Current traffic and times are as followed, Q621 and Q620 run daily, Q621 departs DeWitt approx 1300-1400, Q620 departs Massena approx 2100-2200, Q152 and Q153 run six days a week with Saturday being the off day I think for both, Q152 departs DeWitt approx 00700-0800, Q153 departs Massena approx 0100-0200. Alcoa unit ore train seem to be running pretty consistently at three times a week, though no specific pattern on which days it operates. Northbound loaded K531 and K533 have routinely been departing DeWitt just before or after Q621 and tie down in Watertown, then generally run north to Massena the following morning in front of Q152. Space in Massena is limited so southbound empties K532 and K534 run as soon as ready, typically midday or afternoon departure from Massena, tie down in Watertown and run to DeWitt when a crew is ready. This works out to be about 4-5 trains a day most days of the week, most of these trains are shootable in daylight somewhere on the line, except Q620 which is completely nocturnal. North of Massena B798 has been taking Q621 north in the morning and bringing Q620 back in the afternoon, I'm not sure what times Q152 and Q153 operate north of Massena, probably overnight.
Traffic when I started photographing this line in 2002 was at 3-4 trains a day (Q621 and Q620 daily, Q622 Sat and Mon-Thur and Q623 Mon-Fri), this lasted until 2008 when traffic dropped to two trains a day after the recession. You'd probably have to go back to Conrail to find a busier time period in terms of number of road trains. That said, train lengths are much shorter, the K trains are between 40-65 cars, Q152/Q153 rarely exceed 50 cars, Q620/Q621 can break 100 cars probably once or twice a week, but often they can be under 50 cars. Obviously this will change when Valleyfield opens for business and their will be some changes to what freight moves on what trains and how many.
Any future stack service on this line will probably go through DeWitt and won't operate as a dedicated train to and from any one terminal. The current stacks coming south on Q153 go to DeWitt, than depart on three different trains to either Philadelphia, New Jersey or Chicago, inbound stacks going north on Q152 come on two different trains one from Philly and one from NJ (This information can be publicly seen on CSX's website on their shipCSX site under intemodal schedules).
The CTC rumor I saw elsewhere, it could be that somebody misinterpreted and all the signaling work is for PTC, either way one or both is coming in the next two years unless the deadline for PTC implementation is extended.
