News Update # 1

I'm going to try to periodically update "news" as it relates to the railroads and train watching in Fostoria. This is the first such update.

Train Park

I haven't seen or heard anything new on this in a while. After the finalization of the sale of the property on the northwest transfer side of the Iron Triangle (the area between Columbus Avenue and the C&O on the east, Poplar Street on the west, the NS mains on the north, and the northwest transfer/B&O on the south - see a map to familiarize yourself if you need to), time was given for the previous owner to move everything out of "the boneyard" that he wanted to get out. That process was completed late last fall, and some clearing was done during the winter months (you can now partially see NS trains coming eastbound from Columbus Avenue, and there is a better/partial view of B&O eastbounds from the same location). I haven't seen any new activity basically since the first of the year. It's going to be a while before the train park becomes reality, but it will happen...eventually. In the meantime, there are still plenty of places to observe the train action from.

Erie-sistible

I still don't know where it went. I was hoping it would stay. The previous owner of "the boneyard" may have carted it off wherever his other items went, if he even owned it.

Train schedule changes

I have more questions than I do answers on these, so anyone reading who can help give additional information, please do!

CSX:

*Q-391 is no more.

It appears, unfortunately, that train Q-391 (Buffalo, NY - Toledo/Stanley Yard, OH Freight) has been cancelled. I'm 95% certain that the last day this train ran through Fostoria was Tuesday, February 13th. That day, Q-391-12 had CSXT SD70AC # 4752 and ES44DC # 5359. Since that time, Q-291 (Buffalo, NY - Walbridge, OH Auto Racks) appears to have been handling all of the traffic from Q-391. Q-291 is now going through to Stanley Yard, presumably after setting out its Walbridge auto racks/auto parts cars. On most days, the train looks more like a freight with a few auto racks thrown in than it does an auto rack train handling some freight. Q-391 used to be one of the "good" trains for large locomotive consists, CSX RC units heading back to Toledo, and the like. Q-291, so far that I have seen, hasn't been quite the same, despite being essentially the same train (it also appears to be running more on Q-391's schedule than Q-291's).

*Q-210 is no more?

I haven't seen a Q-210 in a long time. It apparently is now terminating at Louisville, KY, as far as I can tell. This would, unfortunately, be another regular train lost through Fostoria.

*New train! (Q-281)

Q-281 is a new Selkirk, NY - Toledo/Walbridge Yard, OH Auto Rack train. It is officially an "as required" train but has been running several times per week, sometimes more, since around the first of the year or maybe a little earlier. When I've seen it, it has tended to be in a late afternoon to late evening time frame.

*"New" train? (Q-288)

Q-288 has been on the schedule for a long time as an "as required" Blue Island, IL - Toledo/Walbridge Yard, OH Auto Rack train. I can't remember ever seeing or hearing this train in the last two years until around the first of the year/around the same time Q-281 started up. Since then, Q-288 has run frequently and sometimes for quite a few consecutive days at a time. So while it isn't technically a "new" train per the schedule, it is "new" in that it is actaully running frequently, usually in the early evening.

*Old" train (Q-271)

Q-271, a Doremus, NJ - Selkirk, NY Auto Rack train that used to run all the way to Walbridge, did so again for three straight days in February. Q-271-16, Q-271-17, and Q-271-18 all ran through all the way to Walbridge, passing through Fostoria on the 17th, 18th, and 19th of February. It is unknown why this train "went the distance," but it was nice for the three days it lasted!

*"Unusual" train # 1 (K-311)

K-311-26, featured on the Pic of the Day this last Tuesday (February 27th), was a loaded coke train from Connelsville, PA - East Chicago, IN. It looked like a typical K-381 might look. I don't know anything more about this train.

*"Unusual" train # 2 (K-596)

On Sunday, February 25th, a K-596-24 passed through Fostoria. It ran the exact same route (Middletown, OH- Wayne, MI) as K-598 usually does, and was indeed a unit steel coil car train. I don't know the reason for the unusual train ID.

*"Unusual" train # 3 (Q-293)

On Monday, February 26th, train Q-293-25 (Framingham, MA - Buffalo, NY Auto Racks) came all the way west to Walbridge Yard in Toledo instead of terminating at Buffalo. This is the first time I've been aware of this happening.

*Another "unusual" train...or, another "new" one (K-682, and K-683)

Train K-682 ran twice near the end of February. Both a K-682-21 and a K-682-23 came through, both out of Clearing Yard in Chicago and headed to Oak Island, NJ. K-683-27 went west from Oak Island to UP's Proviso Yard in Chicago. There has been a proliferation of unit ethanol trains in the last year or so, with at least one K-600-series train running pretty much daily but K-682 and K-683 weren't ones previously on the schedule. There are now apparently 5 pairs of these trains (680/681, 682/683, 694/695, 696/697, and 698/699); at least, that's how it appears.

*X-290

There have been a number of "X-290" trains running lately, taking the usual Toledo Walbridge Yard - Cleveland Collinwood Yard route that Q-290 takes. This hasn't affected Q-290's frequency at all.

NS:

*Reroute trains on CSX

Due to the Goshen, Indiana derailment, on thursday, February 22nd, at least three NS intermodals detoured eastbound over CSX on the B&O, discussed previously on the Pic of the Day post. One was Z-871-21. Does anyone know what the other two were, or what their NS symbols were?

*Reroute trains on NS

A good number of NS trains were routed on the Fostoria District to get around problems on the NS Chicago line this week. On Wednesday, February 28th, there was at least a 23J, 24J, 55A, 20R, and 52T. On Monday, February 26th, there was at least a 38Q. Finding information on NS train schedules can be a chore - anyone know the details on these trains (route they usually run, to/from, etc)?

*New (?) NS train # 1 (142)

For at least over a month now, what appears to be a daily train, 142, an eastbound freight, has been running through Fostoria.

*New (?) NS train # 2 (288)

In the last week or two I have seen several and heard several 288 auto rack trains coming eastbound through Fostoria, making set outs/pick ups at the Mixing Center east of town.

*New (?) NS train # 3 (17E)

In the last week or two there have been several 17E trains, freights running westbound, and often setting off cars at Blair Yard.

*"Old", or "new" NS train? (308)

I was under the impression there used to be a freight symboled 308 through Fostoria, but I haven't seen one in recent years. February 25th, an eastbound freight symboled 308 passed through. This is the only one I am aware of.

CAT Locomotives

CAT GP38's 2867 and 4124, used to switch out and spot cars in the Mixing Center, were both carted off in mid-February and have not yet returned. NS GP38-2's 5002 and 5017 have taken their places. However, NS 5017 was picked up on February 27th due to some kind of leaking problem. I haven't been to the east end of the Mixing Center since to see if another replacement has been brought in.

New Locomotive Deliveries

As alluded to in another post, the delivery "schedule" has been a little goofy ever since the first "big winter storm" in February. CSX is noW regularly "borrowing" new BNSF and UP units that they pick up at GE and using them all over the system before "delivering" them. It has made the nice Q-381/Q-351 "system" of delivering new GE's to BNSF and UP a little (OK, a LOT) less predictable. I've been re-thinking this, though - sometimes the new units have been passing through Fostoria two or three times - the extra opportunities have given me the chance to catch them that I wouldn't have otherwise. Then again, others have never come through at all, denying the opportunity. I suppose it all balances out. At last check, BNSF ES44AC deliveries are up through 6195 (anyone know how high they are going to go?), UP ES44AC's through 7626 (less 7622-7624), CSX ES44DC's through 5442, and NS ES40DC's I'm not sure about, though I just saw 7625 a few days ago. To my knowledge, this is the first time GE has been pumping out new locomotives for the 4 biggest railroads all at the same time.