Southern Tier - West of Binghamton

[railbird steve]

took a walk this morning to the hornell yards-a c.p. train was parked on the siding facing west(38T?).been there idling since late fri. aft! east and of the old yard on the siding is a stone train(90w).thats heading east I saw it comming thru bout 6-ish.only 3 trains since 10am -39t,22k & 13t.

[Matt Langworthy]

took a walk this morning to the hornell yards-a c.p. train was parked on the siding facing west(38T?).been there idling since late fri. aft! east and of the old yard on the siding is a stone train(90w).thats heading east I saw it comming thru bout 6-ish.only 3 trains since 10am -39t,22k & 13t.

FYI- 38T is eastbound and 39T is westbound. I did see 13T crossing the bridge at Letchworth in the early afternoon. The rest of the day seemed quiet to me.

Saturday (10/22) was a bit of an oddity. I saw 39T (yes, westbound) come through Linden around 10 AM. Eastbound 38T arrived in the early afternoon, but it was held for there a couple hours for two westbounds- 12T(?) and 23K. This is the only time I can recall seeing 39T before 38T, so I think the problems on CP are affecting the Tier, too.

[K4Pacific]

NS continues to recruit for conductors in Binghamton, Corning/Elmira, and Buffalo.

[K4Pacific]

I need help here. Tonight the dispatcher held 23k at CP-Erwin and said you will be there a while. I have a 13T
out of Buffalo. Every siding is full. The usual trains weren't at the usual tomes. Can someone find out what is going on that a parking lot has developed to the likes of 1999?

[Farmer Joe]

There has been a train parked on the siding in Alden, NY since last week. Mostly tanks and covered hoppers. Judging by where its parked, it looks like it was westbound.

Joe in Darien, NY

[Mike Stellpflug]

I need help here. Tonight the dispatcher held 23k at CP-Erwin and said you will be there a while. I have a 13T
out of Buffalo. Every siding is full. The usual trains weren't at the usual tomes. Can someone find out what is going on that a parking lot has developed to the likes of 1999?

K4,

The "parking lot" has pretty much been the best way to describe the Tier over the last month.
There have been trains parked at CAM and Hornell every time I've been down there over the last 5 weeks.
Twice, I have seen trains parked back to back in the Hornell siding.

MS

[poppyl]

I can attest to the "parking lot" nature of the Tier. Went up through to Erwin yesterday AM -- Baker Street yard was completely full as was Gang Mills. Two consists parked between the yard and Erwin. I guess in a weird sense this is a nice problem for NS to have to manage as long as it doesn't turn into a sort of repeat of the grain shipping constipation of a few years ago. Looks to me like it starts and ends with crew availablity as there seems to be plenty of power available.

Poppyl

[conrailsharedassets]

K4 and Others,

This problem is absolutely not just limited to the Southern Tier. The NS Pittsburgh and Harrisburg Divisions are a complete disaster as well. There are some serious Issues at Conway Yard near Pittsburgh that actually has NS essentially bypassing the yard and putting the heavy on Enola and especially Allentown causing congestion in both of those already heavily used yards. Not only that, but almost everything is running hours off schedule as well. This isn't just limited to manifest and unit trains, intermodal and autorack trains have been running as much as 18 hours late as well from day to day. Not to mention the fact that trains (especially manifest and unit trains) wait for hours or even days for crews and can sit clogging yards or passing sidings for just as long. The issues seem to be getting worse and worse with no end in sight. I'm honestly not sure what the heck is going on with NS, but obviously something isn't working right with them lately. With new Operations Management at CSXT and positive changes taking place operational with them, I would think NS has a chance of really loosing out in the Northeast if they don't get things straightened out ASAP.

It's easy for everyone to blame CP for the issues going on with the D&H and Tier and in some cases that is a valid point/argument to make. But there is more to the problems at NS then just CP and the way they handle NS trains. I don't know if its crew shortages (which I suspect is a big part of the problem) or just plain lack of infastructure (which is also possible with the short sighted single tracking of the Southern Tier West of Binghamton and lack of yard capacity in the Northeast). I have absolutely no idea what the solution to the problem is and quite honestly I'm just an outsider looking in.

This of course is just my 2 cents so take it for what it's worth!

Jim Cerulli
cprsunburysub yahoo group Owner

[K4Pacific]

Well I can see the further automation of Conway and the labor Issues surrounding that could have an effect on Enola and Bellevue. But Binghamton was emPty yesterday and so was Saratoga, as one railroader said yesterday, "I could here a pigeon fart, it was so quiet. Can others find out if it's simply Conway which bumps...the others? Not enough crews now to unclog this. The Nat gas folks like WCOR and LVR and NS at horse heads are getting serviced. Thanks to all. This is getting serious moe than ever this week.

[Matt Langworthy]

I got a good look at Gang Mills late in the day on Friday 10/28 and it was full. I can't help wondering if the specific lack of yard capacity between Hornell and Waverly/Sayre is part of the problem.

[poppyl]

I got a good look at Gang Mills late in the day on Friday 10/28 and it was full. I can't help wondering if the specific lack of yard capacity between Hornell and Waverly/Sayre is part of the problem.

Well, NS still owns a lot of unused real estate at Baker Street. Seems like the quickest solution if capacity is the root cause. BUT maybe NS management sees this as a "temporary" problem that doesn't require a permanent expansion of capacity, just more efficient scheduling and some surge capability in terms of human resources. I don't know if that is the case but this situation has been building over the past year so it isn't new news to NS.

BTW, went down Rte 15 Monday -- counted five consists parked between Duncannon and the Rockville Bridge, at least one parked across the river on the Sunbury sub, and Enola looked like Gang Mills. So I would agree that the problem does not seem to be limited to the Tier.

Poppyl

[K4Pacific]

Conway.

[railbird steve]

there has been a train of sand cars on the siding here in hornell ny(c.p. cass) for 2 days heard a coal train on the scanner this am crew had to pickup thetrainmaster at gang-green-mills cause they wernt qualified for the old yard(baker st) the new nickname around town is n.s= not shiping!

[K4Pacific]

Well an H88 crew grabbed a 13T and passed CP-Elmira at 1500. Only train since 38T this morning. I don't have any idea what's going on and even the railroaders don't know. That coal train is a 38T crew just so you know and is the next eastbound with the NS 8888.

[howie729]

Last week there were stoppages across West Ave. twice. Both time the west bound sat there for 5+ hours on the single track. Was this due to the back up as well?