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...

 CSX's latest heritage unit , CSXT 1973, commemorating the Chessie System, made an appearance in Central New York (CNY) on July 4th. The locomotive was leading intermodal train I157-03. With the family in tow (and for some reason my wife deciding to come along with us) we headed to Savannah, New York, to see it.  I003-04 rolls west under the cantilever signal bridge on the western edge of CP-320.   Shortly after arriving at Control Point (CP) 320 of CSX's Rochester Subdivision in Savannah, NY., the first train to make an appearance was I003-04. I003 was making it's daily trek from South Kearny, NJ, to Bedford Park, IL. Bedford Park is a suburb of Chicago, IL. X363-03 rolls under the EAS cantilever signal bridge at CP-320.   Amtrak's Empire Service train P281 was next, but I skipped photographing it. Then came X363-03, led by CSXT 3410 and CSXT 5350. X363 is an extra (X) M363 . X363 was running M363's normal route from CSX's Selkirk Yard in Selkirk, NY., to Avon...

  CSXT 3330 reflects in a pool of water with chunks of ice along the tracks at Weedsport, NY.   CSXT 3330 is leading intermodal train I009-17 west under the Oakland Road bridge at Weedsport, New York. Train I009 runs daily from Port Newark, New Jersey, to Bedford Park, Illinois. Bedford Park is a suburb of Chicago, Illinois . Days before, the surface of the pool of water was frozen solid. Most likely a railroad utility truck drove through and broke the ice up.  Photograph taken on January 18, 2023, at Weedsport, New York.

  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.