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

"Cheap, Sleazy, Xpletive" (CSX...as a friend calls them) pulls this stunt every few years by
putting this line up for sale. I don't really think they have ever been that enthused by owning
it. They put money into only when they had to, or, when they thought there was going to be a
boom in stack train business. From what I have seen, judging by the trains I have seen, the latter
business has been dismal. Maybe I am wrong, but, that is the way I see it.

This line could be viable with an owner that "wanted" to make it so. And, for any type of economic
growth up here we must have rail service.

Today the Watertown local had come down to Lacona. It had 3 units and a boxcar. Not sure why or how often they run with 3 units.

nickstowell wrote:Today the Watertown local had come down to Lacona. It had 3 units and a boxcar. Not sure why or how often they run with 3 units.

Back up power?

I've seen them pull a military train out of Drum (40 cars, more or less) with a single GP38-2...

Probably something came up and was dropped and the power is returning more or less light.

Seems like lately the trains have all had a lot of power on them, maybe in case they get hit by a heavy storm.

lvrr325 wrote:Probably something came up and was dropped and the power is returning more or less light.

Seems like lately the trains have all had a lot of power on them, maybe in case they get hit by a heavy storm.

How are the traffic counts these days? Still two through trains with the Watertown local?

Ironhorse27 wrote:How are the traffic counts these days? Still two through trains with the Watertown local?

Managed to hear all three on the air yesterday, they're still running.

At least two

down to only 3???

One's going by right now.

I think they combine some of the trains, we've seen a couple go in and out with six engines and a lot of cars. Seems like all of them mix stacks and general freight, too.

I know that Hunter cancelled the train btwn Altanta and Montreal. But do we still have train from west?

I understood that New Baltimore intermodal is back into business now for couple of weeks.

sd80mac wrote:down to only 3???

Q620 and Q621 are the through trains.

There are locals out of Watertown and Massena, and I think Woodard.

Five trains went by here between like 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Two down, three up. None were the Woodard local, he gets one unit, these all had multiple units.

Q192 and Q193 were eliminated several months ago, everything got consolidated into two trains, Q621 and Q620. Alcoa unit trains were also dropped, the ore traffic is back to moving on Q621 and Q620, traffic levels are still about the same, they just are using less trains to move it all. I think the reasoning behind using 4 locomotives on Q621 and Q620 is that they split/combine the CN traffic and Beauharnois/intermodal traffic at Massena and run different trains like normal between Massena and Canada.

Not sure about the future for intermodal, especially with the potential sale of everything North of Syracuse.

joha107 wrote:Q192 and Q193 were eliminated several months ago, everything got consolidated into two trains, Q621 and Q620. Alcoa unit trains were also dropped, the ore traffic is back to moving on Q621 and Q620, traffic levels are still about the same, they just are using less trains to move it all. I think the reasoning behind using 4 locomotives on Q621 and Q620 is that they split/combine the CN traffic and Beauharnois/intermodal traffic at Massena and run different trains like normal between Massena and Canada.

Not sure about the future for intermodal, especially with the potential sale of everything North of Syracuse.

thanks for update...

Pretty sure I am seeing at least two pairs of trains go by each day. Probably more, since I don't watch 24/7.