Eastern Railroad Discussion > Q regarding new NS IM trains 26T & 27T

Overnight a bunch of postings popped up on the NS Lake Erie District, CSX Albany Division, and Southern Tier Railroading FaceBook pages re: a new pair of NS IM/Manifest trains. 26T and 27T, operating between Cleveland OH and Ayer, MA. Apparently a 26T operated Tuesday night over NS between Cleveland OH and NS Southern Tier with a single CSX locomotive hauling carload traffic up front with COFC behind. The railfan theory is this is a harbinger of the reouting of the former 22K/23K Ayer MA COFC traffic over the CSX B&A  route between Voorheesville NY connection on the Selkirk Branch to Ayer, MA via Worcester to facilitate double stacking for NS containers to/from southern New England. But given the Voorheesville connection needs rebuilding and the PAR Worcester main needs clarance work, such re-routing is far off in the future. However rumors are suggesting these 26T and 27T could be operated on CSX east of Buffalo via connection at CP-DRAW. But I'm not aware that NS has either trackage or haulage rights on the Water Level Route east of Buffalo. 

At any rate, does anyone out there have any solid G2 about these 2 new trains? Thanks.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/22 05:18 by JPB.

The Pan Am merger agreement between CSX and Norfolk Southern allows NS to move intermodal and automotive traffic only over the B&A, so there's no way that this is intermodal/merchandise combo is a precursor of the eventual shift of the intermodal/auto traffic from the B&M to the B&A. This is part of the rollout of the new NS operating plan, which launched on Monday.

MP403 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Pan Am merger agreement between CSX and
> Norfolk Southern allows NS to move intermodal and
> automotive traffic only over the B&A, so there's
> no way that this is intermodal/merchandise combo
> is a precursor of the eventual shift of the
> intermodal/auto traffic from the B&M to the B&A.
> This is part of the rollout of the new NS
> operating plan, which launched on Monday.

OK, so given this and given 22K still operates between Chicago and Cleveland as solid COFC with its usual blocking of Taylor double stacks up front, Ayer singles, and then Mechanicville doubles (22K-28 passed Elkhart live cam at 0250 Wednesday 6/29/22), 22K must get dissected at Cleveland (Rockport?) with the Ayers removed and appended to Ayer bound carloads (including autoracks I'm guessing) to form 26T that operates with no further yard work performed en route to Ayer via NS/PAS. Does 22K now pickup autoracks at Cleveland for its trip to Mechanicville where I presume it terminates, after dropping Taylors at Binghamton? Trying to figure out how this all works...

There are no active 26T/27T profiles nor any planned. 

CSXT 3317 was the lone motor on the point of a W16-27 (second section of 316) that ran the Lake Erie District / Southern Tier yesterday.  That was the only CSX motor on those NS lines on Tuesday.

​Andrew

florida581 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There are no active 26T/27T profiles nor any
> planned. 
>
> CSXT 3317 was the lone motor on the point of a
> W16-27 (second section of 316) that ran the Lake
> Erie District / Southern Tier yesterday.  That
> was the only CSX motor on those NS lines on
> Tuesday.
>
> ​Andrew

Well, that's a provocative counterpoint to the groundswell of postings re: the new 26T/27T trains! I know a few years back, NS has used the 26T symbol previously. Guess we'll have to wait and see how this plays out.

JPB,
I can assure you there wasn't a 26T. And there most definitely hasn't been a 27T planned or called out of Binghamton.

Posted from Android

Just reading this thread, it seems like maybe somebody out there heard "W16" on the radio and thought they heard "26T".

22K does not work Cleveland. It is routed on the former NKP from Vermilion (CP224) to Cloggsville, bypassing Rockport Yard. Today it took the Chicago Line, but this was account maintenance work. I think somebody got excited after mis-hearing W16 on the radio.

Thank you all for your considered and sober replies! I guess a bunch of us got out ahead of our skis on this rumor!