February, 2000: CSX OCS in Michigan
Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2021 10:35 pm
All the excitement a week ago about the CSX OCS traveling across Michigan made me think of my previous encounter with this train. I wasn't here in 2014 when the consist last moved through the state, and I'm not sure when it passed through before that. But I do remember when a shortened version of the OCS turned up one day back on February 17, 2000 back at Rougemere Yard. There was no railroadfan.com back then, nor facebook or any other message board or online scanner to follow the action. I'm not sure why I was passing by Rougemere Yard on a Thursday afternoon, but my family attended church in East Dearborn and handbell choir rehearsal was usually Thursday night, so maybe that's why. I was in high school then and didn't have my own car.
Anyways, there was a surprise on the Ice Dock track right along Wyoming Avenue. CSXT F40PH #9992 and about 6 OCS cars were parked there at the yard office. Somewhere, I have very poorly lit film photos of the business cars; it being late afternoon, from the parking lot I was clearly on the shadow side. But the brilliant, clear February sun shown down on the then-new Bright Future nose of #9992 facing east, which made for some decent photography of the head end. I need to dig up my pictures to share here.
Having seen the train roll through west Michigan last week, I started googling "CSX OCS Michigan 2000," and sure enough came upon this great report on Jerry Sunlin's website about the CSX OCS visit, including its timetable and travels around the northern part of the system including Ohio, Michigan, and CSX Ontario operations. And a photo of the same train I saw, just up the track in Livonia! You can check it out here: http://xrailfan.com/trains/ply/specinsp.html
I'll share my photos when I find them. Does anyone else recall catching this train or have any early OCS pics to share?
Anyways, there was a surprise on the Ice Dock track right along Wyoming Avenue. CSXT F40PH #9992 and about 6 OCS cars were parked there at the yard office. Somewhere, I have very poorly lit film photos of the business cars; it being late afternoon, from the parking lot I was clearly on the shadow side. But the brilliant, clear February sun shown down on the then-new Bright Future nose of #9992 facing east, which made for some decent photography of the head end. I need to dig up my pictures to share here.
Having seen the train roll through west Michigan last week, I started googling "CSX OCS Michigan 2000," and sure enough came upon this great report on Jerry Sunlin's website about the CSX OCS visit, including its timetable and travels around the northern part of the system including Ohio, Michigan, and CSX Ontario operations. And a photo of the same train I saw, just up the track in Livonia! You can check it out here: http://xrailfan.com/trains/ply/specinsp.html
I'll share my photos when I find them. Does anyone else recall catching this train or have any early OCS pics to share?