Last Friday, 1/31, saw something I don’t ever remember seeing before on CSX’s ex-ACL “Bow Line” between Waycross, GA and Montgomery, AL. An eastbound container train was stopped in Valdosta, almost 60 miles west of Waycross. I’ve been traveling on parallel U.S. 84 nearly once a month for most of the past five years, and the RR is visible from the highway much of about 80 miles from west of Valdosta to Waycross, and I don’t ever remember seeing a container train on the line. My understanding is that the Bow Line is only used for overflow traffic between Montgomery and Waycross because three crews are necessary, while only two crews are required on the ex-AB&C thru Manchester, GA. There were also two trains in the yard in Thomasville; usually there are none. Was the line thru Manchester out of service for some reason? Can anyone shed any light on what was going on? Inquiring minds want to know (this one anyway).
I know that the snow storm that paralized the Atlanta area highways also did a number on the operations of CSX’s Atlanta and Jacksonville Divisions. With the highway disruption in the Atlanta area I am certain there were numerous CSX trains on the Hours of Service and no means to get recrews on those trains, thus tieing the railroad in knots until such times as the highways were cleared and men could make it to their on duty reporting points and arrangements made to get those men on the HOS trains as recrews.
I suspect the Bow Line was used as it was the only semi-fluid route for priority trains.