CSX Charlotte Runner

If I had to guess, I'd suspect the train was going down to load up more rail, not drop that one off.

Did you mean slave, or slug? There is a difference.

BR&P wrote:If I had to guess, I'd suspect the train was going down to load up more rail, not drop that one off.

Did you mean slave, or slug? There is a difference.

Most likely a slug..they are fairly common around Rochester.
made from old GP30 and GP35 locos.
"slave" usually refers to an operating B-unit, with a working engine..
does CSX even have B-units? I dont think they do..

Scot

BR&P wrote:If I had to guess, I'd suspect the train was going down to load up more rail, not drop that one off.

Did you mean slave, or slug? There is a difference.

Truthfully, I don't know the difference well enough. I guess I'm guilty of using them interchangeably. Thanks for the insight on the difference.

Earlier in the week I had my scanner on in the late evening and heard a unique call from the Charlotte runner that they were in the process of pulling empties from Kodak. Whoever was making the call was asking the receiving person to contact security at Kodak and tell them that the chain link gate at the access to the Kodak yard had activated to close. It swung into the path of the train cars and was now ripped away. A few days later I drove over the Ridge Road crossing and I saw a new gate installed. I'm sure there was more damage than just the gate since it is motorized. I bet that was a sight to see happen.

The gate is operated/controled by Kodak Security. Someone did an oops.

I heard train horns coming the Charlotte Runner around 5:45 while I took my afternoon walk in Irondequoit. Did CSX run a local up to Charlotte?

One old story about the Charlotte Runner;

My father was an NYCRR engineer setup in about 1955. He worked “Lines East” from Buffalo all the way through PC and Conrail. He retired in 1990.

Anyway, he got called to take a train from Buffalo to Rochester and down the Charlotte branch. He was not qualified for the Charlotte branch (it was more than a runner back then) so he requested a pilot.

When he got to Rochester the pilot came aboard. At the same time the yardmaster (or maybe a trainmaster, this is an old story) came running out to the engine and told my father “Whatever you do don’t let him (the pilot) run that train”. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot ???. Anyway, they left for the Charlotte branch. My dad asks the pilot; “are there any grades or curves on this branch”, the pilots reply; “I don’t know”. Then my dad asks about the speeds on the branch. The pilots reply; “whatever you think is safe”.

WOW, some pilot huh ????

The trip was completed safely and my dad then understood the yardmaster’s warning.

Cheers, Kevin.

LOL! I'd love to know who that was, altho I could make a couple guesses! Used to be some real winners! Probably was a TM, the Yardmaster would have been at Goodman St and would not really have gotten into how a train was operated to Charlotte. Sounds more like a TM.

NYCRRson wrote:WOW, some pilot huh ????

...And that was the office janitor's first and last trip on the Charlotte Branch.

-otto-

Haven't a chance to get up there recently but heard there were CWR being loaded up and headed south so are the CWR as shown in the two photos from 10/02/11 still there?
Thanks!

https://picasaweb.google.com/1123575824 ... teWestYard

Chris

Interesting..........thanks for the shots, Chris!

Charlie

alsorailfan wrote:Haven't a chance to get up there recently but heard there were CWR being loaded up and headed south so are the CWR as shown in the two photos from 10/02/11 still there?
Thanks!

https://picasaweb.google.com/1123575824 ... teWestYard

Chris

Is that old CWR?

No idea! Did not have time to check the dates on it and also no idea how long it has been on the ground.
Chris

It's, most likely, what I refer to as recycled CWR. When new CWR is placed along the mains, the old stuff, if deemed usable, is reloaded on a CWR P/U train and then dropped for use on sidings, branches and such, where the speeds are limited to 30 mph or lower. This past year CSX has done this proceedure with several sidings between Buffalo and Selkirk. Including the Batavia siding, the Belle Isle siding by the NYS fairgrounds. Track 8 between CP 290 and CP 286 has had old CWR dropped and waiting for placement for over a year.

FYI, If CSX was going to pick up old jointed rail, such as in place on the Charlotte Branch. They would simply unbolt, or torch cut the joints and load the stuff onto one of their trucks designed for this purpose. I have seen a number of places where the old CWR was unfit for reuse, cut into segments, and loaded onto a long bed truck with a boom simular to a logging boom. They would not waste their time with a rail train to p/u jointed rail.