CSX Charlotte Runner

Is RG&E replacing the closed Russell Station plant with another one? If so, will it be at the same location?

The last I heard, and that was a couple years ago, was that RG&E was going to rebuild Russel into a gas powered plant service by pipe line. Considering the time frame and little to no activity, kinda tells me the plans may be on hold at best. The signage on the Ling Rd crossing sating "Tracks out of Serive" are so school busses and HazMat trucks are no longer required by law to stop at the crossings.

I took a short walk along the right of way, between McCall Rd and Ridge Road West because I noticed a few things as I crossed the tracks at the McCall crossing. One tie just south of the crossing had been painted white from end to end, including the rail web. In the distance, I saw the old NYC cement mile marker that is on the west side of the tracks now looked white. When I got near it I saw that the weeds had been cleared from around the base and the old weathered cement had been painted white on both sides. The recessed "R" and "6" in the top part of the marker had been painted black. It looks great, but have no clue who decided to do this. I have to assume it was the same person who painted both the tie and the mile marker, but for what reason? At least the marker has some added preservation now.

The other thing that is new at the McCall crossing is a square yellow indicator sign. I'm sure it is meant for a south bound train, but I don't know the meaning of it. The back side of the indicator is green, but I assume it is just that, the color of the back side of the metal, rather than an indication for a north bound train. Does anyone know any more about the mystery painter or the yellow sign?

Painting the milepost is just normal maintenence, probably done by the lines track inspector. The white tie, it signifies that there is some sort of a drainage culvert under the track at that spot. The white ties have also shown up on the mainline in several places. The yellow and green sign is for a slow order, yellow is for a speed restriction, green is for resume normal track speed.

Not to be crass and rude or anything (well, actually, why not ? most everyone else on here isn't anybody's friend anyways.) but isn't routine maintenance a semi-annual action at the very least ? A mile marker painted every five years on OOS track is not what I consider routine. A white or yellow painted tie does not necessarily indicate a culvert or drainage situation. It can be indication of where track replacement or removal is to occur in the near future. For example, in my area a new switch is being built to replace an old one on CSX, and the ties at each end of the switch to be replaced are painted yellow.
Also, this track in Charlotte is out of service (OOS), so what exactly is going on here ?

Well, when was the last time you walked this stretch of the Runner? Fresh white paint can look fresh for a few years, and since it's still winter for Rochester - those weeds could have been cut back a couple of years ago too. All this done before the line went OOS.

Also consider the fact you're trespassing. Just saying...

nessman wrote:Well, when was the last time you walked this stretch of the Runner? Fresh white paint can look fresh for a few years, and since it's still winter for Rochester - those weeds could have been cut back a couple of years ago too. All this done before the line went OOS.

Also consider the fact you're trespassing. Just saying...

That mile marker has been naked cement for decades and I saw the weeds shrouding it last Thanksgiving. That's the best reference I can give.
At the same time, I need to amend my original post and say that I didn't actually "walk the right of way". I used literary license and over stated my experience. It helps when you know someone who lives near the site and can offer an up close and personal vantage point from their backyard. I hope that will mitigate the trespassing issue. My only intent was to share and capture a unique observation for discussion.

Looks like a railfan project to me. Have either of the adjacent mileposts been painted or just this one?

Nessman wrote: Well, when was the last time you walked this stretch of the Runner? Fresh white paint can look fresh for a few years, and since it's still winter for Rochester - those weeds could have been cut back a couple of years ago too. All this done before the line went OOS.


Is the line out of service at that point? I thought they were still going down to the box shop.

The Charlotte Branch is in service completely to include the West yard at Charlotte, which is past MP 9.44. Kodak is at MP 5 and the "Box shop" is at mp 7. The routine spring painting of the MP and the white tie as stated, designates an undergrade drainage colvert. The Maintainance Dept. may have had orders to refresh paint on all MP markers, so they just do it. Track speed in the "Branch" is 15 mph North of MP 3, and the speed restriction indicate by the yellow and green signs is a 10 mph. Yellow marks the begining of the TSR and the Green board designates the end of the TSR. Just because a train hasn't traveled down the full length of the track, does not mean it's out of service. A Track Department inspector travels the track once a week, as required. CSX instituted a "Yellow Tie" program several years ago. The yellow tie designates the "clearance point" of the converging tracks by CSX standards. You'll see those ties at every in service hand thrown switch at any CSX yard or industrial lead which belongs to CSX. With switch removal/replacement,
The track department engineer usually spray paints the side of the rail at the cutting point. Usually red, pink or white spray paint, whatever is in the trucks storage box.

MP366 wrote:Is the line out of service at that point? I though they were still going down to the box shop.

I dont think anything is formally out of service..
at least not that anyone has heard..so its most likely still "offically" in service.

On the one hand, it seems ridiculous, and very unlikely, and completely illogical that CSX would bother to paint a mile marker on a line
that they clearly intend to abandon eventually, and there is no conceviable need for that marker to get a fresh coat of paint..

but on the other hand..large corpoations are well known to NOT be logical!
its quite possible it was in fact painted by a CSX employee, simply because "its part of my job, and no one has told me not to do it yet"
something so obscure (as a mile marker at the end of a nearly abandoned spur), in the context of the massive CSX corporation,
probably simply hasnt drawn any attention from any management types, and as long as the line is still officially in service,
the marker gets painted, regardless of logic..happens all the time.

So if CSX painted it, it makes no sense.. but is also makes perfect sense!

Scot

The mile post need to be conspicous as the track is still inservice. CSX policy's require the maintainers to continue to they're maintainance schedules and proceedures.

I guess this post should have been preceded with "I'm guessing at all of this:"

Flat-Wheeler wrote:Not to be crass and rude or anything (well, actually, why not ? most everyone else on here isn't anybody's friend anyways.) but isn't routine maintenance a semi-annual action at the very least ? A mile marker painted every five years on OOS track is not what I consider routine. A white or yellow painted tie does not necessarily indicate a culvert or drainage situation. It can be indication of where track replacement or removal is to occur in the near future. For example, in my area a new switch is being built to replace an old one on CSX, and the ties at each end of the switch to be replaced are painted yellow.
Also, this track in Charlotte is out of service (OOS), so what exactly is going on here ?

Just to throw an example of unused but not OOS, when Conrail still owned the Auburn branch, it was out of service from Sennett to around Hartlot (actual location moved I think back to Camillus just before they sold it). A rail was unbolted and moved aside by the Sennett crossing. WAGY-12 never had much reason to come more than 10-12 carlengths past the switch for the glass plant (by Route 5) but we saw them run all the way up to the end of track, light, one day, just for the sake of doing it. You had like half a mile of track that was in service there but almost never used.

At lunchtime today, I went over to Turning Point park and took a stroll on the walkway-bridge over the Genesee River there. Much to my surprise, two CSX locomotives, with a rather long train, were sitting on the tracks visible from the Turning Point Park walkway bridge. I don't know where they were heading or what their cargo was. But clearly, the line is still in service!