Category: CSX

CSX Transportation was formed as a result of mergers and acquisitions of several southeastern US railroads in the 1970’s & 1980’s. Today, CSXT operates into the northeast as a result of the breakup of the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), which occurred in 1999, and is one of two major Class 1 railroads to dominate the eastern US.

Freight trains dashing through snow to make up time lost

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Dashing through the snow (at the 10mph limit), Conrail Shared Assets train SA-31 does a bit of clearing along the right-of-way as she travels through Eatontown, NJ, on the Conrail Southern Secondary. With sunset approaching, long shadows lie across the rails, warning of impending darkness along the route through Monmouth and Ocean counties. Battling the worst winter on record, freight schedules throughout the northeast have been anything but ‘on-schedule’; no run in the past 10 days for this normally weekly train, hence the 12-car consist instead of the ‘normal’ 5 to 7 cars on any given run.

After a couple days of bright sun and non-frigid temperatures, CSX 4431 and the crew will have no problems traversing the line down to Lakehurst and return. Ex-Conrail GP40-2 3356 (blt 3/79) returns to home rails, 31 years on the job and still going strong for her new owner, CSX Transportation.

Image recorded February 19, 2010.

Freight trains dashing through snow to make up lost timeClick on the image to display it at a larger size. Use your browser’s Back button to return to this page.

Frigid temperatures no problem for Conrail heading south

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Oh, what a brutal winter it was! The winter of ’09/’10 was the worst on record for New Jersey, but, in the words of the rock group Aerosmith, “trains kept a rollin’ all night long”, and all day long for that matter. On a frigid February afternoon, we find Conrail Shared Assets symbol OI-16 heading south on the CSAO Chemical Coast Secondary, passing over the drawbridge at CP-RH in Carteret, NJ.

To the right in this image we see the Port Reading Yard track (aka the ‘east siding’), with the switch for the Carteret Industrial Track beside the lead unit. To the left, we have the ‘west siding’, used mainly to stage the daily unit ethanol trains from the midwest, destined for the numerous refineries in the immediate area. Also of interest here is the way the bridge painters worked around the old ‘Conrail’ logo, seen just above the train.; we appreciate their regard for the former, but also current (in a smaller capacity), operator of these rails.

The crew aboard CSX 8829 (ex-CR 6433, blt 9/77), with CSX 8886 (ex-CR 6661, nee EL 3676, blt 11/72) assisting, has the heat turned up, I’m sure, to high as they make their way down to Port Reading yard, just a mile and a half away, for a set-out before continuing further south to Browns Yard in Sayreville.

Image recorded February 14, 2010.

Frigid temperatures no problem for Conrail heading south through CarteretClick on the image to display it at a larger size. Use your browser’s Back button to return to this page.

CSX locomotives push on through appointed rounds

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Inclement weather does not stop the railroads from their ‘appointed rounds’, as evidenced by these CSX locomotives working through the weather in Port Reading, NJ. CSX 8829 (ex-CR 6433, blt 9/77) and CSX 8886 (ex-CR 6661, nee-Erie Lackwanna SD45-2 3676) are seen on the Port Reading Secondary, crossing the CR Chemical Coast Secondary at grade, backing into Port Reading yard with Conrail Shared Assets train OI-16. This train has just come south (towards the photographer) on the Chemical Coast line from Oak Island yard, and has swung around the western leg of the wye to access the yard on a reverse move. OI-16 will eventually come out again to reverse back onto the Chemical Coast, and head south to CP-WOOD at Perth Amboy, where it will enter the NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line for the short trip across the Raritan River, and then immediately onto the CR Amboy Secondary for its trip west to Browns yard in Sayreville, NJ.

Fortunately, the highway overpass overhead kept the photographer from getting buried in the snow, unlike the ties & rails (and everything else) in central New Jersey on this extremely cold, cloudy and gloomy day.

Image recorded February 13, 2010.

CSX locomotives push on through appointed roundsClick on the image to display it at a larger size. Use your browser’s Back button to return to this page.

CSX Q300 dwarfs underpasses

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Dwarfing the underpasses below, train Q300 is seen on the very northern end of the CSX Trenton Line in Manville, NJ, about to make a set-out at Manville yard. When work is complete, CSX 5483 (a GE ES44DC) will lead the train a mile north to join the Norfolk Southern Lehigh Line at Port Reading Junction, and continue its journey east to Newark, NJ, and Oak Island yard.

Image recorded Saturday, January 23, 2010. CSX Q300 dwarfs underpassesClick on the image to display it at a larger size. Use your browser’s Back button to return to this page.