Did every one read about csxs mountain climbers?
if so i have noticed that lots of those engines have been running between New York and pittsburgh.
can any one tell me why they do not keep them in mountainous area?
It’s because controlling a segregated locomotive fleet is easier said than done - and CSX seems to have a harder time getting their policies into practice than most other roads.
BTW - what do you mean by “between NY and Pittsburgh”? Do you mean traffic thru Cumberland? If so, then the “heavies” are pretty close to home.
I’m not sure I understand the question. (?)
He’s talking about the article in Trains that discussed CSX’s efforts to improve the tractive effort performance of locomotives for use on Cranberry grade.
The original purpose of the “heavy” units with advanced adhesion management software was to prevent the stalling of standard-length eastbound loaded coal trains en route from Grafton, West Virginia to Cumberland, Maryland. However these units also enable CSXT to increase the length of trains operated on other routes; and one particular type of “heavy” unit, the class CW44AH AC4400CW, enables CSXT to increase the length of trains on the Grafton-Cumberland route. So although the CW44AH units should be particularly common in the Grafton area, these and other types of “heavy” units are intended for systemwide service.
Jay Potter
then why do i see those engines on the frieght line between harrisburg and philadelphia?
There are several coal train routes through Hagerstown & Enola to consignees in the greater Philadelphia area. CSX power is run through on these trains.
these trains are not coal trains they are intermodal frieght trains
This is very interesting. I have seen a lot of CSX power in Philadelphia and surrounding areas, that normally runs on CSX’s Mountain Subdivision. I believe on the mountain sub at Seventeen mile grade they add extra engines as helpers, to get up to Cranbery grade (sp). On the Mountain sub I also tend to see more GE power than EMD, also many SD80MACs tend to run on the Mountain sub.
Some of the manifest, and coal trains that run through Philadelphia do tend to have what I like to call Mountain Sub engines on the head end. These trains useualy run east to west, in Philadelphia.
Once the power gets on the NS…the NS does with it what they want…if they want it to run an intermodal train from Enola to Chicago…away it goes. Class I’s with the horsepower hour power sharing agreements between the carriers use all power interchangably to move their traffic requirements. If the engine is not due its quartely maintenance, near term, the engines can stay of foreign property for an extended period of time. This is all road engines on all carriers. An engine having a serious breakdown on a foreign carrier will hasten its return to the owning carrier.
as former CSX employee i can tell ya…this is true been true and will always be true…kinda a bassackwards company[soapbox]