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

Two weeks ago, watched a northbound go through Canton. In the consist there were six or seven orange CSX gons, with short side racks, carrying new ties. I've noticed NIW that these new ties are spread all the way from Norwood to at least Potsdam. There may be other areas as well. Does anyone know when the gangs may arrive up here?

I saw the train go up with all the track equipment on flatcars, and a Herzog ballast train went up and came back down today.

May still be working on the Fulton sub, they were doing a lot of work there last month or so.

We haven't had any MOW trains through Canton yet.

Also, everyone south of Watertown prepare for a CSX W845 with a KCSM grey ghost AC44 leading a KCS GEVO.

lvrr325 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:21 am Very common to see trains stop in Liverpool just below the Old Liverpool Road crossing to go to Heid's. Even have seen the road trains stop there a few times.

When the trackside diner in Adams Center was open, trains would stop there every day to get food. This included the mainline trains and CSX B778

It's interesting to me that CSX is spending $ doing tie replacement on this line that CN is still campaigning against the STB to be able to acquire. Maybe CSX thinks track maintenance can't be deferred for the length of time that it might take CN to win its law suit against the STB?

As an aside, I wonder if the CN (ie B&LE) lawsuit against the STB will make the STB look less favorably upon CN's attempt to acquire the KCS?

What is this STB stuff? First I've heard anything about the purchase in weeks. Last I knew the only objection was that CSX needed to alter the wording to allow that "maybe someday" NYS&W or FLGK could cross to access CN as opposed to "never ever".

CSX by spending money upgrading the line can claim they're losing more money on it by recording the cost of the maintenance against the revenue the line produces.

Article from a recent posting on the Railfan and Railroad Magazine website - here's the intro paragraph:

Canadian National is suing the U.S. Surface Transportation Board over its decision to reject a provision preventing it from interchanging with two New York short lines as part of a deal to buy CSX Transportation’s Massena Line. That provision ultimately derailed the sale of the former Conrail Montreal Secondary and a number of branches.

http://railfan.com/canadian-national-su ... line-sale/

In Liverpool, at Oswego Rd./Old Liverpool Rd., CSX been working on replacing the crossing infrastructure next to Heid's. They've so far put in a new control shack and crossing signals. Crews have been working on the crossing for the last month or so.

CSX 3194 heading north bound on the Q620.

CSX has done some work between Richland and Adams NY. Track speed is now 40 mph in this section up from the 25mph. It's been some 20 something years since it was last 40mph.

Sounds like they are serious about getting rid of it, then.

The deal is off. Paper barrier condition killed it.
https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... ially-off/

CHICAGO — Canadian National’s proposed acquisition of CSX Transportation’s line linking Syracuse, N.Y., with Montreal is officially dead.

The railroads informed a federal court last week that the purchase and sale agreement had expired and that the deal was off. As a result, the railroads asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to dismiss the lawsuit CN subsidiary Bessemer & Lake Erie had filed against the Surface Transportation Board.
...
The STB in 2020 approved CSX’s sale of 263.3 miles of trackage in New York to CN’s B&LE. But it asked the railroads to remove a condition in the purchase and sale agreement that would forever bar CN from seeking to interchange directly with short lines Finger Lakes Railway and New York, Susquehanna & Western in the Syracuse area.

CN and CSX were unable to come to terms and asked the board to reconsider its decision. The board refused, and in a 3-2 decision said the prohibition of direct interchange would limit rail competition and reduce the benefits of the line sale.