Not sure if anyone can help, but................

[drums1427]

I live in Northern VA near some Norfolk Southern tracks where trains run pretty frequently everyday. I'm curious if there is a way to get a schedule of the train times & info on them. I'm interested in getting some good pictures.

I also one day saw a very, very long coal train running through here about 2 months ago (probably coming from Lambert's Point in Norfolk), that was being pulled by 3 NS engines & 1 UP engine. Does anybody now why there would be an Union Pacific here on the east coast?

Lee

[cnw1995]

Hi Lee, The large railroads sometimes pool power and trade locomotives back and forth to 'balance accounts'. For example, last week here in northwestern Illinois, on UP's line from Chicago to Janesville, Wisconsin. I watched one of UP's autorack trains pulled by two NS engines with a UP...

[Anonymous]

Ths 'schedules' for freight trains are goals....something to strive for and never really reached. It can be a hit or miss adventure to wait for a train to come, or you could spend some money and listen on a scanner for the position of a train.

[wrmcclellan]

Lee,

You may wi***o post over on the TRAINS magazine portion of this forum.

This area is the toy trains forum. However, I am sure the Chief will be glad to let you know when he is running his NS equipment on the CARPET layout!

Regards,
Roy

[Frank53]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wrmcclellan



I am sure the Chief will be glad to let you know when he is running his NS equipment on the CARPET layout!

Regards,
Roy

that was cold.

funny, but cold.

[cnw1995]

I know one of the more recent Trains magazines went into some detail about NS's latest doings - including their trying to run the road as more of a scheduled railroad a la CN. That'd also be worth checking out in your library perhaps

[Anonymous]

Pooled power is becoming the rule rather than the exception. A long haul train that crosses boundaries will often just change train crews at the boundary and not bother with changing motors unless ruling grade/tonnage issues require it.

Schedules are a lot trickier. You might be better off getting a scanner and monitoring the traffic this way (Radio Shack?)

Post 9-11 has meant the train crews are watching the lines more closely and some have no problems reporting "observers/photographers" along the line. I'm not sure that being on your own property is insurance form a visit from some law enforcement officer. Nothing will come of it, but it still isn't anything like the good ole days when the crew waved and might even smile for a picture taker. Good Luck

chuck

[Roger Bielen]

Just trying to get a schedule will probably put you on some government watch list. After all, Homeland Security is staffed by the most paranoid gung ho individuals the government can find.

[phillyreading]

Can't tell you about up north but here in Florida around West Palm Beach area I have noticed several roadnames on locomotives on both the CSX & FEC lines. CSX runs from Savanah GA to Florida City FL with freight, one reason I have heard of is that CSX bought the locomotives from other railroads & is running them painted with what ever is on the locomotive.
FEC buys newer locomotives too & runs the old roadname on thier line before repainting. Also Norfolk Southern leases the line from FEC & runs freight to Miami, one day I saw three GP-60's from Norfolk Southern pulling a Freight train through Stuart FL . FEC was willing to let Amtrac use the line from Jacksonville to Miami but Amtrac backed out due to low operating funds.
FEC=Florida East Coast Railway
CSX=Consolidated Southern Express
Lee in West Palm Beach FL

[lionelsoni]

Has anyone seen a PRR locomotive lately? The Conrail locomotives acquired by the NS were distinguished from those acquired by CSX by crudely stencilling a "PRR" above the cab number. A similar thing was done with boxcars, stencilled "NYC" for CSX. In both cases, the idea was to avoid conflicts with the existing NS and CSX numbering systems.