Eastern Railroad Discussion > A Couple Of Trips To Austell Georgia This Week

Made a couple of trips to Austell Georgia this past week. Had a couple of specific things I wanted to capture if I could.Zeroed out on that goal but did manage to capture a few trains I hadn't seen in a while on the North Atlanta “H Line”.  

#1. Missed catching this on with nose light as I had to scramble to get this. NS 125 Kansas City,MO- Jacksonville,FL. A combined stack and auto-rack train. 14 wells on the head end and rest auto-racks running on the main just past the southbound signals at Austell. 

#2 & 3. On the run around track out of NS IM Whitaker Yard recently upgraded to Premium Service NS 264 Memphis, TN (BNSF Z-SBDAUG) - Atlanta, GA. Previously a Q train out of LAC at Standard Service to Austell it was always a solid J B Hunt train. Noted a good many orange Schneider containers on this one. Not certain of how many loads it dropped off at Whitaker but had 69 wells heading to Inman Yard. Loads for Charlotte and Jacksonville Fla. It should be noted that this BNSF Z train service lane recently changed from CSX Fairburn to NS Austell Georgia.

 ..more to follow...

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA

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#4. Crossing over from the main to the runaround track is daily manifest 3x0 and 104 cars NS 371 Chattanooga,TN – Greenville,SC. This daily manifest works set outs at multiple locations on it's way to Greenville Yard. 

#5. After setting out cars at Whitaker Yard Standard Service IM NS 223 Kansas City, MO - Atlanta, GA heads south into Austell JCT. 

#6. With plenty of colorful “Yacht Club” containers in the consist two UP units lead NS 25Q Atlanta, GA – Rossville, TN north bound into Austell Jct.

  ..more to follow...

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA

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#7. On another day this week NS 223 Kansas City, MO - Atlanta, GA seen as it departs south past the Austell Box Board Plant. 

#8. North bound Whitaker yard Job G89 Austell Whitaker, GA - Atlanta Inman, GA heads north on the runaround track with a cut of cars it picked up off the Cobb siding just south of Austell Jct. Cars were placed there off of UP extra Z train NS I26 Shreveport, LA (UP ZLCAI / KCS IZLCAI) - Atlanta, GA. 

#9. With 7 locomotives, most in tow.. NS 360 Macon, GA - Chattanooga, TN daily manifest heads northbound out of Austell Jct. 

Thanks for stopping by and always be safe when out track side!!!
NSSpike
CDDX

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA

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Phil; what day did you photograph that G89?

Posted from iPhone

Great photos, thanks for sharing.

Friday 9/11/2020

Juniata Wrote:
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> Phil; what day did you photograph that G89?
>
> Posted from iPhone

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA

Nice shots!

Thanks!

NSSpike Wrote:
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> Friday 9/11/2020
>
> Juniata Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Phil; what day did you photograph that G89?
> >
> > Posted from iPhone

Good ones Phil especially like that second one.

Nice shots! 

Seeing those new BNSF Z trains out west, I've been curious about all the Schneider containers on an NS-interchange train.   I guess they really are originating/terminating at the NS terminals in the Atlanta area.

-Tom

Any idea why BNSF is now sending this train via NS vs CSXT?

Great pictures. Thank you for posting them. I always enjoy seeing shots from that area.

Phil, I'm curious about the BNSF connections into Atlanta also. Wasn't most of the expansion at Fairburn with the WSG cranes for BNSF business? And, the last time I drove by Fairburn (admittedly a few years ago), there was a joint CSX/BNSF sign out in front of it. Google street view shows that sign as well as the WSG cranes, so it must be pretty recent. 

Bruce 

Nice pics!!

StStephen Wrote:
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> Phil, I'm curious about the BNSF connections into
> Atlanta also. Wasn't most of the expansion at
> Fairburn with the WSG cranes for BNSF business?
> And, the last time I drove by Fairburn (admittedly
> a few years ago), there was a joint CSX/BNSF sign
> out in front of it. Google street view shows that
> sign as well as the WSG cranes, so it must be
> pretty recent. 
>
> Bruce 

Here is what I have... 
A couple of weeks ago I got a phone call from a retired railroader advising me that BNSF was moving their Z trains that went to CSX Fairburn, to NS Whitaker Yard in Austell. He didn't have much more detail then that. I ran this info by another retired railroader and asked him to look into it. At the time he didn't think that was something that would happen. About 24 hours later he confirmed that what I had heard was so. At first I and a few others thought it would mean another train on the NS. Not the case. Existing NS 264 and NS 265 operating as Q trains off the BNSF at Memphis would become Z trains with the BNSF symbol Z SBDAUG & Z AUGSBD. Prior to this change NS 264 / 265 were standard service on the NS out of LAC.  

It was said the the BNSF was concerned with the delays that were occurring with their Z trains CSX Q183 and Q184 on the CSX? Birmingham AL to Fairburn GA. About a 140 mile trip on the very busy Lineville Sub Birmingham to LaGrange GA where they head north on the A&WP line. I have also heard that the BNSF Memphis and Birmingham Terminals aren't in the best of shape these days possibly adding to the delays.  

Now what I don't know is what happened to the Standard Service Q train traffic out of LAC that made up NS 264?  A part of me says that traffic went to the CSX and runs as Q183 & Q184 or they just added it to existing LACATG Q185 & Q186?   Eliminating 2 trains?   Perhaps So.  Bottom line BNSF just changed the routing of their Z train into the Atlanta area to the NS.  I haven't been down to Fairburn of late but I tend to think they are just as busy as they were before this change. 

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA