Holiday Rush.... or...........?

[Anonymous]

Lately, there has been a lot of extra trains being run both ways into and out of Chicago on the line I run on. I was wondering if this was due to the Holiday season where goods are more in demand, or if my employer is trying to run extra trains now to protect itself before there are mass lay offs next week? Comments please! [:D]

[tree68]

With Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) looming, the extra merchandise angle makes a lot of sense. Can't speak to the layoff issue...

[Anonymous]

Well, turns out part of the reason some extra trains ran on our line last week was due to a derailment at Milford Junction, IN. I guess 28 cars loaded with coal derailed blocking the NS diamond for two hours. So, several trains that usually run Chicago to Ft. Wayne were rerouted south around the derailment. But, there still are quite a few extra intermodals running, so I'm assuming warehouses are stocking up for what we're hoping is a busy Christmas shopping season.

[Anonymous]

My guess would be it is related to both the seasonal rush and the derailment. There have also been several other smallish derailments this week at various places disrupting normal flows. For example I understand there was a CN derailment near the switchtender in Jackson, MS that had both the CN and KCS lines in the area tied up for a couple days...

LC

[Anonymous]

Mark-

Yeah, I've seen it. From what I hear the KCS has done some work in the Jackson area, but most of the major mainline improvements are on hold pending funding...

It is pretty messy...

LC

[JoeKoh]

probably a holiday rush. where my mother in law works at they try to get cars as fast as the Maumee and Western can get to them.
stay safe
Joe

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill

If you've seen that diamond at Jackson, LC, you wouldn't be surprised. It's pretty convoluted the way KCS comes out of their yard and across the CN. KCS and CN have plans to straighten out the arrangement that I've seen, but I don't know if they've funded it yet.

Oh, and one other thing. KCS also derailed in the same area about two weeks earlier...

LC

[Junctionfan]

Is there a rail map of the KCS /CN junction? Sounds interesting. How close is the diamond to the yard?

[Anonymous]

The Switchtender in Jackson is a rather complicated interlocking that is not truly interlocked as I understand it. I'm not sure there is an actual diamond, but rather a group of switches where the north/south CN and east/west KCS cross one another. I don't know if there is still an actual switchtender (or U-man) on duty at Switchtender throwing switches or if train crews are handling their own these days or perhaps if the CN has interlocked it and put in power switches and DS control...

LC

[Anonymous]

Was just talking to a friend who works down that way and he says it is still the same...

Also, the most recent ETT I have for the area shows it still as hand throws. Area is controlled by permission of CN Jackson YM.

LC

[Junctionfan]

Are thease regular switches or are they those double slip switches?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan

Are thease regular switches or are they those double slip switches?

Ordinary hand throws...

LC

[Junctionfan]

Ya they are a pain to operate in HO scale too.

Outside Union Station in Toronto heading west, there is so many of them, it looks like a spider web of track.

[ValleyX]

That would be Garrett to Chicago, not Fort Wayne to Chicago. CSX pulled out of Fort Wayne effective August 1, turning over the operation to RailAmerica, now known as the Chicago, Fort Wayne, and Eastern. Traffic would have been via Garrett before that, anyway, CSX didn't do much with this line once they acquired in the 1999 Conrail acquisition.

[Anonymous]

AH, thanks for the clarification Valley. I was in IHB's Blue Island yard a few days ago and saw a pair of CF&E engines with new paint jobs and had no idea what railroad they belonged to, but my question is now answered.