Eastern Railroad Discussion > Ak Steel Slabs, Middletown, Ohio

Does CSX currently haul Slabs of steel from anywhere in Pennslyvania to Ak Steel in Middletown, Ohio?
Same question but with NS in there?
What are the train symbols?
What is the frequency of the trains? Daily? etc.
How many cars do they average?
What is the average weight of a gondola loaded with a steel slab?

Thank you,
Bill

Bill, I believe the K516 is the loaded gons that tranverse the B&O from the coast.

NS runs 69J/68J from the Fort Wayne Line via Buckeye to Middletown. Usually around 70-75 cars. I would guess at 120-130 tons for a loaded slab car.

From what I was told my by organization, NS will be bringing our GP7M from Indiana to Greensburg, PA. The unit is coming from the Indiana BoxCar company and will be tuscan red with Westmoreland Scenic on the Longhood! The number is #1500 and I believe the markings are WHRR. If ya get a scoop on it please let me know.

Freddy

68J/ 69J almost have been running on a daily basis, 69J loads in the morning and 68J empties in the evening.Freddy wrote:

> From what I was told my by organization, NS will be bringing
> our GP7M from Indiana to Greensburg, PA. The unit is coming
> from the Indiana BoxCar company and will be tuscan red with
> Westmoreland Scenic on the Longhood! The number is #1500 and I
> believe the markings are WHRR. If ya get a scoop on it please
> let me know.
>
> Freddy
>
> [%sig%]

I take these trains from Columbus to AK steel, so here it goes. The train symbols are 69J (loads) and 68J (empties). These trains run in spurts as of late it has been about every three days or so. These trains come from out east where they are loaded from some boat. Usually if you see the loads then chances are you will see the empties a little later on as they try to get them out of Middletown ahead of the load arrival. Each gon usually has three to four slabs and they are usually run in 75 car trains that weigh about 9100T total, so you do the math. Most of the time power is two six axles, usually a C40-9W or an old CR as the train requires a leader with cab signals once it gets out east of Columbus towards Conway. I can't recall what our radio frequency is off the top of my head. Hope this helps.