Last few days lots of work on the lower end, multiple track cars doing tie replacement, possibly ballast cleaning and probably tamping and so forth, some of it overnight work.
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Trains on CSX St. Lawrence Sub (CR's Montreal Secondary)
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There has been work going on between valleyfield and beauharnois. they are upgrading the tracks and getting rid of the old jointed rail. Instead of 10 mph they will be able to do 25.
CSX abolished the ND Train Dispatcher desk on September 21 after a period when it was downgraded to part time with other desks covering during off hours.
The St Lawrence and Fulton Subdivisions are now controlled by the NB Train Dispatcher. The NF Dispatcher got the Syracuse Terminal, Fair Grounds and Baldwinsville subs.
There was a bulletin for the Baldwinsville sub that the radio base station frequencies at Woodard and Fulton for the NF Dispatcher would be 46 Road and 30 Dispatcher, the same as the Syracuse Terminal sub. Woodard and Fulton are primarily sites for the St Lawrence and Fulton subs so this raises the question of what frequencies will be used by the NB at those sites. I have lost track of what frequencies are used on the St Lawrence since the NE days when it was 64 (161.070) Road and 36 (160.650) Dispatcher. It is possible that those sites will have different frequencies for each dispatcher since the Churchville base, shared by the NF and NG, has a common Road frequency but different frequencies for each Dispatcher.
Now that the change to the NB desk is permanent, what are the present Road and Dispatcher frequencies on the St Lawrence sub? The bulletins about the change did not mention the Montreal sub. Who dispatches Montreal now?
The St Lawrence and Fulton Subdivisions are now controlled by the NB Train Dispatcher. The NF Dispatcher got the Syracuse Terminal, Fair Grounds and Baldwinsville subs.
There was a bulletin for the Baldwinsville sub that the radio base station frequencies at Woodard and Fulton for the NF Dispatcher would be 46 Road and 30 Dispatcher, the same as the Syracuse Terminal sub. Woodard and Fulton are primarily sites for the St Lawrence and Fulton subs so this raises the question of what frequencies will be used by the NB at those sites. I have lost track of what frequencies are used on the St Lawrence since the NE days when it was 64 (161.070) Road and 36 (160.650) Dispatcher. It is possible that those sites will have different frequencies for each dispatcher since the Churchville base, shared by the NF and NG, has a common Road frequency but different frequencies for each Dispatcher.
Now that the change to the NB desk is permanent, what are the present Road and Dispatcher frequencies on the St Lawrence sub? The bulletins about the change did not mention the Montreal sub. Who dispatches Montreal now?
What even is the Fair Grounds sub?
I presume Syracuse Terminal is more or less what it was in the NYC days, the mainline from approximately CP-278 to CP-296, and the B-ville Sub the ex-DL&W north from CP-293. Unless Fair Grounds is the signaled stretch of this line between roughly Nine Mile Creek and CP-293.
I've never heard of a change from 161.070 for the road channel.
I presume Syracuse Terminal is more or less what it was in the NYC days, the mainline from approximately CP-278 to CP-296, and the B-ville Sub the ex-DL&W north from CP-293. Unless Fair Grounds is the signaled stretch of this line between roughly Nine Mile Creek and CP-293.
I've never heard of a change from 161.070 for the road channel.
lvrr325 wrote:I've never heard of a change from 161.070 for the road channel.Since the change from 160.800 on the St Lawrence Sub (that's been a while, although 160.800 does still get used as "channel 2" on occasion), it's been 161.070, and I just heard radio traffic on it the other day.
Tree
Everyone Goes Home - Safety Begins With Me
Opinions are my own. No Expiration Date
Everyone Goes Home - Safety Begins With Me
Opinions are my own. No Expiration Date
lvrr325 wrote:What even is the Fair Grounds sub?Yes, the Fair Grounds sub is the 1.9 miles between CP-293 and CP-SALT (MP QCB 1.9). It has always been under the effective control of the dispatcher that controls 293 with the Timetable note: "Southward trains from Baldwinsville SD must not pass signal at CP-SALT without verbal permission from the ** Dispatcher".
I presume Syracuse Terminal is more or less what it was in the NYC days, the mainline from approximately CP-278 to CP-296, and the B-ville Sub the ex-DL&W north from CP-293. Unless Fair Grounds is the signaled stretch of this line between roughly Nine Mile Creek and CP-293.
I've never heard of a change from 161.070 for the road channel.
Syracuse Terminal sub has been CP-263 to CP-296 since CSX split it off from the Mohawk in 2011.
The realignment of dispatcher territories does make sense since a Selkirk to Buffalo train now only has to deal with the NC, NF and NG Dispatchers. It looks like they gave the St Lawrence to the NB to keep them busy since were down only the Boston and Berkshire subs, with the MBCR taking over dispatching E of CP-45 on the Boston.
IIRC under Conrail a Selkirk-Buffalo train only had to deal with two dispatchers once out of Buffalo. Buffalo Mainline to CP-296 and Mohawk from there east. Albany Dispatcher handled the St. Lawrence and the various branches, IIRC later renamed back to St. Lawrence.
Stretching Syracuse Terminal to 263 gives them access to a siding and for locals to switch Canastota for the like once or twice a year that happens. Other than that it's the same as it was 50 years ago outside of the Fayetville branch being abandoned.
A train went north this afternoon with an NS widecab leading. I meant to post earlier but the computer was acting up. Five units with a GP40 in the middle, so maybe the last two will bring a different train down.
Stretching Syracuse Terminal to 263 gives them access to a siding and for locals to switch Canastota for the like once or twice a year that happens. Other than that it's the same as it was 50 years ago outside of the Fayetville branch being abandoned.
A train went north this afternoon with an NS widecab leading. I meant to post earlier but the computer was acting up. Five units with a GP40 in the middle, so maybe the last two will bring a different train down.
tree68 wrote:I have confirmed that the NB Dispatcher for the St Lawrence is still AAR 36 (160.650). There is enhanced reception up to the Watertown area from my location this morning and I am hearing the NB on 36. The Road channel remains 64 (161.070) so the only remaining mystery is what happened to the Montreal sub.lvrr325 wrote:I've never heard of a change from 161.070 for the road channel.Since the change from 160.800 on the St Lawrence Sub (that's been a while, although 160.800 does still get used as "channel 2" on occasion), it's been 161.070, and I just heard radio traffic on it the other day.
That Bulletin for the Baldwinsville sub was my sole reason for believing the St Lawrence and Fulton sub frequencies had changed since it was their base station sites. I just heard that the Bulletin has now been canceled. Maybe they realized that the remaining in-service parts of the Baldwinsville sub (S of RADIS) are well within range of the Syracuse base stations. The Baldwinsville sub never had their own base radio sites since Conrail took it over from the EL. The St Lawrence sub base stations at Woodard and Fulton happened to cover original entire length of the Baldwinsville sub so it made sense to use them when Baldwinsville and St Lawrence were controlled by the same dispatcher.
The Montreal sub was not mentioned in the Bulletin about the desk reassignment which makes me suspect it may have been reassigned from the ND to some other desk previously. The other possibility is that it was previously merged into the St. Lawrence.
The Q621 hit a car in Pulaski today near the paper mill, both the Q621 and Q620 waiting in Pulaski for emergency personal to release them. One person was taken to hospital car was pushed about 200 yards.
The photo's are of the Balmat industrial track. New ballast and ties have been dropped along the length of the branch, approximately 6 miles . The branch starts at a wye in Gouverneur, NY and ends at the talc and zinc mines at Balmat, NY. The talc company ship's wollastonite and the zinc mine is being prepared to resume operation.
Bill
Bill
Saw one of those metal sheds that hold the electrical equipment to operate grade crossing signals with, go by on a flatbed truck a week or two ago on Rt. 11.
It looked brand new. I wonder if it was going to this project?
It looked brand new. I wonder if it was going to this project?
While not the Montreal Secondary - the line up to Oswego has lost a customer for good. Interface Performance Materials in Fulton has had it's Rt 481 crossing and signals removed a few months ago and they're in the process of removing all of their trackage inside the property and along 481 as well. The critter is still stored inside its shed - now landlocked as those rails were pulled as well.
critter is an ancient Plymouth of some sort.
Apparently the corporate office is incredibly anti-rail, or at least anti-CSX for some reason, someone I know up there was telling me an employee got reamed because they sent some trailer loads out via CSX from Dewitt when they couldn't find anyone who would haul it.
The last time I drove by it appeared they hadn't used rail in at least 10 years.
Apparently the corporate office is incredibly anti-rail, or at least anti-CSX for some reason, someone I know up there was telling me an employee got reamed because they sent some trailer loads out via CSX from Dewitt when they couldn't find anyone who would haul it.
The last time I drove by it appeared they hadn't used rail in at least 10 years.
The Q620 is heading up with 896 axles and 214 cars, not sure why it is so long today? Dispatcher had him skip his drop in Watertown and have the Q621 come back south with the cars.
nickstowell wrote:The Q620 is heading up with 896 axles and 214 cars, not sure why it is so long today? Dispatcher had him skip his drop in Watertown and have the Q621 come back south with the cars.Less trains, but longer...
Sounds like an EHH initiative. Never mind if it takes longer for the customer to get his car...
Tree
Everyone Goes Home - Safety Begins With Me
Opinions are my own. No Expiration Date
Everyone Goes Home - Safety Begins With Me
Opinions are my own. No Expiration Date