T.G.'s Photography Blog

   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 5...

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...

  CSXT 4014, an SD40-3 rebuild, is switching a block of intermodal cars at a snow covered DeWitt Yard.   Back in January of this year, CSXT 4014 was switching blocks of intermodal cars at CSX's DeWitt Yard. CSXT 4014 is pulling a cut of cars west down the Departure Yard Lead from the Departure Yard. The Departure Yard sits east of the I-481 bridge in the background. Almost all of the intermodal trains that pass through DeWitt swap blocks of intermodal cars there. In addition, the yard itself is designated as an inland port and trailers and containers are dropped off and picked up there by customers. Below, I009-26 , one of the intermodal trains that works DeWitt Yard daily, is departing DeWitt Yard via the South Runner . I009 runs from Port Newark, New Jersey, to Bedford Park, Illinois, in the Chicago area. With fresh snow on the ground at DeWitt Yard, CSXT 4014 is pacing I009-26 west at DeWitt Yard.  Photographs taken on January 27, 2023, at East Syracuse, New York.

  M364-17 is eastbound passing the block signals at CP-285 on the west end of DeWitt Yard.   Led by CSXT 3121 and Canadian Pacific (CP) 8770, M364-17 is eastbound on the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision at Control Point (CP) 285 . CP 8770 is an unpatched Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Railway locomotive. CP-285 is on the west end of CSX's DeWitt Yard. M364 is a daily manifest train from Avon, Indiana (near Indianapolis), to Selkirk, New York.  Photograph taken on May 18, 2023, at East Syracuse, New York. 

  With snow falling, CSXT 846 leads I162 by CP 285 and into DeWitt Yard.   Yesterday, another round of snow fell on the Syracuse, New York, area. With snow falling, I162-27 makes its way into DeWitt Yard at Control Point (CP) 285 on the Inbound Lead . The Inbound Lead diverges from Track 1 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision at CP 286, a half mile to the west of CP 285, and leads into DeWitt Yard. The Inbound Lead isn't officially part of CP 285. I162 is heading to the South Runner to work the intermodal departure yard. I162 runs daily from North Baltimore, Ohio, to Port Newark, New Jersey.  Photograph taken on February 28, 2023, at East Syracuse, New York.

  M621-26 is passing the westbound CP signal bridge for the siding and Departure Lead at CP 285.   M621-26, led by CSXT 5459 and CSXT 4574, is arriving at DeWitt Yard via Control Point (CP) 285. M621 is eastbound, coming off Track 1 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision to the controlled siding, which runs between CP 285 and CP 283. The siding sits between Track 1 (to the south) and the Departure Lead (to the north). M621 runs south from Masenna, NY., to Syracuse, NY., before going east to Selkirk, NY. Between Masenna and Syracuse the train uses CSX's St. Lawrence Subdivision to CP 291 (west of DeWitt Yard) where it gets on the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision and comes east to DeWitt Yard. M621-26 rolls east on the south side of a snow-covered DeWitt Yard. I009 is westbound in the background. Photographs taken on January 27, 2023, at East Syracuse, New York.

  AMTK 717 leads P284 east at CP 285, passing the "Thank You Railroaders" sign by DeWitt Yard.    AMTK 717 , painted in the Empire Service paint scheme, leads Amtrak train 284 (P284 on CSX) east at Control Point (CP) 285 on the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. P284 is about to pass the "Thank You Railroaders" sign. CP 285 sits at Bridge Street on the western end of CSX's DeWitt Yard. Photograph taken on October 25, 2022, at East Syracuse, New York.

  I007 sits on the siding at DeWitt Yard, to the east of CP 285.   Intermodal train I007 -17 (North Bergen, New Jersey, to Rose Lake, Illinois) is stopped on the siding at DeWitt Yard, between the Departure Yard Lead (to the north) and Track 1 (to the south) of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision . The intermodal cars sitting on Track 1 are part of I157-17. When this photograph was taken, I157's locomotives and some cars they picked up from the Departure Yard were pulling west of CP 285 , in order to shove back on Track 1 and pick up the rest of the train. In the background is the intermodal facility at DeWitt Yard. Photograph taken on September 17, 2022, at East Syracuse, New York.

CSXT 100 and I001-16 are westbound, passing the intermodal facility at DeWitt Yard. CSXT 100 in the YN2 paint scheme leads priority intermodal train I001-16 west past DeWitt Yard at East Syracuse, New York. I001  is on Track 1 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision, just east of CP 285 . In the background is part of DeWitt Yard's inland-port intermodal facility. I001 is a once-a-week train (departs on Tuesdays) from North Bergen, New Jersey, to Bedford Park, Illinois. Photograph taken on August 16, 2022, at East Syracuse, New York.

AMTK 100 leads the Lake Shore Limited by DeWitt Yard.   One of Amtrak's 50th Anniversary locomotives, AMTK 100 "Midnight Blue" led the Lake Shore Limited (train symbol P048) yesterday. The train is eastbound on CSX's Syracuse Terminal Subdivision and is passing by DeWitt Yard in East Syracuse, New York. The train departed the Syracuse station about five minutes prior to passing by DeWitt Yard. Photograph taken on August 16, 2022, at East Syracuse, New York.

CSXT 3185 leads I004-06 east at Auto 282/CP 282 by DeWitt Yard. Priority intermodal train I004-06 is eastbound on Track 2 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision (STS). I004 is about to pass the Automatic (Auto) 280 block signal (left) on the eastern edge of DeWitt Yard. Auto 280 sits next to Control Point (CP) 282 . CP282 only controls Track 1 (middle) into DeWitt Yard. Photograph taken on May 7, 2022, at Minoa, New York.

CSXT 5304 leads I001-02 west on the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision at DeWitt Yard. The once-a-week intermodal train I001 came through East Syracuse on Tuesday, morning, led by CSXT 5304 and CSXT 824. I caught the train as it neared CP285 , passing by DeWitt Yard. I001-02 rolled west, passing M627-30, which was parked without a crew on the signaled siding. Next to M627-30 is intermodal train I009-01 on the Departure Yard Lead. Photograph taken on August 2, 2022, at East Syracuse, New York.

CSXT 6538 pulls east down the Departure/Outbound Lead, nearing CP282. At the " Green Bridge " in Minoa, New York, CSXT 6538 is switching intermodal cars at DeWitt Yard on the Departure/Outbound Lead . The cars are being switched in the Departure Yard to the west of the Green Bridge. I115, with CSXT 3056, is stopped on Track 1 just east of CP282. Left, a train switches on Track 4. Right, the end of M364-26 rolls east on Track 2. While, CSXT 6538 switched the block of intermodal cars, intermodal train I115  (Worchester, MA., to Syracuse, NY.) arrived and stopped on the east side of CP 282. I115 had to wait for the switching operation to clear before entering DeWitt Yard via CP282. CSXT 6538 begins shoving its cut of cars down the Departure/Outbound Lead. Photographs taken on July 27, 2022, at Minoa, New York.

CSXT 3469, CSXT 468, and CSXT 3193 are westbound, coming off the Departure Yard Lead to Track 1, at Bridge St. CSXT 3469, CSXT 468, and CSXT 3193 are building intermodal train I161-17 at DeWitt Yard in East Syracuse, New York. I161 originates at DeWitt Yard, and its destination is North Baltimore, Ohio. I169 is the continuation of intermodal train I159, which comes from Port Newark, New Jersey, to DeWitt Yard. The train is shoving east on the Departure Yard Lead from Track 1 at CP285. Of the three locomotives, only CSXT 3469 would wind up on the outbound I161-17, along with CSXT 5246. CSXT 3469 came to DeWitt on train I159-17. CSXT 428 and 3193 came to DeWitt on I115-17. In addition to I159, I115 also terminates at DeWitt Yard. The train is shoving back on the Departure Yard Lead, east of CP285's westward absolute signals. Photographs taken on July 17, 2022 at East Syracuse, New York.

CSXT 3066 and CSXT 942 lead I009-14 west on the Departure Yard Lead at DeWitt Yard. While I waited for Amtrak Empire Service train P284 (Niagara Falls, New York, to New York, New York) to come east at DeWitt Yard, CSX intermodal train I009-14 rolled westbound on the Departure Yard Lead. I009 had just arrived at DeWitt Yard and was beginning to work the Departure Yard before continuing on west. Long trains working the Departure Yard often need to occupy part of Track 1 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision at CP285 in order to make their setouts and pickups. Led by AMTK 711, P284-15 rolls east on the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision passing by I009. I009's headend is at CP285. Photographs taken on July 15, 2022, at East Syracuse, New York.

CSXT 6538 and CSXT 8060 are shoving back at the high car defect detector at the western end of Track 4. In the distance a train is working on the North Drill Lead. CSXT 6538 and CSXT 8060 are switching a string of intermodal cars at DeWitt Yard. The locomotives initially pulled the intermodal rail cars east from the Departure Yard on the Departure Lead to Track 1 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision at Control Point (CP) 282. Then began shoving the rail cars back into the Departure Yard. After capturing the locomotive duo from the Green Bridge , I went over to a trail head parking lot to the west to get a side view. In this view, taken from a trailhead parking lot, the locomotive duo shoves back on the Departure Lead toward the Departure Yard. In the background is the Local Yard. Photographs taken on June 25, 2022, at Minoa, New York.

CP 8158 and CSXT 89 sit on the east end of the North Runner at DeWitt Yard. To the left is the Local Yard Drill Track.   CSX train M560 -26 with Canadian Pacific (CP) 8158 and CSXT 89 is sitting on the North Runner at CSX's DeWitt Yard. M560 is stopped along North Central Avenue, just west of the Green Bridge , at Minoa, New York. It seems to be a common occurrence for 560 to get to DeWitt Yard and wait on the North Runner for its next crew. Earlier this month, I caught Q560 (the previous symbol) with Canadian National power at DeWitt . This view is from the Green Bridge, looking straight on at CP 8158.  CP 8158 is an AC4400CWM, rebuilt from CP 9593, an AC44CW. The locomotive was built by General Electric in 1997 for CP.  The front of CP 8158, taken from North Central Avenue.

  SRS 131 sits on the team track off of the North Runner at DeWitt Yard .   Sperry Rail Services (SRS) 131 is a track inspection vehicle with ties to St. Louis, Missouri. SRS 131 was built in 1925, by Electro-Motive Company (EMC), in partnership with St. Louis Car Company. Built for the Leigh Valley Railroad, SRS acquired 131 in 1941. SRS then converted it into a maintenance-of-way track inspection vehicle. Originally, SRS 131 was gas-powered but today is diesel-powered. A straight-on view of SRS 131 at DeWitt Yard.   The styling of these vehicles earned them the nickname, Doodlebugs. Doodlebugs are self-propelled rail cars that hauled passengers and freight on lightly used rail lines in the early to mid-1900s. Today, some are on display in museums across the country, while others, like SRS 131, have gone on to still be used on today's railroads. Photographs taken on June 25, 2022, at East Syracuse, New York.

A CSX welder works on a switch frog on the eastern side of DeWitt Yard.   On Tuesday, I came across a CSX welder repairing a switch frog on the eastern side of DeWitt Yard. The switch is where a track from Track 1 at CP282 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision merges into the end of Track 4 and leads to the Departure Lead. Trains entering DeWitt Yard that needed to work the Departure Yard were entering via CP283 to the west.

  Q560 is a daily manifest train that originates at CSX's Queensgate Yard in Cincinnati, Ohio, and travels to its final destination at Selkirk Yard in Selkirk, New York. Earlier this month, I came across CSX Q560 -02 with Canadian National (CN) 2838 and CSXT 39 on the point at DeWitt Yard waiting for a new crew. CN 2838 and CSXT 39 are on the head end of a crewless Q560-02 sitting on the North Runner at DeWitt Yard.   Q560-02 sat on the east end of the North Runner at DeWitt Yard in Minoa, New York. The train had arrived at DeWitt Yard in the early morning, after passing through Fairport, New York, at 03:35 AM. Depending on traffic, trains generally take an hour and a half to cover the distance between Fairport and Syracuse. A westward view of the east end of DeWitt Yard from North Main Street. Q560-02 is on the North Runner, next to the Local Yard Lead.   The day I caught Q560-02 was the day that CSX implemented the new "M" prefix for manifest train symbols. Any train or...