tree68If the loco is providing HEP, I think they run in notch 4 or higher all the time.
I have heard that some crews, when possible, prefer to let the rear unit provide propulsion as it reduces the noise and vibration in the cab. On Harrisons video, I note that there is little engine noise as #122 passes and you hear the prime mover as #118 passes. The Genesis locomotives can provide HEP at different engine speeds. Per wikipedia: All Genesis engines can provide head-end power (HEP) to the train drawn from an alternator or inverter powered by the main engine at a maximum rating of 800 kilowatts (1,100 hp), making each unit capable of providing HEP for up to 16 Superliner railcars. The P40DC and P42DC power plants can supply 60-hertz head-end power either from the HEP alternator with the engine speed-locked to 900 rpm (normal mode) or from the traction alternator with the engine speed-locked to 720 rpm (standby mode). In the latter case, traction power is unavailable.
Are there any Amtrak engineers on here?
If the loco is providing HEP, I think they run in notch 4 or higher all the time.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
It sounded like those ATK trains that had engines at both ends, that both engines were working.
We return to Maine for the last time this week with my final batch of Maine catches.
https://youtu.be/XumkJw4dcdw
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
I suspect the vast majority of traffic destined for CPR rails in Canada is using the D&H.
Since about when Canadian National became interested in acquiring the line (A deal that I believe is dead now after losing their STB appeal and the subsequent Wall Street attack on management in the wake of the KCS failure), their power seems to have become a bit more of a regular sight again after years of virtually nothing (Although nothing like it was 10+ years ago where CN power was more common than CSX it seemed).
I imagine paper would be in a boxcar for weather protection. As I understand it, most of the boxcar traffic on the St. Lawrence line is just that. Paper loads southbound from Canada to customers in the States and empties heading back north to reload.
Nice that you caught some daytime action. Especially with the shorter days this time of year, that's far from guaranteed as I spoke about. My last dozen or so meetings with the southbound over the past few months have all been at night, so I was figuring you'd be uploading some nighttime video.
CN power used to be quite common on Q620 and Q621 (as well as Q622 & Q623, before they were abolished). The line heads up to Valleyfield, QC.
I'm pretty sure that's wrapped lumber products on the centerbeam flats, as opposed to paper.
It's "gov" not "goov" for Gouverneur.
The line was upgraded several years ago from 25 MPH to 40 MPH.
A continued chase south of Evans Mills would be quite difficult - US 11 is quite congested, especially in the area adjacent to Fort Drum. The train would have been slowing down fairly soon, though, for the curve just past "BRAD" (Bradley Street) and their trip down to and up from the Black River and an arrival at Massey Yard.
The local crew (B778) has been known to stop for ice cream at the convenience store next to the crossing in Evans Mills...
The train mainly seemed to be CN traffic. Does this CSX line interchange with CP, or does CP funnel all the traffic to their own line on the ex-D&H ?
Thanks for the info everyone, I guess I should have clarified that I meant the video was coming this week, I had already chased Q621 (southbound freight) across the line. Anyways, here's the video:
https://youtu.be/qkWzd2TqHxc
The Watertown local is also a daytime job. Sometimes they go north, sometimes they go south, sometimes they do both, and sometimes they go to Fort Drum.
Generslly, they go to Gouverneur north, and as far as Parish south. A local out of Woodard handles the south end, I believe.
You'll need some patience on the St. Lawrence line. Just a single southbound and northbound daily.
And the former which I manage to catch a fair bit, typically runs at night (I'm a night owl that likes going for car rides, most recently last night when I followed the southbound from Gouverneur to Evans Mills). The northbound also seems to be noctournal more often than not, but I stumble across it less frequently.
The local out of Massena that serves customers in the northern part of the line is a daytime operation that seems to run most weekdays (Primarily serving the interchange in Norwood, the Potsdam papermill, and Poulin Grain in Canton). If I hear a horn and catch up with it at a crossing during daylight hours, it's almost always the local with a GP38-2 or GP40-2 and a handful of cars in tow.
I thought I heard the Portland NG was being forced to vacate for some waterfront developement. They were going to move to Grey, ME. Although I see some new ties waiting to be installed.
I researched it further and found that the Grey location had wetlands problems, so they are staying in Portland. It looks like that new construction was next to their station and storage yard, and they are going to have to move their yard. They are fundraising for a new equipment storage shed.
We remain in Maine this week with our ride on the Maine Narrow Gauge in Portland.
https://youtu.be/F5o0HWmDK5c
Next week we'll head west to the CSX St. Lawrence Sub...
We're back to Downeast Maine in this video. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/rzVkvzWkYD8
It has been a while since I posted a railfanning video- no worries, here's some interesting action on the D&H from last week.
https://youtu.be/zMAP-9sa-D8
Sorry- 930 and 931 are CP's symbols for 30T/31T. And yes, they do back through Rouses Point.
Harrison931 and 930 are interchanged to CN at Rouses Point. We have three tracks to work with in total. The Controlled Siding is about 2.5 miles long, from CPC 188 and CPC 191 (south of the actual MP 191, which is the northernmost milepost. The "farm tracks" consist of two rather short sidings on the CP Lacolle sub north of the border point, but still in NY. The usual procedure is for CP to take 931 to the farm tracks, using one or both depending on the length. If it won't fit there, or there's another 931 sitting there, they leave it on the siding just south of CPC 191. During the night, CN brings 930 south as CN 528. They leave it wherever is available, and take 931, symboled as CN 529, north to Montreal. The next morning, a CP crew brings 930 south.
I didn't see 930/931 on your previous list of trains. Is this another designation of the NS run-thru trains? I see the "farm tracks" north of the CN-CP split, and I assume CN must back thru Rouses Point. Is that what you mean by:
Harrison931/930 go through customs under CN control, even if CP brings them through the scanner to and from the farm tracks.
MidlandMike Thanks Harrison. I assume "Bingo" = Binghamton ? I would also be interested in hearing about Rouses Point, as long as it doesn't get you in trouble with the Border Patrol.
Thanks Harrison. I assume "Bingo" = Binghamton ?
I would also be interested in hearing about Rouses Point, as long as it doesn't get you in trouble with the Border Patrol.
Bingo does mean Binghamton.
A daily operation in Rouses Point consists of four trains.
252 and 253 usually meet at Rouses Point, taking turns going through the scanner and coming off/onto the Lacolle sub.
931 and 930 are interchanged to CN at Rouses Point. We have three tracks to work with in total.
The Controlled Siding is about 2.5 miles long, from CPC 188 and CPC 191 (south of the actual MP 191, which is the northernmost milepost.
The "farm tracks" consist of two rather short sidings on the CP Lacolle sub north of the border point, but still in NY.
The usual procedure is for CP to take 931 to the farm tracks, using one or both depending on the length. If it won't fit there, or there's another 931 sitting there, they leave it on the siding just south of CPC 191. During the night, CN brings 930 south as CN 528. They leave it wherever is available, and take 931, symboled as CN 529, north to Montreal. The next morning, a CP crew brings 930 south.
Lately CN has not had nearly enough crews, and so they've been about 5 days a week on average for getting trains to and from Montreal. Some days they just take one south, some just north, and some none at all.
931/930 go through customs under CN control, even if CP brings them through the scanner to and from the farm tracks.
Hope this makes sense.
adkrr64 MidlandMike Harrison, I am starting to get some idea how CP's ex-D&H is run. Do you have a list of CP and NS trains that run on the line? Harrison recently answered that very question about the line between Schenectady and Binghamtom in this thread: http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/289895.aspx Now we just need him to provide the details north of Schenectady, which I am sure he will soon enough!
MidlandMike Harrison, I am starting to get some idea how CP's ex-D&H is run. Do you have a list of CP and NS trains that run on the line?
Harrison recently answered that very question about the line between Schenectady and Binghamtom in this thread:
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/289895.aspx
Now we just need him to provide the details north of Schenectady, which I am sure he will soon enough!
Sure thing. I may do a video on it at some point, if I deem it's not to "open". Some employees don't like their schedules shared, but when I'm directly asked, I do not hesitate.
The NS trains 22K/23K and 11R/16R I mentioned on the Freight Line thread are Pan Am Southern (PAS) trains, and go to Ayer over the B&M. They take the CP Freight Line at Burnt Hills to get to Mechanicville, where Pan Am/B&M takes over.
31T/30T are NS run-throughs to CN at Rouses Point. They run over trackage rights to Saratoga or Ballston Spa, where CP handles them north to Rouses Point. Between Saratoga and Bingo they handle all Canadian traffic for southern points, basically the modern version of RW6/WR1. North of Saratoga, they handle CN traffic for southern points, so the trains grow substantially shorter. At Rouses Point CN takes them to and from Montreal.
252/253 are CP's manifests between Montreal and Saratoga, formerly Bingo before the buyout by NS. They run 6 days a week and are pretty substantial. Their current schedule has them through Plattsburgh during the night, so I don't usually see them. They handle all CP traffic for points south and for Bluff Point, Whitehall, and Albany.
D45 is the Saratoga-Albany turn job, and handles port traffic in addition to any CSX interchange. This I believe is a 5 days a week job, but they often run it as D48 on the other two days, which would be Sunday and Monday.
D11, D13, D40, and D31 are the Bluff, Whitehall/Fort Ed, Saratoga, and Albany locals, respectively. D13 goes north twice a week to the IP mill at Fort Ti, and south to Fort Ed whenever needed. There are a few other D-series locals that run to Fort Ed, Mohawk Yard, and elsewhere when needed.
650/651 are unit ethanol trains for the Port, and run when needed, usually twice a week but they should pick up over the winter.
350 is a loaded grain train for the Port, but doesn't usually run as they combine it with 252/D45. The return loads are split up and rejoin at Montreal.\
I think that's about it! There are some interesting operations in Rouses Point that I can share if inquired apon.
MidlandMikeHarrison, I am starting to get some idea how CP's ex-D&H is run. Do you have a list of CP and NS trains that run on the line?
Harrison, I am starting to get some idea how CP's ex-D&H is run. Do you have a list of CP and NS trains that run on the line?
Hey Harrison!
I went looking for a history of the abandoned Catskill Mountain Railway and found this film from 1906! (The railroad was abandoned in 1918)
Who knows? You may have been shooting video from one the bridges pictured in this 115 year old film!
Thought you (and others) might enjoy seeing it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIfOW853zpc
One of the commenters on your "Live Stream" Friday night wondered about seeing a steam train on the West Shore's Catskill Creek Bridge. I've been looking in the archives here at the "Fortress Flintlock" but haven't found anything yet, but if I do, I'll let you know.
Mohawk is pretty much just for interchange. It used to be a major interchange with NYC (present day CSX), but now there is very little traffic for them. After that it would go into Selkirk via the Albany Main and Voorheesville, and now I think it goes through Kenwood and Albany. Pan Am will run a RJ-1 or XO-1 into Mohawk every couple of weeks, and CP runs from Saratoga to Mohawk and back every so often as well.
Harrison MidlandMike From your video and my SPV rail atlas, it seems that Mechanicville west to CPF478 (where the line splits between CP and PanAm) is owned by CP; and PanAm's "Rotterdam Branch" is isolated from the rest of the system by those trackage rights. Also I wonder where the CP-NS divide occurs. The CP/NS split is at the Schenectady interlocking- but CP trains and crews never go south of Mohawk yard, unless there is a GE move. Pan Am uses the CP Freight Line between CPF 477-8 and Mechanicville. I have a strong feeling that once CSX buys Pan Am, the already nearly dead Rotterdam Branch will close down.
MidlandMike From your video and my SPV rail atlas, it seems that Mechanicville west to CPF478 (where the line splits between CP and PanAm) is owned by CP; and PanAm's "Rotterdam Branch" is isolated from the rest of the system by those trackage rights. Also I wonder where the CP-NS divide occurs.
From your video and my SPV rail atlas, it seems that Mechanicville west to CPF478 (where the line splits between CP and PanAm) is owned by CP; and PanAm's "Rotterdam Branch" is isolated from the rest of the system by those trackage rights. Also I wonder where the CP-NS divide occurs.
The CP/NS split is at the Schenectady interlocking- but CP trains and crews never go south of Mohawk yard, unless there is a GE move. Pan Am uses the CP Freight Line between CPF 477-8 and Mechanicville. I have a strong feeling that once CSX buys Pan Am, the already nearly dead Rotterdam Branch will close down.
Does PanAm also interchange with NS at Mokawk Yard. Looking at Mohawk Yard on Google Earth, I was suprised how small it is. Is it used for anything besides interchanging trains?
Have you considered getting a microphone wind shield?
I head back to my old favorite- the River Line- for this video. Enjoy some nice morning action!
https://youtu.be/uF6U6ata-as
HarrisonIt's actually a dam/lock on the Mohawk River/former Erie Canal. It's called Lock 10, and is a popular railfanning location from both sides.
Found it on Google Maps. Thanks Harrison.
Electroliner 1935 Harrison, Can you comment on the bridge that ends short of the trackin the video . Did it cross the RR at some past time?
Harrison,
Can you comment on the bridge that ends short of the trackin the video . Did it cross the RR at some past time?
It's actually a dam/lock on the Mohawk River/former Erie Canal. It's called Lock 10, and is a popular railfanning location from both sides.
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