When NS built the short-lived intermodal terminal at Greencastle PA, they added a controlled siding to the east of the main for trains working the yard, and still retained the original controlled siding on the west side of the main. Ever since PSR and the scrambling of operations, it was not uncommon for an occasional northbound Enola-bound train to die on hours in one of the sidings (usually the old one), leaving the newer one open for meets between trains not on short time, or trains needing to do block swaps (which is now the purpose of the new yard). Usually with northbounds, it would take 4 to 6 hours to get a patch crew taxied out of Harrisburg or Hagerstown to continue the last few miles north to Enola. Lately, however, Ive seen southbounds enter the old siding and die on hours, too. Its as if they are using every minute available to a crew arriving at Enola to get some other trains out of Enola so they can die at Greencastle.
Today when I rewound the camera 12 hours, there was the last car of a dead southbound in the old siding. The earliest time stamp visible was 8:45 am and the dead train was already there, no idea what time it actually arrived. That train sat there motionless for roughly 10 hours until 18:20 (6:20) pm when that rear car started moving and scampered out of the camera view.
Is it possible that the crew that turned and burned at Enola and that died at Greencastle was actually taken to a local motel in Greencastle for an 8 hour rest and then returned to the same train to continue the journey south? Treating the crew like truck drivers that loaded in Harrisburg, had 2 hours left to work, got as far south as a truck stop off I-81 and rested for 8 hours and then got back in the same truck and carried on? Given the new yard block swapping, there would have to be some form of RR taxi presence there, or out of nearby Hagerstown that could run the crew to any local motel and back.
Not too long after the dead train departed, another southbound freight (110 cars, looked like an Allentown train due to the R&N cars in the consist) pulled in to the new siding behind a pair of 6400-series SD40-3s (6413, 6410) as sole power. SD40-3s are rare and two as sole power on a big train even more so. Real easy to close your eyes and envision Conrail blue 6413 & 6410 pulling 110 cars headed for Hagerstown!
Today when I rewound the camera 12 hours, there was the last car of a dead southbound in the old siding. The earliest time stamp visible was 8:45 am and the dead train was already there, no idea what time it actually arrived. That train sat there motionless for roughly 10 hours until 18:20 (6:20) pm when that rear car started moving and scampered out of the camera view.
Is it possible that the crew that turned and burned at Enola and that died at Greencastle was actually taken to a local motel in Greencastle for an 8 hour rest and then returned to the same train to continue the journey south? Treating the crew like truck drivers that loaded in Harrisburg, had 2 hours left to work, got as far south as a truck stop off I-81 and rested for 8 hours and then got back in the same truck and carried on? Given the new yard block swapping, there would have to be some form of RR taxi presence there, or out of nearby Hagerstown that could run the crew to any local motel and back.
Not too long after the dead train departed, another southbound freight (110 cars, looked like an Allentown train due to the R&N cars in the consist) pulled in to the new siding behind a pair of 6400-series SD40-3s (6413, 6410) as sole power. SD40-3s are rare and two as sole power on a big train even more so. Real easy to close your eyes and envision Conrail blue 6413 & 6410 pulling 110 cars headed for Hagerstown!
