS 22K promptly followed 10 minutes later with D9-40CW #9432 leading D8-40CW #8408.

We proceeded back to Gale Street in Westfield, our usual spot. Q119 passed at 3:24pm with ES44AH #874 leading AC4660CW #665. Eastbound manifest NS 14M passed at 3:39pm with D9-40CW #8963 and D9-40CW #9325. He went in the hole at Pomfret for 309 and 287, so we sped to Pratt Road.

At Pratt Road, we were quickly greeted by Q008, with SD70MAC #4708 leading ES44AH #890. NS 309 passed three minutes later with SD60E #6999 leading SD70M #2631.

NS 287 would be our last train, and he passed at 4:58pm with NS D9-40CW #8904 (with a very awesome Nathan P5), NS D9-40CW, 9373, and ES44DC #7605.

That would finish off our final planned outing of 2016. Here’s to 2017!

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRRxyk-uRMI

~AK

Bernie Baker: Q & A Session With The Man Behind Streamliners 2016

Bernie Baker is the man who was responsible for Streamliners 2016 which occurred this year in Australia.  He has been working with streamliner locomotives for decades and has a passion for them like how car guys are with Mustangs and Camaros. RPJ had the wonderful opportunity to have an interview with him about his work with streamliner locomotives, his background and some plans for the future!

RPJ:
So what drove you to create the streamliners event?

Bernie:

I Love the design and with so many of them still in service Down Under in various paint schemes it was a case of I had better do something before all the high tech shit sees them out the door. The company I work for have seven on the books.

RPJ:

How hard was it to coordinate everything to make it all happen?

Bernie:

It was not that bad as I have a pretty good network of contacts in the industry and that made it easier.

RPJ:

So you can say you had a lot of experience with these streamliners?

Bernie:

I started on the job in 82 and they have been a staple diet through my career.

We were all EMD until 1984 when through working started from interstate. That meant I worked the ALCO's as well.  So, I'm hooked with Streamliners in the blood.

RPJ: Now what's your opinion of American streamliners?

Bernie:

They're Gods! Without them and Dick Dillworth we wouldn't have them. With what the Poms had on offer thank goodness we swayed towards US technology and engineering.

RPJ:

If you had to pick a favorite streamliner from an operating perspective. What is your favorite?

Bernie:

An original B class with a 16-567B or BC. Many of the B's that are left have C blocks in them and they just don't sound the same.

RPJ:

So would you consider yourself  a railfan or more as a railroader?

Bernie:

Both. I googled Idiot Railfan. I'm a few things on the list, but not 10 of them. Being a railfan railroader means I'm in the box seat. The job must come first. Having said that I'm fortunate the company I work for roster me whenever possible to work the Streamliners, especially the one they named after me - B61.

RPJ:

That's amazing that they named one after you! How did that all happen?

Bernie:

I had just returned from the States in 2014. Two weeks later I had two heart attacks. It was while I was recovering they surprised me with the naming. They said they named it because of my dedication and input into preserving and recoding Australia's railway history and being a dedicated employee.

RPJ:

So what was your thoughts on the North Carolina Transportation Museum's 2014 Streamliners event?

Bernie:

If not for the social aspect of it, I would have been out of there in a couple of hours. It was lacking things to keep me there. This is why I had loco and horn sound off's and of course the fireworks.

RPJ:

So was your intent for your event to make it more attractive to those from outside the railroad world?

Bernie:

No it was to make it more attractive to those inside the RR world and to make it an event to remember. Mission accomplished!

RPJ:

Do you plan on running another event like this (Streamliners) in the future?

Bernie:

In 2018, but it will be a New South Wales Railways weekend, past and present. Fireworks included and at the same roundhouse.

Modern Day Railfanning: Does It Really Suck or Are People Not Looking In The Right Places To Film Trains?

Editorial By Ian Cole

GE dominance, cab signals, only 7 class one railroads to railfan in the United States, yeah those all definitely suck. These are only a few things playing into why railfans don't go out as much as they used to. I've heard some railfans even resort to being so picky that they haven't even filmed or photographed a train in over a year! Yeah, I get it I hate trash 9's too they suck, but are you looking for trains in the right places? Here's a list of why you need to have some adjustment's made to your shitty attitude

• There are several shortline railroads with good power.
• Wheeling and Lake Erie hasn't been bought out by Genesee and Wyoming and has one of the most colorful fleets of locomotives ever.
• Alcos run everywhere on railroads like Western New York and Pennsylvania and Delaware Lackawanna.
• Bessemer and Lake Erie has awesome orange locomotives as well as Illinois Central power.
• Brier Hill on the north side of Youngstown still has maroon and yellow Ohio Central locomotives, and not to mention some P & LE boxcars.
• Union railroad in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania uses freaking cabooses still
• Roadrailers still run in Indiana!
• Larry's Truck and Electric has tons of old locomotives from Conrail, Burlington Northern, Wisconsin Central, among others
• If you head out west wig wag railroad crossings are still in use all over out there!
• Railroad museum's are in most area's and can really take you back in time
• Amtrak's northeast corridor has several passenger trains that you can easily get your fix on.
• People are building a f*cking Pennsylvania Railroad T1

Instead of complaining, plan a visit to one of these locations. Better yet, why not help restore the stuff you miss?  The point is the stuff is still out there (at least somewhat) the question is are you willing to go out and get as much of it as you can or are you going to piss and groan about it?

Anyways if you liked this article, please share it with your friends, and feel free to comment your thoughts.

You Might Be A Foamer If... #2

The second edition of you might be a foamer if. Hopefully these are just as good.

YOU might be a foamer if…

You’re scheduled to work at 6:15 but you clock in at 6:11.

Your favorite locomotive is the EMD SD70ACe.

You downloaded the Heritage Units app.

You check Heritage Units before you go to railfan.

All of your Facebook heads-ups include a photo and military time.

You wear a vest when you go trackside

You have two cameras with you

You also have a scanner with every single railroad frequency

You chase the same set of Illinois Central SD70s on the Bessemer & Lake Erie every chance you get.

You railfan no matter what the weather is outside

You railfan on holidays

You went to watch trains instead of your homecoming dance...or prom

Your girlfriend likes trains

You think a Nathan K5LA is gay (they are though)

You foam over a P5 or RS5T

Your first model engine was a heritage unit (guilty)

You had a trackside seat at the Berea Union Depot so you wouldn’t miss any train action

Your off-days from work include railfanning

You railfan on your birthday

You know what a foamer boner is

You refer to CSX 5286 as the “Spirit of Generic Foamer”

You follow Generic Foamer

You comment on popular YouTube channels to fish for subscribers and views (sort of guilty)

Your YouTube channel includes some version of “Railfan Productions” (guilty, please subscribe to Red Raider Railfan Productions :^)

You foam over NS 1030 and 1111 (THEY’RE BASIC ACES FOR CHRISTS’ SAKE!)

If your Instagram profile shows how many heritage or special units of each railroad you have, you might be a foamer.

12 Days Of Foaming (A Parody Of 12 Days Of Christmas)

Lyrics by Ian Cole (If you steal them I will find you and hurt you...)

On the first day of foaming the railroad gave to me
A Gevo built by GE

On the second day of foaming the railroad gave to me
Two hours of nothing
and A Gevo built by GE

On the third day of foaming the railroad gave to me
Three trash 9s
Two hours of nothing
And a Gevo built by GE

On the fourth day of foaming the railroad gave to me
Four Tim White threats
Three trash 9s
Two hours of nothing
And a Gevo built by GE

On the fifth day of foaming the railroad gave to me
FIVE EMD'S
Four Tim White threats
Three trash 9s
Two hours of nothing
And a Gevo built by GE

On the sixth day of foaming the railroad gave to me
Six hours delaying
FIVE EMD'S
Four Tim White threats
Three trash 9s
Two hours of nothing
And a Gevo built by GE

On the seventh day of foaming the railroad gave to me
Seven solid lash ups
Six hours delaying
FIVE EMD'S
Four Tim White threats
Three trash 9s
Two hours of nothing
And a Gevo built by GE

On the eighth day of foaming the railroad gave to me
Eight trains derailing
Seven solid lash ups
Six hours delaying
FIVE EMD'S
Four Tim White threats
Three trash 9s
Two hours of nothing
And a Gevo built by GE

On the ninth day of foaming the railroad gave to me
Nine fines for trespassing
Eight trains derailing
Seven solid lash ups
Six hours delaying
FIVE EMD's
Four Tim White threats
Three trash 9s
Two hours of nothing
And a Gevo built by GE

On the tenth day of foaming the railroad gave to me
Ten Ferromex's
Nine fines for trespassing
Eight trains derailing
Seven solid lashups
Six hours delaying
FIVE EMD'S
Four Tim White threats
Three trash 9s
Two hours of nothing
And a Gevo built by GE

On the eleventh day of foaming the railroad gave to me
Eleven defects detected
Ten Ferromex's
Nine fines for trespassing
Eight trains derailing
Seven solid lashups
Six hours delaying
FIVE EMD'S
Four Tim White threats
Three trash 9s
Two hours of nothing
nd a Gevo built by GE

On the twelfth day of foaming the railroad gave to me
Twelve heavy coal trains
Eleven defects detected
Ten Ferromex's
Nine fines for trespassing
Eight trains derailing
Seven solid lashups
Six hours delaying
FIVE EMD's
Four Tim White threats
Three trash 9s
Two hours of nothing
And a Gevo built by GE

10 Reasons Why Trains Are Better Than Dealing With Your Significant Other

Article By Ian Cole

Admit it, if you've been in a relationship with someone you get tired of the nagging, the procrastinating, etc. At times we wonder why on earth did we want to even get together with them, and is there something out there that might be easier to deal with than them?
That's why at RPJ we created this list, to show you how trains may be better than dealing with your significant other.

10. Trains can't procrastinate for six months: Yes they do run late, yes they are slow most of the time, but have you ever seen one be put off for six months?

9.  TRAINS CAN'T CAUSE YOU TO HAVE TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT

8. They don't take twelve damn hours to decide where the hell they want to go for dinner: And they don't say anywhere, whatever, or I don't care either.... they simply go to the fuel pad, coal shaft or water tank to get what they need.

7. Trains won't put nasty icy feet on your back while you try to sleep: They may wake you up if you live close enough but at least they don't have feet to give you hell while you sleep.

6. Trains can't have an affair: When was the last time you saw a train on Jerry Springer, The front of People Magazine, or was named Bill Clinton?

5. They don't tell you to go cut the grass or do the dishes 10 times in one hour.

4. Trains don't give a rats ass if you decide to watch every football game that's being played on Sunday.

3. Trains (unless they derail on your property) don't force you to do home improvement projects: That's right, you can sit back and enjoy a nice  cold beer or beverage, and some chicken wings.

2. They can't nag you to take them to the mall or movies: But you may end up wanting to go to the hobby store to get some.

1. Trains can't be physically or verbally abusive

Think there's something we missed or should've covered.. comment them below... Thanks for reading!

You Might Be A Foamer If

Article by Ian Cole

Today at RPJ we have decided it would be a good idea to make a list of things that would classify you as a railfan or foamer. If you find yourself to match up with any of these things, it may be a good idea to  reevaluate what your life has become... (Just kidding)


Anyways you might be a foamer if:

• Every time you see a blue locomotive you automatically assume it's an ex conrail
• Ex con does not mean prisoner to you
• You are more likely to go out to get a heritage unit instead of attending a family gathering
• Your I-pod contains nothing but songs like Wabash Cannonball, Orange Blossom Special, or any song that has to do with a train
• You cried when one of your favorite railroad lines was abandoned (Guilty)
•  Memory foam means a flashback of a good train to you
• When a derailment happens you are concerned about the crews well being AND the locomotives well being
• You call a dash 9 a trash 9
• You freak out over gevos
• your name is Ian Cole
• You've ended up on tosh.0 for all the wrong reasons involving trains
• You've threatened to shank vandals with railroad spikes
• When someone says they want foam insulation put up in their house and you tell them to hold a picture of NS 8114, 611, or a Ferromex locomotive in front of where they want the foam installed
• You cussed someone out who cut in front of your photo line
• You've been asked if you're gay for trains 
• Your entire wardrobe is nothing but shirts from daylight sales
• Your definition of a "drive by shooting" is riding down the highway closest to the train yard and shooting every damn piece of train equipment from the road while flying by at 45 miles an hour or more.
• You take home a railroad spike from every railroad line you visited
• Your spouse sends you with $300 to buy a Christmas tree and says you can keep the rest for trains (Buys a 10 dollar tree gets $290 worth of trains)
• Christmas time is the only time you seem perfectly normal to society
• If the numbers 611 765 8098 or 4014 mean anything to you
• You've been called in by some oblivious passerby who thought you were a psychotic maniac
• You can remember the best damn day of railfanning you've ever had but you can't remember your mother's birthday
• You name your kids Connie (for conrail) Chessie (chessie system) Casey (Casey Jones) Willard (Railroad town and last name of former B & O Executive) or Wheeling (Wheeling and lake erie railway)
• Your alarm clock is a train whistle
• You could care less if you're in a dangerous neighborhood as long as there are awesome trains in the area
• You walked over five miles to go shoot trains
• You go out railfanning when its below 0 degrees F
• Your kids first pacifier was a wooden train whistle
• Your vacation destination is to a place like Horseshoe Curve, Fostoria, or Folkston

See one that we are missing? Comment them below. Thanks for taking your time to read this list!

A list of questions railfans don't like to be asked

Article By Ian Cole

I often have to deal with people who are unfamiliar with the railfanning hobby. People who may not even have a clue at all about the railroads. This is a good opportunity to spread some awareness and shed light on a subject, that doesn't get talked about all that much. But there are some questions that absolutely drive us nuts.. Today at RPJ, we have compiled a list of questions that just drive us nuts, and we will actually do our best to answer them through here (we may get sarcastic on some).

Q:Do you know the schedule of the trains?

A: For the most part no. Railroads in North America (Outside of passenger trains) Don't have schedules because so much can go wrong. (Locomotive breaks down, maintenance issues, auto router screws things up) Passenger schedule you can pretty much look up on the internet for almost every railroad that offers it.

Q: Is there a steam train coming?

A: Most of the time no, but there may be something interesting coming like a rare locomotive, or an unusual freight load, etc

Q: Are you a terrorist?

A: Does it look like I got a damn bomb on my chest?

Q: What are you doing by the tracks?

A: I'm waiting for a boat to show up....  I'm filming trains...

Q: What's a heritage unit?

A: A heritage unit is a specially painted train that either Norfolk Southern or Union Pacific made.

Q: Are you a hobo?

A: No (Proceeds to shave beard) 

Q:  How many engines does it have?

A: some have one others have 2 others have 7 others have 30

Q: do you do this every day?

A: I wish

Q: Why do you like trains?

A: Why do you like football or pizza?

Q: Why is there no caboose

A: Why don't you ask F.R.E.D.? (Flashing Rear End Device)

Q: Don't you have a life?

A: I sure do but judging by your search history on your computer I should be asking you that question.

Q: Are you gay for trains?

A: f*ck you

Chances are railfans don't like to be asked a lot of these questions, and results of asking these questions may result in anything from a simple answer to being punched in the face or worse.. 

A Night At The Museum

This years theme was "40 Years of Conrail"
Article and Photo by Ian Cole

Back in June 2016 Sam Zitello and I headed up to the Lake Shore Railway Museum's "Night At The Museum" event. Along the way we made short stops at both Conneaut and Erie, where we would run into A Norfolk Southern local parked in the yard at Conneaut, Nickel Plate Road 755, and a Ferromex GEVO locomotive awaiting to be shipped from the GE in Erie.  When we arrived in North East, Pennsylvania we got to witness both Canadian Pacific trackage rights trains pass through. Shortly after we were given a tip from a few railfans in the Buffalo, New York area regarding a mixed freight on CSX that included power from Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railway, Iowa Chicago and Eastern, Canadian Pacific, and CSX! What a start! Throughout the day before the night photo shoot would begin, we saw power from Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific as well. The museum also provided speeder rides for all to enjoy that got you up close to the New York Central signal bridge towards the edge of the museum property. Once the night photo shoot began things got even sweeter. The museum patched their New York Central 2500 a GE U25B Locomotive to look just like a former conrail locomotive before they started painting them blue. Rick Rowlands also brought his Hi-Railer truck coined "spongebob" to the event and added a nice compliment to the photos. The museum also had a Conrail transfer caboose that they would use for the event and provided plenty of nice photo opportunities. That night when everyone was off to rest a number of us had the opportunity of a lifetime to sleep in a Great Northern Railway sleeping car used on the "empire builder" train back in the day. When we woke up, we were greeted by Amtrak's 48 "The Lake Shore Limited" shortly after that, we all packed our things and headed our separate ways. All in all, the event was a great experience I will never forget!

A Long Railfanning Day

Any railfan who’s been to Ohio knows Berea is a must stop site for railfanning. Berea is basically the funnel for CSX and Norfolk Southern as they head west. Both Norfolk Southern’s Chicago Line and CSX’s Short Line Subdivision are former New York Central and Conrail trackage. Norfolk Southern is Milepost 194.0, and CP 194 is right here. CSX is at milepost QDS 21.7. Berea Tower still stands in the middle, as does the Berea Union Depot (more on that later).

It really started in Harborcreek, PA while trying to find breakfast. As we pulled up to a crossing, Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited blazed out of its Erie, PA stop eight minutes late, and that was all we would see until we got to Ohio.

Nearly two hours later, while driving down I-71 to head into Berea, we noticed a train on Norfolk Southern's Chicago Line near the Brook Park Metro Stop. It was 34N, with NS ES44AC #8100, the Nickel Plate Road heritage unit, leading a former ATSF SD75M. 8100 was having cab signal issues and would need a leader with cab signals to bring the train to Conway. After a quick U-Turn, we went back, took a few shots, then went off to Berea.

We rolled over the Front Street bridge to see a headlight appear on Norfolk Southern, so it was a frantic race to the tracks. After a few minutes, it was NS 205 from Buffalo heading to Chicago, with D9-44CW #9934 leading ES44DC 7686 and SD60E 7006. Moments later was Q393 from Selkirk to Chicago, with CSX 829 and CSX 359 at the helm. Q393 was a massive 177 cars on this day.

It was a 34 minute wait before NS 27R with NS D9-40CW 9380 rounded the bend under the Front Street bridge. After a few minutes, CSX Syracuse to Columbus Intermodal Q123-14 rounded the bend with CSX ES40DC #5265 leading ES44AH 727 and ES40DC 5316. CSX furthered their parade with Q022-15 from Columbus to Worcester with ES40DC 5360, AC4400CW 323 and its L&N emblem, and ET44AH 3258, followed by Q378 from Columbus to Selkirk with D8-40CW 7710 and AC4400CW 381.

It didn’t take much longer for more traffic to appear. At 11:03am, NS 26R, from Toledo to Buffalo, cleared CP-194 with NS ET44AC #3630 flying solo, sounding its horn for the foreman who was inspecting switches. Six minutes later, CSX sent another eastbound, this time an unidentified manifest, with ES44AH 953 leading ES40DC 5223. Less than ten minutes later, NS sent an intermodal westbound, with a six unit consist. D9-40CW 9959 lead D9-44CW 9913, SD70M-2 2758, D8-40CW 8347, and D9-40CW twins 9267 and 9190.

It was an eighteen minute wait for NS 21G-15, enroute from Harrisburg to Fort Madison, Iowa to round the bend. The power tapped for this one was NS ES44AC #8043 and ES44DC #7643. After this, it was off to lunch, which wasn’t far away.

Our lunch was at the Berea Union Depot, now converted into a restaurant. We requested a trackside seat. And sure enough, 15J, which had sat in Brook Park most of the morning, rolled west. It met 22K a few moments later. A third train came, a westbound NS manifest, with a NS Dash 9, UP SD70M, a UP ES44AC, and another NS Dash 9 rolled by. After lunch, it was time to go back trackside.

It wasn’t too long of a wait, at 12:39pm eastbound Fostoria to Doremus, NJ Autorack train 18N rounded the corner with SD70M 2617 leading ES44DC 7704 and D8-40CW 8375, the engineer giving us a horn salute as he went towards Rockport Yard. Sixteen minutes later, it was NS 20R, enroute from Chicago to Elizabeth, NJ with SD70ACe 1117 leading D9-40CW 9430. As soon as 20R cleared Berea Tower, NS 23K, enroute from the Pan-Am Southern in Ayer, MA to Chicago, rounded the bend with ES44DCs 7507 and 7567 sandwiching D8-40CW 8365.

It would be a thirteen minute wait until NS 414, oddly a westbound, rounded the bend with SD70ACe 1096 leading D9-40CW 9088, and a good sized train of loaded coke.

Around 1:15pm, NS 145 pulled up and stopped short of the tower to wait for 24W. Meanwhile, CSX Selkirk to Cincinnati Autorack train Q225 rounded the bend with SD50-2 #8616 leading D8-40CW 7708. Not too much longer after Q225’s passing, 24W, running from Chicago to Croxton, NJ, rounded the bend with SD70ACe 1146 and D9-40CW 9104 doing the honors, with a short train in tow.

After 24W’s passing, 145 was given permission to proceed west towards Kansas City, MO, its final destination. At the helm were Kansas City Southern ES44AC #4793, in the Southern Belle scheme, leading KCS Gray Ghost #4578.

It would be nearly an hour before CSX Q166 finally appeared. This is the Canadian Pacific’s Chicago to Montreal intermodal that uses CSX tracks as a faster route. At the point was CP ES44AC 8859, and CIT Equipment Finance Corporation (CEFX) AC4400CW #1031. This then opened the floodgates.

Moments after Q166’s passing, NS 206, a Chicago to Mechanicville, NY intermodal, rolled by with SD70ACe 1079 and D9-40CW 9868 at the point. The engineer gave us a horn salute as he passed. As 206 rolled by, Q357, enroute from Dunkirk, NY to Willard, OH, snuck up on us with ET44AH 3308 leading ES44AH 704, AC44CW 159, D8-40CW 7305, and rebuilt GP38-3, 2027. Moments after, Conway, PA to Decatur, IL manifest 35N headed west at CP-194 with NS 9415 leading NS 9354 and NS 3386, a freshly painted SD40-2.

Nearly a half hour later, high priority Chicago to North Bergen, NJ intermodal Q010-15 shot by with CSX ES40DC twins 5489 and 5263 leading ES44AH 3093. Adding on another half hour of waiting, NS 20E rolled towards Rockport Yard with SD70ACe 1091 leading D9-40CW 9595, and D9-40C 8812. The NS standard cab Dash 9s are becoming a rare sight, as most are being retired, pending a rebuild into AC44C6Ms. As 20E rolled by, CSX loaded ethanol train K662 flew by with UP SD70M 5147 and AC6000CW 7337.

At quarter after four, NS 21Q came by as it went to Chicago from Harrisburg with SD60E #7009 leading SD70M-2 2676, and SD70ACU 7286. 7286 was rebuilt from UP SD9043MAC 3511 (formerly UP 8058, per NSDash9.com). Finally, 16G, from Elkhart to Allentown, PA rolled by with a Dash 9 trio of 9444, 9937, and 9885. After that, it was off to dinner, then the long drive home.

On the way back home, we made a stop to Madison, OH. This is CSX QD142.6 on the Erie West Subdivision, and NS B143.8 on the Lake Erie District. We were preparing to leave when we heard a crackle on the radio. After a short wait, it was Q157, intermodal from Kearny, NJ to Chicago, IL. At the helm was AC4400CW 560 and ES44AH 3086. Shortly after, our final train, NS 316 came into the picture. We set up so that we had the former Nickel Plate Road depot in out shot. The depot was slated for demolition, and was in very rough shape. Our wait was not long, as ES44AC 8149 and D9-40CW 9624 rocketed by Madison with NS 316, heading to Buffalo.

That would do it for this amazing trip, which saw 29 trains, a personal record for a single day outing. A total of 15 hours including the drive to and from home.

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EPILOGUE:

About two weeks after our visit to Madison, the former NKP passenger station and freight depot were demolished. A sad ending to two historic structures.