Eastern Railroad Discussion > Have CSX trains Q388.389 been eliminated?

I see that there is a post of an S388 on the River Line on 4/26. Nice pics. Q388/389 were rather strange trains established late last summer. They were Selkirk to Chicago BRC trains. But not direct via Buffalo and Willard but via Philly, Cumberland and Willard and BRC. And they were only four days per week in each direction. I was told the schedules , and both trains were scheduled to be on the Philly Sub Tue, Thu, Fri and Sun; WB around 0800 and eastbound about 1500. The cars to/from BRC at Selkirk did not ride this, train they went directly on something else. Essentially the trains were Selkirk to Cumberland with a Lordstown, OH debris/trash block and moving Cumberland cars to the BRC. No traffic went the entire distance on these trains in either direction. At times the Q389 would handle the Baltimore block from Selkirk. Talk from railroaders and scanners indicate CSX has an emphasis on keeping ALL trains on time, not just the sacred intermodals. But for almost two weeks now I have not heard or seen and 388/389 trains, except for the photos if the S388 mentioned above which could have originated in Oak Island. any updates welcome.

Saw 388 on Wednesday.

Posted from iPhone

Got her at Milton this morning.

I photographed Q388 and L389 both in Ohio last Sunday.

S388 would be an extra section of Q388.

Q389 is still around also got him a couple days ago in shendoaha junction

Posted from Android

The Selkirk-Cumberland leg of this train used to run as Q640/641 via Buffalo, Cleveland, Sterling, Pittsburgh to Cumberland...always had trash cars to set out at Lordstown and then freight for Cumberland...the 388/389 were traditionally Cumberland -Chicago trains back in the day.

Posted from iPhone

Q388 Chicago Barr, IL - Selkirk, NY via Cumberland
Mo-We, Sa

L388 Chicago Barr, IL - Cumberland, MD
Su, Th, Fr

Q389 Selkirk, NY - Chicago Clearing BRC, IL via Cumberland
Su, Tu, Th, Fr

L389 Cumberland, MD - Chicago Clearing BRC, IL
Mo, We, Sa

Andrew

Today's Q389 with a one unit wonder westbound at Shenandoah Junction, WV. Trash at the front.

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Thanx. Guess at least so far no changes to 388 &389; just have not heard or seen them. often they are quite small, hence the one unit job in the photo. But often that Lordstown debris block is 40 or more cars. With the emphasis on better schedule keeping....even for carload trains.....I guess they are running earlier thru here.

On a somewhat related subject, I'm assuming from these posts that the hump at Cumberland is still in operation?

As a minor correction, Q388 and Q389 are not just a year old. They were well established back when I retired from CSX in2010.

Yes the sterling-Cleveland segmant doesn't have much traffic after the loss of those trains it seems. There were stone trains that ran also...but haven't seen those lately either.

To wrong main, another minor correction. Depending on where you are. You are right as far as operation west of Cumberland for Q388/389, and those two symbols could go back to before the Conrail takeover. But Q388/389 operating East of Cumberland to Selkirk, and vice-versa via Philly on the four days per week schedule each way, as noted in a previous post started in the past year. That is a fact.