T.G.'s Photography Blog

  W003-15 with CSXT 9969 sits on the Peat Street Lead near the west side CSX's DeWitt Yard.  CSX geometry train W003 made an appearance in Central New York this week. The consist of W003 is comprised of CSXT 9969, a rebuilt EMD GP40WH-2; Hocking Valley, a crew quarters car; and TGC3, the track geometry car. CSXT 9969 is always paired with W003. W003-14 came east from Buffalo, New York, on February 14th, and then tied down overnight in East Syracuse, New York. The next day W003-15 went north from East Syracuse to Massena, New York. CSXT 9969 is shoving W003-15 west on Main 1 through CP 286 next to the old Spano Rail facility (left).   Before going north to Massena, W003-15 had pull east off of the Peat Street Lead to the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision at Control Point (CP) 285 (west side of DeWitt Yard). It then shoved west from CP 285 to CP 291. CP 291 , in Syracuse, New York, is where the St. Lawrence Subdivision to Massena starts. At CP 291 W003-15 tested both legs...

 Yesterday, CSX's track geometry train  W001-18 came south on the St. Lawrence Subdivision. After getting to Syracuse, New York, it stayed the night at DeWitt Yard in East Syracuse. This morning, I decided to venture out and see if I could find it parked over at the yard.  CSXT 6025 (GP40-2) sits with W001-19 at DeWitt Yard. With snow flurries falling, I found the geometry train, on a spur track. The spur track is on the south side of DeWitt Yard, and is to the east of I-481 and north of Manlius Center Road. Unfortunately, it was not easily accessible due to the area around it being private property .   CSXT 994527 (ex-SP 9020, ex-AMTK 2696 & AMTK 2451) CSXT 6025 and CSXT 994527 on W001-19 at DeWitt Yard. I was surprised to see the first car of the train wearing Southern Pacific (SP) lettering and colors. From information I found online, the ex-SP car was purchased by CSX in 2020. photographs found online, it has been used on CSX's geometry track trains ...

Back in mid-September, I read some chatter on Virtual Railfan's Fairport, New York, YouTube camera page saying that a CSX track geometry train had gone east but had not come back west yet. Rumor was that the train was parked at DeWitt Yard in East Syracuse, New York. I couldn't get out to see if the geometry train was at DeWitt Yard , on the day I read about the train. Then a few days later I happened to be nearby the freight yard and saw the cars sitting on a side track along the North Runner Track at the yard. The only camera I had with me was my phone, so I snapped a quick shot with my phone's camera. TGC3 and Hocking Valley sit at DeWitt Yard I had to capture my photograph by shooting against the sun, from the north side of the yard. Above are CSXT 994366 (TGC3), the track geometry car, and CSXT 994365 (Hocking Valley), a support car, are sitting in CSX's DeWitt Yard.  Photographs taken on September 18, 2021, at East Syracuse, New York.