Where is the Trash Train?

Hi all, I'm a longtime railfan, Fairfield County native and now a Bronx resident and Metro-North commuter. I've been lurking for a while, but this is my first post. I am not exactly 100% sure where to put this question, so please don't flame me if this is not the right location.

Back in August, Mayor Bloomberg put out a press release entitled MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES THAT ALL BRONX WASTE IS NOW BEING SHIPPED BY RAIL AS PART OF LANDMARK SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN.

The title says it all, but I will add this quote: "Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty today announced that all Bronx residential and municipal waste - approximately 2,100 tons per day - is now being exported for final disposal by rail, rather than by truck. This will mean far fewer trucks traveling on Bronx streets which will help reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. "

So, first of all, great news! I am all for getting trucks off the road and moving regional freight by train.

Unfortunately the press release is sort of short on details and I haven't seen a thread devoted to this topic. The release says the process is run by Waste Management, but as far as I know, they're not a railroad. What road runs this train?

More importantly, what route does it take? The release merely says that the waste is "shipped out of state," and mentions the Harlem River Yard. I imagine a nightly train that goes from there across the Oak Point link and on up the Hudson Line to Selkirk. Anyone have more info?

CSX handles the trash train out of NYC. This thread is moved to the CSX forum so it may be appropriately answered.

Kevin

The Interloafer wrote:More importantly, what route does it take? The release merely says that the waste is "shipped out of state," and mentions the Harlem River Yard. I imagine a nightly train that goes from there across the Oak Point link and on up the Hudson Line to Selkirk. Anyone have more info?

You're correct about up the Hudson to Selkirk. From what I know, it goes back down the Hudson on the River Line, and ends up somewhere in S. Carolina.

Yea I always see it down here in richmond ,waiting to go into the yard.

Thanks for the replies. Anybody know what time I can see it leaving the Bronx?

Also, what type of cars and engines are we talking about?

First of all there isn't a single trash train, there are at least 2 round trips. Secondly, trash is also transported in many of the mixed freight trains out of NYC as well.

Q706/707 (ex K206/207) runs Oak Island to Philadelphia. I think its cars may wind up on the Q405 heading south out of Philly as that train usually has a number of trash cars in its consist.

Q702/703 (ex K276/277) runs Oak Point-Selkirk-Philly-Collier, VA. I don't know if this train leaves any cars at Philly. I wouldn't think so, since it continues south anyway.

Long cuts of trash cars usually show up daily in the Q300/301 Oak island-Philly. They tend to show up in anything else heading south from New York, such as Q438/439 and Q409/410. Q417/418 from Selkirk is usally exempt because it goes to Camden, NJ rather than Philadelphia.

The trash cars are these green containers on the left of this photo:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 021&nseq=7

There are 4 trash containers loaded per flat car. There are also white ones (older) and now some brand new orange ones (which are sometimes still shiny!). I've seen a few blue ones around but they're not too common for some reason. You may also see some very old EPIC containers with tarps on spine cars. They're also carrying trash. I think those are the oldest ones around. They usually only show up on Q300/301.

Power for these trains can range from a single SD40-2 to 4 GE Wide Cabs sometimes. The trains heading down to Virginia require cab signal equipped units for their trip down the RF & P. The Philadelphia trains can get anything, even UP or BNSF power on occasion.

And yes, if you ever stand next to one of these trains as they go by, they do STINK! Watch out for those EPIC cars.

Out of Oak Point the trash train gets its cars from Waste Management at the Harlem River yard. Power is usually a couple of SD40-2's, no big road units have the plows cut for the trip onto MNRR.

I believe Missing Link worked out of Oak Point, he can better answer any questions you have I am sure.

"You may also see some very old EPIC containers with tarps on spine cars. They're also carrying trash."


I wish they were carrying trash. Those EPIC cars are what we affectionally call sh*t cars. Some guys call them colostomy bags. They carry not-quite-raw sewage. Almost raw, but not quite. It seems to have been processed to a certain extent. It looks kind of like wet fertilizer, which seems appropriate I suppose.

Stand clear of these cars. Sometimes when they couple up, the contents slosh out. Very frequently, when it rains and water collects on top of those tarps, that water on top splashes off everywhere. One guy got totally soaked this way. I never ride these cars. I'll walk 50 cars to avoid riding. They (as well as the trash cars) often come off the Q405 ,where it dies in Rocky Mount, in 5+ car blocks, so you really get the full effect of that scent.

They have a certain aroma that lofts lightly from the containers, dissiminates into the surrounding atmosphere, gently glides into one's nasal passages, and tickles the olfactory nerve like nothing you have ever experienced.

Just like with the trash cars, its up to us Southerners to clean up after everyone else.

...what ever happened to the rumor of a trash train originating out of Fresh Pond ?

Jayjay1213 wrote:Power is usually a couple of SD40-2's, no big road units have the plows cut for the trip onto MNRR.

This is correct, usually at least two, but sometimes three 8800's (SD40-2's). The Oak Point crew swaps trains with the southbound train's crew somewhere along the Hudson, usually Croton, I believe.

its usually in the yard right next to any track i am working in stinking the place up.

We get westbound CSX trash trains through Rochester, NY.
I assume from New York City metro area..

They travel west from Selkirk to Buffalo..after Buffalo, I dont know where they end up.

Scot

dont forget the daily 2 trips from fresh kills in staten island over the old travis spur over the arthur kill lift bridge over to csx or ns (they alternate every other trip) (M&E owns the track, conrail shared assets has the track rights over the line to fresh kills, vanbro, coned, ny container and a few other industries on the old northshore/arlington line and travis spur along with a HUGE yard to accommodate the stack trains and trash trains.

dont forget about the twice daily run in staten island to fresh kills, M&E owns the row now but conrail shared assets has the trackage rights and every other train is either a CSX or NS crew that also serves the container terminal, coned, vanbro and a few other industries

DSEX marked cars (orange cars & Contaniers) leave from Staten Island. Part of the Fresh Kills landfill was converted to handle the contanierization of waste.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=fresh+kil ... 05134&z=18

As stated earlier, trains go over the AK lift bridge then up the Chemical Coast line to Oak point to points west and south. This portion of former B&O track is "physically separated" (at the railroad bridge across the NJ Turnpike, rail is cut and jacked a couple of feet into the air) from the portion M&E uses just west of there to keep the locals happy.

Waste Managment loads containers (Moslty green ones) in Brooklyn and The Bronx for trips West and south as well. Landfills in Virginia and Ohio are reportedly the common destinations.The long anticipated opening of new landfills in Western NY is still out there too.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 4&t=h&z=18

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 7&t=h&z=17

The blue and grey containers (Allied Waste, Republic waste, and others) get loaded around the NY Metro area and then get trucked to Kearny NJ (mostly) where they get loaded onto trains. Allied (ECDC) did load trains in the Bronx, but the City ended their lease agreement.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... near=&z=18

Few rail outings last year, if it were not for the trash trains, there would have been no trains at all