Canadian National 3115 (BC Rail) at CSX's DeWitt Yard in Minoa, NY.

CN 3115 is one of the Canadian National Railway's (CN) heritage locomotives. Heritage locomotive paint schemes usually honor railroads acquired by present-day railroads. CN 3115 honors BC Railway, whose railroad operations were acquired by CN in 2004. BC Rail began life as Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) in 1912. In 1918 the British Columbia provincial government took over the PGE. In 1972 PGE was renamed British Columbia Railway, and then in 1984, that name was shortened to BC Rail. 

Q212-22 arriving at CP282

Nearing CP282, CN 3115 leads Q212-22 slowly east
on Track 1. CP283's signals are in the background.

I heard CSX's NF dispatcher, who controls the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision (STS) tell Q212-22 that it was going into Track 7 to hold for some traffic coming west. Track 7 runs between CP286 and CP291 of the STS. NF was making room for I017-21 to run west on Track 2 while I009 worked the Departure Yard Lead and tied up Track 1 at CP285. CP285 is on the western end of DeWitt Yard in East Syracuse, New York. After intermodal train I017-21 cleared the control points, NF instructed Q212-22 to come out of Track 7 to Track 2 and then crossover to Track 1. Then proceed east and stop the train between CP283 and CP282.

Q212 is stopped just west of CP282's eastbound signals on Track 1.

As the conductor was working to uncouple the locomotives from the autorack cars I saw that the Auto 282 signal for Track 2 dropped to red over red. A few minutes later Amtrak train P284, led by AMTK 714, came speeding east on Track 2 past Q212-22. 

AMTK 714 leads P284 east on Track 2 past a stopped Q212.

The crew of Q212-22 would cut off the locomotives and leave the autorack cars on main Track 1 to run lite into DeWitt Yard via CP282. Once in the yard the crew would pick up a cut of intermodal cars. CP282 is a control point connecting Track 1 to the end of Track 4, which leads to the Add-A-Block and Departure Track. 

CN 3115 and CN 2830 roll east through CP282. The end of Track 4 and the start of
Add-A-Block and the Departure Track are right of the locomotives and block signals.

CP282 is a control point connecting Track 1 to the Add-A-Block track and the Departure Lead track at the end of Track 4. Track 4 ends at CP282. Track 2 does not have any connection to any other tracks here and is not a part of the control point. The block signals for Track 2 are automatic block signals. This type of CP is referred to as a semi CP. 

I159 is slowly moving west on Track 4, while Q212's crew waits for the signal.

While Q212-22's crew waited for the route into DeWitt to be set, intermodal train I159, led by CSXT 112 and CSXT 31 came slowly west on Track 4. I159 would stop to wait while Q212-22 worked DeWitt Yard. 

CN 3115 and CN 2830 enter DeWitt Yard via CP282. A
yard job works the North Drill Track in the background.

After the locomotives entered the yard, they stopped just west of the signals and waited to continue further into the yard. Two yard jobs were busy switching cars, and one of the yard jobs was on the Departure Lead track, which is the track Q212 needed to move further west on. I took a couple more photographs before departing to run errands and head home. The youngest was very well behaved during our outing but was reaching the limit of patience.

CN 3115 is stopped and waiting on the Add-A-Block and Departure Track lead.

After I left Q212-22 picked up its cut of intermodal cars and recoupled to the autorack cars sitting on Track 1. The train then continued on its journey to Oak Island, New Jersey. Q212 originates daily at Buffalo, New York. The train stops at DeWitt Yard to pick up a cut of intermodal cars before moving on east from the Syracuse, New York, area.

The conductor's side of CN 3115's cab.

Photographs taken on April 22, 2022, at Minoa, New York.