Posts

CSXT 1976 the "Conrail" heritage unit at Canastota, NY

Image
  CSXT 1976 and CSXT 2626 lead M634 east through the curve west of BeeBe Bridge Rd.   After heading west on M363 earlier this month , CSXT 1976 came back east on M363's counterpart train, M364. M363 and M364 run between Selkirk, NY., and Avon, IN. While bike riding along the old Erie Canal at Canastota, NY., I caught M364 being led by 1976 at BeeBe Bridge Road (MP 271.5 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision). The canal is just out of sight to the right of the rectangular pond in the photograph. The rail line and canal intersect just around the curve, in the background. Looking at old topographic maps from the late 1890s, the rail line and canal have always met here. I'm assuming the rail line at one time crossed over the canal on a bridge, though today, the old canal segments just end on each side of the tracks.  Photograph taken on September 7,  2023, at Canastota, NY.

Conrail heritage unit CSXT 1976 leads M363 at Weedsport, NY

Image
  CSXT 1976 and CSXT 489 lead M363-01 west on the Rochester Subdivision at Weedsport, NY. CSX's heritage locomotive , CSXT 1976, made an appearance today on Conrail's former Chicago Line. 1976 is leading M363-01 west through Weedsport, NY., at Auto 311 of CSX's Rochester Subdivision. Conrail was formed out of the ashes of many bankrupt and failing eastern railroads, one of the biggest being the Penn Central. In 1973 the Regional Rail Reorganization Act (3R Act) was signed into law, paving the way for Conrail. Under the 3R Act the United States Railway Association (USRA) was tasked with creating and implementing a plan combining rail lines from the eastern railroads. In 1976, the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act was signed into law, which included the USRA's final plan for Conrail. In 1998, with Conrail being a success, the railroad was split up and merged with CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS). Both railroads formed the railroad, Conrail Share

Canadian wildfire smoke at CSX's DeWitt Yard

Image
   At CP-282, CSXT 3261 is the rear DP on westbound intermodal train I157-05. In the background the Fremont Rd. bridge (1.4 miles to the west) is mostly obscured by the wildfire smoke.   On Tuesday, June 6th, and Wednesday, June 7th, Syracuse, New York, and the surrounding Central New York (CNY) area were blanketed with smoke from wildfires in Nova Scotia and Québec, Canada. Initially, early Tuesday morning, the air just looked to have some moderate haze and smelled of smoke. By midmorning, at times, it was difficult to see structures beyond a mile and the air at times had a yellowish cast to it.  Looking west from the  "Green Bridge" at Minoa, NY. , yellow tinted smoke surrounds CSXT 4090, which is stopped in the distance on the North Drill Track at DeWitt yard.     Compared to some parts of the Eastern US and Canada, the Syracuse area didn't get the worst of it. The Air Quality Index (AQI) considers good air quality to be in the range between 0 to 50. Last Tuesday, the

CSXT 1982 "Seaboard System" heritage unit at East Syracuse

Image
I007-28, led by CSXT 1982 and CSXT 877, is slowly passing under the westbound absolute signal at CP-286 in East Syracuse, NY.   Last week CSX's Seaboard System heritage unit, CSXT 1982, made an appearance in Syracuse. CSXT 1982, along with CSXT 877, led intermodal train I007-28. I007 is a daily train runs from North Bergen, NJ., to Rose Lake, IL., (just outside St. Louis, MO ). Along the way I007 stops to work DeWitt Yard in East Syracuse, NY. The train also stops to work at Avon, IN.  CSXT 1982 and CSXT 877 sit at CP-286 waiting to reverse and shove east toward DeWitt Yard. In the background are the steeples of St. Matthews Catholic Church.   CSXT 1982 was the third heritage unit to be painted at CSX's Waycross, GA., paint shop. The number 1982 signifies the year that the Seaboard System came to be, from a merger of the Seaboard Coast Line and the Louisville and Nashville railroads. According to CSX's website, "the Seaboard System was the first step under the CSX Corp

Waiting at CP-320 for CSXT 1973 "Chessie System" at Savannah, NY.

Image
 CSX's latest heritage unit , CSXT 1973, commemorating the Chessie System, made an appearance in Central New York (CNY) on July 4th. The locomotive was leading intermodal train I157-03. With the family in tow (and for some reason my wife deciding to come along with us) we headed to Savannah, New York, to see it.  I003-04 rolls west under the cantilever signal bridge on the western edge of CP-320.   Shortly after arriving at Control Point (CP) 320 of CSX's Rochester Subdivision in Savannah, NY., the first train to make an appearance was I003-04. I003 was making it's daily trek from South Kearny, NJ, to Bedford Park, IL. Bedford Park is a suburb of Chicago, IL. X363-03 rolls under the EAS cantilever signal bridge at CP-320.   Amtrak's Empire Service train P281 was next, but I skipped photographing it. Then came X363-03, led by CSXT 3410 and CSXT 5350. X363 is an extra (X) M363 . X363 was running M363's normal route from CSX's Selkirk Yard in Selkirk, NY., to Avon

All images/photographs are copyrighted © by Tom Gatermann. All rights reserved. Contact me. Subscribe.