February, 2000: CSX OCS in Michigan

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GP30M4216
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February, 2000: CSX OCS in Michigan

Unread post by GP30M4216 »

All the excitement a week ago about the CSX OCS traveling across Michigan made me think of my previous encounter with this train. I wasn't here in 2014 when the consist last moved through the state, and I'm not sure when it passed through before that. But I do remember when a shortened version of the OCS turned up one day back on February 17, 2000 back at Rougemere Yard. There was no railroadfan.com back then, nor facebook or any other message board or online scanner to follow the action. I'm not sure why I was passing by Rougemere Yard on a Thursday afternoon, but my family attended church in East Dearborn and handbell choir rehearsal was usually Thursday night, so maybe that's why. I was in high school then and didn't have my own car.

Anyways, there was a surprise on the Ice Dock track right along Wyoming Avenue. CSXT F40PH #9992 and about 6 OCS cars were parked there at the yard office. Somewhere, I have very poorly lit film photos of the business cars; it being late afternoon, from the parking lot I was clearly on the shadow side. But the brilliant, clear February sun shown down on the then-new Bright Future nose of #9992 facing east, which made for some decent photography of the head end. I need to dig up my pictures to share here.

Having seen the train roll through west Michigan last week, I started googling "CSX OCS Michigan 2000," and sure enough came upon this great report on Jerry Sunlin's website about the CSX OCS visit, including its timetable and travels around the northern part of the system including Ohio, Michigan, and CSX Ontario operations. And a photo of the same train I saw, just up the track in Livonia! You can check it out here: http://xrailfan.com/trains/ply/specinsp.html

I'll share my photos when I find them. Does anyone else recall catching this train or have any early OCS pics to share?

GP30M4216
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Re: February, 2000: CSX OCS in Michigan

Unread post by GP30M4216 »

I heard there was some special train coming through Michigan everyone was going to post photos of on Facebook today :lol: So! That prompted me to actually assemble the photos I found from when the CSX OCS, or half of it, anyways, was parked at Rougemere. February 17, 2000. The golden color on the nose of CSXT #9992, formerly Amtrak #390, is incredible, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for the lighting of cars in the consist parked on the Ice Dock Track. Ah well, you get what you can. The two flags parked on the ballast ahead of the F40 include a standard faded blue flag, and the other, which is stenciled "Occupied Camp Cars." Enjoy!
CC9992 Rougemere 2-15-2000 B.jpg
CC9992 Rougemere 2-15-2000 VA.jpg
Last edited by GP30M4216 on Wed Mar 15, 2023 9:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.

GP30M4216
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Re: February, 2000: CSX OCS in Michigan

Unread post by GP30M4216 »

Some photos of cars in the consist at Rougemere Yard. At this time, most of the cars were names after states in the CSX system. I'm surprised Michigan even warranted a car! I can safely say that despite the Scheme 6 color on the nose of the F40, today's version of the OCS paint scheme is 1000% times more refined than what it looked like then.
IMG_0043 fixed Florida OCS Rougemere 2-17-2000.jpg
IMG_0044 fixed Michigan OCS Rougemere 2-17-2000.jpg
IMG_0045 fixed Georgia OCS Rougemere 2-17-2000.jpg
I believe the consist here was:
CSXT F40PH 9992
CSXT 8 Mississippi
CSXT 317 Baltimore
CSXT 308 Florida
CSXT 319 Greenbrier
CSXT 12 Michigan
CSXT 318 Georgia

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SD80MAC
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Re: February, 2000: CSX OCS in Michigan

Unread post by SD80MAC »

Wow, core memory unlocked. I saw this train crossing Breton in GR and had no idea what I was looking at. Happened to be in the car with my mom. That timeline jives with how old I was, too. Always wondered what it was that I saw.
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