Eastern Railroad Discussion > Some GOOD news for CSX Mountain Sub - 21 November 2020

I wanted to shoot photos for this update in better weather but ..... an overcast Saturday will have to do.

The changes effect number of trains and their frequency on the Mountain Sub... yes, it's coal traffic and yes coal is a "failing" commodity but the changes should quell the rumours of the Mt. Sub's demise.... for now.

CSX has moved loaded coal and empty hopper trains off Sand Patch and are now running them over the Mountain Sub instead. 

Westbound - 130 car empty hopper trains were the norm in the past with 2 units on the headend but it is now not unusual to see 195 car empties running in a 2+2 fashion using DP units.

Eastbound - 65 car loaded trains were the norm coming out of Grafton with a second section run as a N999 train. The 2 sections were combined at Keyser, WV into a 130 car train that would continue on east. Now they are running 115 car loads with DP power AND manned helpers in a 2+2+2 fashion. The manned helpers cut off at Terra Alta like in the past and the two DP units are taken off at Keyser, WV . The DP units are returned to Grafton by either B772 or another westbound later.

Other than a schedule adjustment Q316 / Q317 still run the Mountain Sub... sometimes they have DPU's sometimes not. Still see tonnage reductions with B772 handling those cars between Grafton & Keyser. 

Mt. Storm Trains - In the past the loaded drags ran with 2 crews manning 2 unit power sets with 1 at each end. Now they run with 1 crew with the rear units in DP. Most of the Mt. Storm trains come from Grafton in the 2+2 fashion with the DP units on the rear.

1) We start Saturday off at 7:19am with Q317-21 westbound on 17-Mile Grade at Bloomington, MD

2) and 3) at 7:35 am. N769-19 running 2+2 eastbound crossing the Potomac River between Beryl, WV and Bloomington, MD.

.... More to Follow ....



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/20 07:28 by DTWilson.

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1) N769-19 shoves their DP units onto the Freight Track at Keyser with the other DP units for return to Grafton.

2) 2 Units and 115 loads, N769-19 eastbound passing thru Keyser, WV

3) A rare daylight catch... Q316-19 crossing the Potomac River. They will stop at Piedmont, WV to allow B772 to finish building their train in the east yard at Keyser. Q316 has a pick up in Keyser that is also in the east yard there.

... More to Follow....

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1) B772-21 westbound at Piedmont, WV... returning 4 DP units to Grafton and with 16 tonnage reduction cars from Q317.

2) and 3) B772's head out car was a bulkhead flat loaded with Combos....

.... More to Follow ....

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1) B772-21 passing the stopped Q316-19 at Piedmont, WV

2) One of the rebuilt CM44AC on Q316-19

3) Q316-19 eastbound at Keymont, WV (railroad "Halfway") 

.... More to Follow ....

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1) Due to tonnage and weather Q316-19 had to borrow one of the 2 helper units. #3390 was set off in Keyser and will be returned to Grafton later in the afternoon by another westbound. Q316-19 shoves their 43 car pick up out of the east yard. They will have 93 cars for Cumberland when they depart.

2) With no much else in the picture, we chase 316 into Cumberland, MD.... Q316-19 eastbound at Pinto, MD

3) N769-19 parked at Beall St waiting for the outbound crew as Q316 comes around it on track #1.

... More to Follow ....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/20 03:07 by DTWilson.

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1) Q316 passing under the I68 / Crosstown Bridge at Beall Street in Cumberland, MD.

One of the casualties on the recent changes was the westbound siding and the 3 west yard tracks at Keyser were placed out of service. They are / were scheduled to be removed but in conversation with a couple of folks, that plan may be reversed. The west yard was used to hold the Loaded inbound cars for the Keyser Industrial Park, tonnage reduction cars from Q317 and the westbound siding was used for the Mt. Storm trains when needed....

2) B875-21 pulls a loaded "Park Car" from the west yard. This movement required a Maintainer to come out and unlock the switches to allow to crew to pull the car.

3) B875-21 working the Keyser Industrial park.

... More to Follow ....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/20 03:14 by DTWilson.

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B875-21 spotting loads of plastic pellets / pulling the empties at the Keyser, WV Industrial Park.

Thanks for having a look.

Tim W.

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Thanks once again Tim.  Your coverage is superlative for sure.  I personally appreciate all the photos and stories about the former B&O and Western Maryland lines.  Please have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

Great narrative and pics DT !

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

My info is probably dated but the only coal traffic I was aware of coming off Sand Patch was a weekly or less coal train that originated off a branch near Meyersdale so moving "All" that coal traffic does not make sense to me. Curious.  Love your pictures and reports. Keep them coming. Thanks Bruce 

Nice work Tim !  Fantastic photos and report plus great news for the Mountain Sub.  As you stated, at least for now.  I would love to watch one of those 2x2x2 drags coming off the Cheat River Grade and heading up  Cranberry Grade at M&K Jct. in Rowlesburg.

Tim......at Nance we see an average of over one coal train a day. What is the origin and new route for these trains

Posted from Android

mp208 Wrote:
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> Tim......at Nance we see an average of over one
> coal train a day. What is the origin and new route
> for these trains
>
> Posted from Android

This afternoon we had a N720 Loveridge to Benning drag. The mountain has also recently hosted a couple of set of SCWX empties for Bailey. Also a set of TILX cars went thru.
I'm not up on all the orignation and destination points....

 

   I believe DTWilson is referring to the coal that originates out of the 2 Grafton area mines; Leer just east of Grafton on CSX and Sentinel on the A&O a dozen or so miles south of Grafton. Over the past 2-3 years, CSX has routed most of the coal coming from these mines north out of Grafton to Newell, Pa. From Newell, the trains head north and then make a runaround move at Mckeesport, where they then head east over Sand Patch to Cumberland and points east. When CSX runs these trains north, they normally run at 130 cars with a 2 unit dpu on the rear for the trip over Sand Patch.

   As DTWilson explained above, when these trains have run east from Grafton they have ran in 2 65 car cuts (no dpu's) from Grafton to Keyser . The m&k helper normally shoves each cut from Grafton/Newburg to Terra Alta and the 2 cuts are then combined back into the 130 car train for the rest of the trip east. Now, it appears CSX is changing their tactics and running most of the Grafton area coal east 2x2x2. I believe back in 2010 CSX ran several 130 car test coal trains from Grafton to Cumberland with this same 2x2x2 power distribution. It will be interesting to see if they stick with running this coal directly east instead of north then east. The Mountain Sub. is a nasty piece of railroad but it seems like a lot of extra miles to go via Sand Patch just to get to the same place in Cumberland. 

   In terms of the train volume, I have not been down there in over a year but last I knew Leer loaded close to a train a day and Sentinel loaded like 2 or 3 a week. The majority of this coal is export metallurgical coal. Arch coal owns both these mines and I believe is currently expanding in the area near Sentinel with a new operation called Leer south. Supposedly Leer south is going to open next year and its output will ship via Sentinel. Google Leer south and you can find info on it Arch has put out several press releases on it over the past year. Probably more info than most care for but I do find the CSX routing on these coal moves interesting. 

The new routing appears to also include at least some MGA origin coal which would include Bailey, Loveridge and Blacksville 2.

Posted from iPhone

Thanks for all the thorough information guys.

Posted from Android

Thanks for the pics...