Apparently the damage was fairly minimal, as the train was not required to sit for too long before being able to head for Chicago again. CSX sent out at least one track maintainer to check the track at Coloma Road, and they ended up making the crossing stop-and-flag for the remainder of the time I was out. Finally, just about 10:30AM (about 45-50 minutes late), P371 swings around the curve and over the bridge into St. Joe Station.
Amtrak P371
P42DC Genesis 27
Three Horizon coaches, as usual
At least three people got on this morning. After Amtrak cleared, I could hear more chit chat on the radio speaker from the CSX work trucks, between the maintainer, bridge tender, and AW dispatcher. Somewhere in there I heard mention of "...after the train comes through," but of course there was no elaboration. After waiting a bit to make sure nothing was following the Amtrak west, I went to work on my class project, which involves the St. Joe pier lighthouses, for a while. The storms and freezing temperatures of the past few days have made for some great ice formations around the piers and on the lighthouses themselves. Really cool to see! After walking the pier and examining some features, it was time for lunch, and then I had a while to wait before coming back to Kalamazoo, so I staked out near the Benton Harbor Yard to wait.
After waiting a while (it was such a nice day, I did not mind a bit), and listening to occassional chatter on the scanner between the work crews and bridge or AW, I picked up some fuzzy talk mentioning what I thought sounded like Q327. Not a minute after that and there is suddenly a much clearer reception of K357-20 calling the Bridge Maintainer for permission to pass through the work limits. My undisclosed "train" was here! I setout to catch them coming across the St. Joe Swing Bridge, where I caught them at exactly 1:30 going west.
CSX K357-20
CSX 7351 CW40-8 ex-Conrail Scheme 6
CSX 8484 SD40-2 Scheme 6
60 loaded Coke Express hoppers
Well that was exciting! Matching Scheme 6 engines on the point and a full load of one of the more common unit trains to run the Pere Marquette was great to see. So I hop in my car and cross back over toward Benton Harbor only to hear Q327-21 calling the maintainer for the work limits westbound as well. This time I stay on the north side of the river and catch them on the curve just above the bridge, at 1:45.
CSX Q327-21
CSX 8449 SD40-2 Scheme 6
FURX 3003 SD40-2
43 cars of mixed freight for Chicago.
This was an equally unexpected surprise! 43 cars is not too bad, especially since there was a setoff at Waverly before St. Joe, I'm sure. Nice to see that CSX leading the Rent-a-wreck too! I know this is normally a night run, but I'm not upset to see it delayed to early afternoon at all
Well it was about time for me to head back to Kalamazoo, but as I'm about to leave, I hear the Bridge Tender talking to D700, the Holland-New Buffalo local, which I found just a few minutes later already switching in Benton Harbor yard. I'm not exactly sure when he showed up, but I did not hear them before the other trains, so I'm guessing he was last in the little Parade of westbound CSX freights.
CSX Local D700
CSX 2554 GP38-2 Scheme 7
That was the locomotive. By the time I caught him, they were already switching cars in the yard, so I do not know how many he came in with. They told the bridge they would do some switching/car rearranging and then go west toward New Buffalo, but I did not have time to stay. I also noted that I could see their Chessie Bay Window caboose in the yard. I had not noticed this earlier, but then again it was at least one track in behind some bad ordered cars, so I don't know if they keep it in the B-H yard now, or if they brought it with them from Holland today. I did notice several CP Rail 50' boxcars and tank cars, as well as a few hoppers in the yard, all of which go to local industries, so they made have had more switching to do after I left.
All and all, a great sunny day and a great little parade of CSX freights along the Grand Rapids Subdivision, which can still be busy if you catch it at the right time!
http://groups.msn.com/chessiechapter/_whatsnew.msnw