Eastern Railroad Discussion > RUCT: Raleigh to Richmond 02/25/14 Update

RUCT: Raleigh to Richmond 02/25/14 Update
RED CONSIST: 60 Cars = 4 Stocks, 34 Coaches, 2 COFC, 19 Flats. (Total 256 axles less power)

REMINDER: RBBB Rail Transportation Routings (RTR’s) and Times are made in advance and Subject to Change (STC) without notice as the host railroad(s) require. Routings and Times are unpredictable, a lot can change during departure, although the CT’s are to run ahead of schedule if the host RR’s can accommodate. Crew Changes, Service Stops and Consist Rearrangement can occur anywhere or anytime along the route at the discretion of the operating/transportation officials. “The Network” will try to provide (as previous posts) the “Network’s Projected Routing” (NPR) only when and as data is received.

NPR: NS for RUCT – Raleigh, NC – Durham, NC – Greensboro, NC – Danville, VA – Lynchburg, VA – Burkeville, VA – Crewe, VA - Amelia, VA – Dorset, VA – Richmond, VA scheduled arrival Tuesday, 02/25/2014.

From CTYG Postings:
07:00 PM EST, 02/24/14, Danville, VA (approximate)
07:30 PM EST, 02/24/14, Crewe, VA (approximate)
12:25 AM EST, 02/25/14, Burkeville, VA (approximate)

TO.COM REF LINK: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,3331831
TO.COM REF LINK: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,3334010

USUAL STORAGE UPON ARRIVAL: COACHES to store on mainline at "Reedy Creek," STOCKS unload behind Legend Brewery (to walk over Manchester Bridge into town), and FLATS unload at Triple Crossing/James River Dock St. floodgate on NS's West Point mainline. Once again (tentative), the FLATS to be at the Shipyard area, and will be placed on the West Point (Va.) mainline for loading from Richmond Coliseum.

Field Reports Needed. Enjoy. All for now. bcd9 ∑:=)

RBBB RED UNIT—Raleigh NC to Richmond VA: Feb. 24, 2014 -- TRIP REPORT

The train got out of Raleigh between 12-noon and 1pm on Monday, finally arriving in Richmond at 3am this morning, Tues., Feb. 25, 2014. The route was on NS, from Raleigh west to Greensboro NC via Durham, then north on the old Southern Railway mainline to Lynchburg Va., east to Burkeville on the former N&W, and northeast into Richmond on the “original” Southern Railway Co. line.

POWER for NS Train #047:
CSXT 7363
CSXT 7811

Tuesday morning, Feb. 25, 2014:
12:07am -- The chase began at Greenbay, Va., about six miles out of Burkeville, as the train was sent into the siding there to meet westbound empty coal train S-11. NS was busy that night, with multiple trains of all types (empty coal, double stacks, auto racks, manifests, etc.) working in, or through, nearby Crewe Yard.

As the Circus entered the siding, we noted the Red Unit’s Generator Car had BLUE “globe logos” – the result of an unusual swap of the two RBBB trains’ Generator cars several weeks ago in Birmingham, Alabama. (Red show had the newer Gen. car which meets California’s air-quality standards, and since Blue show is going later this year, they performed the swap during the day where the two trains passed each other; they’ll trade the cars back again at the end of this year’s tours – and those seeing Blue show’s train this year will see Red Unit’s Generator Car adorning the middle of the coach section, next to their Pie Car…. This is highly unusual, but necessary to satisfy California’s important air quality issues.)

PHOTOS HERE:
(1) A TIME-ELAPSE PHOTO BY NATHAN HALL: Red Unit at Burkeville crew-change point; CSXT motive power is on the point. Nathan took this shot from behind my car; he tried another one from the trunk of my car: I had to remark that that was totally appropriate, considering what was riding the first two cars of the train . . . LOL!

(2) The GLOBE LOGOS on Red Unit's Generator Car are BLUE this year: that's actually Blue Unit's generator car! For the duration of 2014, this is how it will be, while Blue Unit has Red Unit's generator car.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/14 16:36 by rbx551985.

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12:20am -- After the empty train passed not long after Ringling’ Red took the siding, the Circus was immediately given a green signal out of the siding. (Old N&W color position lights still rule train movements at downtown Greenbay, Virginia!) Over the radio scanner, the dispatcher was heard alerting westbound double stack train NS 233 that they would hold at Burkeville for the Circus Train to divert off the single-track mainline from Greenbay, and that they themselves would also meet an eastbound coal train at Greenbay soon after. (A westbound auto rack train was to follow the stack train.) Busy RR, indeed!

12:35am – Arrv. Burkeville: RBBB stops on the mainline to change crews at the private, paved crossing about ¼ mile west of the downtown Burkeville signal. The Richmond District engineer was surprised that there were two CSXT engines on the point, but that’s the nature of modern-day railroading: it’s like what Forrest Gump says about the proverbial box of chocolates: “You never know what you’re gonna get.”

12:50am – Dept. Burkeville: Red Unit enters the Richmond District rail line, diverting off the old N&W and onto the former Southern Railway. Traffic on the area highways is nearly non-existent tonight, but those who do enter Burkeville do indeed slow down to see what train has so many bright flood lights atop all the coach vestibules. This is a TRULY AMAZING sight at night: it really IS like a long string of city street lights sliding across the landscape, the glare and glow illuminating the right of way up to a hundred or more yards away from the train! Curiously, my fellow railfans riding with me tonight to witness this event note how playfully the shadows cast by the lights into the surrounding woods and adjacent buildings -- along the entire route of the Circus Train -- cause the flickering to appear as happy spirits, dancing a Circus dance to the rhythm of the rails.

12:54am – dragging into downtown Burkeville, the train enters the Richmond District, curving left off the old N&W mainline, then right again as the crossover between the two rail routes merges into the Southern Railway line. (South of Burkeville, the Buckingham Branch RR is the current operator of the old “SOU” line to Keysville – but they’re not on duty here tonight.)

1:03am – the rear of the Circus Train clears the downtown crossing next to Southern States facility, and 047’s engineer continues out of town at 10mph, the track speed within Burkeville’s Yard Limits. The train clears that Limit at 1:10am.

1:13am – Jennings Ordinary’s quiet night is disturbed by a VERY LOUD air horn on CSXT engine 7363, while those playful spirit lights dance about and around numerous buildings, homes and thousands of trees along the line. Radio chatter now reveals the crew telling the dispatcher they expect to arrive in Richmond at about 2:40am.

1:21am – the Circus Train is rolling across the RR bridge above highway 360; now motorists on parallel highway 360, and other roads entering that route, note the long line of FLOOD LIGHTS rolling through right before their very eyes; one honk’s their car’s horn when they see the big, red banners on the coaches proclaiming RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY. It should be noted that tonight, while cold outside, shares an incredibly CLEAR SKY above with millions of stars which are all clearly seen this far out in the country, away from big city lights.

PHOTO HERE:
(3) A portion of the large, red banners with the show name is ablaze in 'scotch-glo' reflection.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/14 08:50 by rbx551985.

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1:26am – Jetersville. It’s difficult to imagine that people living here aren’t awakened by passing trains, especially when they have such LOUD air horns blowing for the many rural grade crossings so close to homes….

1:30am – At the Waste Management trash dump, served by NS just south of Amelia, the train’s engineer blows the air horn a LOT for this facility’s grade crossing as they soldier on, Timetable North, toward their destination. Between this area of rural Virginia (called “Maplewood” by NS’s predecessor Southern Railway) and the next town, Amelia, the line is either right beside Highway 360 or close enough through the woods that all the coaches’ flood lights are clearly visible. As traffic on Hwy. 360 increases (as morning’s early light grows ever closer with the ticking clock), drivers slow down here as well (except a few truckers who are apparently in quite a hurry!), to evidently get a better look at what’s under all those flood lights sliding across the landscape….

1:41am – AMELIA, VA. Formerly a passenger rail stop, this line hasn’t seen revenue passenger service for about a half-century, yet here comes one of the world’s two longest passenger/mixed trains! Going uphill through town, the engineer opens the throttle to keep up speed: the loud reverberation is amazing as the CSXT motive power rolls the mile-long Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey RED UNIT through town on Norfolk Southern rails. Yeah, this train-run is quite unique – it’s a shame they couldn’t have come through like this – in daylight!

PHOTO HERE (by Nathan Hall):
YOURS TRULY paces the head-end power through Amelia, Va. on a parallel Business 360, just past downtown.

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1:49am – Highway 360 diverges away from the NS rail line, so we accelerate ahead of the train to get to infamous Robious Rd. grade crossing in south Richmond.

2:33am – Circus Train highballs over Robious Rd. grade crossing! The dust raised as the wheels churn through the crossing looks like a suddenly-appearing fog bank! This intersection is where the rail line cuts through a busy HIGHWAY interchange with stop lights, at a 45-degree angle: there are 4 lanes on both intersecting streets: Robious Rd. and Huguenot Rd. And, there are shopping malls on both sides of the crossing: normally the Circus Train(s) will arrive in Richmond by 3pm, making the sight an amazing one for hundreds of motorists – but alas only a SINGLE car’s occupant(s) sees this, and only after arriving after about half the train has already passed.

PHOTOS HERE (by Nathan Hall):
---Coaches blow through Robious Rd. grade crossing (shot is looking toward the oncoming train)

---Looking the other way, toward the direction of train-movement, the cars seem to drop off the Earth, but it's just the beginning of the long down-grade from this point of the line into the James River valley in downtown Richmond. NOTE those FLOOD LIGHTS atop the coaches: they add a tremendous amount of lighting around the Circus Train, almost making this train self-illuminating!

---There are 19 flatcars bringing up the rear (behind the stocks, coaches, and the 2 Container Cars which carry concessions stuff), and they, too, made the dust rise like a tornado as they blew through the crossing!

VIDEO taken on cell phone camera by TREY BISCOE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCfEPqycXFg&feature=youtu.be
(NOTE that link is NOT ACTIVE due to TO.COM's policies, yet it's there if anyone wants to see what we saw AS IT HAPPENED!)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/14 14:38 by rbx551985.

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2:38am – the train is passing the former passenger station sight at Bon Air.
2:46am – Forest Hill Ave. grade crossing, now crowded with early-morning motorists, is blocked by this MILE-LONG passenger train decelerating on the approach to NS’s Belle Isle Yard in Richmond. Yeap: the people are all smiles upon seeing those red banners proclaiming the show’s name!

3:00am – the Red Unit has ARRIVED SAFELY in Richmond, albet with a CSXT-powered move on NS! Bless those who came up with the idea of run-through power . . .

By dawn, the entire train is put away in three parts of town: coaches at the Reedy Creek canoe access point to south James River Park, the 4 stock cars to the Perry St. unloading track beneath “Legend Brewery” and at the NS Richmond Yard Office, and the flats across the river – to unload underneath the famed Triple Crossing in downtown Richmond. The Circus Traincrew is out and about at the crack of dawn, having been aroused to GET TO WORK unloading the late-arriving train . . . their work seemingly never ends, yet those are the guys who’s job it is to keep everyone else safe during the two-year tour the RBBB rail tours now follow. With Richmond placed into the 2nd-half of the tour now by the show’s Dept. of Routing & Tours, only time will tell if next year’s Blue Unit will depart before noon on the day they come to Richmond, or at a more normal “Circus Time” – which is just about at DAWN.

“May All Your Days Be Circus Days!”

PHOTO by Nathan Hall: RBBX 40002 rolls into the storage track at Reedy Creek, in Richmond, Virginia's South James River Park.

THAT CAR'S HERITAGE IS:

RBBX 40002
Original Reporting Marks: UP 5451
Built 1953 by ACF (American Car & Foundry) - Lot #3812
Ordered 5/51; Delivered 11/53 - as a 44-seat Coach
ACF Book – Reference Section 3127

Ringling Bros.’ ownership data: Purchased in 1971 from Union Pacific RR; acquired in 1972.
Late 1980s RBBB I.D. tag H0047.

1953-1971: UP 5451
1971: SOLD to RBBB Circus
1972: Winter Quarters 5451 (Venice, Fla.) -- RECYCLE
1973-1985: RBX 43 (RED UNIT Circus)
1986: RBX 40 (RED UNIT Circus)
1987-1990: RBX 39 (RED UNIT Circus)
1991-1994: RBX 61 (RED UNIT Circus)
1995: RBBX 40002 (House #61); RED UNIT
---Sustained FIRE damage 3/22/95 while in NY on LIRR; returned to PALMETTO, FL---
1996-1998: RBBX 40002 (House #61); PALMETTO Shops -- Stored
1999: RBBX 40002; PALMETTO Shops -- REPAIRED
2000: RBBX 40002 (House #31); RED UNIT
2001-2002: RBBX 40002 (House #46); RED UNIT
2003-2012: RBBX 40002 (House #49); RED UNIT
2013-2014: RBBX 40002 (House #48); RED UNIT

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What I could not figure out when I saw the cars in Raleigh was why some cars were marked for the red unit and some for the blue unit.

Gary

mully Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What I could not figure out when I saw the cars in
> Raleigh was why some cars were marked for the red
> unit and some for the blue unit.
>
> Gary

And NOW you know "...THE REST OF THE STORY."

> The train got out of Raleigh between 12-noon and
> 1pm on Monday, finally arriving in Richmond at 3am
> this morning, Tues., Feb. 25, 2014. The route was
> on NS, from Raleigh west to Greensboro NC via
> Durham, then north on the old Southern Railway
> mainline to Lynchburg Va., east to Burkeville on
> the former N&W, and northeast into Richmond on the
> “original” Southern Railway Co. line.

That's about a 300-mile routing, compared to about 200 miles if they had taken the routing of Amtrak 91/92 via Selma NC.