CSX Train Location Updates - December 2020

[Tom49801]

E800-05 @ 10:15pm westward reported clear of the St Joseph Bridge with BNSF engines #6254 + #8557 & 130 empty coal cars (had a bit of a wait for his paperwork that was supposed to have been there for him).
Amtrak P370-05 @ 10:16pm eastward Bangor's Division St crossing mp CG60.93 with the IDTX engine #4624 & 3 SuperLiner cars (1 passenger off at the station mp CG60.5)
E800-05 @ 10:28pm westward reported by the DD mp CG91.9 with 532 axles & 7,003 feet long.

D706-04 @ 10:44pm eastward reported by the DD at mp CH104.3 All information was stepped on by Amtrak's P370-05 engineer. Was hoping to hear the footage report from this DD site since the DD at mp CH126.3 no longer provides for that info.
D706 has CSX engine #3211 leading & most likely also has CSX engine #738 as a DPU & has 215 total cars.

(As a side note, earlier today D905-05 had 2 engines & 204 cars and was reported by DD at mp CH104.3 being 12,154 feet long)

[Dan Cluley]

D706 with csx 3211, 104 cars, dpu 738 & 110 more cars. ( Detector is probably right & I missed 1)

By the Lansing airport at 23:16

Pickup in track 1 at Ensel yard.

[ns8401]

D706 with csx 3211, 104 cars, dpu 738 & 110 more cars. ( Detector is probably right & I missed 1)

By the Lansing airport at 23:16

Pickup in track 1 at Ensel yard.

So is it 204 or 214 or 215 cars?

Also... just a pickup? Not setting off? That’ll be a hell of a long train...

[amessmann]

So what ARE you doing out at all hours of the night, amessmann??

Ah lol hanging out with friends, and waiting for trains when I see a green signal

I wanna add here some information related to GLC's blocking of crossings. I decided to go see them when BL2-1843 mentioned they were sitting in Howell.
TL,DR I got to talking with one of the ground crew and they think that operation is just as absurd. Next time I talk to him I'll ask if there's any reasoning for not doing it the more efficient/less crossing blocking way. I might be able to get a cab ride too apparently

[Dan Cluley]

D706 with csx 3211, 104 cars, dpu 738 & 110 more cars. ( Detector is probably right & I missed 1)

By the Lansing airport at 23:16

Pickup in track 1 at Ensel yard.

So is it 204 or 214 or 215 cars?

Also... just a pickup? Not setting off? That’ll be a hell of a long train...

The 204 cars was the westbound in the afternoon. Tonight's eastbound has 214 or 215, not sure. I would guess that they are setting off as well, but that was not discussed on the radio when I was listening. On the other hand, the way anything goes with these trains...

[ns8401]

D706 with csx 3211, 104 cars, dpu 738 & 110 more cars. ( Detector is probably right & I missed 1)

By the Lansing airport at 23:16

Pickup in track 1 at Ensel yard.

So is it 204 or 214 or 215 cars?

Also... just a pickup? Not setting off? That’ll be a hell of a long train...

The 204 cars was the westbound in the afternoon. Tonight's eastbound has 214 or 215, not sure. I would guess that they are setting off as well, but that was not discussed on the radio when I was listening. On the other hand, the way anything goes with these trains...

Good grief... in the old days we’d have a pair of trains each way at this point probably... how long before they string 300 together?

[Tom49801]

​Amtrak P371-06 @ 07:41am westward Bangor's Center St crossing mp CG60.35 with IDTX engine #4624 & 3 SuperLiner cars (2 passengers on at the station mp CG60.5)

[Walla183]

What appears to be D706 is stopped on main just shy of Howell depot. Crossings blocked. 3211 no lights on (outlawed?)

[Tom49801]

What appears to be D706 is stopped on main just shy of Howell depot. Crossings blocked. 3211 no lights on (outlawed?)

Most likely D706's crew time expired sometime in the early morning hours. He was reported by the DD at mp CH126.3 @ 9:56pm last night not long after departing Grand Rapids with 215 cars.

[Tom49801]

Q327-06 @ 08:02am westward reported by the DD mp CG19.1 with 448 axles & 6,371 feet long. CSX engine #3356 + 1 & 109 cars. Assuming he has CSX engine #707 as a DPU. He has no stops to make this morning.

[C&O Dispatcher]

How else would you do it, if you have cars to set out and a pick up in the siding?

I have explained this before. Numerous time when GLC comes to Howell as an Ann Pere turn with a large amount of set off cars, and cars in the siding from CSX to pick up, they will leave their entire set off north of Howell off of crossings, comes to Ann Pere power light, gets permission to come out on to CSX, goes to the west end and backs into the siding onto their pick up. They then can do it one of two ways, either back them across the diamond east towards and often beyond Chilson Road, or pull them west, back down the main, and around the transfer to south of Beck Road, almost a mile south of the Diamond.

They they go to back to the set off cars on the north side of town, take them to Ann Pere, backs them west of Howell to get a stacked in signal to go into the siding, out of the siding, and back west across the diamond to the transfer switch power light, back to Beck Road to get their pick and go back north, While there will never be without some delay at the crossings in Howell, this move holds the traffic delay to a minimum of ten minutes on each move, not a hour or so on one move,

Why they don't do it this way all the time and only on occasion is beyond me.

To me, under the current operating conditions, it makes the most sense to just set off/pick up the interchange traffic on the main track and run what few trains they run through the passing siding when the main is blocked. It would save a lot of switching moves, although still somewhat cumbersome no matter how you look at it. I don't know what kind of shape the siding is in -- is it restricted to 10 MPH? Used to be most of our sidings on the Saginaw and Plymouth Subs were rated for at least 25 MPH, hence the MEDIUM speed indications to enter and run through them. Obviously, if you slap 10 MPH on the sidings, it renders the MEDIUM indications moot! Back when we were running 20+ trains a day on the Michigan main lines, this whole scenario would have tied up the whole railroad!! Also, in my day, most trains were limited to around 80 cars because they had to be able to get around one another at the many meeting points along the way.

[Tom49801]

Amtrak P371-06 westward reported by the DD mp CG91.9 with 16 axles & 308 feet long. IDTX engine #4624 & 3 SuperLiner cars.

[Walla183]

As of 8:40am, D706 is still sitting without a crew.

[Tom49801]

Q326-06 @ 08:48am eastward reported by the DD mp CG91.9 with 238 axles & 3,416 feet long. CSX engine #3242 + 2 & 55 cars.
Q327-06 @ 08:52am westward reported by the DD mp CG44.2 with 448 axles & 6,375 feet long. CSX engine #3356 + 1 & 109 cars.
Q326-06 @ 09:00am eastward reported clear of the St Joseph Bridge. He will be waiting at Riverside mp CG80.1 for Q327.
Q327-06 @ 09:12am westward Bangor's Center St crossing mp CG60.35 w/ CSX engine #3356 & 109 cars & rear CSX engine #707.

[BL2-1843]

For the rest of the overnight saga story of D70604, I was surprised to hear the recent poster saying where D706 was stopped at so I just went down to check. My story begins when I watched the train blow by Howell at 02:40 at track speed with what I counted 216 cars, but probably the one of many counts of 215 being correct. DPU was after the 105th car. Having watched trains here for 50 years here at the same location, I have known when trains come east into Howell, that no matter how many cars they have, what the tonnage or how fast they are going, when counting, I know when the end of the train is near because the slack starts to run in on the rest of the train. Since these longer trains with DPU power, the slack runs in a LOT harder than it used to. This mornings D706 was one of the loudest with their well over 13,000 feet of train.

It was therefore (not that it had anything to do with it) no surprise when I found out the train had gone into emergency climbing Ann Pere Hill. The head end was almost to Latson Road, the rear end not by Lucy Road yet. Not to elaborate to make this even longer, the crew found numerous issues that caused this. By 05:00 they got full air back , yet still could not pull the train east with the tonnage they had. With only a hour to go, with several options available, they decided to back the train west to clear Beck, Chilson and Lucy Roads The conductor having to walk the rest of the way back to the rear to watch the shove took up half that time. The plan was to back the train west of Michigan Avenue at least, perhaps Walnut too leaving only Highlander Way blocked. This, to give the next crew a running start at the hill. Thus it was a surprise to find only Dearborn Street was open which is far better than having no crossings available I knew on the backup it was getting close to 06:00 but evidently, as 06:00 approached, they stopped where they were because outlaw times means DO NOT MOVE time.

Taxi to take this crew onward arrived at 09:00. Taxi to get the D906 recrew was coming from Garrett, and was still a long way off yet when D706 died. Some road traffic was still waiting at Michigan Ave and Walnut Streets having no knowledge Dearborn was open.

[AARR]

BL2-1843, I like your informative posts!

[Tom49801]

Q326-06 @ 09:52am eastward is departing from Riverside mp CG80.1 with CSX engines #3242 + #4025 & 55 cars & rear CSX engine #7224. Many thanks to K1NGxBONDx007 for being out there & spotting the train.

[BL2-1843]

BL2-1843, I like your informative posts!

Thanks Don. D90606 recrew started pulling east from Howell at 10:10.

[Tom49801]

Q327-06 @ 10:15am westward reported clear of the St Joseph Bridge with CSX engine #3356 & 109 cars & rear CSX engine #707. Bridge Tender contacted him saying a CH car looks to be leaking salt or something.
Q327-06 @ 10:25am westward reported by the DD at mp CG91.9 with 448 axles & 6,440 feet long. Sounds like they may setting of that leaking car, didn't hear where.
Q326-06 @ 10:31am eastward Bangor's W. Monroe St crossing mp CG60.72 with CSX engines #3242 + #4025 & 55 cars & rear CSX engine #7224.

[amessmann]

Thanks Don. D90606 recrew started pulling east from Howell at 10:10.

Sounds like D906-06 Eastbound in Brighton, can hear the horn from my house.