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  • CSX River Line Status Updates

  • Discussion of the operations of CSX Transportation, from 1980 to the present. Official site can be found here: CSXT.COM.
Discussion of the operations of CSX Transportation, from 1980 to the present. Official site can be found here: CSXT.COM.

Moderator: MBTA F40PH-2C 1050

 #1355693  by waldwickrailfan
 
I was out from 11:45pm Mon-4:45am Tues:

1) Q163: Midnight: CP5 (AC44/SD50)
2) Q009: 12:25am: CP5 (2 ES44/C40-8)
3) K635: 1:05am: CP5 (ES40/D8)
4) Q159: 1:05am: CP5 (ET44/AC44/ES44)
5) Q112: 2:10am: CP10 (D8/ES44)
6) L409: 3:15am: CP5 (ES44/HLCX SD40-2/SD40-3)
7) Q273: 3:30am: CP5 (ES40/AC44)
8) Q001: 4:30am: CP5 (ES40/D8/AC60)
9) Q161: 4:40am: CP5 (2 ES44)

*K635 and Q159 were in a dead tie, racing each other by CP5. I later caught Q159 at CP10 at 2:15am to get its full power, as I only had the leader by CP5
 #1357244  by waldwickrailfan
 
I was at CP5 from 12:15am-7:30am today:

1) Q009: 1230: ES40/2 AC44
2) Q418: 1235: SD40-2/MAC
3) Q159: 1: ES40/60I/SD40-2
4) Q433: 230: AC44/D8
5) Q162: 3: ES40/AC44
6) Q273: 350: 2 AC44/D8/ES40
7) Q161: 445: 2 ES40
8) K634: 630: SD40-2/NS D9/NS 90MAC
9) Q003: 7: ES44/MAC/ES40/D8
10) Q438: 715: ES40/D8
 #1357257  by CPSK
 
Work ongoing at CP7? I ran along W. Shore ave on Wed 11/11 and saw a HRC on the main trk 2. Far as I could tell, there weren't any other pieces of equipment at that location, but there has been a pile of ballast there for some time.
I have also heard rumors that the bridge over River road just south of CP7 is slated for upgrading/rebuilding, but it's just a rumor at this point.

Anyone hear anything further on Bogota's "plan" to re-install the road crossing at Ft. Lee road and create a new business district? An article I read in The Record about a year or so ago stated Bogota's wishes to revitalize the Fort Lee road business district, and re-opening the road crossing was part of the general plan. The article stated that Bogota was hoping that CSX would help pay for the new crossing. I don't see that happening anytime in the next century. What we need is fewer road crossings, not more.

CP
 #1357349  by waldwickrailfan
 
They are doing work near the switch on the middle siding on Wednesday. Not sure what they were doing, but trains were restricted to 10mph only on Track 1 from 9am-3pm. Track 2 and the Middle Siding were both out of service between CP5 and CP10 during that time. I have not heard anything on the crossing at Fort Lee Road, but about a year ago, they cleared out all the weeds and a tree on the Track 2 side of the crossing. Not sure if that means anything though
 #1357400  by CPSK
 
Probably just for visibility, or perhaps to prevent a future blowdown from fouling the rail. I don't think there has been any serious talk about a road crossing at Ft. Lee rd.
 #1358634  by CPSK
 
Sometime between 17:00 and 17:30 on Saturday 11/21, sobo CSX oil train K038-18 with lead unit NS 1042 struck an unoccupied vehicle at Lake rd in Congers. From what I heard on the radio, I got the impression that the local police were already on the scene when the train struck the vehicle. What most likely happened is that the vehicle became stalled/stuck between the gauge at the crossing, and the train was too close to prevent the accident; otherwise, local cops would have contacted CSX and the train would have been stopped.
The vehicle was pushed clear of the rail by the locomotive, which suffered no apparent damage. The east gate arm was torn away, but the mechanical and electrical systems of the crossing were not damaged. The train was inspected, and after about 1-1/2 hours, the track was released back to the NI dispatcher, and the train was allowed to proceed at restricted speed south to CP26.
There was additional communication between the Albany Chief and the crew of train K038.

Another train, Q409-21 with CSX was issued two EC1's as a result of the accident.
EC1# 79351 on 11/21/15; location QR 33.3 C&E train id # Q409-21, engine CSXT 5008, employee <redacted>. Circle line 11: Do not exceed restricted speed between milepost QR 28.2 and milepost QR 28.4 on main track; account vehicle strike. EC1 # 79351 ok and effective 18:19 <redacted>.

EC1# 79354 on 11/21/15; location QR 33.3 C&E train id # Q409-21, engine CSXT 5008, employee <redacted>. Circle line 6A. Activation failure, account automatic grade crossing warning device malfunction at: Lake road road crossing at milepost QR 28.4 on main track; flagger no. <redacted> ok and effective 18:21 <redacted>.

The K038 went into emergency in Teaneck, on the middle siding. Again the train was inspected but no issues were found. The air was restored without any further issue. Because the K038 is a Hazmat train, no trains were allowed to pass on either track 1 or track 2 while an emergency condition existed.
After K038 was allowed to proceed south, the middle siding needed to be inspected. That inspection was done by one of the crew of the rail grinder, which had been working in the area, so there was not much delay before all three tracks between cp7 and cp10 were released for normal freight traffic at normal speed.

I was listening to CSX on my Yaesu FT-60r from West Mountain in Harriman state park in Rockland county NY. I had an excellent location to pick up trains from about CP69 to CP1.I was backpacking through the park, and happened to be up on the mountain when all of this occurred. I think that I may even have heard the horn blasts, ending in one continuous blast as the train struck the vehicle. It happened just south of the Haverstraw tunnel, and my location was only a few miles north of Haverstraw, and about 1,000 feet higher.
The dispatcher on duty was <redacted>.
This is a bit scary, considering that the train was carrying a full load of Baaken crude. Had the vehicle been large enough, a derailment could have occurred, and I don't like to think about what kind of scenario that might have produced.

CP

ADMIN NOTE: Identifying information for employees redacted per railroad.net policy.
 #1358655  by waldwickrailfan
 
I see the media has brainwashed you into thinking oil trains are that dangerous. It's not as bad as you think. They say 1/2 mile, but its really about a hundred feet, if that.

Anyway, back in topic, K038 had a few problems up north as well. Near CP128, the horn on the lead unit became stuck. The Selkirk flying squad repaired it on the fly. It also made a fellow railfan trip into a mud puddle. Well, as he was walking to get his shot of it lol.

My scanner (PRO-42) can pick up variously depending on weather and location. Here are some examples:

CP5: Auto 15 on the CR Lehigh Line-CP22
CP/Auto 7: CP Valley-Auto 19
CP10: Auto 5-CP38
 #1358694  by CPSK
 
It's not so much that I agree with the media hype; but I was expecting a new round of "noise" over the oil/ethanol trains in my local newspaper. There was apparently none, since the accident in Congers did not kill anyone, and there was no issue with the train.
LoHud reported the incident in Sunday's paper. Here is an excerpt from that article:

"The crash is yet another reminder of the close quarters oil trains on CSX's River Line share with vehicles in densely populated areas like Rockland.

Elected officials and residents for years have voiced concerns about the possibility of a freak accident causing a tank car filled with volatile Bakken crude oil to leak or explode. Up to 30 trains each week haul some three million gallons of crude through the county."

Something should be done about the crossing and the intersection of Lake rd and Rockland ave. There are too many elderly drivers who can't see properly, and/or become confused at night, turning onto the tracks instead of the road.
It wouldn't take much to improve the situation there.

Apparently, the horn on the train became stuck again after the accident, as I heard the crew report that it had been fixed as they stood in Teaneck. Perhaps that is what I heard from up on the mountain - thought I heard a continuous train horn in the distance, but wasn't sure - until I heard the emergency call on the radio.

I once had a RS scanner, and it might have been the PRO 42. It was a good radio, but suffered greatly from overload due to strong signals on adjacent frequencies, image, or multiples causing intermod. If you're interested in good info on radio, I can get into a long discussion on the ham bands, or in the Railroad Radio and Communications forum.
Do you have your ham ticket? If so, perhaps we can chat sometime on 2m or 70cm - if you're in the area.

You seem to hang out at CP5 a lot. I used to be part of the gang that hung there during the CR days, but gave it up a long time ago. CSX is so much less tolerant of railfans than CR was, so I guess you hang in the parking area or on Suzy Q property.

CP
 #1358709  by waldwickrailfan
 
I do not have a ham radio.

I go to the old station. The owner of the building has no problem with us as long as we clean up after ourselves. I always bring a trash bag with me and empty out the garbage when it is full. It also has excellent light at night. The city of Ridgefield Park put up 1 white light facing the tracks in a small grassy area just north of the Mount Vernon Street crossing. It works great for both northbound and southbound CSX trains, as well as eastbound NYSW trains. Westbound NYSW trains are tough to get a good shot of though. Very narrow light for it lol
 #1358712  by CPSK
 
I've been there on occasion. The view of sobo csx trains is partially blocked by the signal box at Mt. Vernon st, but for close-ups it isn't an issue. Great place to watch trains from, since it's got parking, and like you said, the owner is railfan friendly. It's also offers shelter from rain and wind.

My all-time favorite spot on the River sub is Bear Mtn park/Iona Island. You can get some great shots of nobo trains crossing the bridge from Iona to Bear without going onto CSX property from both grade and above grade.
I've seen some vids of trains at CP43 taken from the road crossing between it and the Ft. Montgomery tunnel.
The Catskill trestle is another interesting spot. There is a footbridge just east of the trestle. It has a chain-link fence, but you can get good tele photos through it. I don't get up that way much anymore, but used to ski and hike in the Catskills and sometimes would stop at that bridge to catch the CR "TVLA" UPS train heading nobo from NB to LA.

After I was done with my 3-day loop hike in Harriman/Bear Mtn park, I considered going down to the boat dock and catching some night activity, but was very tired and didn't have a decent camera for night shooting. Unfortunately, my Nikon D200 is far too heavy for backpacking, so I have only my phone camera.

How's the progress on the new 69th st bridge? It should have been completed a long time ago, but something held up the construction for a while.

CP
 #1359565  by waldwickrailfan
 
I passed it on Sunday, and it looks like nothing since last update. They put in most girders in the winter/early spring, and that was it. Still nothing being done
Last edited by Jeff Smith on Wed Dec 02, 2015 1:11 pm, edited 1 time in total. Reason: http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=161125
 #1359566  by waldwickrailfan
 
I was at CP5 from 7:45pm Tues-4am Wed. I missed K409, Q167, and Q163 while I was waiting on the SU99 detour over NJT

1) Q433: 755pm (ES44/AC44/GP38-2/SD40-2)
2) Y220: 8pm (SD50/GP38-2)
3) Q439: 11pm (ES44/D8)
4) Q157: 11:15pm (D8/AC44)
5) Q004: Midnight (AC44/ES40/MAC)
6) Q009: 1am (AC60/ES40/D8)
7) Q159: 1:25am (ES40/AC44)
8) K038: 2am (AC44/BNSF ACe/BNSF D9/D8)
9) Q418: 3am (SD50/2 HLCX SD40-2 "BN"/SD40-3)
10) Q273: 3:55am (ES40/ES44/AC60)
 #1359623  by AMK0123
 
Was in Newburgh, CP52-CP55 today from 1230-1430...
K-419 CP 8722 / CEFX 1055
Q-417 CSX 365 / CSX 484
K-040 CSX 254 / BNSF 4823 / BNSF 4640
Q-711 CSX 3039 / CSX 3172 / CSX 260
Just missed a L409 w/ a AC6000cw leader, saw as I was leaving...
 #1359770  by CPSK
 
There has been a CSX foreman in the area of 69th st for a long time. I guess he needs to be there if there is any obstruction to rail traffic during construction of the bridge.
There is also a foreman at mp 20.5 recently. Do you happen to know what's going on up there?
I recall when there was a foreman at mp 13.0 in Dumont. I took a run (by foot) up there and found PSE&G working on the substation there.
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