Eastern Railroad Discussion > Saturday 9/7 around Cumberland, MD

Saturday, September 6 I paid a visit to Cumberland, MD for the first time this year.  Train activity and volume is down significantly from pre-EHH and PSR days, but there is still enough action to keep busy, with a bit of moving around. My first encounter, minutes after arrival, was a 130 car N785 coal train approaching the yard seen at Knox St. just before Viaduct Jct.

While the crews were changing out near Virginia Ave in the yard, a yard job with a pair of SD40-2s was working nearby.

I then headed down to Mexico Farms Rd to get the N785 continuing on east to Baltimore with a fresh crew on board.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/19 20:05 by sscannella.

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DPUs are now a common occurrence on CSX, and many of the coal trains on the old B&O route have a pair on the rear.  Here they are coming and going at Mexico.

The Capitol Limited was running about 2 hours late, I headed back to the west side of town and caught them coming into Cumberland at Valley St



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/19 18:06 by sscannella.

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Back down to Mexico, where autorack train Q217 was waiting on the Capitol to depart before entering the yard.

I then headed down to PPG Rd to catch the D720 to Hagerstown departing, but Q217, at 121 autoracks and a DPU on the rear, was still pulling into Cumberland Yd.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/19 20:08 by sscannella.

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The Q217 cleared just in time for me to get a shot of D720 heading east to Hagerstown (with a 3 car set-off at Green Spring, WV.)

Shortly after this, which was around noontime, things got really thrown out of whack.

The outbound Q217 crew reported that their train was 'illegal', as they had some 11,000+ feet of train, and there is a CSX rule which says a DPU cannot be more than 9,000 or so feet from the head-end power.   So they came up with a plan to pull out of Cumberland Yard (up into the Narrows), set off the DPU in the yard behind Roy Rogers, then set-off 2,500 feet of train, hang a marker, tie back onto the DPU, then tie on to the rest of the cars, and of course pump air and do a brake test..  This took the better part of two hours, bi-sected the city of Cumberland during that time, and worst of all, screwed up MY day!   Near the end of this manuver, Q138 snuck down, seen here near the Willis Creek viaduct and the Bud Board, shortly before the conductor was taxied back up to the head end.  Finally, the sun reappeared and Q217 was on its way west.

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I know some folks on here (maybe most) don't like graffiti, but I thought these fish bones were pretty cool (too bad these jack-offs waste their talent on vandalism).

The DPU is now positioned 85 cars back, with 36 trailing.

I decided to follow up to Fairhope, this shot across Willis Creek from Fiarhope Rd has become really overgrown since I first started visiting in the mid-90s.

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Two shots at the Fairhope Rd crossing as the train is now really digging in starting up the legendary Sand Patch grade.

After this I was going to head back down to Cumberland, but stopped in Hyndman and saw the signals were lit up for another westbound.  I waited around for a half hour, nothing.  Drive down to the site of long-gone Hyndman tower, and the signals there were lit green for an eastbound.  I waited well over another half an hour, be fore the southbound, intermodal train Q136 finally showed up.  Followed him back down to Cumberland, and never did see the westbound.

Only saw 7 trains in the 8-9 hours there, though I know I missed the westbound, westbound Q137 in the morning while I was waiting for Amtrak at Mexico, plus at least one eastbound out of Cumberland and a westbound empty hopper move via Viaduct Jct. to the Mountain Sub while the Q217 was dancing around..   Probably about half of what I would see in that timeframe back in the glory days (for me) of the '90s and early 2000s.  Hopefully I have better luck next time.

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Thanks for the pics...

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