CSX Train Location Updates - December 2024

[Steamlogger]

https://youtu.be/7g1TBwKbCPY
Here is M327 at Grandville.
Apparently Amtrak hit something between Hudsonville and Zealand. Near mp 15.

[donnieland]

327 clear holland 903a - 2 motors back to back on headend, no dpu
watched steamlogger's vid of 327 at grandville , good job making the vid steamlogger

327 had 5203 ld and looks to be 462 trail ( last nights 302 ) with 139 cars iicc

[Tom49801]

Amtrak P371-05 @ 09:31 westward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG91.9 St Joseph, Mi with 20 axles. IDTX engine #4607 & 3 cars & IDTX engine #4627.

[Andy24]

Y106-06 @ 9:37 eastward Madison Ave and I can hear their horns from 10 miles away.

[Tom49801]

M327-05 @ 09:52 westward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG44.2 Pearl, Mi with 568 axles. CSX engines #5203 + #462 & 139 cars.

[Tom49801]

andy is 326 still at wells from last night? if so they may be using the pushers to get 326 up the hill to wyoming.

857a - 327 wb at east waverly

Hi Donnie.
R597-04 @ 10:11 backing out of the west end of Grand Jct siding with CSX engine #7253 & will head east to Wells Siding mp CG41.4 to pick up M326-04 that's tied down there. From what I had heard, they plan to put this engine behind M326's 2 engines instead of it being the new leader (don't know why).

[TSS]

Amtrak P371-05 @ 8:05 engineer stated “I am over for today”

Wonder if he meant it euphemistically as in he is done with this bad weather, or if it is hours of service? Does anyone know the exact amount of delay they tolerate on 371 before ordering a re-crew on 370? I would guess 1 to 1.5 hours.

371/370 have a combined run time of just over 8 hours, which means there is around 2 hours of wiggle room in terms of hours of service. I would assume that once 371 gets to be over an hour late, that’s when they make the decision to re-crew 370. That usually happens at St. Joe. You wouldn’t want 370 to have less then an hour of wiggle room in hours of service.

Normally, it’s around 15 hours from when 371 goes on duty in GR and when 370 goes off duty. The schedule depends on the crew getting an off duty respite period in Chicago. The legal minimum for that is 4 hours, but given there are only 2 spare hours of on-duty time, the hours of service will always trigger the re-crew before failure to meet the respite minimum ever will.

[Tom49801]

M327-05 @ 10:30 westward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG66.2 Hartford, Mi with 568 axles. CSX engines #5203 + #462 & 139 cars.

R597-04 @ 10:48 eastward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG44.2 Pearl, Mi with 6 axles. CSX engine #7253 lite power headed to the east end of Wells siding mp CG41.4 to pick up M326-04 that had tied down there last night after stalling out on the Saugatuck Hill.

[pudgy]

Hi Donnie.
R597-06 @ 10:11 backing out of the west end of Grand Jct siding with CSX engine #7253 & will head east to Wells Siding mp CG41.4 to pick up M326-04 that's tied down there. From what I had heard, they plan to put this engine behind M326's 2 engines instead of it being the new leader (don't know why).

7253 faces west, so it can't lead without ditchlights on the rear step (without going slow over every crossing) so it's most logical to put it behind the second engine rather than spend time breaking the consist apart and redoing the connections twice.

Also, would have to arm the EoT to the new leader if they proceeded this way.

[Tom49801]

Thank you, Pudgy, for the R597-04 explanation (I had posted R597-06 in error)

L301-05 @ 11:27 westward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG19.1 Zeeland, Mi with 76 axles. CSX engines #4082 + #4053 & 16 cars. He’s headed into Waverly mp CG22.8

M327-05 @ 11:30 westward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG91.9 St Joseph, Mi with 568 axles. CSX engines #5203 + #462 & 139 cars. He'll hold the Main track at Livingston mp CG99.3 to meet M326-05.

M326-05 @ 11:58 eastward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG91.9 St Joseph, Mi with 276 axles. CSX engine #5430 + 1 & 66 cars. He has a 4 axle depressed flat car with a Transformer, many thanks to TSS for the Transformer heads up

R597-04 (re-crew for M326-04) @ 12:27 on the move eastward reported from mp CG39 with CSX engines #5259 + #4758 + #7253 & 111 cars.

[Schteinkuh]

Amtrak P371-05 @ 8:05 engineer stated “I am over for today”

Normally, it’s around 15 hours from when 371 goes on duty in GR and when 370 goes off duty. The schedule depends on the crew getting an off duty respite period in Chicago. The legal minimum for that is 4 hours, but given there are only 2 spare hours of on-duty time, the hours of service will always trigger the re-crew before failure to meet the respite minimum ever will.

GR crews get fully reset on HOS on the Chicago layover. When 371 gets super late they’ll usually cab a crew to Chicago in the afternoon from GR (371 crew technically dies at 1715 eastern iirc). So this “two hours spare” makes zero sense.

[Tom49801]

M326-05 @ 12:59 eastward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG66.2 Hartford, Mi with 276 axles. CSX engine #5430 + 1 & 66 cars. Many thanks to TSS for the Transformer heads up

L301-05 @ 13:05 westward, Pass Track to Main Track, Holland, Mi Depot mp CG25.3 with CSX engines #4082 + #4053 & 5 CH cars. He has work at Hartford mp CG68.7 & will runaround his train at Kirk siding mp CG70.2 & head back east. He'll be taking Saugatuck siding mp CG32.1 to clear up for M326-05.

R597-04 (re-crew for M326-04) @ 13:12 eastward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG19.1 Zeeland, Mi with 462 axles. CSX engines #5259 + #4758 + #7253 & 111 cars.

M326-05 @ 13:34 eastward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG44.2 Pearl, Mi with 276 axles.

[Tom49801]

L301-05 @ 14:20 westward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG44.2 Pearl, Mi with 32 axles. CSX engines #4082 + #4053 & 5 CH cars. He has work for Hartford mp CG68.7 & will runaround his train at Kirk siding mp CG70.2 & head back east.

M326-05 @ 14:29 eastward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG19.1 Zeeland, Mi with 276 axles. CSX engine #5430 + #439 "Spirit of Birmingham" (thank you Andy24 for the "Spirit" info) & 66 cars. Many thanks to TSS for the Transformer heads up & many thanks to GRHC for being trackside for the trailing engine’s number & confirming the Transformer car is a 4 axle type depressed flat car & not an 8 axle type

L301-05 @ 14:51 westward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG66.2 Hartford, Mi with 32 axles.

[pudgy]

M326-05 @ 14:29 eastward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG19.1 Zeeland...
Thanks to TSS for the Transformer heads up & thanks to GRHC for being trackside for confirming the Transformer car is a 4 axle type depressed flat car & not an 8 axle type

Car will go north on the MQT for it's unloading destination.

[David Collins]

M326-05 @ 14:29 eastward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG19.1 Zeeland...
Thanks to TSS for the Transformer heads up & thanks to GRHC for being trackside for confirming the Transformer car is a 4 axle type depressed flat car & not an 8 axle type

Car will go north on the MQT for it's unloading destination.

any idea where it’s getting unloaded?

[Tom49801]

L301-05 @ 16:08 eastward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG66.2 Hartford, Mi with what had sounded like 28 axles. CSX engines #4053 + #4082 & 4(?) cars.

[Mikeyt2004]

L303-05 @ 16:34 departing Grand Rapids

[Andy24]

M508-05 @ 16:36 turning east at Deshler, OH with CSx engines #595 + #5334 + #8230 & ?? cars (will update cars count after train clears). Final destination is Detroit, MI

[Tom49801]

L301-05 @ 16:37 eastward reported by the Defect Detector mp CG44.2 Pearl, Mi with 28 axles. CSX engines #4053 + #4082 & 4 cars.

[BL2-1843]

CSXT 850, 5206, 3294, 3463
G80401, 90 cars (all CSX) Train will become G07704 for Webberville this afternoon/evening. 2 engines (3294 & 3463) were removed at Plymouth and will be used to take G80501 from Plymouth to Walbridge and further south. G07602 running as G80103 south of Plymouth.

G077-04, grain empty to Webberville followed L302-04 last night but had 3294 & 3463 for power. The other two units 850 & 3206 evidently turned back south from Plymouth. L305-05 this afternoon now returning west to Lansing with 71 cars. By Webberville at 16:55. 53 of the 71 cars were scrap tie empties from Ann Pere.