D.Carleton Ed Kyle My sense is that manifest carloads have increased a bit, but not massively. CPKC is only running an average of 2.6 or so manifest trains per day through Washington/Ottumwa. To that add about 1.3 of the new stack trains each day and about 2.5 to 3.0 unit trains (coal, tanks, covered hopper, etc.). Daily train counts have increased by 1.6 or 1.7 per day since this time last year, but as mentioned 1.3 of those are the new intermodals that don't stop at Nahant. One problem might be that trains have at times seemed to "bunch up". There might be one or two manifests one day, but then four or five or - one time - six the next day. It could be that track work windows have been an issue this summer. I ask because I once saw a case where a significant amount of yard work was transferred to a large but long underused yard and the track fell apart almost immediately. The result was a maintenance blitz from heck with track outages complete with the mandatory flopping-and-twitching. The extra yard activity had been in the planning stages for at least two years. Railroading is a funny business: if you're proactive and spend money you're wasteful but if you're reactive and spend MORE money you're the hero.
Ed Kyle My sense is that manifest carloads have increased a bit, but not massively. CPKC is only running an average of 2.6 or so manifest trains per day through Washington/Ottumwa. To that add about 1.3 of the new stack trains each day and about 2.5 to 3.0 unit trains (coal, tanks, covered hopper, etc.). Daily train counts have increased by 1.6 or 1.7 per day since this time last year, but as mentioned 1.3 of those are the new intermodals that don't stop at Nahant. One problem might be that trains have at times seemed to "bunch up". There might be one or two manifests one day, but then four or five or - one time - six the next day. It could be that track work windows have been an issue this summer.
One problem might be that trains have at times seemed to "bunch up". There might be one or two manifests one day, but then four or five or - one time - six the next day. It could be that track work windows have been an issue this summer.
I ask because I once saw a case where a significant amount of yard work was transferred to a large but long underused yard and the track fell apart almost immediately. The result was a maintenance blitz from heck with track outages complete with the mandatory flopping-and-twitching. The extra yard activity had been in the planning stages for at least two years. Railroading is a funny business: if you're proactive and spend money you're wasteful but if you're reactive and spend MORE money you're the hero.
Was working B&O's Locust Point yard Winter into Spring 1973 - when Russian purchases of US grain exploded. Locust Point was home of the Indiana Grain export grain pier. 'Out of the Blue' two and three 65 or 100 cars unit grain trains were being sent to Locust Point DAILY - observation of most of the rail installed in the various tracks in the yard had dates from the teens to early 20's. Ties for the rail were likely installed in the same time fram. Between loaded 100 ton capacity covered hopper loads with gross weights in the 260-286K range, old rail and worn out ties - the railroad fell apart. Yard had 59 derailments in the month of February alone. Derailments ranged from one wheel set to 18 loaded grain cars and everything in between.
During the Summer of 1973 the system gangs descended upon the yard to lay relay welded rail and install ties. Some of the switch ties that were removed from the crossovers at Andre Street were approximately 20 inches by 20 inches - I have never seen such masses of timber used as ties.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Ed KyleMy sense is that manifest carloads have increased a bit, but not massively. CPKC is only running an average of 2.6 or so manifest trains per day through Washington/Ottumwa. To that add about 1.3 of the new stack trains each day and about 2.5 to 3.0 unit trains (coal, tanks, covered hopper, etc.). Daily train counts have increased by 1.6 or 1.7 per day since this time last year, but as mentioned 1.3 of those are the new intermodals that don't stop at Nahant. One problem might be that trains have at times seemed to "bunch up". There might be one or two manifests one day, but then four or five or - one time - six the next day. It could be that track work windows have been an issue this summer.
Editor Emeritus, This Week at Amtrak
My sense is that manifest carloads have increased a bit, but not massively. CPKC is only running an average of 2.6 or so manifest trains per day through Washington/Ottumwa. To that add about 1.3 of the new stack trains each day and about 2.5 to 3.0 unit trains (coal, tanks, covered hopper, etc.). Daily train counts have increased by 1.6 or 1.7 per day since this time last year, but as mentioned 1.3 of those are the new intermodals that don't stop at Nahant.
Not pointing fingers here, but, what has happened to the car count through the yard since the merger?
I wonder if it was a 260 (southbound manifest). No southbound manifests appeared on the Washington, Iowa webcam between 0026 on Tuesday June 27 and 2203 on Wednesday June 28 - a span of nearly 45.5 hours. You can usually count on at least one "260" each day.
According to Salem Woodrow, Media Relations and Community Affairs Manager CPKC, a train operating at slow speed in CPKC’s Nahant Yard in Davenport derailed 21 cars Tuesday evening.
There were no injuries, no spills of any hazardous materials and there is no threat to public safety, Woodrow said. Three of the cars involved are carrying loads of liquid asphalt but there were no leaks from those cars....
The railroad is lucky no cargo is leaking. It would be a public relations nightmare if such were the case.
https://nahantmarsh.org/
https://www.kwqc.com/2023/06/28/developing-train-derailment-near-nahant-marsh-wednesday/
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.