Eastern Railroad Discussion > What A Difference A Year Makes!!! Kudos NS!!

This time a year ago following the annual 2017 Holiday shutdown Norfolk Southern was to say the least in a BIG mess.

For weeks following the 2017 holiday shutdown sidings here on the NS Alabama East End District had trains tied down in just about every siding between Atlanta and Birmingham. The poor operating conditions continued into the spring. To the tune that the STB had to get involved and demand answers as to the poor operating conditions and what NS intended to do to solve the problems. NS even ended up in what was called a Railroad Summit with the mayors of two west Georgia cities, Villa Rica and Temple as both cites were feeling the effects with road crossings being blocked for days and many hours at a time. Adding to the congestion was the increase in rail traffic to NS's customers off the Georgia Divisions C-Line south of Bremen Georgia in Carrollton. Cars to customers on the C-Line were routed through Norris Yard in Birmingham and sent east to Bremen. As the two Bremen storage tracks off the East End main line filled with in/out bound cars NS had to resort to leaving several times a week upwards of 60 plus Douglasville / Carrollton cars in the 11,050ft Bremen/Sewell siding. Since the cars were not blocked locals A25 & G66 would end up sorting them out utilizing the main in the process. At the end of 2018 NS began routing the Carrollton traffic through Chattanooga and placed them on NS 371 and terminated the train in Cedartown on the C-Line north of Bremen. Outbound traffic from Carrollton would be on 370 out of Cedartown.

So in summary, the reopening the CofG main between Birmingham and Columbus for rail traffic to Macon, re-installing some of the hump yard tracks at DeButts in Chattanooga, the elimination of exchange trains through here because there was no room for them in Birmingham and the re-routing traffic to Carrollton Via Chattanooga I can say with no reservations there has been a significant improvement in the railroads operations here in the west Georgia area on both NS Divisions!!! To the best of my knowledge there were no trains found to be tied down hours or days after the 2018 holiday shutdown anywhere around these parts.

The only issue I am currently aware of is due to the lack of crew availability between Macon and Columbus and as a result we occasionally will have a few CofG District re-routs run on the East End. The below chart falls in line with what I am seeing around these parts compared to this time a year ago with about the same number of cars on line. Kudos Norfolk Southern!!! 

So what are NS operations like in your area compared to a year ago? Would like to hear from other area's of the NS system!!
 

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA

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What other traffic does 370/371 carry besides traffic for south of Bremen?

MattW Wrote:
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> What other traffic does 370/371 carry besides
> traffic for south of Bremen?

For as long as I can remember it ran between Chattanooga TN. and Rome Georgia. Carried a ton of IP (International Paper) product cars. Still does.
Guessing a few other business as well.
Now it also brings cars south out of Chattanooga for: 
Winpak Films Inc. Plastic Resin Mfg. Senoia, Ga.
Southwire Company Electrical Cable / Wire Mfg. Carrollton, Ga. (Tons of copper)
Newnan Transload Lumber Transload Newnan, Ga.
Blossman Gas (Bulk Propane Transfer) Buchanan, Ga.
SLM Recycling (Scrap Metal) Carrollton, Georgia 

Pictured here as G01, (371) out of Cedartown with a crew change there working the propane tank farm at Buchanan Ga. north of Bremen Georgia on the Georgia Div. C-Line
 

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA

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