AYMO / MOAY / 22K / 23K (Ayer-Mohawk trains)

Trinnau-
Thanks for the clearance reminder. It probably makes things a little safer for folks working the east end -- less chance of an avalanche when you're walking alongside a rack.
Now if they could just keep Gardner fluid...

Business has been booming there, between the autorack and general freight traffic. P&W usually comes during the day to interchange, and PAS comes at night. So after one has come, the yard is generally full of cars for the other - a sign of brisk business, not necessarily a backlog or lack of fluidity. I don't think you'll see the yard empty much anymore - like it used to be a couple years ago.

David Eade's NERAIL photo of 03-13 (http://photos.nerail.org/s/?p=186079) showed CSXT 7823 leading MOAY, and I heard D-3 giving the required Line 13 for clearance route to AYMO's CSXT 7823 on 03-14-2011 a bit before noon. I wasn't within eyeball range, so I have no idea what the 03-14 trailer/s was/were, although NS is apparent in the 03-13 photo. CSX power on MOAY/AYMO has probably happened before, but I've missed it. If it was burning down power hours, it looks like CSX uses its more "experienced " units for that mission.

SOO -- or at least SOO with a black line through it -- 6003 was the middle unit in between NSs 9562 and 9224 as AYMO was starting to make up around noon on 03-17-2011. The trio came out of the yard onto West Wye to 2 and backed to the new auto yard, as is usual practice.

I can't believe they don't have a local crew make up this job, before the road crew comes on duty.

There was one -- maybe more than one -- post sometime last year about that being in the works for this year. Maybe like the pre-Francona Red Sox, that will morph into "Wait 'til next year."

They used to do that but the train is too long now, mainline blocked while crew taxis to train, nowhere to get a cab in between Walker Road and Moores, gates down too long at Walker road, etc. They have a utility man that doubles the train for them.

There was also some discussion earlier about separate trains for pigs and racks. Is that on hold?

The only time BNSF Pumpkin 4152 would be in the lead was backing on 2 to the new auto yard for AYMO's racks as it and NSs 8898 and eventual leader 9946 got east of the Ayer platform at 1123 on 03-23-2011. Since all were a la elephant, 9946, 8898, and 4152 probably was the order for the earlier MOAY.

The 04-14-2011 edition of AYMO was short on racks -- 5 -- with 99 mostly occupied tables and wells making up for that. NSs 2712, 9817, and 7623 got everything west of the 40.2 talker at 1301 at a reported speed of 36 MPH and with a reported axle count of 302, which seemed a bit off, even with a few five-packs in the mix.

While AY-1 with 334 was getting its clearance-route Line 13 to haul MOAY racks from East Wye to the Brook at about 0930 on 06-24-2011, another MOAY with NSs 7531, 8761, and 9877 was sitting uncrewed on 1 in Gardner, west of the Heywood turnout. According to a couple of self-identified eyewitnesses, the westerly MOAY had been there for some time, one saying 0700 or earlier. There was talk about a crew due from Ayer at 1045, but I hadn't heard D-3 talking to or about them when I stopped listening at 1230.

Dunno the background/details, but MOAY with NSs 9315, 7541, and 9524 pulled out of Hill Yard with 16 racks for the auto yard at 0948 on 07-19-2011 after telling D-3 it was still in possession of the original Form D G-336 with Line 13 for clearance route from 07-18. The racks were just supposed to be dropped so the power could return and magically transform into AYMO. No WB gensets today.

So here it is, 0745 on 07-21-2011, and I'm patiently observing immobile NSs 9195, 8837, and 9426 at the westerly limits of CPF-345 on 2 with equally immobile racks and pigs disappearing around the curve. There's no pertinent chatter to or from D-3, and I'm pondering options when -- unannounced -- a blue-and-white GMTX 9061 and NSs 7630 and 9768 roll by on 1 with 24 racks, including an articulated, plus 82 fully-occupied table and wells, getting west of 345 at 0808.
A few minutes later, the MOAY trio gets noisy, with the trailer doing an impressive impression of an ALCO, either 4-stroke or steam, and 14 racks and 112 tables and wells are east of 345 at 0822.
Not exactly "Centuries Passing in the Night" it was, but an MOAY/AYMO meet in Gardner? Have operational patterns changed, or is this just random weirdness?

(edited 07-22-2011 to accurately show the ownership of GMTX 9061 per Chuck Heidorn's NERAIL posting of the 07-20-2011 MOAY)

I think if they were on time,P/A would change things...Brings a whole new meaning to "time sencitive freight!":)

If the shipment arrives too early, or even on time, its feelings get hurt.