Charlotte and Southern Visitors update thread

[Larry G]

4 more NOKL gons came off CN this morning to join ten other cars awaiting downtown to move out to the end of the line. I am hoping CHS will call a crew in the next day or so to move them out to the end in groups of 3 to 4 cars. Should present some interesting switching movements as the west end of the line is pretty well clogged up now. Lots of clearing before the dinner train can go again.

[AARR]

4 more NOKL gons came off CN this morning to join ten other cars awaiting downtown to move out to the end of the line. I am hoping CHS will call a crew in the next day or so to move them out to the end in groups of 3 to 4 cars. Should present some interesting switching movements as the west end of the line is pretty well clogged up now. Lots of clearing before the dinner train can go again.

There's only a couple miles of track. What do they do with the stored cars when they run the dinner train?

[Larry G]

There's only a couple miles of track. What do they do with the stored cars when they run the dinner train?

As the length of the stored cars grow on the east end the trip on the dinner train becomes shorter and slower. It is an inverse relationship. As I reported before the stored cars are coming up the line and these 14 additional cars will put the string in storage to almost the Meijer store on M-50!

Valentine Weekend has been a popular time for the Dinner Train to go in past winters...They still have time to move the cars down to the end of the line from downtown as not to interfer with this operation.

Hope to see some of the switching as it happens.

[RailCanon]

There was switching going on around noon today involving two covered hoppers and three gons, all with NOKL reporting marks. Not sure if these were new or already-delivered cars, though.

[AARR]

There was switching going on around noon today involving two covered hoppers and three gons, all with NOKL reporting marks. Not sure if these were new or already-delivered cars, though.

The covered hoppers are going to the elevator...Not. Just wishful thinking on my part

[Larry G]

The 3 strings of previous dropped cars were moved out to the end of the line the afternoon.(14 total)

Happened to go through town shortly after 6:15 PM and the loco was moving ONE new dropped covered hopper out to the end of the line that apparently came in later in the day today.

1-28-10 addition:
On further observation today the 'one new hopper' last night was really another string of 4 cars. Today the 4 cars were sitting just east of Lansing Street awaiting a push to the end of the line.

More work will be needed before the Dinner Train can head out.

[Larry G]

1-28-10 addition:
On further observation today the 'one new hopper' last night was really another cut of 4 cars. Today the 4 cars were sitting just east of Lansing Street awaiting a push to the end of the line.

More work will be needed before the Dinner Train can head out.

[Larry G]

Don't hold me to the exact numbers because of darkness but it looks like a cut of 9 gons came off CN late this afternoon to join the others at the end of the line. It looks like 5 are beside the old depot and 2 are by the Dinner Train loading area. When they move to the end of line the Dinner Train excursion will end just past the Meijer store!!!

[AARR]

Don't hold me to the exact numbers because of darkness but it looks like a cut of 9 gons came off CN late this afternoon to join the others at the end of the line. It looks like 5 are beside the old depot and 4 are by the Dinner Train loading area. When they move to the end of line the Dinner Train excursion will end just past the Meijer store!!!

How long of run will that be?

[Larry G]

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=42.5 ... 9&t=h&z=15

In this sat view you can see the Meijer store located at Meijer Drive and M-50. The CHS RR grade runs behind the store to the SE out to the end of the line just before Flanders Rd. Today cars are stored from the east end at Flanders to about 4 home lots east of the Meijer property.

The Dinner Train ride has been reduced in length by about 20% as the cars have filled up the distance out to the M-50 crossing.

Hope this view helps to understand. If you click and drag the map you can see the Dinner Train in its spot beside the hospital downtown Charlotte and also two coaches out at the east end. This photo was taken before the cars started coming in for storage.

[AARR]

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=42.5 ... 9&t=h&z=15

In this sat view you can see the Meijer store located at Meijer Drive and M-50. The CHS RR grade runs behind the store to the SE out to the end of the line just before Flanders Rd. Today cars are stored from the east end at Flanders to about 4 home lots east of the Meijer property.

The Dinner Train ride has been reduced in length by about 20% as the cars have filled up the distance out to the M-50 crossing.

Hope this view helps to understand. If you click and drag the map you can see the Dinner Train in its spot beside the hospital downtown Charlotte and also two coaches out at the east end. This photo was taken before the cars started coming in for storage.

Sure does. Thanks Larry.

[UncleRaul]

so... pardon me for sounding like an ignorant chicken lover, but does the Eaton Co. farm bureau move anything by rail?

[AARR]

so... pardon me for sounding like an ignorant chicken lover, but does the Eaton Co. farm bureau move anything by rail?

No, they stopped service a year or so ago. Switch to their siding has been removed. The feedback from a Farm Bureau employee (which is not official by any means) is they were told they had to ship 500 cars a year or lose service. In a normal year they would switch about half that.

IMO this sounds like a CN policy. CN is doing this too many of its customers and losing business. Some comes back, but most is gone forever. Again, just MHO as I don't have any inside info.

[UncleRaul]

yes, i heard something similar, and the source I heard it from said it was CN's policy

[AARR]

yes, i heard something similar, and the source I heard it from said it was CN's policy

I want to emphasize those are my speculations and not official. Shortline's are not necessarily under same guidelines as CN's online customers.

BTW - someone pm'd me and said switch to elevator is still intact but under weeds (or snow

[Larry G]

CHS called a crew today to move 3 cuts of gons and hoppers out to the end of the line for storage.

Pics:http://railroadfan.com/gallery/displayi ... pos=-58674
http://railroadfan.com/gallery/displayi ... pos=-58673

The line should be clear for the Valentine Day Dinner Train trips coming up.

[AARR]

At least CHS is trying to make a buck on the line

[Larry G]

At least CHS is trying to make a buck on the line

The string of cars is getting to be impressive. Just returned from a shopping trip to the Meijer store at I-69 and M-50 this morning. The stored cars are now even with the east side of the Meijer building!!!!! Also another car has been dropped off by CN and awaits movment out to the end. Valentine Dinner Train ride will be much shorter this year if one runs.

[GrandTrunkFan]

At least CHS is trying to make a buck on the line

The string of cars is getting to be impressive. Just returned from a shopping trip to the Meijer store at I-69 and M-50 this morning. The stored cars are now even with the east side of the Meijer building!!!!! Also another car has been dropped off by CN and awaits movment out to the end. Valentine Dinner Train ride will be much shorter this year if one runs.

My question at this point when will it stop? Theyre not going to have room for a dinner train if they keep getting cars in.

[Larry G]

My question at this point when will it stop? Theyre not going to have room for a dinner train if they keep getting cars in.

I was thinking...what if they want to get the coil cars out that came in first....how would that be handled?

If you put two locomotives on the front of the string it would start to look like some of the old PC trains that passed slowly though here in the mid 1970's. At 10 MPH speeds of the time it took some of those trains along time to clear a road crossing!!!