Eastern Railroad Discussion > All Bollixed Up in Lake Erie Land

Tuesday April 2, 2024
Vermilion OH
Temps in the mid 40's, heavy rain in the AM followed by heavy overcast in the PM and more rain and wind.

The big total eclipse event isn't supposed to happen here until next week, but apparently mother nature is practicing as it was exceptionally gloomy today. Also MofW had a big production gang out there on Track 1 between Vermilion and Huron, and that really bollixed everything up. It seems that traffic has been slow through here, but now MofW wants it and they have every train they can possibly find congregating here all at once. The 2nd trick Toledo Terminal dispatcher really inherited a mess as everything was brewing to a boil at transfer time. There was a 28M, 22X, 11N, , 568 on the Lake Shore line, a 10Q sitting on the NKP at GC waiting for about 5 hours, a 32N at Shinrock next to a 316 that were blocked by the 10Q and I forget what else, oh an L15 too.

1. - 3. Here is the MofW gang as seen from Coen Road west of town as they start working westward. I've had experience with this type of work in the past, but I am not quite sure with the make up here what they are doing or how that is done. Maybe someone can educate me. I didn't see any tie handling equipment and there were numerous tampers and regulators intermingled in the mix here. It was quite a show, but I couldn't get anywhere to really see the work. They were certainly doing more than a surfacing job by the looks. The EIC had a 25mph limit through the zone and single track for about 10 miles.

 

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4. Out at Joppa Road by MP 226 there was no sign of work yet, but trains passing here were in the work limits. Here is the 28B approaching slowly with NS 7560 and 9901. Looking way down with the telephoto, two red-winged blackbirds stand sentinel along with the signals.

5. And here comes 28B around the big sweeping curve.

6. His slow pace allowed me to get ahead of him at CP 222 for another look. He's just about to leave the work limits and accelerate into town. That's the connector to the NKP to the left.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/24 17:10 by train1275.

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7.  Home for lunch, and the winds are kicking up, and the lake is making noise in the back yard.

8. After lunch and back at Coen Road, the MofW equipment has gone west but the 22X is still under the 25mph restriction. He's got NS 9720, 4659 and 9797.

9. 10Q arrived at GC here on the NKP out of Bellevue about 10:30AM and has been sitting on a red for hours waiting to get over to Track 2 on the Lake Shore line. He will still have about 35 minutes to sit as we look down at him here from Risden Road.

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10. Shinrock on the NKP is also all plugged up with the 316 sitting here with no place to go with 10Q in front of him. 316 has the Norfolk Southern heritage unit; NS 8114 paired with a shiny NS 4785. This is the highest numbered 4700 I've yet seen.

11. - 1 2. This gives us a few minutes to enjoy the heritage unit.

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13. Also at Shinrock was the 32N sitting and waiting with no place to go. He's got the NS 4005 and 4316.

14. & 15. Back up to GC and 10Q finally has the light to go east. He's got NS 4161, 9915 and 7687 as power and accelerates out. 
In image 14 we see the west leg connector from the NKP west to the Lake Shore line west. The 10Q pictured will take the east leg connector up ahead; NKP east to Lake Shore line east. In photo 15 he's going by the AEI readers.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/24 17:24 by train1275.

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16. 10Q passes us here at Coen Road and makes the diverging move to the left onto the connector. He'll pop out at CP 222 on the Lake Shore line up by Adams Street where we saw the 28B this morning.

17. & 18. The 316 is now moving and is right behind the departing 10Q. Here he comes into the GC interlocking, but instead of following the 10Q and diverging left, he'll go straight ahead down the NKP to Lorain and a meet with counterpart 315 at Avon Lake today.



 

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19. As 316 passes we get a friendly wave.

20. Just enjoying the little burst of color.

21. Not to be outshined by the colorful heritage unit, we take a better look at the NS 4785.

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22. Head out on the 316 was this QUAX 211101 flat car with damaged FINX 50331 hopper on top.

Things are now getting unplugged and trains are moving. The dispatcher is relaxing a little now and getting into the rhythm, and that  will end our day here in Lake Erie Land.

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I haven't seen or heard the term "bollixed up" in quite a while, maybe since Dad was still alive back in 2008". Glad it is still an english language term!
We don't see red wing blackbirds around here much, but sometimes we seea a Baltimore Cardinal. Speaking of all bollixed up and Baltimore... Never mind!
Philadelphia took a bridge strike on Interstate 95 that has bollixed up all rail traffic to South Jersey. NJT uses one track for its Atlantic City Line and Conrail Shared Assets the other. No rail traffic will move in or out until probably the weekend. There is no alternative to the Del-Air Bridge over the Delaware for South Jersey rails to cinnect to the national network. The only connection through Trenton, NJ was severed when the light rail River Line was built. Great planning! The normal NS 38G with 185-200 car freights past my home are about, I'm guessing, 35-40 cars with just the pickups from Frankford Jct and Abrams. No Camden Pavonia yard or steel slab traffic from the Port of Gloucester City, NJ is moving. The 38G passes after dark and although I couldn't see it, last night and tonight there was no familiar rumble of the 60-80 gons loaded with slabs but there was a DP loco mid-train? I guess to stay in practice? More likely to maintain power balance during the traffic intermission. Catch-up traffic should be interesting. 
Your photos of the MOW equipment is interesting. If not replacing ties and other than resurfacing what could they possibly be doing? Obviously not renewing rail. hopefully someone can educate us on this MOW.
Thanks for the post.
Gonut
 

Photo 5 is really great. The headlights, the glint, the curve, and the red signal all stand out perfectly in the grey light. Well done!

Good stuff as always!

Posted from iPhone

Just a quick follow up to my original post, the make up of the MofW machines as I saw them at Coen Road related to the fact that they were also doing some full blown grade crossing rehabs. So the tie handling machines were out front where I never saw them that day, followed by the production gang and followed by the grade crossing rehab gang (seen in photos). This is a big tie and surfacing project working westward on Track 1.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/05/24 06:41 by train1275.