Trains on CSX St. Lawrence Sub (CR's Montreal Secondary)

Northbound up at 10:40 with two CN units for power, second one a cowl body GE.

lvrr325 wrote:Northbound up at 10:40 with two CN units for power, second one a cowl body GE.

"Draper taper?"

Couldn't make it out to see the CN units but did get Q621 outside of Potsdam today.

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Seems like this train might have had a few ALCOA hoppers tacked on the front, hopefully these are in addition to the regular unit train and not a replacement of it.

Wonder how much longer that sight will be possible to see.

I hear that Canadian National retired their SD60F's recently with scrapping planned for the fleet (A first for SD60's or I believe any factory built 710 engined unit, with retirement usually just meaning a change in venue), the SD50F's have been gone for years (And the Bombardiers of course didn't last past the 1990's on CN), and Canadian Pacific's SD40-2F fleet has either been sold to the MMA, had the frames and running hear recycled for some of CPR's SD30C-ECO's, or are slated for scrapping.

That just leaves the 80 or so C40-8M's on Canadian National. I imagine the engine crews are glad to see it with the engine room door that can allow the seepage of fumes into the cab and the reduced rearward visibility seemingly not compensating for the enclosed walkways in inclement weather, but railfans like myself will miss them.

MOW train went up about 11:30 AM behind a single SD40-2. Some box cars, gondolas, and a bunch of 89' flat cars. it was followed by a large number of track cars.

lvrr325 wrote:MOW train went up about 11:30 AM behind a single SD40-2. Some box cars, gondolas, and a bunch of 89' flat cars. it was followed by a large number of track cars.

I heard a train enter Pulaski siding late last night, thought I heard O018 but a few hours later Q018 went by. Also this week lots of track welding going on from MP45-MP53.

A ballast train also went up Friday, so I presume lots of work going on.

Seen the local returning from Canton around 8-9 PM a couple of times lately. For a few years there, it was late at night.

Leo,

Ref. the local to Canton......do they still operate with a loco on each end? No run-around
track anymore in Canton, or, do they go to Dekalb to run-around?

Set of BNSF units up there somewhere, went north about 7 PM Wednesday night.

Another pair went up Sunday night.

Bigt wrote:Leo,

Ref. the local to Canton......do they still operate with a loco on each end? No run-around
track anymore in Canton, or, do they go to Dekalb to run-around?

I usually see it with a locomotive at each end, but it's not uncommon lately to see a single locomotive returning back to Massena with a few covered hoppers in tow through Potsdam, running long hood forward.

I've never actually seen them run-around in Dekalb, but that must be where they do it in those instances with just a single Geep. I wonder if they ever wish they still had a caboose for the 8 or 9 mile trip to Dekalb from Poulin Grain in those circumstances, with their visibility blocked by a covered hopper in front of them all the way through the village of Canton and several country crossings off Rt. 11 south of the village.

Leo,

Good question on the runaround. Certainly no more "flying switches" in this day and age! Even if they were simply
picking up cars (no deliveries) they would still have to get them onto the other end of the locomotive. After the derailment
a few years back between Park Street and Buck Street in Canton, I always wondered what they were thinking when they tore
out the runaround track there. Just didn't make sense to me........ Anyone know how they handle this switching now?

High and wide special went north about 1:00 PM, two large transformers on drop center 12-axle flat cars. Two big GEs and three idler cars.

Went past Schoeller's in Pulaski late in the week. Several pieces of track equipment on the siding there.