CSX Charlotte Runner

It's been almost two years since the last post. CSX has been taking up rail in the old "West Yard" in Charlotte, all that remains is one track that connects to the hand-thrown switch just east of Greenleaf Rd. The track crossing Greenleaf to the west is still intact as far as I know.

I haven't found anything in terms of an official filing for abandonment, does anyone know if CSX did in fact file to abandon?

Thanks in advance,
Charlie

Is it CSX who is removing the track for sure, or a contractor who they sold the material to?

Are there any active customers west of the "West Yard"? Why does CSX even need the "West Yard" anymore?

At this point the only reason I can see them keeping it around for is car storage. There's a runaround at the old Charlotte station if they don't feel like shoving back from the box shop to Rochester yard. The small washouts were repaired north of the box shop. But otherwise I see no reason for keeping a dead-end 3.5 mile long track with no customers on it - or they're prepping the Runner for sale to a shortline perhaps - with the potential for storage revenue as an enticement?

nessman wrote: ↑Sat Sep 12, 2020 8:28 amThere's a runaround at the old Charlotte station if they don't feel like shoving back from the box shop to Rochester yard. The small washouts were repaired north of the box shop.

So they removed the OOS restriction north of MP8?

nessman wrote: ↑Sat Sep 12, 2020 8:28 amBut otherwise I see no reason for keeping a dead-end 3.5 mile long track with no customers on it - or they're prepping the Runner for sale to a shortline perhaps - with the potential for storage revenue as an enticement?

That's an interesting concept. What kinds of industries are receiving/sending cars in Eastman? As I understand they're not receiving coal anymore, but I have no idea what other shipments might be going in and out of there right now.
Just speculating, would it behoove R&S to buy it? They could build a direct crossover somewhere in the parallel track section north of Driving Park to be able to serve "both" yards in Eastman and the Box Shop. Would they be able to serve those two directly out of Goodman using the entirety of the Runner or would they still need to take everything back to Brooks and sort it there before heading over on the Belt line? (I know it's kind of out of scope for this thread, but it doesn't look like R&S has any other active customers on the Belt besides Eastman, if they even do there, nor does it look like anyone on Canal St is still receiving shipments off the old B&O Main, so there's really not much directly in Rochester keeping them busy anymore.)

I think you still have chemicals, plastics, etc... coming in to Kodak Park.

The R&S is already providing switching services for Kodak Park... would make sense for them to buy the Runner.

BR&P wrote: ↑Fri Sep 11, 2020 7:36 pm Is it CSX who is removing the track for sure, or a contractor who they sold the material to?

That I am unsure of. I haven't actually seen anyone doing the work, perhaps someone else can shed better light.

Charlie

Sad to see it gone. Like the song says, "Time marches on....time marches on"

Just amazing to see how much has vanished in way less than a lifetime.

Going back a bit more than a lifetime: I used to have a small book put out for the centennial of... Hamlin maybe? It noted that during harvest season in 1920 (IIRC), ONE shipper, in ONE town on the west Hojack, shipped out 225 carloads - in one WEEK!

BR&P wrote: ↑Sun Sep 13, 2020 7:22 am Sad to see it gone. Like the song says, "Time marches on....time marches on"

Just amazing to see how much has vanished in way less than a lifetime.

Going back a bit more than a lifetime: I used to have a small book put out for the centennial of... Hamlin maybe? It noted that during harvest season in 1920 (IIRC), ONE shipper, in ONE town on the west Hojack, shipped out 225 carloads - in one WEEK!

I can only imagine how busy the Hojack must have been during harvest seasons. I still like to trace the ROW when I'm out and about and imagine what was, especially this time of year. Ah, if only time travel was possible!

Charlie

Took this picture late April.

ctclark1 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 12, 2020 1:51 pm Just speculating, would it behoove R&S to buy it? They could build a direct crossover somewhere in the parallel track section north of Driving Park to be able to serve "both" yards in Eastman and the Box Shop. Would they be able to serve those two directly out of Goodman using the entirety of the Runner or would they still need to take everything back to Brooks and sort it there before heading over on the Belt line? (I know it's kind of out of scope for this thread, but it doesn't look like R&S has any other active customers on the Belt besides Eastman, if they even do there, nor does it look like anyone on Canal St is still receiving shipments off the old B&O Main, so there's really not much directly in Rochester keeping them busy anymore.)

It makes little sense for the R&S to buy the Charlotte Runner... or even operate it. They receive traffic for Eastman from NS, so running a separate train to Eastman from Goodman St on the Charlotte Runner would be redundant. Taking the CSX traffic to Brooks Ave and sending it north with the NS block will be more efficient.

If I were in charge of a route consolidation project - the R&S would take everything north of the CSX mainline. This is how I can see things playing out...

* Buffalo Wye - abandon west leg, east leg to the Falls Road IT goes to R&S
* Falls Road IT - goes to R&S
* Charlotte Runner from Falls Road IT to KPRR overpass - abandon
* Charlotte Runner from KPRR overpass to Box Shop - goes to R&S
* Charlotte Runner from Box Shop to end of old Hojack track @ Dewey Avenue - abandon
* R&S Belt Line to KPRR overpass - keep
* R&S Belt Line to end of track at Matthews and Fields lumber yard - abandon
* Build connector track between Belt Line and Runner just south of the KPRR overpass

CSX only has two customers left on the Runner - Kodak Park and the Box Shop. Everyone else is on the R&S. The R&S already has a switching contract at Kodak Park and they can enter the KPRR tracks via the existing CSX entry. It would make sense if the redundant / unused segments of both lines were abandoned - and the lines that serve active customers were retained.

There may be a customer or two still using the Falls Road Industrial Track - but that can be served via trackage rights from the R&S yard transfer job between Rochester Yard and Brooks Avenue Yard. I thought about a connector track between Belt Line where it crosses over the Falls Road IT - but that would be a tight fit, and a pricey capital project for a handful of car loads each year (if that).

There WAS a connection between the Belt and the Falls Road at one time, in the northwest quadrant. There's a material yard there now. If you put that connection back in, you could abandon the Falls Road to the east in its entirety, along with Charlotte runner all the way to KPRR. That would eliminate a boatload of grade crossings, so many, in fact, I bet you could get the state to pitch in for the cost.

You're saying from the BR&P Belt Line? If so, I believe the connection you speak of was not to the Falls Road but to the parallel RL&B interurban just to its north. The concept is still valid.