T.G.'s Photography Blog

  As rain falls, CSXT 966 passes a MoW truck at CP 286 in East Syracuse, NY.   With rain falling, CSXT 966 leads intermodal train I004-16 east on the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision at CP 286 , while a maintenance of way (MoW) crew takes a break in their truck. I004 is on Track 2 (Main 2). In the background is the eastward absolute signal (EAS) bridge for CP 286. I004 runs daily from Bedford Park, Illinois, to South Kearny, New Jersey. Bedford Park is a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Photograph taken on January 17, 2023, at East Syracuse, NY.

  I004-09 is eastbound, just to the east of DeWitt Yard, passing by a frozen pond at milepost QC 282.   Intermodal train I004-09, led by CSXT 915, is eastbound at Minoa, New York. The train is just east of CSX's DeWitt Yard, which is on the other side of the bridge in the distance. This location is at milepost QC 282.0 of CSX's Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. I004 is on Track 2, with Track 1 to the right, and Track 4 to the far right. Photograph taken on January 9, 2023, at Minoa, New York.

I004 is eastbound, rolling under the eastward signal bridge at CP 286.   CSXT 7210 is leading intermodal train I004-24 (Bedford Park, Illinois, to South Kearny, New Jersey) through Control Point (CP) 286 on CSX's Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. The train is passing under the eastbound absolute signals which control tracks 7, 2, 1, and 8 (left to right). To the left of the train is the east end of Track 7.  Photograph taken on November 25, 2022, at East Syracuse, New York.

  CSXT 7235 leads I004-15 under the eastbound signal bridge at CP 286.   While waiting for M364-15 at East Syracuse, New York, I photographed priority intermodal train I004-15 as it passed through Control Point (CP) 286. I004 is on Track 2 and is passing under the signal bridge for the eastward absolute signals (EAS). CP 286 is part of CSX's Syracuse Terminal Subdivision and is about half of a mile west of DeWitt Yard.  Photograph taken on October 16, 2022, at East Syracuse, NY.

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.

Along Bonta Bridge Road, in Brutus, New York, are remnants of the old West Shore Railroad (WS). The WS tracks crossed over Bonta Bridge Road and the New York Central Railroad tracks which the WS paralleled in the area. Today, the ex-NYC tracks are part of CSX's Rochester Subdivision. The NYC and the WS competed directly with each other between the New York City area and Buffalo, New York. When the WS fell on hard financial times it was taken over by the NYC, eventually making much of the WS' route unneeded. Bonta Bridge Road bridge abutment According to an old map of the WS that I found, on the east-west segment of the two railroads' routes across New York, the WS ran just to the south of the NYC from the Schenectady, New York, and Albany, New York areas to Syracuse, New York. At Syracuse, the WS tracks crossed over and ran to the north of the NYC tracks, before crossing back over to the south side of the NYC tracks at Brutus, New York. Looking north, the eastern abutment s...

After catching train I009-02 with my drone over at Brutus, New York, my youngest and I wound up at the Erie Canal Trail parking lot in Memphis, New York. We wound up there because the youngest fell asleep while driving and experience has shown me that it's best to just let the little one sleep in the car. Experience has also shown me that trains rumbling by at track speed will not wake the little one.  So, while the youngest slept, I waited for a few trains. First up, intermodal train I004-02, led by CSXT 3393 A short time after arriving, I heard CSX train I004-02's crew calling out signals as the train rolled east along CSX's Rochester Subdivision.  A short time before I004-02 arrived, I heard Amtrak's Maple Leaf crew call out a clear at milepost 294. Memphis, New York, is at MP 302.6 . I began to wonder if somehow, I might capture a meeting of the two trains as they passed my location.  Led by CSXT 3393, CSX train I004-02 kicks up a cloud of snow at Memphis, NY. Led...

 Last Saturday, after catching CSX train X626-18  led by Union Pacific locomotives at Memphis, New York, I caught CSX intermodal train I004-18 further to the east at Warners, New York.  I004-18 eastbound at Warners, NY. CSXT 3087 leading I004-18 east of CP300 at Warners, NY. Above, I004-18 is eastbound on Track 2 of the Rochester Subdivision and is cresting a small hill. This spot is just to the east of control point (CP) 300 (milepost (MP) QC 300.7), near Warners Road. Through the trees and brush on the right side of the photograph you can see a red signal on one of the westbound control point block signals . The westbound signals are about 3,100 feet from me.  The old NYC milepost 300 still stands about 500 feet east of Warners Road. Across the tracks and about 300 feet east of my position is the old New York Central milepost for mile 300. The Rochester Subdivision was once part of the NYC's Water Level Route. The miles on the Rochester Subdivision count up going ...

 With some snow still on the ground, I decided to head out a catch a few trains before the great thaw occurs over the next few days. For the first time in almost a month, our temps are supposed to get above freezing for a few days, plus some rain on Wednesday.  CSXT 7252 and CSXT 4535 leading I004 I heard I004-30 (the 30 represents the day the train originated on) calling out block signal indications as it made its way east along the Rochester Subdivision. The train was rolling east at a speed of between 50 to 55 MPH, according to the defect detectors along the line. I caught the train as it headed east at milepost 298 . This view is looking north from Warners Road, as I004-30 rolls east, just west of Pottery Road. I004 is a daily priority intermodal train that originates at Bedford Park, Illinois, near Chicago, Illinois, and runs to South Kearny, New Jersey. Between Bedford Park and South Kearny, the train passes through Garrett, Indiana, Deschler, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio, Buf...

On Christmas Eve morning, we woke up to snow on the ground. After the youngsters played in the snow for a few hours, my oldest and I ventured out to find some trains on CSX's Rochester Subdivision before the snow melted. We wound up at Memphis, New York, where I could safely park at a trailhead along the Erie Canal Trail, and the little one could watch safely from the car. Throughout two short visits to Memphis, we saw five trains. Memphis, New York Located about ten miles west of Syracuse, New York, Memphis is a hamlet in the Village of Van Buren, New York. Memphis is one of ten locations along the Rochester Subdivision with defect detectors. Both Track 1 and Track 2 have detectors at QC302.6, just to the west of Bennetts Corners Road. Both tracks have hotbox detectors (HBD) and dragging equipment detectors (DED).  The Rochester Subdivision was part of the old New York Central Water Level Route. When the NYC and Pennsylvania Railroad merged, the line became part of the Penn Centra...

Earlier this month I was over at the "Green Bridge" (a pedestrian bridge) on the eastern edge of CSX's DeWitt Yard. While there, I caught CSX train Q626-07, led by CSXT 5447, working at the yard. While Q626-07 was working the yard, intermodal train I004-07 (formerly train Q004) came through on the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. CSXT 5447 leading Q626-07 at DeWitt Yard Q626 is a daily manifest freight train that runs from Frontier Yard, in Buffalo, New York, to Selkirk Yard, in Selkirk, New York. Q626 makes stops at Goodman Yard in Rochester, New York, Waste Management in Fairport, New York, DeWitt Yard, in East Syracuse, New York, and Utica, New York. CSXT 5447 leading Q626-07 at DeWitt Yard. When I got up to the top of the Green Bridge, CSXT 5447 was pulling a string of rail cars from the yard tracks on the north side of the yard, that are along North Central Avenue. The train moved east, and after passing the Green Bridge it continued down Track 4 of the Syracuse Termi...