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redside20 wrote:The area at Hamilton and I70 at the ADM Grain Elevator and tracks is called Truro Station named after a township...MP 7 and Refugee just se of this location is out near Brice and Pickerington.

I was thinking they might keep the power at Truro Station, since it would be easy for crews to access. But if Watco's trackage rights start east of there, then I'm not sure, there is a scrap metal place with a spur between Brice Road and Gender Road, but that would seem like an odd place to keep the power, unless they no longer get service by rail. I don't see any other sidings anywhere close by, and they can't leave the power on the main line if there is still run through coal on the line. Unless they are just keeping the power in Watkins Yard for now?

The NS GP38-3 is 5810. They took 5 empty grain cars and 2 loads of potash out to Thurston on Saturday. They took 4 loads back to Watkins where the 5810 was left. There's no plans to have any crews based in Columbus. There's just not going to be enough traffic ever to justify. Milepost 7 is just east of Gender Rd grade crossing.

The coal train they loaded was #510 and it went to a Glatfelter paper mill in eastern Pennsylvania. They loaded a couple trains earlier in the year. I wouldn't expect it to be very often if Glatfelter decides to continue buying coal from there.

A major shot in the arm for NS/Watco in the Kanawha River Valley.
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/US-Met ... 26421.html

redside20 wrote:A major shot in the arm for NS/Watco in the Kanawha River Valley.
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/US-Met ... 26421.html

Would a Methanol plant be rail served? I know basically nothing about 'M'ethonal.

Methanol arrives in MI for drilling, resin production and other uses. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanol

OSRR wrote:

redside20 wrote:A major shot in the arm for NS/Watco in the Kanawha River Valley.
http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/US-Met ... 26421.html

Would a Methanol plant be rail served? I know basically nothing about 'M'ethonal.

Keep in mind that there are two methanol Plants on the way...This one will be built on a brownfield site of a former Chemical plant operated by Dow in Institute West Virgina..Thats a city between Nitro and Charleston. A nice pickup for Watco and NS...Now. CSX across the Kanawha River could use a shot in the arm for rail business.

Supposedly 30-40 outbound cars a month is what they were told it will produce

midland sub wrote:Supposedly 30-40 outbound cars a month is what they were told it will produce

Doesn't sound to bad.

That's railroad optimism. In reality it'll be 10-15 a month

OSRR wrote:

midland sub wrote:Supposedly 30-40 outbound cars a month is what they were told it will produce

Doesn't sound to bad.

Just a heads up guys, apparently Kanawa River RR is in Watkins Yard right now building a train to go back down south, what used to be the NS 380 symbol, power is 3 of the Watco SD45's, I guess they came up yesterday on what would be the new 381 train.

I might go down to Bannon to get shots, I'll update if I actually catch them leaving town.

They did indeed run 381 yesterday, here's my video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNZWgqo ... e=youtu.be

Pie39 wrote:They did indeed run 381 yesterday, here's my video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNZWgqo ... e=youtu.be

Cool video, thanks for posting.

You should've had IT 1072 leading an 860 coal train out of Portsmouth down that way today, and NYC 1066 is leading 233 north through there now.

strugglin wrote:

Pie39 wrote:They did indeed run 381 yesterday, here's my video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNZWgqo ... e=youtu.be

Cool video, thanks for posting.

You should've had IT 1072 leading an 860 coal train out of Portsmouth down that way today, and NYC 1066 is leading 233 north through there now.

Yeah, I saw that they were out there. From Athens, it's a little over an hour to get to that line, so a 2-hour round trip usually isn't in the cards. That's why I'm glad to see trains in Athens again

I didn't count the cars but it seemed to be in the 70-80 range. Is that a daily train?

Pie39 wrote:They did indeed run 381 yesterday, here's my video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNZWgqo ... e=youtu.be

The 380 did not leave today, they tied the power down, it's sitting underneath the Route 104 bridge in Watkins Yard, so maybe a run south tomorrow.

midland sub wrote:Supposedly 30-40 outbound cars a month is what they were told it will produce

A far cry from what the daily traffic in and out of the Institute facility used to have

redside20 wrote:Keep in mind that there are two methanol Plants on the way...This one will be built on a brownfield site of a former Chemical plant operated by Dow in Institute West Virgina..Thats a city between Nitro and Charleston. A nice pickup for Watco and NS...Now. CSX across the Kanawha River could use a shot in the arm for rail business.

Institute has had a sorted past. I believe it was once Union Carbide, after the Dow merger it was traded to Beyer. Dow transferred most of their production to the Island plant in South Charleston. The big end for Beyer at Institute was the state no longer allowing MIC production. This was after a significant amount of money was spent on building a new underground tank. At that point Beyer washed their hands of Institute, and began increasing their facility use/lease of Dows Island facility in South Charleston. Dow more or less took control of Institute at that point and began the process of clean up work out there. They did such as the own the legacy of the facility that was Union Carbide.

Several ideas have been floated for the plant. Dow and Beyers idea was to remove a majority of the infrastructure there. Leaving pipe racking and steam process items in place. That way a new user would be able to come in, have a significant cost savings in having steam generation and process pipe racking.

Does anyone have an updated schedule? I assume the coal trains are on an as needed? I want to spend a day chasing or at least see them around Columbus

Thanks
Keith

Apparently 381 out of Hobson now leaves at 10:00PM or some such time, because Watkins can accommodate them easier. I haven't heard much about 380 lately.

Last post was almost 2 years ago.

Any new information?

Schedule? New industry? Mines open? etc...