DOES ANY ONE HAVE ANY IMFORMATION ON HOW CSX IS ROUTING THERE TRAINS OUT OF NEW ORLEANS? OR ARE THEY RUNNING TRAINS AS THEY DID BEFORE KATRINA?
I believe most of the CSX traffic out of New Orleans did not originate there and was interchanged off the UP and BNSF. This traffic is now routed to the North through places like Memphis. Anything under contract originating from New Orleans would probably go out on the NS line to somewhere like Birmingham and then on to the CSX.
The CSX NO&M Sub between New Orleans (Gentilly Yard) and Pascagoula, MS is not yet open for regular traffic to the best of my knowledge. However, having said that, there have been several hefty KCS trains with 3-4 SD-50 and/or -60 locos running eastbound and westbound over the line for the past few days. I don't know if they are interchanging with CSX in Gulfport off the KCS line out of Jackson, MS, or if they are interchanging at Gentilly Yard. I doubt if this routing is their first choice. They are running at about 15 mph, and having to stop at most grade crossings because the lights, bells, gates, etc. are not operating yet. The last information posted by mmi16 on this Forum was a copy of a notice by the CSX Operations Dept. alerting crews to start posting to their respective boards on Jan. 16 (today) for start of operations on Feb. 1. I haven't seen or heard anything to change that.
Having to run this way, it would seem to also be an expensive operation. There must either be something extremely time critical, or high value on board? Or KCS has a big problem somewhere on their system? Boxcab E50
Not really....it's just that I, like you, feel that this is probably the most likely scenario. By the way, I haven't seen or heard any big trains today. Maybe whatever the problem was has now been repaired....
I know I'm getting way off track here... What was it he'd say to his subordinate? "Elementary, my dear Watson?" Or something close.... Boxcab E50
I read on Tuesday's Trains News Wire that CSX put ~25 cars on the ground near Cuba, AL, 20 miles northeast of Meridian, MS. The article was not specific as to the date it occurred, but that could have been the cause of the KCS freights using the CSX NO&M Sunday and Monday. Since Meridian is the eastern terminus of the KCS Speedway, KCS could have come south from Jackson to Gulfport on their tracks, then used CSX trackage rights east to Mobile then up to B'Ham or Atlanta, and the reverse, especially since it was CSX that blocked the NS line. Just a thought....? [ January 18, 2006, 02:59 PM: Message edited by: Hytec ]
