CSXT Equipment Question

[Anonymous]

Would an SW-1500 CSXT livery locomotive look prototypical on a small industrial switcher layout for N Scale 12X 1 Feet?
Thanks Very Much!

[Anonymous]

I don't see why not. CSX has SW1500's and uses them for just such purposes.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=36686
Granted that picture is of one working in a yard, but they would have to go out and do switching sometimes.

[Anonymous]

Sounds good, thanks!
puristpilot2

[csxengineer98]

it would all depend on if the main line or industral spur is csx trackage on your layout or not..if its just a interplant switcher for a factory complex that is privetly owned...then no... a privet switcher would more then likey be found thier... such as a steel mill or any other kind of large industral complex... now if it is an industral spur that is all csx trackage ..then yes..
csx engineer

[Anonymous]

Just for your info: tihs will be a jointly-paid-for-spur paid for by several companies wihch need consistent rail service. There is a small (SW-1500) engine permanently stationed there just like a yard pair always serving Lithonia, Georgia just out of Atlanta. Thanks again!

[rrandb]

You could also leave the unit in CSXT livery and "patch" it for your own personel swiching service. This would also be very protypical. It might be a stretch for a "class 1" to dedicate a swither for one small yard. Here in Kansas City there is a swicher that only switches two boxcars of newsprint a day. The "class one" delivers a string of cars once every four or five days. A "local" swicther would be much better able to provide consistent service. Thats why there are so many short lines now. Class ones are not strong on being consistent with small shippers. [2c]

[csxengineer98]

QUOTE: Originally posted by puristpilot2

Just for your info: tihs will be a jointly-paid-for-spur paid for by several companies wihch need consistent rail service. There is a small (SW-1500) engine permanently stationed there just like a yard pair always serving Lithonia, Georgia just out of Atlanta. Thanks again!

i would go with what someone said befor... just patch out the name like the industry consordium bought the unit off of csx
csx engineer

[waltersrails]

Sounds proto to me. Right now im in the process of renumbering a conrail sw1500 to csx.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

It doesn't sound unreasonable to me. Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant has always been switched by NKP/N&W/NS and this plant has enough switching to justify its own switcher. The railroad probably switches the plant for a specified rate.

[Anonymous]

The locos stationed in Lithonia, GA actually aren't in dedicated service to that yard. The Lithonia "Yard" as some like to call it, is actually just a drop off point for Atlanta bound empties, and for staging cars to be switched between Stone Mountain and Social Circle. They also use it as a crew change and dispatching point for staging the local trains. From what I've been told, the yard came about from the need to have staging tracks for the many rock quarries in the area, and over time, as the loads from the quarries shifted over to truck, the track duties changed to storing empties, and staging local freights to help keep them out of the way of the big yards in Atlanta.

The locos they use there change frequently, and they're not always staged at Lithonia. Alot of times I'll see them parked on the Great Walton RR interchange track in Covington, and there's always a loco or two parked in Social Circle as well. There's always a need to have locos staged there because they're used for the local freights, but it's almost never the same ones.

As for dedicated switching services, I've always heard that the locos are sent where they're needed, when it comes to the big RR's, but for large industrial complexes and shortlines that interchange with the big roads, they typically have dedicated units owned by the industries or shortline itself to do all the switching.

On my layout, I'm modelling an area that's VERY loosely based on the CSX Lithonia-Social Circle stretch of mainline. My plans call for several different units to switch the area, and will rotate out frequently. I'll mainly use older GP's, including some in fallen flag livery's, like Chessie System, and Seaboard, but there will be CSX MP15's that will show up frequently to do switching for the quarry and the coal mine (there's not a coal mine within 100 miles of Lithonia, but I had to put one on my layout!).

Not sure if that helps or not, but I'm glad to hear there's somebody else interested in the Lithonia area!

[Anonymous]

Yes they certainly would. I often see CSX SW 1500s pulling loads of scrap metal to and from steelmills on the southside in Pittsburgh. Union Railroad units are also plentiful especially around US Steels Edgar Thompson works and at the Irvin Works in Pittsburgh. Sadly I don't know of anyone making any of Union Railroads locos in the modern blue and white scheme in HO or N.
(Hint, hint, to any Athearn, Walthers, or Atlas execs who may be reading this message board.)

[waltersrails]

yes.....................................