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Remaining main lines unable to accommodate double-stacks?

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Posted by mudchicken on Monday, February 16, 2015 4:47 PM

Paul_D_North_Jr
 
mudchicken
[snipped; emphasis added - PDN] 'cuz those IT bubbas are wards of the operating department, . . . (Operating doesn't understand them either)...."shiny road apples"term applied frequently. 

 

(Psst - MC: Did you mean "marketing" instead in your first sentence ?  'Cause I can't see how the Operating people would be happy either with a map that depicts excess-height cars as being able to go where they actually can't, even though the timetable or other rules would govern instead and [hopefully] prevent anything bad from happening . . . Whistling )

 

Likely only some of us who have familiarity with rural areas quite a few years ago will understand the "road apples" reference (for those who don't: think of the natural 'discharges' resulting from horses and other livestock on roads . . . Smile, Wink & Grin )

- Paul North.

 

The IT bubbas were lead around by the nose by the marketing bubbas as to what is needed....(and the Operating "we run trains" bubbas really don't see much outside their limited widdle world ...  it's causing problems for other departments who apparently are to be excluded from marketing's plaything maintained by IT. The rest of the "real world" need not be bothered communicating w/ CSX...Only worst version of this is CP and its schitzoid site)....how they managed to shine you-know-what is a CSX state secret.

Operating people can't read a track chart properly, so why would a map be any different? They'll keep sending stax and mechanical will keep stopping them in the terminals until they sneak one by.....

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by mudchicken on Monday, February 16, 2015 4:32 PM

Electroliner 1935

Does anyone know why the Indianapolis IN to Hamilton OH line is NO to multilevel's? Some highway bridge perhaps?

 

Several - many dating back to CH&D ownership. Really bad nest of them on the raised portion thru Connersville.

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by Electroliner 1935 on Monday, February 16, 2015 4:20 PM

Does anyone know why the Indianapolis IN to Hamilton OH line is NO to multilevel's? Some highway bridge perhaps?

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Monday, February 16, 2015 4:03 PM

mudchicken
[snipped; emphasis added - PDN] 'cuz those IT bubbas are wards of the operating department, . . . (Operating doesn't understand them either)...."shiny road apples"term applied frequently. 

(Psst - MC: Did you mean "marketing" instead in your first sentence ?  'Cause I can't see how the Operating people would be happy either with a map that depicts excess-height cars as being able to go where they actually can't, even though the timetable or other rules would govern instead and [hopefully] prevent anything bad from happening . . . Whistling )

Likely only some of us who have familiarity with rural areas quite a few years ago will understand the "road apples" reference (for those who don't: think of the natural 'discharges' resulting from horses and other livestock on roads . . . Smile, Wink & Grin )

- Paul North.

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by csxns on Monday, February 16, 2015 3:51 PM

cjcalton
Clinchfield main through S.W. Va., East Tennessee and W. North Carolina doesn't have

I live now about 50 miles from Bostic yard and CSX does run a double stack train on that line but not the tall containers.

Russell

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Posted by BaltACD on Monday, February 16, 2015 1:56 PM

cjcalton

The old Clinchfield main through S.W. Va., East Tennessee and W. North Carolina doesn't have the clearance for stacks. It could be a real advantage because it is the shortest route from the midwest to the southeast. 

The Clinchfield is one of the most congested routes on CSX just handling it's present traffic.  To handle any more it would need to be double tracked, and with the territory it transverses that would be a very sizeable investment.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by mudchicken on Monday, February 16, 2015 1:46 PM

CSX has already started.

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by cjcalton on Monday, February 16, 2015 1:29 PM

The old Clinchfield main through S.W. Va., East Tennessee and W. North Carolina doesn't have the clearance for stacks. It could be a real advantage because it is the shortest route from the midwest to the southeast.

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Posted by mudchicken on Monday, February 16, 2015 12:41 PM

Paul_D_North_Jr
 
PNWRMNM
There are four maps to choose from here. One link is labeled multi level and one is labeled double stack. BOTH links show the multi level map.

Looks like CSX program has a bug.

Mac 

 

Not the first time casual but informed users/ visitors like us have found such a thing Whistling . . . And just why do those IT guys who let stuff like that slip through get the big buck$ ?!? Grumpy

 

- Paul North. 

 

'cuz those IT bubbas are wards of the operating department, not the engineering department. Just sat with a bunch of well placed engineering folks  more than a little upset with how un-user friendly the railroad websites have become as marketing runs unchecked calling the shots (Operating doesn't understand them either)...."shiny road apples"term applied frequently.

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by dekemd on Monday, February 16, 2015 12:36 PM

CSX's ex-Clinchfield line cannot handle double stacks

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Monday, February 16, 2015 11:06 AM

PNWRMNM
There are four maps to choose from here. One link is labeled multi level and one is labeled double stack. BOTH links show the multi level map.

Looks like CSX program has a bug.

Mac 

Not the first time casual but informed users/ visitors like us have found such a thing Whistling . . . And just why do those IT guys who let stuff like that slip through get the big buck$ ?!? Grumpy

- Paul North. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by MP173 on Monday, February 16, 2015 10:49 AM

Couple of observation points:

1.  NS runs a daily 24M from Chicago to Baltimore which is single stack and very UPS heavy.  It is a combination of international containers, TOFC, and domestic containers.  I have never seen it doubled.  It passes Chesterton about 630am daily.

2.  CP intermodal trains CP142 and CP143 run via CSX and are symbolled Q165/Q166.  Last week the Q166 had both stacks and general freight (which seems to be the latest EHH move to improve efficiency).

ed

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Posted by PNWRMNM on Monday, February 16, 2015 6:27 AM

There are four maps to choose from here. One link is labeled multi level and one is labeled double stack. BOTH links show the multi level map.

Looks like CSX program has a bug.

Mac

 

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Posted by greyhounds on Monday, February 16, 2015 12:57 AM

BaltACD
The map is for Multi-Level Auto racks - not Stacks.

Well, if you go here and click on the double stack map it will bring up the map in my first post.

http://www.csx.com/index.cfm/customers/other-services-partners/dimensionalclearance/clearance-maps/

 

 

CSX may have the wrong link on their site.

"By many measures, the U.S. freight rail system is the safest, most efficient and cost effective in the world." - Federal Railroad Administration, October, 2009. I'm just your average, everyday, uncivilized howling "anti-government" critic of mass government expenditures for "High Speed Rail" in the US. And I'm gosh darn proud of that.
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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, February 15, 2015 6:33 AM

greyhounds

The map is for Multi-Level Auto racks - not Stacks.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by greyhounds on Saturday, February 14, 2015 10:56 PM
"By many measures, the U.S. freight rail system is the safest, most efficient and cost effective in the world." - Federal Railroad Administration, October, 2009. I'm just your average, everyday, uncivilized howling "anti-government" critic of mass government expenditures for "High Speed Rail" in the US. And I'm gosh darn proud of that.
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Posted by blue streak 1 on Saturday, February 14, 2015 9:59 PM

CSX has an intermodal train that comes from somewhere in north Florida.  It has international containers double stacked or combination of one domestic & one international doubled.  No domestic double stacked.  Appears that this train comes from JAX but not sure.  It does have Tropicana reefers on the rear of this train.

The reefers are turned at Fairburn to connect to UP at New Orleans on a double stack train..

 

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Posted by MidlandMike on Saturday, February 14, 2015 9:58 PM

tree68

Last I knew, the Detroit-Windsor rail tunnel would not handle some double stacks - whichever is taller (domestic or international).  Don't know if any UP traffic goes that way, but it's a consideration.  

The twin tunnels are owned by CP and the Ontario Retirement system.  CP reaches it from Chicago by NS trackage rights.

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Posted by Deggesty on Saturday, February 14, 2015 8:53 PM

ramrod

OPINION. IIRC almost all of the mainlines that can't handle double stacked containers are in an area north of Richmond VA and east of Detroit.Both CSX and NS inherited a miserable collection of tunnels, bridges, etc from the roads that preceeded them. Both have spent millions to open up corridors that can handle double stacked containers. And they continue to do so,e.g the Virginia Ave Project that CSX is beginning in DC.Most of the problem should be gone by 2018, if not before.Both CSX and NS especially CSX, faced te results of deferred manintenance when they were organized and they both chose to place correction of those problems first. to the disgust of "investors" who wanted to continue to ignore maintenance. I would estimate (guess) that they will be caught up with the maintence backlog, except for a few major bridge replacements, by the end of 2018. Three more long years of slow orders and inefficient single-level stack trains, but they're making progress.

 

If "investors" want to ignore maintenance, perhaps they should invest in property that does not require maintenance. Or, they should be forced to take a course that demonstrates how a corporation must do so it can earn money to distribute in divedends. If they fail the course, they should be required to divest themselves of the stock--at the price that would prevail if the property were allowed to go to rack and ruin.

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Posted by ramrod on Saturday, February 14, 2015 8:30 PM

OPINION. IIRC almost all of the mainlines that can't handle double stacked containers are in an area north of Richmond VA and east of Detroit.Both CSX and NS inherited a miserable collection of tunnels, bridges, etc from the roads that preceeded them. Both have spent millions to open up corridors that can handle double stacked containers. And they continue to do so,e.g the Virginia Ave Project that CSX is beginning in DC.Most of the problem should be gone by 2018, if not before.Both CSX and NS especially CSX, faced te results of deferred manintenance when they were organized and they both chose to place correction of those problems first. to the disgust of "investors" who wanted to continue to ignore maintenance. I would estimate (guess) that they will be caught up with the maintence backlog, except for a few major bridge replacements, by the end of 2018. Three more long years of slow orders and inefficient single-level stack trains, but they're making progress.

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Posted by tree68 on Saturday, February 14, 2015 7:53 PM

Last I knew, the Detroit-Windsor rail tunnel would not handle some double stacks - whichever is taller (domestic or international).  Don't know if any UP traffic goes that way, but it's a consideration.  

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Posted by Overmod on Saturday, February 14, 2015 6:53 PM

IIRC traffic to the port of Baltimore would require removal of 'upper-deck' containers for a stack train to proceed (tunnel and restricted clearance; expensive and time-consuming to fix).  Might not be enough intermediate traffic to make it worthwhile to stack containers that would have to come off before the tight clearances were reached.

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Remaining main lines unable to accommodate double-stacks?
Posted by CatFoodFlambe on Saturday, February 14, 2015 3:50 PM

I noticed an eastbound UP container train on the Rochelle Park camera exiting the Global III IM facility today carrying exclusively single-stacked domestic containers.    Given the economics of stack traffic, it's a good guess that this was a train assembled at G-III for a destination that had to travel over a line that could not accomodate two-high domestic containers (which, IIRC, are taller than international containers).

What major lines remain east of Chicago than cannot clear this equipment?   This was a long train - it had to be bound for a good-sized terminal.

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