After reading in the local newspaper that Norfolk Southern is going to be investing in upgrades to some rail lines in ohio to help relieve some congestion from Virginia to Chicago.
According to this article, They are going to be upgrading an NS Ohio line going though the upper middle of Ohio instead of going too far north or south.
It seems that the only possible line they are talking about through Ohio is the one though Ada, OH which they have trackage rights. Will they be upgrading this line to double track and/or better signals?
Does anybody know more about this proposed expansion/upgrade?
They have been talking about the corridor from the Norfolk area to Columbus. Traffic would continue north from Columbus to Bellevue, OH, and then head west. I’ve been assuming that the line between Columbus and Bellevue already had enough clearance for the stacks.
The NS route from Bellvue to Portsmouth is already able to handle doublestacks.In fact the NS handled some reroutes from Bellvue to Cinn. via Portsmouth over the P-Vine when the P-Vine was in service.
The airforce base at Rickenbacker is going to be the new container yard (which the NS is already in the construction phase).A new yard at Prichard WVa is also planned.
I haven’t heard about any other routes that have work to be done.I just don’t work on those divisions.But I do know all the work was being held off until all the Federal Highway money was finalized.The main route will run thru Columbus to Portsmouth Ohio to Norfolk Va.
I have seen marker stakes on the ground near the tunnels on the Poca. here for over a year.
It’s going to be a headache when they finally get started on everything.I imagine a lot of babysitting these trains or curfues.
Don’t think that NS is going to run this traffic via trackage rights through Ada, OH, over the CF&E. The directness of the route to Bucyrus would probably not compensate for having to run over non-signalled single track with very few places to meet trains, and I believe there are limitations over how many trains NS could actually operate over this route each day.
I thought clearances for doublestacks wouldn’t permit trains through the bridge at Ashville, OH, under the C&O bridge north of Chillicothe, and under a highway bridge or two also in the Chillicothe area, but perhaps I’m wrong.
The map just shows the route to Columbus and not any further. Are they planning on taking everything all the way back to the north line?
Currently, after looking in court records online in Hardin and Allen County Ohio, the Ada line is owned by a New York Central holding company. The line is then leased by to the different rail companies (eg. CSX & NS). I would think that they could easily upgrade the track going through Ada to double track since the roadbed still exists as well as putting in modern signaling.
That would make it ideal for them all the way to Fort Wayne, IN and shave off some more time and congestion.
ValleyX.The bridge at Ashville wasn’t the problem but the one located nearest the Kenworth truck plant at Chillicothe like you mentioned.It was replaced around 7 or 8 years ago,and double stacks have passed under it when the P-Vine was being operated with no problem.
Before it was replaced a spine car with double stacks accidently made it out of Watkins (in Columbus,Ohio) on the 234 and hit the low bridge at Chillicothe.Needless to say it took off the tops of the trailers,and there was alot of fuss about it.But nobody got fired,as far as T&E crews go.
The bridges at Sciotoville Ohio (over the Little Scioto River) at Ironton Ohio (over Ice Creek) and the bridge at Nagatuck WVa will all have to be replaced,in some way.The tracks at Ironton under the Ironton/Russell bridge will be lowered because the new bridge replacement over the Ohio River is on hold by the Ohio DOT.
We currently have height detectors located at See crossover ( east of Ft.Gay WVa) here on the Kenova District to prevent height restricted moves east of there account of the tunnels.Whick doesn’t make alot of since.Because all the bridges west of Ft.Gay (that I already mentioned) are to short for doublestacks [%-)] so why put detectors where their at [?] I guess I don’t see the big picture as they say .
Double stacking a spine car (designed for trailers and single containers) will get you every time. It’s been done before - and caught before the train departed. Big time screw up.
Somebody in the loading terminal wasn’t paying attention.
The T&E crew can’t measure their train for height, so don’t blame them. But the terminal supervisor had some 'splainin to do.
greyhounds your right and caught my bad [:I] on the spinecar.I just referred the car as a spine car.Probably was a deep well articulated car,my goof on the type of car [:)].
The line from Columbus north to Bellevue and then west to Chicago is ready to go. Improving the old PRR line through Fort Wayne for a few stack trains expensive, and I doubt NS could earn their cost of capital back.
I’m wondering where the trains will go from Bellevue, either to Chicago on the old Nickel Plate, or north to Sandusky and the ex Conrail Chicago line, or via the ex W&LE to Oak Harbor, OH, to the Chicago line ?
The New York Central holding company is the 42% of Conrail that CSX owns. CSX is leasing the line to the CFW&E.