CHFP/FPCH — Cedar Hill, New Haven to Fresh Pond, Queens

Almost that time of year, right? Has the stone train started running yet?

Does the train length vary throughout the season and get broken up as demand warrants, or does the whole consist continually make the roundtrip (like the NHB coal trains on NS/PAR did)? Speaking of demand, does the train operate regularly throughout the entirety of its season, or somewhat on an on-demand basis, with the crew working-as-directed when not needed for the stone train?

Timing depends on when the asphalt and concrete plants can startup with out the fear of frozen pipes/freezing weather.
Runs as needed on demand during the season,believe 2-3 times during a week.
Not sure if MN has the New Haven Line ACSES up and running,need a Cab signal/ACSES equiped leader to run on MN and Amtrak to Oak Point
to reach the CSX Bay Ridge Secondary over Hellgate Bridge to Fremont/Fresh Pond Yard.

These days so long as it's above freezing, the mining and shipping goes on. It's a reduced pace in winter but not the hard stop like it was years ago,

I'm not sure when they are running these days. I happened across them Queens bound on a saturday night recently, I'm assuming they returned north sometime the next day, The old pattern of Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday into Queens, leaving monday, wed. friday afternoons seemed to be dead last summer, unless they are returning north much earlier in the day.

I saw what was most likely the P&W heading south on the Hell Gate at around 10:50PM, Wed.

It's not the same pattern anymore, it seems to go north out of Queens on Thursdays and Saturdays.

A few hours ago, it is now 4:30a., I heard something rumble over the mainline of the L.I.R.R. which I thought to be southbound to Fremont. I was too tired to get up and view it and the CSX turn out of Oak Point to Fremont just went south minutes ago. Interestingly, yesterday morning I was speaking to a friend of mine who works NYP/NHV and he saw the train parked in the Bronx one day last week. He claimed it had missed its “slot” to come across.

When they get to Oak Point Yard ,they are dealing with CSX dispatch,now relocated in Jacksonville Fl HQ of CSX,to access the Fremont Secondary
to Fremont/Fresh Pond Yard.
May have had a transfer run out to there when P&W arrived,so P&W had to wait.
LIRR has been doing transfer runs of MN equipment to Arch St Shop for PTC installs,Amtrak may be running those runs under positive block control
since the LIRR MP-15's are not rigged for ACSES yet,just LIRR's ATC gear,that might force a wait at New Rochelle(MN)till the LIRR is west
of Oak Point Yard.

Thank you Backshop...I spoke with my friend again this morning, he also saw it parked this past Wednesday.

It ran late, FPCH through CP 216 like almost midnight behind the LIRR arch st move on 4/19/2018. That was northbound/eastbound which Is reverse from last year on a Thursday. Speaking to someone formally involved in P&W operations a lot depends on crew availibility since Genesee and Wyoming took over. Nice to see they still have those Oakway leasers though! The stone from both CSX and P&W basically seemed to run through the year for the 2018 season.

About 15 minutes ago, something crawled south over the mainline of the L.I.R.R. could not see anything even with binoculars it’s so foggy/misty out there. Whatever it was it’s unusual for this time of night.

A few minutes ago, at 6:10a, 5 engines and about 88 cars crossed over the mainline of the L.I.R.R. southbound to Fremont. Two engines in blue, three in G&W paint. It’s difficult to see with the new foiliage blooming.

A few minutes ago the CSX turn out of Oak Point crossed the L.I.R.R. (at 11:25a.) southbound and interestingly a few cars behind the engines were 25 loaded hoppers with I believe stone of some type. Black hoppers with some kind of round gold or red insignia, high up, near the top edge mid-car.

Could they have been C&D?

No, it was stone, aggregate of some kind or perhaps ballast. Besides waste loads go off island, north to Oak Point.

wintower wrote:A few minutes ago, at 6:10a, 5 engines and about 88 cars crossed over the mainline of the L.I.R.R. southbound to Fremont. Two engines in blue, three in G&W paint. It’s difficult to see with the new foiliage blooming.

...and now at 6:55p. it’s headed back northbound over the L.I.R.R. mainline.

To wintower:
Thanks for the recent posts. You are right that some stone also comes off of CSX to the NY&A. See the attached video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26X_8vzGAkI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Black GACX stubby 3-bay hoppers with a gold circle at mid-car.
When CP Rail used to come to Fresh Pond directly years ago, they often had hoppers of stone also. I believe there is a quarry in upstate NY that CP served. The stone is destined to one of Long Island's stone or cement works. With CP not coming down, these cars are still coming to the NY&A but through CSX. I believe the cars used to have reporting marks of OGIX. Interesting that this NY quarry supplies Long Island in addition to the many Rawson Material loads that P&W brings down.
Regards, AlKaLI