Eastern Railroad Discussion > Kentucky Derby Trains

With less than a week to go has anybody heard anything. CSX, NS, Amtrak? Inquiring minds would like to know. Thanks

From what I have heard from a reliable source, the big two class one's do not want to do any special trains because of freight volume and not enough crews available.  As for Amtrak, Gardner does not want any either even if it means additional revenue.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

I was surpprised to see CSX and NS run OCSs to the Masters. With Crew Shortages and the Customer Complaints during the STB hearings, running the Derby (party) Trains would not look good towards resolving their shipping issues.
Get your Railroad in order then get back to "Showing Off". 

What a sad state of affairs

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MikeWalker Wrote:
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> I was surpprised to see CSX and NS run OCSs to the
> Masters. With Crew Shortages and the Customer
> Complaints during the STB hearings, running the
> Derby (party) Trains would not look good towards
> resolving their shipping issues.
> Get your Railroad in order then get back to
> "Showing Off". 

They talk a lot about blended traffic & combining trains.  They should try to "blend" their office cars on to the rear of one of their 14,000 ft trains & see how that goes.   I mean it would save a crew & what's apparently good for the customers should also be good for the RR's own cars by their own logic.

Running trains to the Masters was before the STB hearings. Running trains during and after hearings for the Derby doesn't look good (I'd assume) thus is why that haven't ran. 

nsrlink Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MikeWalker Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I was surpprised to see CSX and NS run OCSs to
> the
> > Masters. With Crew Shortages and the Customer
> > Complaints during the STB hearings, running the
> > Derby (party) Trains would not look good
> towards
> > resolving their shipping issues.
> > Get your Railroad in order then get back to
> > "Showing Off". 
>
> They talk a lot about blended traffic & combining
> trains.  They should try to "blend" their office
> cars on to the rear of one of their 14,000 ft
> trains & see how that goes.   I mean it would
> save a crew & what's apparently good for the
> customers should also be good for the RR's own
> cars by their own logic.

CSX did just that with the OCS train at least twice already

MikeWalker Wrote:
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>  Get your Railroad in order then get back to
> "Showing Off". 

WHEN do you expect this to happen???  Just wondering....

 

ClubCar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> From what I have heard from a reliable source, the
> big two class one's do not want to do any special
> trains because of freight volume and not enough
> crews available.  As for Amtrak, Gardner does not
> want any either even if it means additional
> revenue.
> John in White Marsh, Maryland

Not sure about your source, but the CSX OCS is assembled in Waycross and will be going to Jacksonville this week to take them to the Derby.

​Maybe they will hear the shippers complaints in person at the derby




 

With special trains like those going to the Masters or the Kentucky Derby etc, do many shippers / customers routinely travel with the train? Or is the train used principally at the venue as a hospitality tent with steel wheels?

I remember the BNSF train went to the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting a few years ago to serve as a hospitality venue, and a luxurious TV studio for interviews with senior management

I keep hearing that CSX will be running a train and then I hear that they are not.  The most positive is the comment about the train being assembled in Waycross.  I've heard that a few times.  Absolutely no comments about NS.  The only one that may be more likely would be the .R. J. Corman train from Lexington on Saturday morning.  They bring passengers to Louisville from Lexington in the morning.  It's about a 3 or 4-block walk from the tracks to Churchill Downs.  They run the train back to Lexington or Bardstown in the afternoon and bus the passengers back to Lexington that evening. 

I talked to the owner of one of the PVs and he said that Amtrak had made it just too expensive to run the train to Louisville.  That doesn't preclude an individual from chartering L&I RR to pull a car to Louisville.  That happened last year or the year before.  

P&L and L&I typically do not run any specials for the Derby.

The first Saturday in may used to be a grand time for railfans in Louisville, but things have been haven't been very exciting for a few years.  Oh well, maybe it will be better next year.

John

wa4umr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I keep hearing that CSX will be running a train
> and then I hear that they are not.  The most
> positive is the comment about the train being
> assembled in Waycross.  I've heard that a few
> times.  Absolutely no comments about NS.  The
> only one that may be more likely would be the .R.
> J. Corman train from Lexington on Saturday
> morning.  They bring passengers to Louisville
> from Lexington in the morning.  It's about a 3 or
> 4-block walk from the tracks to Churchill Downs. 
> They run the train back to Lexington or Bardstown
> in the afternoon and bus the passengers back to
> Lexington that evening. 
>
> I talked to the owner of one of the PVs and he
> said that Amtrak had made it just too expensive to
> run the train to Louisville.  That doesn't
> preclude an individual from chartering L&I RR to
> pull a car to Louisville.  That happened last
> year or the year before.  
>
> P&L and L&I typically do not run any specials for
> the Derby.
>
> The first Saturday in may used to be a grand time
> for railfans in Louisville, but things have been
> haven't been very exciting for a few years.  Oh
> well, maybe it will be better next year.
>
> John


I did heard there is a CSX P001 planned going towards Lexington, KY via Atlanta and Etowah. I wouldn't be suprised if they combine the CSX and RJ Corman train on the run from Lexington to Louisville.

I also heard from one of the NS security guards during the Masters stay that NS is not sending a train to the Derby.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/22 20:06 by akpsteam.

What used to be a train for the Kentucky Govenor unit Tax Payers raised a fuss, the CSX Derby Train for many years has been Privately Funded. Mostly political parties. 

People riding trains to the Kentucky Derby??  Hello 2022 goodbye 1922.

I believe P001 backed out of Waycross and went up the Fitzgerald Sub at around 2:30PM today (5/2) via the new Waycross Cam.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/22 15:48 by chrispalic.

But CSX says it's not responsible and has not done anything wrong....

Victor B.

MikeWalker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was surpprised to see CSX and NS run OCSs to the
> Masters. With Crew Shortages and the Customer
> Complaints during the STB hearings, running the
> Derby (party) Trains would not look good towards
> resolving their shipping issues.
> Get your Railroad in order then get back to
> "Showing Off". 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/22 18:07 by wabash2800.

chrispalic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I believe P001 backed out of Waycross and went up
> the Fitzgerald Sub at around 2:30PM today (5/2)
> via the new Waycross Cam.

P001-02, Departed Saxton  KENTUCKY 6 minutes ago, ETA to Corbin KY at 1024.  Looks like it will linger in Corbin till 1130, then head to Patio KY where it will jump onto RJ Corman.  Due into Lexington this evening.  

Train looked nice coming out of Waycross. Clean, locomotives in numerical order