CN Updates- October 2019

[KC8RBK]

Eb rack train by 205 at 1650 with 2 cn

[David Lang]

Southbound CN 514 with GTW4900 (CN Paint) with maybe 20 or so single and double stacks, by Linden MP 55.3 at 5:12pm.

David Lang

[KC8RBK]

398 by 205 with 2 cn at 1811

[KC8RBK]

933 west by 205 at 1820. 5445 I believe is the unit number. Video up now

[David Lang]

Heard the dispatcher say another E-280 at Pitt and (I think) meeting a northbound at Holly.

David Lang

[Man o' War]

M384 by Grove Park (MTC 22.5) at 18:45. CN/CN, 107 cars.

Man o' War

[KC8RBK]

Short eb manifest by 205 at 1845. 2 cn. Emd leader and standard cab ge trailing

[Man o' War]

M385 by Clinton River bridge (MTC 21.19) at 19:52, CN/CN, 162 cars.

Man o' War

[KC8RBK]

933 east by 205 at 2023 with empty racks. Couldn't tell if it was the same unit as before but it is long hood forward

[David Lang]

Been offline for a few hours.

That Southbound E-280 (second one today) went by me at 6:45pm today, then a Northbound went by Linden at about 8:30. Not sure what train that way.

Sorry, not much help at the moment.

David Lang

[KC8RBK]

364 by 205 at 2102

[David Lang]

Another Southbound maybe 30 to 45 minutes ago. Guessing either 502 or 514.

David Lang

[KC8RBK]

Another Southbound maybe 30 to 45 minutes ago. Guessing either 502 or 514.

David Lang

502

Wb manifest with 2 cn by cory at 2127

[KC8RBK]

394 by 205 at 2315. 2 cn pulling, one in the middle pretty close to the tail end.

[KC8RBK]

116 by 205 at 2355. 2 units but I disnt get to the crossing in time to see what they were. Long train with lots of mixed freight on the tail

[KC8RBK]

148 by 205 at 0110 with 2 cn

[MtClemensRailFan]

M382 through New Haven at 11:10. CN 3860, 3181, & 3170 with 139 cars.

[David Lang]

First train of the daylight I think (Haven't been home all day, but most of it).

Northbound CN train 371 by Linden at 4:25pm.

David Lang

[David Lang]

Woo Hoo, Southbound 514 with GTW 4900 (in CN Paint) with 5 doublestacks, by Linden at 5:33pm.

Sometimes I have thought about the economics of this train. Northbound can be fairly long to Flint, but Southbound from Flint back to Moterm can be sometimes lite or very few cars. What is interesting is why not stick those cars onto a Northbound like 371, drop them at Durand to interchange with 148/149 there (instead of Flint), then have 502 take the Moterm bound contains back South. Why the extra crew, fuel, locomotive(s), etc.?

Don't get me wrong, more trains are great, but just thinking about this from and operations and cost perspective. Maybe the containers on 514 are time sensitive and, for example, riding on North on 371 and back South would mess with that time sensitivity, not sure....

David Lang

[David Lang]

After thinking about this some more, adding containers to, say Northbound 371 and Southbound 502 would disrupt their typical duties. Maybe it is better for a dedicated train, i.e. 514, to do this work. I am quite certain that CN would not be running 514 if it did not make economic sense. Railroads are like any other company, always looking at cost to find a better way I suppose, but it is interesting to guess the reasoning behind it.

David Lang