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...

  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.

  AMTK 709 leads P284 through CP 285, with Bridge St. and the old NYC coaling towers in the background.   With fresh snow on the ground and more falling, AMTK 709 leads train P284-28 east through control point (CP) 285 on the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. CP 285 is at the west end of CSX's DeWitt Yard. In the background is Bridge Street and the old New York Central (NYC) coaling towers.  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.

With some fall colors behind it, P284-18 rounds the curve just to the east of Bridge Street.  AMTK 711 is leading Amtrak Empire Service train 284 east at CP 285 of CSX's Syracuse Terminal Subdivision . 284, known as P284 on CSX, is coming around the curve on Track 2 between CP 286 and CP 285. P284 runs daily from Niagara Falls, New York, to New York City.  Photograph taken on October 18, 2022, 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 461 and CSXT 3274 lead I157-09 east off the Departure Yard Lead at CP285 at DeWitt Yard. I157-09 has just finished working at DeWitt Yard. I157 came off the Departure Yard Lead at CP 285 and headed west on Track 1 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. I157 runs daily from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to North Baltimore, Ohio. It is an intermodal train that also carries autorack  cars, as needed. CSXT 5361 leads M560-07 east under the eastbound signal bridge at CP 286 and off Track 8. After I157 had cleared out of East Syracuse at CP 286, M560 -07 came east off Track 8 at CP 286. M560-07 had arrived at East Syracuse late the previous day and tied down on Track 8 with the locomotives at Wegmans. The location is known as Wegmans because it sits right next to a Wegmans grocery store. Photographs taken on August 10, 2022, at East Syracuse, New York.

P048-08 is eastbound at CP285 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. AMTK 115 (GE P42DC) and AMTK 57 (GE P42DC) are the lead locomotives on today's Lake Shore Limited , train symbol P048-08. Above, the Lake Shore Limited is eastbound on Track 1 of CSX's Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. The train is passing the westbound absolute signals of Control Point (CP) 285 , next to DeWitt Yard. Photograph taken on August 8, 2022, at East Syracuse, New York.

CSXT 872, leading M364-06, splits the eastward absolute signals of CP285.  CSXT 872 is leading manifest train M364-06 through CP 285 , which sits on the western edge of DeWitt Yard in East Syracuse, New York. M364-06 is eastbound on Track 2 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. The train runs daily between Avon, Indiana, and Selkirk, New York. Photograph taken on May 7, 2022.

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.

  When I arrived at DeWitt Yard's western end, CSX train M367-07 was sitting on the North Runner . It was led by BNSF 7268 and CSXT 941. The orange pumpkin was a nice splash of vibrant color and a change of pace from the standard CSX blue here.  M367-07 at DeWitt Yard BNSF 7268 & CSXT 941 sit on the head end of a stopped M367-07 on the North Runner at DeWitt Yard.   Train M367 is the new symbol that took effect at midnight on June 4, 2022, and replaced the old train symbol Q367 . This prefix symbol change is another that CSX has implemented over the last nine months. The "M" stands for manifest. M367, like Q367 was, is a daily manifest freight train that originates at CSX's Selkirk Yard in Selkirk, New York. The train's final destination is Chicago, Illinois. Along the way, M367 stops at DeWitt Yard to set out and pick up freight cars. According to a friend, if you don't hear the crew call out the train's symbol, a common way to identify M367 is if you...

 Control Point (CP) 285 sits along CSX's Syracuse Terminal Subdivision (STS) on the western end of DeWitt Yard. This end of the almost three-and-a-half-mile long yard is in East Syracuse, New York. The CP, along with CP286, controls trains on the STS, as well as trains entering and departing DeWitt Yard. A trio of CSX locomotives, including CSXT 6479, enter DeWitt Yard via the New Lead, next to MP 286. CP285, officially, per a 2004 CSX timetable, is at milepost (MP) QC 286 of the STS. Close to the center of CP285, the New York Central (NYC) concrete milepost 286 still stands on the south side of the tracks at the Bridge Street overpass. East end of CP285 CSXT 452 & CSXT 76 lead ethanol train B725-03 east on Track 2, past intermodal train I169-03 on the Departure Yard Lead.   The east side of the CP is east of Bridge Street, along East 1st Street, at MP QC 285.97, per one of the relay/control cabins. This end of the CP controls trains heading west on Track 1 and Track 2 of ...

 Earlier this week I was over at the western end of CSX's DeWitt Yard. I noticed that the signal for the northern most departure lead track was green for a westbound train, so I parked near CP285 and waited. Soon I saw the headlight of CSXT 3010 to the east of the Interstate 481 overpass, about a half of a mile east of CP285. While slowly pacing a CSX work truck, CSXT 3010 and CSXT 7868 lead train I009-01 through CP285. CSXT 3010 (YN3b scheme) & CSXT 7868 (YN2 scheme) lead I009-01 west at CP285. Train I009-01 was on its way to Bedford Park, Illinois, from Port Newark, New Jersey. I009 (formerly Q009) is a daily intermodal train , and always stops to work DeWitt Yard . When I took this photograph I009-01 wasn't ready to depart yet, but due to the train's length, it needed to pull west past the signals at CP285 in order to push back into the intermodal yard.  Photograph taken on November 2, 2021, at East Syracuse, New York.

Back on October 22, I headed over to CP286 on the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. As I arrived train Q364-21 was already rolling east through the control point.  Q364-21 at CP286 and CP285 CSX train Q364 is a daily manifest that runs from Avon, Indiana, to Selkirk, New York. Today's train, Q364-21, originated at Avon, Indiana on October 21, 2021. The "-21" suffix, in the train ID, indicates the date of the train's origination. Freight cars on Q364-21 are rolling under the signal on the western edge of CP286. Above, 364-21 is rolling east (toward the camera) on Track 2 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision (STS), under the signal bridge that is on the western edge of CP286. At the signal bridge, to the left of the train, is the eastern end of Track 7, which Amtrak trains use to access Syracuse's passenger station. Track 7 runs between CP286 and CP291 . Q364-21 is rolling under the cantilever signal bridge at CP286. The light was changing fast, and I took the above p...

The CSX Syracuse Terminal Subdivision   The Syracuse Terminal Subdivision was formed from the western end of the CSX Mohawk Subdivision in January 2011. The Syracuse Terminal Subdivision starts at Control Point (CP) 263 (milepost QC 263.8) in Oneida, New York. It then goes west to CP296 (MP QC 296.8) at Airport Road, to the west of Solvay, New York. The Mohawk Subdivision now ends at the westbound absolute signals (WAS) of CP263, since CP263 is part of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. On the western end, the STS meets the CSX Rochester Subdivision and ends at the westbound absolute signals. CP296 is part of the Rochester Subdivision. Both the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision and the Rochester Subdivision are controlled by CSX's NF dispatcher in Jacksonville, Florida. Auto 280/CP280 On October 2, 2021, I caught AMTK 711 leading train P063 at Auto 280/CP280 (MP QC 280.5), along the three-track segment of the subdivision. Auto 280/CP280 sits along Saintsville Road in Kirkville, New Yo...

Once again, while out running errands, I made a detour to CSX's DeWitt Yard to see what was happening there. When I got to DeWitt Yard, at CP285, I saw that Track 2 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision was lined for a westbound. I also saw the headlight of a train switching in the intermodal yard beyond I-481. I decided to park and see what was coming from the east. I017-21 and I009-20 CSXT 982 leads I0117-21 west past I009-20 at CP285. The train that was switching in the intermodal yard was I009-20, led by CSXT 505. Soon I009-20 started to pull west toward CP285 on the outbound lead tracks. While it was slowly moving west, the headlight of CSXT 982 leading intermodal train I017-21 appeared on Track 2 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. It looked like the two trains were having a race. I017-21 gained quickly on I009-20, and passed it at CP285, a control point that sits on the western edge of DeWitt Yard.  CSXT 982 and CSXT 764 lead train I017-21 through CP285 at DeWitt Yard. I017...

On a partly cloudy morning in East Syracuse, New York, I was waiting at on the western end of CSX's DeWitt Yard for Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited. While waiting, I was able to catch two other trains at the yard. CSXT 112 and CSXT 5350 leading Q560-01 The first train I caught was Q560-01, a daily manifest freight train that runs from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Selkirk, New York. Along the trains journey to Selkirk, it makes a stop at DeWitt Yard to drop off and pick up cars. Below, at Bridge Street, Q560 comes around the curve on Track 1 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision (STS) at CP285. Behind the bridge and train are the old New York Central coaling towers .  CSXT 112 leads Q560 at CP285 Below, CSXT 112 and CSXT 5350 lead train Q560-01 onto the New Lead, from Track 1 of the STS. The block signals on the cantilever signal bridge control the yard's departure lead tracks. Q560-01 eastbound on the New Lead at DeWitt Yard Q115 being switched by CSXT 3390 and CSXT 479 While train Q560...