CSXT 3115 leading Q621 on the St. Lawrence Subdivision

  While driving along Onondaga Lake, I spotted a stopped train sitting on CSX's St. Lawrence Subdivision. After confirming that the train to be heading southbound, I headed down to Destiny USA Mall, where the St. Lawrence Subdivision connects with the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision.

Train Q621 at CP291

  Below, Q621, with CSXT 3115 on the point, is on the St. Lawrence Subdivision (SLS), just north of the wye at CP291. The wye connects the SLS (commonly called the Massena Line) with the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision (STS). The SLS starts here at milepost (MP) QM2.0 and runs north to Massena, New York. CP291 sits at MP 291.5 of the STS.

CSXT 3115 with Q621, waiting just north of CP291

  From this vantage point the train is about 1,400 ft. (426 m.) away. This location worked out well because there is a railroad service road that runs mostly straight from my vantage point, helping to prevent any obstacles that might have interfered with the composition. 

  Below, the train has started to crawl southward, and is taking the eastern leg of the wye. In about 1,000 feet, Q621 will roll onto Track 1 of the STS, and head east to DeWitt Yard, which is approximately six miles away in East Syracuse, NY. Q621 will spend some time at DeWitt, setting out and picking up freight cars, before moving on east to Selkirk, NY.

Q621 takes the eastern leg of the wye

Today, Q621 had three locomotives on the point pulling almost two miles (3.2 km) of freight cars. The end of the train was just south of Heid's of Liverpool (a local favorite for hot dogs), which is about 2.4 miles (3.8 km) north of here. With only two daily through trains on this line, the trains tend to be very long.

Trains Q621 and Q620

Q621 runs between Massena, NY., and Selkirk, NY. The trains counterpart is Q620, which runs from Selkirk, NY., to Massena, NY. Currently, these are the only two through freight trains on the SLS, though, there are a number of locals that work along the line. 

In addition to the rail traffic picked up and set out along their route, Q620 and Q621 carry interchange traffic coming from and going to Canadian National at Huntingdon, QC. Between Massena, NY., and Huntingdon, QC., a local train handles the interchange traffic. I believe that most of the interchange traffic either originates or is destined for Montreal, QC.

Photographs taken on Friday, September 17, 2021, at Syracuse, NY.