...Increasing coal business...western Pennsylvania

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tomtrain

With improvements in coal burning technology and higher diesel fuel prices, might Penn coal and Illinois coal start biting into Wyoming coal production?

Only if new power plants with boilers designed to get the best use out of those grades of coal are built. Power plant boilers designed for the efficient use of PRB coal would be less efficient with other grades of coal.

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bbrant

The Coleman Station Sub (PBS line, former CSX) near Shanksville, PA is being readied for train traffic again. Are there any other lines in Western PA that are being brought back into service due to the recent coal surge?

There is a spur line into Windber off the South Fork Secondary that would be reactivated once the Windber Mine reopens within a couple of years....

[bbrant]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CSXrules4eva



I think adrianspeeder said it best There ain't notin' better than good old fashioned PA coal railroading!

Can't argue that!! I'd gladly watch a coal drag over an intermodal any day.

[bbrant]

The Coleman Station Sub (PBS line, former CSX) near Shanksville, PA is being readied for train traffic again. Are there any other lines in Western PA that are being brought back into service due to the recent coal surge?

[Anonymous]

With improvements in coal burning technology and higher diesel fuel prices, might Penn coal and Illinois coal start biting into Wyoming coal production?

[Modelcar]

...I would think to keep them moving is the better way to be making money....

[poppyl]

For those familar with Enola, NS is now using four tracks just past the old east hump and next to the highway. They may also be using the track that work trains used to park on. Given all of the empty real estate between those tracks and the car shops, they have a lot of room for storage expansion but I suspect that the NS operational philosophy is to keep the coal drags moving rather than sitting in the yard.

Poppyl

[Modelcar]

....And seeing it come out of the secondary branches off the mains and branches being energized again to do just that....haul coal... is great to see happening in the Keystone State....Once again. When I was growing up in Somerset County Coal was major and near by Steel production in Cambria County was 2nd to none as well....Both provided work for the railroads.

[CSXrules4eva]

QUOTE: Originally posted by poppyl

I figured that something was up a few months ago when I noticed that NS had reconfigured a section of the Enola yard to handle more coal drags.

Poppyl

This is new news to me! I guess that explains why I'm seeing tons of coal traffic going through Abrams Yard in Upper Merion, PA. Much of the coal traffic allong the Harrisburg Division seems to make it's way from Enola Yard into Philadelphia. I've only seen a couple of loaded coal drags comming from Philadelphia to Enola.

I think adrianspeeder said it best There ain't notin' better than good old fashioned PA coal railroading!

[waltersrails]

Headlines for Monday, October 3, 2005

A Pennsylvania company has announced plans to build a $400 million mouth-of-the-mine coal-fired power plant near Carmi. United Supply of America, based in Murrysville, Pa. has plans to build a 270 mega-watt generating station and mine near Carmi. The plant is expected to be one of the cleanest burning power plants in the nation.

Source WFIW Radio.com

[bbrant]

Giving what roads were like in the 20's/30's, I can imagine that passenger trains provided an good means of transportation between Johnstown and points south.

Although it's a little off topic, I can't help but wonder how many cars ever got hit by a train between the Rt. 31 & 281 road crossings where the tracks literally run right beside Pleasant Ave. I'd have to imagine that the overhang, particualarly from the locomotives, would've tagged a car or two at some point in that area.

I'm still getting anxious to see the coal trains running on the Coleman Sub. Hopefully I'll be able to get some pics once they do.

Brian

[Modelcar]

....Brian....Others don't delve into this stuff as we railfans do....Perhaps to others, it was a job and that was it.....Oh well.
Signals.....Not much. I can remember a signal that was within sight looking north at the crossing there at Stoystown Rd. in Somerset....and in thinking about that...it was most likely for the connection ahead where the Boswell Branch turned off the S&C. I believe I remember a signal...{a semaphore type} there at the station in Kantner...{Stoyestown}, but I wouldn't know what it signaled.....and I really don't remember any other areas I ever saw any signals along the line....It certainly must have been by written orders station to station or however it was done....
Item: My son in law stopped by this week and dropped off a full size road map of Pennsylvania dated 1928....! It's in good shape too and he had it encapsulated in clear plastic. Noting on it was the road from Stoystown to Friedens...Under construction. The road to Johnstown from Stoystown was largely "unimproved" I take to mean most likely a dirt road, etc....Got to thinking then it made good sense back then and before that, that there were several passenger trains that went to Johnstown from points south, Somerset and Rockwood I suppose....There weren't any continous paved roads yet to make that trip by car such as they were too....For the most part, Model-T's at that time.
On the number of mines.....I can think of about 10 between Somerset and Benscreek area.....{right before Ferndale}....There may have been more that I never saw or forgot about.

[bbrant]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

...Better yet, to see them coming UP the line and better yet to have heard them being pulled and...pushed up the line with hard working steam locos....Yep, it shows my time line but that's the way it is....The ground used to shake when we kids were close to one blasting up from Kantner and crossing the 218 bridge where we were swimming, etc...and of course have cinders rain down on us as it passed......

Quentin -

I can imagine what the S&C was like in it's heyday. Do you recall how many mines were ever served by this branch? Also I was just thinking the other day that I don't recall ever seeing any singals on this line. For the traffic it once had, I would have to think it did at one time. We standard B&O type signals ever used on this line/branch?

Went through Shawleytown after leaving our train club this afternoon. Saw two long strings of new hoppers from Freightcar America sitting in the yard. Earlier this summer I was looking over another batch of new hoppers in the Somerset yard. I was surprised the airbrakes still had "WABCO" engraved on them. I told my wife about them since she worked for WABCO/Wabtec for 13+ years. She could've cared less. Oh well.

Brian

[bbrant]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tsgtbob

Talk about neighbors [:D]
I guess you have seen the Plywood Division of the Stonycreek Valley!

Yeah, I think I've seen that layout a time or two. [:D]

Any word on how many trains are going to be using the Coleman Sub/PBS line? DIdn't make it over there this weekend to see what progress has been made. Last weekend it looked like they were doing tie replacement at the connection with the S&C.

Hey, you weren't down at Fairhope playing with matches again were you? Any word on if the forest fire impacted CSX traffic?

Brian

[Modelcar]

....That sounds great....New equipment to clean up the burning of eastern coal...Sure sounds good for the business and the more the better...We seem to have plenty of it available to do the job....

[jeaton]

Did some browsing, in part to respond to a Q put up by Modelcar on Illinois Coal. One article put out by Southern Illinois Universty suggests that the ongoing installation and upgrading of pollution control equipment at electric power plants may foreshadow a trend for greater use of Illinois and other eastern coals.

The stats on Illinois cola production can be found at http://dnr.state.il.us/mines/public/
Click on the 2004 link for the latest. An interesting chart shows the serving railroads and tonnage shipped for each of the operating mines. Current annual production is a little over 31 million, about half the production level when I worked at Old Ben Coal in the mid 1980's

Jay

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by poppyl

I figured that something was up a few months ago when I noticed that NS had reconfigured a section of the Enola yard to handle more coal drags.

Poppyl

With the oil prices going sky high, coal has become a cheaper alternative....The Sonman Coal loadout near Portage Pa, was down to perhaps 2 or 3 train loadings a Month up until a year or so ago...now it is loading around 3 a week..The South Fork Secondary is averaging at least a trainload a day.....Enola Yard is enjoying a real comeback with the reactivation of the West Hump, and other upgrades to handle increased traffic.

[poppyl]

I figured that something was up a few months ago when I noticed that NS had reconfigured a section of the Enola yard to handle more coal drags.

Poppyl

[Anonymous]

just a point of intrest; i have been to the open pit coal mines in Wyoming and there is a lot of coal coming out of the ground; trains average 179cars in length ;most are rotary dump>>>> glennbob

[tsgtbob]

Talk about neighbors [:D]
I guess you have seen the Plywood Division of the Stonycreek Valley!

[Modelcar]

...Better yet, to see them coming UP the line and better yet to have heard them being pulled and...pushed up the line with hard working steam locos....Yep, it shows my time line but that's the way it is....The ground used to shake when we kids were close to one blasting up from Kantner and crossing the 218 bridge where we were swimming, etc...and of course have cinders rain down on us as it passed......

[bbrant]

QUOTE: Originally posted by adrianspeeder

Cool pics!

Nothin' quite like Pennsylvania coal railroadin'

Adrianspeeder

Thanks. And I couldn't agree more.....nothing like watching a string of coal cars going down the line!!

Brian

[bbrant]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tsgtbob

Hey Bbrant, ever been to the model rr club in the basement of Newberry's? The "O" scale (2 rail) layout's mine.
BTW look for my byline in the Daily American. ( I'm the guy who sneaks in the train stories, and gets ALL of the military story assignments)

Bob -

Right after I posted I took a look at your profile....when I saw "photojournalist" I was able to put 2 & 2 together.

And yes, I have been to the club. As a matter of fact, I have a layout there under the steps and next to an O scale (2 rail) layout. [:D] Small world (and getting smaller)!!

Are they still looking to have the line in service by the end of Oct? I'd like to get some pictures when trains start running again. I just took my camera into the shop on Monday so it should be fixed just in time.

Brian

[Modelcar]

....How about "www.railroadradio.net".....Live railroad scanner railroad communication....

[tsgtbob]

Hey Bbrant, ever been to the model rr club in the basement of Newberry's? The "O" scale (2 rail) layout's mine.
BTW look for my byline in the Daily American. ( I'm the guy who sneaks in the train stories, and gets ALL of the military story assignments)
dwil89, the coal out of Carinbrook is exported to China. It comes from a mine near Berlin.
I'm glad you can pick up scanner calls from where you are, cause I can't and I'm 7 miles as the crow flies.
BTW, anything newer than a GP-40-2 looks all alike to me.

[adrianspeeder]

Cool pics!

Nothin' quite like Pennsylvania coal railroadin'

Adrianspeeder

[bbrant]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tsgtbob

PBS coals is working with KW Reese to re-open the Coleman Sub from Shanksville to, where else, Coleman Station. Coleman Station is on the S&C sub, running from Rockwood Pa. to Johnstown Pa. This was one of the B&O's biggest coal branches back until the early 60s. Plans are for the branch to re-open in late Oct. The sub was originally laid in the 1940s to access the mines in Stonycreek township.
BTW, anthricite coal is mined in the NE corner of PA, here in the SW corner it's bituninous (sp)
The Windber ops for NS have been on the upswing for about 2 years now, running out to a plant in Central City/Carinbrook 'metro' area. Best place to see the power, which is usally SD70s in Conrail, is in Carinbrook, next to the Shade Central City School.

Hey Bob - or should I say neighbor. (I'm from Somerset behind Wills Church near the windmills.)

I've been watching the PBS line to see when it will be up and running agian. I took a drive by that area last Friday. Looks like a fair amount of tie replacement has been done and that they're working near the connection with the S&C.

In June, I talked to a guy from PBS. He said they were only planning on running a few trains. Seems like PBS is putting a lot of money into the line for only a few trains so I'm hoping he's wrong on that aspect.

I haven't heard of when trains will start running on the line again so if you hear anything, please post it here. I'm anxiously awaiting to see 'em go there. In the meantime, here's a few pictures I took of the line.

http://bbrant.rrpicturearchives.net/archivethumbs.aspx?id=4756

Brian

[Modelcar]

Bob from Shanksville....Thanks for the late info on the Coleman Sub....Please keep us up on the latest as that project develops. Brian and I have been talking about that project now for several months and have real interest in it....{I'm originally from Stoystown}.....

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by blhanel

Would any of that coal be possibly heading west? The reason I ask is that Sunday evening, on the way home from Chicago, I witnessed a WESTBOUND loaded coal train crossing the Mississippi at Clinton.

Much of the coal out of South Fork heads East, and some of that also goes to a local powerplant near Johnstown...I don't know if anything coming out of Bailey heads West...