Eastern Railroad Discussion > Q: CSX trackage rights via NS

As part of Conrail breakup 20 years ago (!), did CSX get trackage rights on NS between the New Castle sub at Youngstown OH and the Selkirk-Chicago main at Ashtabula OH? Reason I ask is that after a 3 year drought, the Bow NH power plant is receiving an 80 car coal train this weekend. But rather than operating over NS to PAS at Mechanicville to PAR at Littleton MA as such trains have for the past 2-3 decades, this train is being delivered by CSX directly to PAR at Worcester MA, avoiding a revenue split with partly NS-owned PAS. This coal train originated a day ago at Newell PA (near Shire Oaks where the NS trains originated) on the Monongahela line and ran nw to Willard OH to access the main to Selkirk. Q: couldn’t this train have been routed over NS between Youngstown and Ashtabula saving 150 or so miles? Thanks.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/19 05:28 by JPB.

Yes they have trackage north from Youngstown. Also the train could go north at Sterling OH to Parma and then east. But CSX closed the CL&W sub so that routing is gone

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While CSX has trackage rights on the Youngstown Line, the train may have had to run via Willard if those rights haven't been exercised of late and no crews are qualified.

Sorry slightly change of subject but is this a one time shipment or will they begin to receive trainloads on a regular basis.

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There are expected to be a number of such trains to Bow presumably to get this peaking plant through the winter. But I don’t know what the expected # of coal trains is.

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Supposedly train originated in Chicago N61827 western coal.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/19 09:17 by farmer.

I believe the CSX rights probably pre date the Conrail split as the original rights were P&LE for Bow and Mt Tom coal trains to Buffali for connection to the D&H and to Ashtabula harbor that P&LE got when CR was formed. IIRC the latter are still in use by CSX for stone trains originating at the harbor, so there should be qualified crews on this route. Early on in the PSR days there was a manifest/intermodal train that started/ended at Collinwood tgat I believe would have gone this way too.

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CSX Bow coal train update as of Friday 11/29/19: CSX power was swapped for Pan Am power last night at Ayer and train is arriving Bow as of 0630. Question is will this train be greeted by the goodly number of anti-coal protestors who have descended on this plant over the past couple of months?

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/19 04:13 by JPB.

JPB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CSX Bow coal train update as of Friday 11/29/19:
> CSX power was swapped for Pan Am power last night
> at Ayer and train is arriving Bow as of 0630.
> Question is will this train be greeted by the
> goodly number of anti-coal protestors who have
> descended on this plant over the past couple of
> months?
>
> Posted from iPhone

If they are, blow the horn per rules and highball!