Eastern Railroad Discussion > 1st "freight" auto rack on the RF&P....?

Is it really true?  A lone, brown (NS) auto rack is rolling north today on CSXT's RF&P Subdivision, near the rear of train Q416.  This train rolled north through Ashland, Va. at 12:16 p.m.

The car in question, TTGX 992428 with brown frame and NORFOLK SOUTHERN logo, might mark the beginning of what's to come:  since the Va. Ave. Tunnel under Washington DC is now enlarged and open to double stacked intermodal trains, it stands to reason that sooner than later CSX will start sending AUTO RACKS through as well, either in mixed freights as single cars or sets, or even unit trains. It's believed that THIS car is the first one like this to be sent through the CSX Va. Ave. Tunnel.  How soon will more begin moving along this north-south route, now that the enlarged tunnel is open and clearance issues for double-stacks and auto racks on the RF&P Subdivision are largely settled?

(This thread's title refers to the fact that Auto Train has been running with tall auto rack cars on the RF&P Sub as far north as Lorton for years, and on occasion [as in rare detours over NS], as far north as AF Interlocking, at Alexandria, Va.  In the past, when "freight" auto rack cars came off the A-Line northward into Acca Yard in Richmond, they were immediately placed on the next availble southbound, as up until the recent opening of the enlarged Va. Ave. Tunnel, there was no practical reason to send any such cars north on the RF&P.)

So, it begins.............



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/17 09:27 by rbx551985.

AUTO RACK unit trains..... what markets might CSXT be able to open up now that the Va. Ave. Tunnel is open?  Or, do they already have definitive plans in the making that we simply haven't yet heard about?  Time will tell, but it's a given that we can now see some of those mammoth auto rack unit trains (like the huge auto rack trainsets on the line through Pittsburgh, Pa. and Cumberland, Md.) moving north-south on the RF&P Subdivison to-from whatever automotive markets the railroad carrier is able to open.  Any thoughts and/or speculation as to how soon this might come about?

Seems like lots of auto racks unload near Jessup Md, CSX yard.

Jessup is for WDC area distribution.  

Years ago, racks came south on the B&O, west to Shenandoah Junction, handed over to NW to take south to Lynchburg, then east to Petersburg, where they were given to CSX at Collier Yard to continue south.  Some of the manufacturing facilities that use this routing may have closed by now.

maybe now they can run the Auto-Train all the way to Wilmington or closer to Philly
 

When the AutoTrain is on time, there's about 7 hours between arrival and departure. Eating two hours north and two hours back will eat a lot of padding.

Posted from Android

rbx551985 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> AUTO RACK unit trains..... what markets might CSXT
> be able to open up now that the Va. Ave. Tunnel is
> open?  Or, do they already have definitive plans
> in the making that we simply haven't yet heard
> about?  Time will tell, but it's a given that we
> can now see some of those mammoth auto rack unit
> trains (like the huge auto rack trainsets on the
> line through Pittsburgh, Pa. and Cumberland, Md.)
> moving north-south on the RF&P Subdivison to-from
> whatever automotive markets the railroad carrier
> is able to open.  Any thoughts and/or speculation
> as to how soon this might come about?

CSX's current network of autorack trains, whether directly from assembly plants or from interchange, seem to revolve around three hubs: Louisville, Walbridge, and Connellsville.   All current autorack trains through the DC and Baltimore area comes from one of those three hubs, except Q276 from Detroit.  I'm not ruling out that any potentially new autorack trains through that area would go up the RF&P, however, an RF&P routing from one of those three hubs would be circuitous.

Andrew



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/17 15:52 by florida581.

 ttgx 992428 is a LOADED auto rack that has had the following trip:

  ROUTE: CN   MEMPH  CSXT                                                    
                                                                           
CTA       :                                ORIGINAL ETA: DEC 30 1415 QRG  3
CTA STATUS: NO COMMITMENT                  CURRENT  ETA: JAN 18 1415 QRG  3
                                                                           
S ACT STATION      DATE   TIME   ACT CONNECTION BLOCK IYSC SECC CONTL#     
L REC HARYARMEMTN  DEC 20 1100   FRM CN               LOUA      705019     
  DEP HARYARMEMTN  DEC 20 1435       Y22220     LO    NAS                  
L ARV MEMPHIS  TN  DEC 20 1445       Y22220     LO    NAS       207891     
  DEP MEMPHIS  TN  DEC 21 0215       Q53220     NAS   NAS                  
L ARV BRUCETON TN  DEC 21 0716       Q53220     NAS   NAS       439184     
L TRF BRUCETON TN  DEC 21 0717   TO  SRLEF9                     542806     
L REL BRUCETON TN  DEC 24 0550   FRM SRLEF9                     554167     
  DEP BRUCETON TN  DEC 24 0551       Q52824     NAS   LOUA                 
L ARV NASHVILLETN  DEC 26 1807       Q52824     NAS   LOUA      237424     
L TRF NASHVILLETN  DEC 26 1808   TO  SRLEF9                     607912     
  DEP NASHVILLETN  DEC 28 1620       Y22228     LO    NAS        
 L ARV KAYAVENUETN  DEC 28 1630       Y22228     LO    NAS  
L REL KAYAVENUETN  DEC 28 1759   FRM SRLEF9                
  DEP KAYAVENUETN  DEC 28 1800       Q27028     LOUA  DORF 
L ARV LOUISVILLKY  DEC 29 0406       Q27028     LOUA  DORF 
  DEP LOUISVILLKY  DEC 31 0605       L23730     ORLA  DORF 
L ARV BIRMINGHAAL  DEC 31 2346       L23730     ORLA  DORF 
  DEP BIRMINGHAAL  JAN 01 0757       L23730     ORLA  DORF 
L ARV WAYCROSS GA  JAN 02 0016       L23730     ORLA  DORF 
L TRF WAYCROSS GA  JAN 02 0017   TO  SRLEF9                
L BO  WAYCROSS GA  JAN 02 0409   TO  SBADO9           DORF 
L TRF WAYCROSS GA  JAN 03 1643   TO  SRTRK9                
L REL WAYCROSS GA  JAN 04 2033   FRM SBADO9           DORF 
L REL WAYCROSS GA  JAN 05 1432   FRM SRTRK9           NAS  
L REL WAYCROSS GA  JAN 07 0217   FRM SRLEF9                
  DEP WAYCROSS GA  JAN 07 0218       Q41007     RMT   NAS  
L ARV EASSAVANNGA  JAN 07 1041       Q41007     RMT   NAS  
  DEP EASSAVANNGA  JAN 07 1110       Q41007     RMT   NAS  
L ARV CHARLESTOSC  JAN 07 1501       Q41007     RMT   NAS  
  DEP CHARLESTOSC  JAN 07 1528       Q41007     RMT   NAS  
L ARV FLORENCE SC  JAN 07 1930       Q41007     RMT   NAS  
  DEP FLORENCE SC  JAN 07 2319       Q41007     RMT   CBL  
L ARV ROCMOUNT NC  JAN 08 1511       Q41007     RMT   CBL  
  DEP ROCMOUNT NC  JAN 10 0219       Q41610     CBL   CBL  
   L ARV RICACCA  VA  JAN 10 1157       Q41610     CBL   CBL 
  DEP RICACCA  VA  JAN 10 1120       Q41610     CBL   CBL 
L ARV BRUNSWICKMD  JAN 10 1825       Q41610     CBL   CBL 
L SAR CUMBERLANMD  JAN 10 1915       Q41610     CBL   WILW
  SDE CUMBERLANMD  JAN 12 0430       Q37512     WILW      
L SAR WILWEST  OH  JAN 12 2100       Q37512     WILW  CLEC
  SDE WILWEST  OH  JAN 14 0700       Y19514     LO2       
L SAR WILLARD  OH  JAN 14 1200       Y19514     LO2   CLEC
  SDE WILLARD  OH  JAN 16 0930       L35616     CLEC      
L SAR CLECOLLINOH  JAN 16 1315       L35616     CLEC  DORF
  SDE CLECOLLINOH  JAN 17 0830       Q25416     DORF      
L SAR DORAUTRAMNJ  JAN 18 1415       Q25416     DORF  DORA                                                                                      
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                           
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                              
                                                                             

Doremus Ave. is in Newark, NJ. Is the above routing logical?  Memphis-Louisville-Cumberland, MD, Willard, OH-Cleveland- Doremus Ave? I guess it has to do with clearance issues but it is sure a roundabout route.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/17 16:10 by 41bridge.

Andrew.....I am repeatedly impressed with your factual knowlege of trains and their schedules in the eastern US.  Tell us more about your railfan history and your sources.

No the CSX route shown is not logical. there must hve been a purpose behind it, unknown. Doremus Ave auto rack terminal in North Jersy can only be reached from anywhere on CSX by dropping down from Selkirk, NY. This is due to a non-auto-rack clearance at Darby PA called Boone tunnel. It is short, about 700 feet, but CSX has not chosen to clear it yet .But with Virginia Ave tunnel now cleared for stacks CSX can certainly handle enclosed auto racks north on the ex-B&O to auto terminals on CSX at Jessup, Curtis Bay and Twin Oaks, PA near Chester. They just have to market the service and i suspect they will. And Auto Train could come to Twin Oaks also, but Wilsmere, DE would be a better terminal, at the old GM plant auto rack site. Sixty car spots, a building, and a fenced in area paved for parking. If that happens we loose our train watching spot. I agree the extra distance would requie a third trainset of Auto-Train cars. But maybe that would be worth it to them. Time will tell. jl 

The logical flows for any auto traffic on the RF&P would be:

1. Traffic from CSX served assembly plants in the southeast  (Kia in West Point GA, Hyundai at Montgomery Al, Honda at Talladega AL, and others) to Jessup and Twin Oaks. This traffic presently has to run north through Corbin or Nashville to Cincy, before heading up to the B&O to turn east. 
2. Traffic from Michigan, Ontario and Ohio plants to Virginia and North Carolina via the B&O and RFP. These are areas that CSX could never effectively serve because of the clearance issue, but would require the not insignificant investment in ramp facilities to accomplish this.

as noted, CSX prefers to run finished vehicles in dedicated trains where possible and I don't know critical mass exists in these lanes to warrant establishment of service.

At one time years ago someone was shipping (non-new) vehicles from Twin Oaks PA to the Southeast via Cincinnati.  I believe these were used vehicle models that were more popular with FL demographics, though some may have also been shipments for "snow birds".