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UP double stack trains now singles and shorter

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Monday, March 23, 2020 8:54 PM

MidlandMike

Is the CP still running single stacks thru the Detroit tunnel to Canada?  Could the UP singles then be for CP?

 

Maybe,  but it's only recently that I started seeing so many singles. 

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Posted by MidlandMike on Monday, March 23, 2020 6:54 PM

Is the CP still running single stacks thru the Detroit tunnel to Canada?  Could the UP singles then be for CP?

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Posted by MikeF90 on Monday, March 23, 2020 2:50 PM

Regularly I watch the Tehachapi trains, and as long as I can remember westbound UP manifests just look like repos - empty spine cars and some tank and boxcars thrown in.

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Monday, March 23, 2020 1:36 PM

Today I see a mix on EB container trains.  Some shipping containers are single,  some are double stacks.  Domestic containers are mostly doubles. 

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Posted by tree68 on Monday, March 23, 2020 7:28 AM

I normally keep an eye on the feed from Deshler - the trains are looking pretty much normal.  Every now and then a shorty will come through, but the "land barges" still make regular appearances as well.

With North Baltimore just down the line, there's a lot of IM through Deshler, and I haven't noticed any major changes.

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Sunday, March 22, 2020 10:33 PM

Most EB UP container trains have been singles but WBs are double stacks, with a lot of Asian (empties?). 

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Posted by BaltACD on Friday, March 20, 2020 4:25 PM

Non-bulk commodity trains 'genereally' vary in size by day of the week. Monday is normally light, Tuesday and on to Friday are generally heavier than each preceeding day.  If 'everything' got moved M-F then the weekends will be light; if not the carriers will be playing catch up on the weekends to get back to Monday on a 'normal' footing.

Manufacturing concerns want to get their products out of the plant by Friday.

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Posted by MP173 on Friday, March 20, 2020 3:41 PM

I am monitoring the NS on the Chicago - Elkhart line.  

Intermodal appears to be strong.   Todays:

21J had 141 units, mainly TOFC

20E had 110 units, mainly TOFC

21m had 103 units, mix of TOFC and DS...22 UPS (down from normal)

21G had 128 containers (down from normal)

23Z had 161 mix of TOFC and containers

294 was big 247 containers, all domestics

21N had only 31 international containers...return from Detroit to Asia, probably empties

23M had 120 domestic containers....down from normal

26N to Columbus was down...only 114, usually about 200 - 250.

Yet to pass is the hot afternoon Chicago - Croxton TOFC train...usually has about 90.  Edit: 20k just OSed Chesterton with 124 TOFC and containers....bigger than normal.  see comments below.

General freights are heavy but today's 37M did not have auto parts box cars...first time in ages...no doubt due to plant shut downs.

Comments - my take is that domestics intermodal will increase as drivers find it difficult to function (eat, sleep, use bathrooms, etc).  The international traffic is obviously down, but probably will start to pickup in a month or so, unless things hit the fan.

 

ed

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UP double stack trains now singles and shorter
Posted by charlie hebdo on Friday, March 20, 2020 1:05 PM

I've been seeing this trend all week.  Obviously container traffic is down. 

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