Eastern Railroad Discussion > Premier NS and CSX trains: Chicago - Jax lane

A few threads down “13,155’ of intermodal. How long to pass?”, it was asked if NS had a competing hot train with CSX within the Chicago - Jacksonville intermodal lane.  The answer is yes.  NS and CSX both have a pair of hot intermodal trains that run the entire route between the two markets.  Both NS and CSX’s daily intermodal pairs carry priority UPS, domestic stacks, and some international stacks.  

If I’m not mistaken, the southbound trains have a higher priority than their northbound counterparts.  With that said, I believe NS’ 29F does a dang good job getting across the road compared to CSX’s I025.  To be fair, they both have a 41 hour schedule.  However, 29F’s route is 56 miles longer than I025’s.  Also, 29F works at three locations en route to Jacksonville compared to I025’s one.  But it takes NS seven crews to get from Chicago to Jacksonville compared to CSX’s five.

The following are the profiles for both NS and CSX’s premier intermodal trains between Chicago and Jacksonville. 


Southbound 

NS 29F
Departs Chicago Calumet, IL 19:15 day 1
Arrives FEC Jacksonville Bowden, FL 12:15 day 3
1,145 route miles
41 hours run time 
Works points:
•Cincinnati, OH
•Austell, GA 
•Jacksonville Simpson, FL
Crew change points:
•Ft. Wayne, IN
•Cincinnati, OH
•Danville, KY
•Chattanooga, TN 
•Atlanta, GA 
•Macon, GA 
(Fun trivia: For decades, this train’s symbol was 229.  It was one of the few symbols was carried over from the Southern RY era.  I’ve heard this train referred to as “The Queen of the Fleet”)

CSX I025 
Departs Bedford Park, IL 01:50 day 1
Arrives Jacksonville Moncrief, FL 18:50 day 2
1,089 route miles  
41 hours run time 
Work points:
•Jacksonville Duval, FL 
Crew change points:
•Evansville, IN 
•Nashville, TN 
•Wauhatchie, TN 
•Manchester, GA 
(Fun trivia: Many railroaders, dispatchers, and railfans refer to this train as “The Prince of Darkness”)


Northbound 

NS 26C 
Depart Jacksonville Simpson, FL at 20:00 day 1
Arrive Chicago Calumet, IL at 21:20 day 3
1,136 route miles
49 hours 20 minutes run time 
Work Points:
•Austell, GA
•Cincinnati, OH
Crew change points:
•Macon, GA
•Atlanta, GA
•Chattanooga, TN
•Danville, KY
•Cincinnati, OH
•Ft. Wayne, IN
(Note: Although the 26C symbol originates at Simpson Yard, there is considerable traffic off the FEC on this train.  An FEC job transfers this traffic from its Bowden Yard)

CSX I026
Departs Jacksonville Moncrief, FL 13:00 day 1
Arrives Bedford Park, IL 05:30 day 3
1,089 run time 
40 hours 30 minutes run time 
Work points:
•Jacksonville Duval, FL
Crew change points:
•Manchester, GA 
•Atlanta, GA
•Wauhatchie, TN
•Nashville, TN
•Evansville, IN
(Note: Both I025 and I026 carry an FEC block.  A transfer job moves these blocks between CSX’s Moncrief Yard and FEC’s Bowden Yard)

Andrew

Thanks for the infomation. On I025 some days there is a cut of autoracks on the head end. Supposedly these are Tesla's to JAX. I guess Tesla pays the premium rate to get them there.  Also on the head end of 25 is a cut of 40' international containers that go to the port at JAX.

I'm not sure how it affects the run time/mileage but I025/026 don't normally operate via Chattanooga (Wauhatchie for those not familiar with that location). That routing is likely because of trackwork curfews on the Lineville Subdivision.

Posted from Android

ShortlinesUSA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm not sure how it affects the run time/mileage
> but I025/026 don't normally operate via
> Chattanooga (Wauhatchie for those not familiar
> with that location). That routing is likely
> because of trackwork curfews on the Lineville
> Subdivision.

Starting this Thursday (10/30), it looks like I025 / I026's profiled routing will be via Chattanooga and Atlanta while I195 / I196 will run via Birmingham.  CSX flips flops trains between the two routings quite often.

Andrew

Neat information. Thanks!

Posted from Android

Nice info!  

I've heard the CSX I025/026 also called the fire train.  If you (CSX emoloyee) delay it you're fired!

>
> Starting this Thursday (10/30), it looks like I025
> / I026's profiled routing will be via Chattanooga
> and Atlanta while I195 / I196 will run via
> Birmingham.  CSX flips flops trains between the
> two routings quite often.
>
> Andrew

Appreciate that info. Makes me wonder if someone saw 195/196's performance via that routing and they decided 025/026 would be better off in its place. By sheer volume fewer trains will be held as there are less on that routing and everything else hits the sidings to wait for 025/26.

Posted from Android

I195 and I196 have been routed via the Georgia Road this past month. Does that change too?

MattW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I195 and I196 have been routed via the Georgia
> Road this past month. Does that change too?

They would have to run towards Fairburn in order to get to Birmingham

florida581 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ShortlinesUSA Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'm not sure how it affects the run
> time/mileage
> > but I025/026 don't normally operate via
> > Chattanooga (Wauhatchie for those not familiar
> > with that location). That routing is likely
> > because of trackwork curfews on the Lineville
> > Subdivision.
>
> Starting this Thursday (10/30), it looks like I025
> / I026's profiled routing will be via Chattanooga
> and Atlanta while I195 / I196 will run via
> Birmingham.  CSX flips flops trains between the
> two routings quite often.
>
> Andrew

What traffic lane does an I195/I196 trains serve?

 As for CSX I025/I026 and NS 29F/26C trains, I'm guessing these hot trains also serve the Atlanta market to and from Chicago with set outs and pick ups there?  Does Nashville have an intermodal ramp?

Thank you all for the information.

 

Good thread, good to see real competition between two strong players.

I wonder how much the additional crews cost NS to match CSX's performance?  

Ticeska Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> What traffic lane does an I195/I196 trains serve?
>
Started out Chicago to Savanna but then I heard it was changed from Savanna to Jacksonville.

Ticeska Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> florida581 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ShortlinesUSA Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I'm not sure how it affects the run
> > time/mileage
> > > but I025/026 don't normally operate via
> > > Chattanooga (Wauhatchie for those not
> familiar
> > > with that location). That routing is likely
> > > because of trackwork curfews on the Lineville
> > > Subdivision.
> >
> > Starting this Thursday (10/30), it looks like
> I025
> > / I026's profiled routing will be via
> Chattanooga
> > and Atlanta while I195 / I196 will run via
> > Birmingham.  CSX flips flops trains between
> the
> > two routings quite often.
> >
> > Andrew
>
> What traffic lane does an I195/I196 trains serve?
>
>  As for CSX I025/I026 and NS 29F/26C trains, I'm
> guessing these hot trains also serve the Atlanta
> market to and from Chicago with set outs and pick
> ups there?  Does Nashville have an intermodal
> ramp?
>
> Thank you all for the information.
>
> 

The CSX trains are non-stop. I128 and I129 handle the Atlanta<->Chicago traffic. The NS trains however work Atlanta.

Ticeska Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
Does Nashville have an intermodal
> ramp?
>

Yes, located at CSX's Radnor Yard.

Posted from Android

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Good thread, good to see real competition between
> two strong players.
>
> I wonder how much the additional crews cost NS to
> match CSX's performance?  
>
> it's probably offset by working 
> Atlanta.

Although they don't run the whole distance (but are within the same lane), NS and CSX both have an Atlanta - Chicago intermodal pair: CSX I128 / I129 and NS 28C / 29A.  The NS pair are priority intermodals while CSX's are not.

Andrew

Wauhachie-Manchester (almost 200 miles) strikes me as a long way to get a crew, especially for a train that has to thread through Atlanta congestion (even with no work there).

Conversely Cincinnati-Danville sounds short, but maybe the ramp is in Sharonville north of Cincy and that crew has to thread through Cincinnati congestion.

pbouzide Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Conversely Cincinnati-Danville sounds short, but
> maybe the ramp is in Sharonville north of Cincy
> and that crew has to thread through Cincinnati
> congestion.

The aforementioned NS intermodals work the ramp at Gest St just west of downtown.  Although it's a shorter run, the Cincinnati - Danville crews are the ones who work the ramp.

Andrew 

pbouzide Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wauhachie-Manchester (almost 200 miles) strikes me
> as a long way to get a crew, especially for a
> train that has to thread through Atlanta
> congestion (even with no work there).
>
> Conversely Cincinnati-Danville sounds short, but
> maybe the ramp is in Sharonville north of Cincy
> and that crew has to thread through Cincinnati
> congestion.

I run 234 miles....it's not that hard...and the money is good....

pbouzide Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wauhachie-Manchester (almost 200 miles) strikes me
> as a long way to get a crew, especially for a
> train that has to thread through Atlanta
> congestion (even with no work there).
>

Atlanta is a shadow of its former self on CSX, not much in the way there anymore. Tilford Yard has been ripped out and the old L&N side is pretty much just a mainline through town now. Anything coming from Wauhatchie will just go straight ahead through the tunnel under NS Inman Yard and keep right on going toward Manchester.