How much train traffic travels through where you live? Here in Cranbrook there is about 8 to 14 trains per day. Most go down to the States, one to Golden and back and another to Trails Cominco Smelter return.
On a good day in about 2 hours, I will catch 5-10. Have a gentleman that has spent 24 hours in that same place. He has mentioned something like 80-100. And he logs them all. That is a dedicated Foamer with a capital F - and probably some sore spots.
I live near Lafayette, Indiana. On a good day the Norfolk Southern Lafayette District will run 25-30 in a 24-hour period. Things really pick up in the afternoon around 3:30 PM. CSX’s Monon Sub. will run about 5 a day. There is no real rhyme or reason to CSX. It can pick up any time of of day. Amtrak’s Cardinal runs tri-weekly with the Hoosier State on the other days.
-Justin
I live in Rochester, MN along the DM&E. We see 2-4 ‘road freights’ per day, at least one ethanol train per week, and there is a local based out of Rochester.
Now if I drive 45 miles east to the Mississippi River, BNSF runs at least 20-30 trains/day and CP has about 10-12 freights, plus Amtrak. CP also hosts a UP road freight and a UP unit ‘frac sand’ train out of Winona.
Jim
I live in Tallahassee, FL, along CSX’s ex-SAL/L&N New Orleans to Jacksonville line. Don’t know how many trains come thru here, but I’d be very surprised if there are more than 6-8 per day (if anyone has actual knowledge of how much traffic there is, I’d be happy to know). CSX has de-emphasized the line in favor of the ex-L&N/AB&C/ACL northeast from New Orleans to Birmingham, east to Manchester, GA, then SE to Waycross, at least according the the last info I read.
I live just off the UP main line on the west side of Omaha. I can’t keep track of exactly how many but 3-4 every hour would be a conservative number.
Traverse City Michigan one train every three to six months.
Uhh…(Carl Sagan voice over) lot and lots and lots…almost everything BNSF brings into Houston passes a block away from my home, and most of that ends up where I work.
It just so happens that I documented four and a half hours that I was forced(?) to spend trackside yesterday. There is no reason not to assume that these hours, and the fluctuations therein, are typical. One caveat: this was a weekend…on weekdays, the Metra trains run nearly hourly instead of every other hour.
1118: Westbound scoot (six cars).
1125: Westbound manifest.
1200: Westbound manifest.
1208: Eastbound manifest.
1255: Westbound auto racks (one unit on the point and one DPU on the hind end.
1305: Eastbound scoot (six cars–probably the same set that went west earlier).
1321: Westbound scoot (nine cars).
1332: Westbound stack train (two units on the point, one DPU).
1350: Westbound manifest.
1416: Westbound WEPX empty coal gons (two units on the point, one DPU).
1438: Eastbound stack train (three units on the point).
1448: Eastbound auto racks (one unit pulling over a mile of cars by itself).
1509: Eastbound scoot (th
About 1,100 weekday rail movements near me… grant it I live near the two busiest rail stations in the country (Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal). Toss in another 1000 or so rail movements if you count the subway.
On the GTW/CN line in Michigan it averages about 24 per day. Around sunset there are usually 6 trains and just before Sunrise there are 6 trains. Since they occur in low light situations, it is hard to photograph them without a bank of lights trackside. The rest of the freight trains are randomly occuring through the day. There are sometimes two hour gaps in traffic, followed by a fury of activity, due to dispatchers using the section of single track line as the basis for scheduling movements.
Andrew Falconer
Andrew…where are you on the GTW? I am at Valpo and we have 20 scheduled plus coal trains, which is probably 2 per day. Curious as to other GTW lines.
NS - Chicago - Ft Wayne has about 20-25 per day. CFE has one per day, plus NS trackage rights trains.
CSX - Chicago to Garrett, In mainline (ex B&O) has about 40 daily schedules, plus the 2 “apple trains” each way per week, plus about 10-15 intermodals per week that run certain days. There are about 3 ethanol trains each way daily. Coal off of UP and BNSF is down quite a bit, but the coal out of WV is about 1 -2 per day each way. Couple of grain trains per week. The line averages about 50-60 per day.
NS - ex Conrail line is busy…with Amtrak (14 per day?), CSX at Porter - 4/6 per day, plus the scheduled intermodals and boxcar trains (probably 40-50 per day), CP trains (10 per day), this line can see 80-100 per day.
I scanner-fan at home and my scanner is always chirping.
Ed
If I sat trackside for 24 hours, I might see six or eight, and one of them would be the local returning from it’s rounds (so it’s really just one instead of two). CSX runs one manifest pair daily, and I believe they’re running an intermodal pair as well. We also get ore trains headed to/from the Alcoa facility in Massena. Add the local and there you are.
We do get the occasional special movement. Windmill parts were headed north this summer, and a nearby military installation generates some traffic, although the co-gen plant that got coke/coal has shut down.
When I’m working on our Utica trains, CSX offers a pretty good parade on the “Chicago Line.”
DM&E South Beloit job works the Ex MILW line between Davis Jct., IL and Janesville, WI. which is two blocks east of my house. Usually southbound about 7:30am, returning by 3pm.
Well…, it’s something.
(If I am in a bad need for a train watching fix, Rochelle is only about a 30 minute drive).
Here in S Dayton OH. you’ll get CSX on the Toledo Sub. running about 14-20 (usually) featuring the auto racks and unfinished frames. Secondly would be the steel loads and what I’d call “priority manifests”
Since the truck & bus plant shut down NS Dayton district is a bit slower but you can see the money corporate is spending to prepare the Hartland Corridor “spur” down from Columbus. Maybe 5-10 daylight trains now. I havn’t seen any trackage rights trains recently.
[quote user=“CShaveRR”]
It just so happens that I documented four and a half hours that I was forced(?) to spend trackside yesterday. There is no reason not to assume that these hours, and the fluctuations therein, are typical. One caveat: this was a weekend…on weekdays, the Metra trains run nearly hourly instead of every other hour.
1118: Westbound scoot (six cars).
1125: Westbound manifest.
1200: Westbound manifest.
1208: Eastbound manifest.
1255: Westbound auto racks (one unit on the point and one DPU on the hind end.
1305: Eastbound scoot (six cars–probably the same set that went west earlier).
1321: Westbound scoot (nine cars).
1332: Westbound stack train (two units on the point, one DPU).
1350: Westbound manifest.
1416: Westbound WEPX empty coal gons (two units on the point, one DPU).
1438: Eastbound stack train (three units on the point).
1448: Eastbound auto racks (one unit pulling over a mile of cars by itself).
My apartment overlooks what used to be the throat of Potomac Yard. I’ve never tried to keep track of how many trains there are a day. Couldn’t if I wanted to anyhow. I’m not home for 10 hours a day and asleep another eight!
Highiron:
What time does CSX 500 and 501 pass thru Dayton?
They often meet here in NW Indiana around 5pm. These are the Chciago- Cincy manifest trains.
ed
Since I live near the throat of the ridge on the west side of London we can see and hear both the CN and CP mains as they come within 250 yards of our back yard…
On weekdays we can get upwards of about 50 on CN and 20 on CP’s lines…depending on traffic …
Next to nothing in my town, maybe an occasional freight every few days. Seems to have REALLY slowed down since I have been to Altoona.