Eastern Shore RR?

Anyone with recent experience on the Eastern Shore RR's Cape Charles-Pocomoke line? On-duty times, days of operations, normal routine they follow?

Quote "ajt"
Anyone with recent experience on the Eastern Shore RR's Cape Charles-Pocomoke line? On-duty times, days of operations, normal routine they follow?

All I can tell you is the Norfork Southern runs a daily train out of Delmar to Pocomoke City. They setout and pickup at the propane facilities in Fruitland and Princes Anne southbound and the feed mill at Perry Road south of Princes Anne on the way to Pocomoke City. The train usually passes through Salisbury southbound just before noon. I would hazard a guess they get to Pocomoke City between 1:30 and 2:30 if they need to go that far south to exchange cars. The return trip usually passes through Salisbury northbound between 3:00 and 4:30. I believe the same train works the Perdue feed mill on the east side Salisbury on the return trip northbound.

In related news, Eastern Shore is becoming the Bay Coast Railroad.
http://www.stb.dot.gov/filings/all.nsf/ ... 215529.pdf

Today I dropped by the rail yard in Little Creek, VA. An operational geep was present, but the rails in the yard show little use. An ex-USA MRS1 (B-2090) sits derelict on the northwest side of the yard and the deep brush growth indicate it has sat there for quite some time. There are some vintage passenger train cars present that belong to the Tidewater Chapter, NRHS. The tracks leading to the car float show no recent use. Does anyone know how much use this site sees these days? Are most of the line's operations on the north side of the water?

Hello,
I'm a conductor on the EX-ESHR, now known as the Bay Coast railroad. I will try to answer some of your questions, even though they are older posts.

We use a GP38 on the Little Creek division and 3 EX-IC Paduca (spelling?) rebuilt geeps on the Cape Charles division. I work mostly on the LC Division.

We usually make a round trip run to Norfolk Southern's Portlock yard 3-5 times a week, and send a barge across the water 3-4 times a week, depending on traffic. Mostly the empties move south and the loads move north. We usually go to Portlock M-Sat, between 7am and 2pm. We have loaded and unloaded the barge at all hours of the day and night, mostly late, around 10pm-3am. They usually wait for there to be enough traffic to float on both sides, so they will load at Little Creek, go to Cape Charles, then unload and load, and send it back to us to unload. It takes about 12hrs from us loading to getting the barge back to unload again. The water crossing usually takes about 4hrs.

The Cape Charles division makes a run up to Pocomoke, MD to interchange with NS three times a week, M-W-F normally. Business picks up during the grain season. They leave at all hours, either late at night or early in the morning. The one time I've run with them up to Pocomoke we left at 2pm and got back to Cape Charles yard at midnight.

We just bought a GP15, but I don't know any info on it, just that it is coming up from the deep south.

Its a very interesting shortline, and I enjoy working for it. Anymore questions please ask.

Regards,
Adam

Adam:
Good to have someone on the inside at Bay Coast. Keep us updated on operations. Now, if we could get someone at DCL, MDDE and an NS DelMarVa division guy to update us on those lines regularly, it would be great. If you have any contacts on those roads who could join this forum, encourage them to do it. Thanks, and take care.

Heard your new owner was going to infuse some serious money into the line. Any of the work started yet?






Win

I haven't been up in Pocomoke enough to meet anyone from NS, and the guys that work that side say they haven't made a headlight meet with NS for sometime now. The Cassatt tower remains, but is unmanned.

I've heard the same thing about our new owner, so far the only money I've seen being spread (or sprayed) around is on some old boxcars at Cape Charles and a passenger car at Little Creek. Yet we still deliver 125ton covered hoppers of plastic around a sharp curve that is almost 2" out of gauge in some places, and a good tie about every 10. Everytime we push a cut of cars in there I'm expecting to hit the ground. None of us will ride the cars around this curve anymore. We've been passing it up the chain, but nothing has been done about it yet.

On a good note, the reason the rails were so rusty in May was that the barge got laid up in the drydock for repairs. We just switched the local industries that month, we couldn't float anything across.

So yes, money starting to flow, but the priority of its use doesn't seem right to the men on the ground (and in the cab). Alot of the infrastructure went way down hill in the past, and it is going to take awhile (or alot of money) to get it back where it needs to be.

It's a great shortline with immense potential.

When is the 'grain season' on the eastern shore?

I think it starts in August, and ends in Oct-Nov. I've only been working for BCR for about 4 months now.

"steamman5320"
I think it starts in August, and ends in Oct-Nov. I've only been working for BCR for about 4 months now.

Corn harvest starts around the end of August, Soybean harvest usually wraps up in November. The corn look very good this year, however the soybeans over in Dorchester County got there feet wet a couple of weeks ago and it was wet during planting. Over all soybeans will likely be so so.

Got some info on the new GP15-1, it is ex- GMTX 400, ex- BNSF 1490, ex-BN 1390. Built Sep 77.

It arrived last week. They are painting it now in the Little Creek engine house. The brakes are messed up on it, as soon as you make an application it goes into emergancy.

My trip augest 19th

Just got back from Little Creek where I learned the Bay Coast GP15-1 #400 is now in full BCR paint and will be moved to Cape Charles Via Car Float Monday morning at 0600. 2014 was workin the yard as we arrived, and had already got the float emptied and the train arranged.


Several cars in the consist caught my intrest...





This car is waiting for its chance to get BCR paint.


Privatly owned ALCOA S1 #5

On the road with little sun, we get a few shots of the train working out of town through a small S curve





Back in Newport News HLCX 6205 sits ready for a crew along with a few EMD/GE's in the engine facility. Also in the yard is a High and Wide Transformer load.





As for BCR 400, she is painted (these shots are of it in primer) and is being shiped to Cape Charles at 0600 Monday the 21st. Cape Charles has several BCR painted cars already on the property. I got shots of the 400 before paint, and am now trying to get all the info I can as to if she will be loaded on the float this afternoon verses early tommarrow morning.






I've been very lucky and caught the shore in action twice this month.









One of the two MRS1's. This is at the far end of Little Creek Yard


Also, i've heard one of the GP10's (8096???) is being scraped on site at Cape Charles. I hope to get over there soon, to get shots of the Geeps and the BCR cars if I cant catch the 400 in transit.

Enjoy!

Who owns the S-1?

Does it run? What is it used for/going to be used for?

Who owns the MRS-1?

Does it run? What is it used for/going to be used for?

What about the Plasser Railcar behind the MRS-1?

Same questions.......

Lastly...What about the "LLPX" reporting marks on the
Eastern Shore locos? Is that a holding company?

thanks

CBRy wrote:Who owns the S-1?

Does it run? What is it used for/going to be used for?

Who owns the MRS-1?

Does it run? What is it used for/going to be used for?

What about the Plasser Railcar behind the MRS-1?

Same questions.......

Lastly...What about the "LLPX" reporting marks on the
Eastern Shore locos? Is that a holding company?

S1, i'd rather not say who owns it. Yes it runs, its not in use on the RR. Last i heard it was to be painted tuscan red and lettered for ALCO

MRS1 Owned by ESHR now Bay coast. its has not ran for 12 + years (clearly not in use for anything)

The plasser car, i have no clue. its been there for almost if not a year now.

LLPX is Locomotive Leasing Partners and to my knowledge 2014 is still under their contract. Sister 2015 used on the SVRR (Shenandoah Valley RR) has its lease up next month, and will go back to LLPX for a rebuild to GP38-2 standerds. SVRR lost the contract for the line to D&GV (Durbin & Greenbrier Valley), who will begin operation once the 2015 is off the property.