Eastern Railroad Discussion > NS Trains 123/124 from the 1990s

Anyone know the date (month/year or day/month/year) when Norfolk Southern trains 123/124 stopped running over the ex-IC Fulton, KY to Corinth, MS route?

Thanks in advance.

I was wondering the same thing. Something tells me it was sometime in 1994 when the NS trains ceased running between Centralia-Fulton on the IC.

Also the same time wondering when they first ran, as NS took full ownership of the ICG's Fulton-Haleyville line on June 27, 1988. Had to have been at the beginning of July, 1988 when 123/124 made their debuts.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/16 13:13 by bodkin6071.

Chris,

From the July 1988 issue of CTC Board magazine.... June 27, 1988 was the official transfer of ownership.

Operation of the new line was planned as follows:

Train # 119:
Depart              East St. Louis, Illinois               13:00 CT
Depart              Centralia, Illinois                      16:30
Depart              Fulton, Kentucky                     22:55
Depart              Jackson, Tennessee                   02:05
By                    Corinth, Mississippi                  04:15
Arrive               Sheffield, Alabama                   06:15
Notes: #119 works at Jackson.
The first movement out of East St. Louis was on June 30th.

Train # 120:
Depart              Sheffield, Alabama                   20:01 CT
By                    Corinth, Mississippi                  22:15
Depart              Jackson, Tennessee                   00:45
Depart              Fulton, Kentucky                     03:10
Depart              Centralia, Illinois                      09:20
Arrive               East St. Louis, Illinois               12:30
Notes: #120 works both Jackson and Centralia.
The first movement from Sheffield was on June 28th.

Train # 123:
Depart              East St. Louis, Illinois               03:30 CT
Depart              Centralia, Illinois                      08:15
Depart              Fulton, Kentucky                     14:40
Depart              Jackson, Tennessee                   18:20
By                    Corinth, Mississippi                  22:30
Arrive               Sheffield, Alabama                   00:30
Notes: #123 picks up at Sheffield block off  # 111 (Kansas City-Knoxville) between Belleville and Centralia.
A Louisville block for # 111 is set out. The train also works at Jackson.
The first train departed East St. Louis on June 30th.

Train # 124:
Depart              Sheffield, Alabama                   00:01 CT
By                    Corinth, Mississippi                  02:05
Depart              Jackson, Tennessee                   05:00
Depart              Fulton, Kentucky                     08:00
Depart              Centralia, Illinois                      13:30
Arrive               East St. Louis, Illinois               16:50
Notes: #124 sets out / picks up at Jackson.
Between Centralia and Belleville, Illinois, it sets out a St. Louis block for # 112 (Knoxville-Kansas City) to handle, as well as picking up a C&NW block from # 112.
The C&NW block is set out at Coapman, IL.
The first train departed Sheffield on June 29th.
 

In addition to the time-freights, the following locals were established:

T89 – Corinth Road Switcher:
Operates south to Hackleburg, Alabama on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Operates north to Jackson on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
On duty at Corinth at 09:00.

T90 – Jackson Yard Road Switcher:
Operates daily; on duty at Jackson at 06:00.

T91 – Poplar Corner Job:
Operates daily except Sunday; on duty at Jackson between 08:00 and 09:00.

T92 – Jackson-Fulton Turn:
Operates daily except Sunday; on duty at Jackson between 08:00 and 09:00.

T93 – Jackson-Corinth Turn:
Operates daily except Saturday and Sunday; on duty at Jackson between 08:00 and 09:00.
 


Then in Scott Lindsey's 1995 Norfolk Southern Review book, the following update:

As of May 1995, # 123 is scheduled to depart Centralia daily at 23:00, Jackson at 11:00 and arrives at Sheffield at 14:30.
Counterpart # 124 departs Sheffield at 00:05, Jackson at 06:05 and arrives at Centralia at 15:20.
Locals include the T92, a Jackson to Fulton turn called in the afternoon, daily except Sundays.
Sheffield-Jackson local T73 and counterpart T74 are both called daily during the early morning.
Other jobs include the Jackson switcher (T90) and the Jackson-Poplar Corner turn (T91).

Note: of course by 1995, Redmont Railway had begun operation of the Corinth, MS to Red Bay, AL.
NS had abandoned the Red Bay, AL to Haleyville, AL by that time (including removal of the line's famous Brush Creek trestle).

Enjoy
KD4YGG

According to a reliable source, 123/124 stopped running via the IC route on July 7, 1995.

They were switched to a St. Louis to Louisville routing.

Posted from Android

#123 leaving Centralia for Fulton over the IC, July 17, 1988.

---

Thanks for this post full of valuable info.

What ever became of trains 119/120? Annulled?

kd4ygg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Chris,
>
> From the July 1988 issue of CTC Board magazine....
> June 27, 1988 was the official transfer of
> ownership.
>
> Operation of the new line was planned as follows:
>
> Train # 119:
> Depart              East St. Louis,
> Illinois               13:00 CT
> Depart              Centralia,
> Illinois                     
> 16:30
> Depart              Fulton,
> Kentucky                    
> 22:55
> Depart              Jackson,
> Tennessee                  
> 02:05
> By                    Corinth,
> Mississippi                 
> 04:15
> Arrive               Sheffield,
> Alabama                   06:15
> Notes: #119 works at Jackson.
> The first movement out of East St. Louis was on
> June 30th.
>
> Train # 120:
> Depart              Sheffield,
> Alabama                   20:01
> CT
> By                    Corinth,
> Mississippi                 
> 22:15
> Depart              Jackson,
> Tennessee                  
> 00:45
> Depart              Fulton,
> Kentucky                    
> 03:10
> Depart              Centralia,
> Illinois                     
> 09:20
> Arrive               East St. Louis,
> Illinois               12:30
> Notes: #120 works both Jackson and Centralia.
> The first movement from Sheffield was on June
> 28th.
>
> Train # 123:
> Depart              East St. Louis,
> Illinois               03:30 CT
> Depart              Centralia,
> Illinois                     
> 08:15
> Depart              Fulton,
> Kentucky                    
> 14:40
> Depart              Jackson,
> Tennessee                  
> 18:20
> By                    Corinth,
> Mississippi                 
> 22:30
> Arrive               Sheffield,
> Alabama                   00:30
> Notes: #123 picks up at Sheffield block off  #
> 111 (Kansas City-Knoxville) between Belleville and
> Centralia.
> A Louisville block for # 111 is set out. The train
> also works at Jackson.
> The first train departed East St. Louis on June
> 30th.
>
> Train # 124:
> Depart              Sheffield,
> Alabama                   00:01
> CT
> By                    Corinth,
> Mississippi                 
> 02:05
> Depart              Jackson,
> Tennessee                  
> 05:00
> Depart              Fulton,
> Kentucky                    
> 08:00
> Depart              Centralia,
> Illinois                     
> 13:30
> Arrive               East St. Louis,
> Illinois               16:50
> Notes: #124 sets out / picks up at Jackson.
> Between Centralia and Belleville, Illinois, it
> sets out a St. Louis block for # 112
> (Knoxville-Kansas City) to handle, as well as
> picking up a C&NW block from # 112.
> The C&NW block is set out at Coapman, IL.
> The first train departed Sheffield on June 29th.
>  
>
> In addition to the time-freights, the following
> locals were established:
>
> T89 – Corinth Road Switcher:
> Operates south to Hackleburg, Alabama on Monday,
> Wednesday and Friday.
> Operates north to Jackson on Tuesday, Thursday and
> Saturday.
> On duty at Corinth at 09:00.
>
> T90 – Jackson Yard Road Switcher:
> Operates daily; on duty at Jackson at 06:00.
>
> T91 – Poplar Corner Job:
> Operates daily except Sunday; on duty at Jackson
> between 08:00 and 09:00.
>
> T92 – Jackson-Fulton Turn:
> Operates daily except Sunday; on duty at Jackson
> between 08:00 and 09:00.
>
> T93 – Jackson-Corinth Turn:
> Operates daily except Saturday and Sunday; on duty
> at Jackson between 08:00 and 09:00.
>  
>
>
> Then in Scott Lindsey's 1995 Norfolk Southern
> Review book, the following update:
>
> As of May 1995, # 123 is scheduled to depart
> Centralia daily at 23:00, Jackson at 11:00 and
> arrives at Sheffield at 14:30.
> Counterpart # 124 departs Sheffield at 00:05,
> Jackson at 06:05 and arrives at Centralia at
> 15:20.
> Locals include the T92, a Jackson to Fulton turn
> called in the afternoon, daily except Sundays.
> Sheffield-Jackson local T73 and counterpart T74
> are both called daily during the early morning.
> Other jobs include the Jackson switcher (T90) and
> the Jackson-Poplar Corner turn (T91).
>
> Note: of course by 1995, Redmont Railway had begun
> operation of the Corinth, MS to Red Bay, AL.
> NS had abandoned the Red Bay, AL to Haleyville, AL
> by that time (including removal of the line's
> famous Brush Creek trestle).
>
> Enjoy
> KD4YGG



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/16 08:16 by bodkin6071.

119/120 were annulled in November 1988, only three months after the start-up.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/16 04:34 by kd4ygg.

Some additional data on this line, gleaned from various CTC Board magazine news items over the years...


New Connection at Corinth, Mississippi (Rudy/Cantrell)
Norfolk Southern will soon have a new connection in Corinth, Mississippi between its Memphis line and the recently acquired Illinois Central to Fulton, Kentucky. Located on the east side of town, the trackage will alleviate the need to creep through the downtown area on SouthRail trackage rights. As of January 1989, grading work was being completed and the switch had been installed on the Illinois Central end. Currently one pair of St. Louis-Sheffield trains (# 123/# 124) use the route. The new connection opened during the first week of March 1989 with the remote control in place.

The switch to the Southern line is named Rudy, while the switch to Illinois Central line is named Cantrell. The line and switches are controlled by the West End dispatcher in Knoxville, Tennessee.


Local NS Operations Around Corinth, Mississippi on the ex-IC line 1991
Until recently, a daily Corinth Turn (T89) was operated out of Sheffield in the mornings. It handled the heavy interchange with SouthRail and Corinth & Counce railroads. However, during February 1991, T89 was abolished in favor of locals T73/T74 which were established between Sheffield and the former GM&O Iselin Yard in Jackson, Tennessee. These locals operate both ways daily with early morning calls and usually meet in Corinth around 08:00. The addition of these locals has resulted in the abolishment of Jackson-Corinth turn T93. Manifest # 123 also no longer picks up in Corinth.

South of Corinth, on the old IC to Haleyville, Alabama, business appears to be declining slowly.Tri-weekly local T94, established after changes to the T89 Corinth Road Switcher, is now running as needed, which is roughly once a week. The biggest shipper left is Sunshine Mills in Red Bay, Alabama.

NS crews have also been removing the prime 115-pound welded rail from a ten-mile stretch near Belmont, Mississippi and replacing it with relay jointed rail. ICG laid the ribbon rail with the relocation resulting from the construction of the Tenn-Tom Waterway in the early 1980s.


Operations of Nofolk Southern's ex-IC Fulton-Haleyville Line 1995
As of May 1995, # 123 is scheduled to depart Centralia daily at 23:00, Jackson at 11:00 and arrives at Sheffield at 14:30.

Counterpart # 124 departs Sheffield at 00:05, Jackson at 06:05 and arrives at Centralia at 15:20.

Locals include the T92, a Jackson to Fulton turn called in the afternoon, daily except Sundays.

Sheffield-Jackson local T73 and counterpart T74 are both called daily during the early morning.

Other jobs include the Jackson switcher (T90) and the Jackson-Poplar Corner turn (T91).

Potash trains run as required and are usually designated as M23. Several times monthly, unit trains of Illinois coal are moved south to Georgia Power. In addition, CSX’s M791 local reaches Jackson via rights over NS south of Milan.


July 1999 Coal Train Operations
NS and Illinois Central have implemented a locomotive run-through agreement on NS trains #790 / 791. These coal trains operate between the IC-served mine at Galatia, IL, and Georgia Power’s Plant Wansley located near Carrollton, GA.

Under the plan, NS power will remain on these trains through the interchange point of Fulton, KY, all the way to Galatia. As of June 1999, two 90-car sets of HBWX hoppers were in the cycle to Wansley. IC is requiring that NS provide a minimum of 6,000 horsepower on each train before being accepted at Fulton.


1999 Switch of 123/124 to BNSF via Memphis and Chaffee, Missouri
During November 1999, NS and BNSF finalized a haulage agreement to handle this traffic, and trains began operating that same month. Under the terms of the agreement, NS will begin with one train per day in each direction between St. Louis and Memphis, with the option of increasing traffic to three trains in each direction. Only merchandise and loaded/empty unit gran trains can be handled in this service. The agreement also allows BNSF to handle NS trains from Memphis to Birmingham, but there were no plans to fulfill this provision as of December.

The first trains to utilize the haulage route are manifest trains # 123 and # 124. Fittingly, these were the trains that had once used the Jackson District in years past. Until November, they operated as Kansas City-Chattanooga and Knoxville-St. Louis trains respectively. Train # 123 now operates between St. Louis’ Luther Yard and Sheffield, Alabama via the BNSF and their Forrest Yard in Memphis. Counterpart # 124 terminates at Granite City, Illinois.

Train 123 Departs St. Louis 23:00; Departs Memphis 12:00; Arrives Sheffield 19:00

Train 124 Departs Sheffield 06:00; Departs Memphis 13:00; Arrives St. Louis 12:00 the next afternoon


May 2001 Update on NS Local Trains around Jackson, Tennessee
Sheffield-Jackson, TN locals T87/T88 are now trains A87/A88. Local jobs T90, T91 and T92, working the former Illinois Central Gulf trackage out of Jackson, TN, are now the A60, A91 and A62 respectively.


February 2013 Mid America Corridor Test
The first through train over the route was finally operated during February 2013, when NS elected to send 71 empty auto racks off Union Pacific to Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee assembly plant via the Mid-America corridor. UP delivered train AWFESR-12 (Autos, Westfield, Texas – East St. Louis) to NS via Alton & Southern at East St. Louis on the afternoon of February 14.

Designated as NS Train 26G, it was witnessed departing Coapman Yard around 5PM CT powered by the NS Dash 8-40C #8451 and NS Dash 9-40CW #9858. It entered CN’s former Illinois Central mainline at Centralia, Illinois at 7PM and was delivered to the West Tennessee Railroad at Fulton just after 3AM the next morning. A West Tennessee Railroad crew delivered 26G to NS at Corinth around noon. The train then terminated in Chattanooga just before midnight Eastern Time the same day.


September and October 2013 Grain Trains for Norfolk Southern
Recently, Tate & Lyle began sourcing some of its feedstock from Dyer Grain in Dyer, Tennessee. This elevator is located on the West Tennessee Railroad’s former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio trackage north of Jackson, Tennessee. NS delivers the empty trains for loading to the WTNN at Corinth, Mississippi and returns the power to Sheffield, Alabama for servicing. Upon completion of loading, the WTNN returns the trains to Corinth, with NS picking up the trains with light engines run west by a turn crew out of Sheffield. Thus far, most loaded trains are designated as Trains 46G and the empties operating as Train 55A.

Other Norfolk Southern empty trains are designated as 51Q, but at least one 53R was delivered to the West Tennessee at Corinth destined to elevators at Trenton and Dyer, Tennessee. Once loaded trains are returned to the NS at Corinth, they move east to customers in Georgia. Thus far, most of the loaded moves have been designated at Train 46D to Camilla, Georgia (on the Georgia & Florida via Albany, Georgia) and Train 46A to Baldwin or Maysville, Georgia. From Sheffield, they are routed east into Atlanta via Chattanooga instead of down the NA District via Birmingham.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/16 07:17 by kd4ygg.

26G pasing thru Jackson, TN:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-gGOA8NeP4