Connecticut Southern (CSOR) Discussion

While in Hartford CT I witnessed P&W engine coupled to CSOR # 417. They headed north through the yard but I could not stay to watch where they were going to go. They had no cars in tow at this time. Does anyone know why it was there?

Seems to be borrowed maybe as the P & W engine 2215 is still working in and around Hartford Ct freight yard. Does anyone know why this engine is here?

Also, at the end of Manchester line near CO-OP, there are a couple of new buddle ties on the side of line, looks like they maybe upgrading the switch that goes to the CO-OP?

I managed to stumble on I believe CSO-4 yesterday shortly after noon in Windsor Locks at the RT 140 crossing with P&W 2215 leading coupled with 417 while out with my wife and chased it to Hayden Station Rd in Windsor and grabbed a quick video, there was also a hi-rail on the line near the Hayden signal. I also saw a work crew on the line along Rt 5 in South Windsor replacing ties.

In Hartford CT north end looks like salt is back shipping as a string of cars are parked on the siding again. They stopped shipping over a month or two ago and I thought that was it for the year which was much less then years before. Now they started up again I wonder if there was an issue at the mine where they get the salt? Does anyone know of any issues? CSO could use the freight as the Hartford yard has been somewhat empty the last few weeks.

I earlier had written .....Also, at the end of Manchester line near CO-OP, there are a couple of new buddle ties on the side of line, looks like they maybe upgrading the switch that goes to the CO-OP?

Ok, those ties were bridge timbers, sorry for the confusion as I went out there to see if any work was done near the CO-OP and when I saw nothing looked different and the ties were gone I was shocked. I then saw a gang working down the line going toward East Hartford and they told me the real story, that the ties were used on a bridge that is not easy to get to from what I can tell. Anyways, sorry about the confusion.

Larry, I bet you'll see CSOR, abandon the branch..It doesn't seem as busy...as it was in the 80s/90s...

Why would they abandon it when it has active customers to the end of the line?

Less busy than 25 years ago ≠ dead.

I don't think they will ever abandon this line, it is relatively good shape and has CWR in many places. They also have the Armory Branch that goes along with it and that is active.

What they need is CSX not to interfere as when I drive around Manchester CT and also S. Windsor I see lots of CSX intermodal service being trucked in from West Springfield MA. They need just one or two more customers and they would have a very active line but CSX takes that away from what I see. I'm not a railroad person or a salesman but I could see a few new customers on both lines if they (CSO) could win them over.

Sad to say, but in S. Windsor at the end of CSO on Armory, two brand new Warehouses just went in and are built right on the corner of the line but these two warehouses only have trucks coming and going. No rail side what-so-ever. Not sure CSO even cares that I feel they missed a great opportunity here.

Besides from that, part of the deal where Conrail spun off CSO was to put up paper barriers to their expansion; paper barriers that still exist with CSX which inherited this part of the Conrail system.

I also wonder how much the rail connection to the business parks in Manchester is actually advertised.

Keep in mind a couple of things: CSOR is CSX's contractor, established by the interchange paper barriers to create this contracting role, as they were for Conrail and CSX Intermodal containers are not competing with CSOR. Carload traffic like what CSOR handles is for the heavier types of freight while intermodal is for the lighter freight which otherwise would have moved via truck, and what is seen follows this rule of thumb and not anything not/done by either railroad. CSOR is to CSX like one would see a regional or small airline providing (exclusively) contracted regional service for a large airline. CSOR and CSX's fortunes rise and fall together.

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:Why would they abandon it when it has active customers to the end of the line?

Less busy than 25 years ago ≠ dead.

Not as busy as it was...If I'm not mistaken, only two customers in Manchester. Can anyone make $$$ with 2 customers? Does anyone have a customer list of the CSO Manchester branch?

As it always seems, I caught the elusive CSO-3 run to the Manchester CO-OP while returning home from running errands today (2/10/15). I got tipped off by my scanner while coming up West Middle Turnpike, thanks to someone calling the Manchester PD concerned the crossing on Oakland St was not operating and traffic was as usual stopped on the tracks. As I got to the intersection of Oakland and Woodbridge P&W 2215 and NECR 3857 with a single hopper was pulling up to the crossing which did function normally (they also flagged the crossing). They dropped off the hopper, than departed. A Manchester police officer was there verifying the crossing was functioning and left once they cleared it. They didn't drop any cars at Sanford and Hawley.

I don't think Sanford and Hawley is a current customer. There is a place that gets loaded Box Cars of bricks on pallets. Often the yellow TTX railboxes but not always.

Sanford and Hawley do not get any service as siding has been taken out. I stopped one day to ask them (S&H) why they do not get any service and all they said was that the siding was taken out awhile back, end of discussion. I would hope that someday they would get service again but it is up to CSO to work out a deal and put the switch back in. That said, yes there is one other customer and they do receive bricks, this past fall there were 3 box cars on the siding with already two in the whole being unloaded. There was one car there last week, and they will pick up again in spring/summer.