On November 23 we headed south to Syracuse NY for Black Friday festivities. I was able to do a commercial cut-out and head to CSX's Mohawk Division 3 mile-long yard facilities, including the largest intermodal yard in all of New York state. My location: C.P. 286 at the Bridge Street overpass in East Syracuse. These photos are taken west of the overpass showing CSX's TransFlo transfer facility and 1937-built coaling tower(above) and east (below). Interestingly, the Village of East Syracuse includes a photo (wait for the slideshow) of a CSX train taken from the Bridge Street overpass!
While I only had about three hours to spend here, weather deterioriated to heavy overcast and showers, dampening my enthusiasm slightly. Regardless, I wanted to record some of the views available. When I said three-mile-long yard, I wasn't kidding. Look at this CSX intermodal train stretched out to the horizon, powered by CSX 934-5247 at 1140:
The above 'drive-by' photo shows the excellent access road that parallels CSX property. Previously, the Syracuse Amtrak station was in this area. No need to trespass here, and if a train is slow-moving, there is a chance to catch up to it without driving like an idiot. Did I mention trackside dining? Rico's Ristorante has enticing trackside-view windows.
Amtrak snuck up on me at 1150. This is the Lakeshore Limited from Chicago, with baggage, dining and sleeping cars eastbound from Chicago, due in Syracuse at 1138.
As Amtrak markers disappear into the distance, a mostly empty CSX intermodal freight appeares from behind it with 5259-5412-107.
Continuing west under the Bridge Street overpass, the structure in the distance appears to be a freight house. Speno rail grinding operations were also based here, before being absorbed by Michigan-based Pandrol-Jackson and later Harsco Track Technologies.
Geeps 2692-2792 trundled east from the TransFlo facility after spotting some track machine flat cars. At 1205, a couple of units entered the yard with a few intermodal cars: 5436-7779. Ever heard the term Toaster used for a GE unit? Here's why. Check out the burn marks on C40-8W 7779:
North side of the yard (Conn Rail Road, says the sign) is home to stored intermodal equipment and CSX maintenance facilities. (Submit the correct number of STOP signs readily visible in this post and win a prize!) **We have a winner. Thanks to all for your guesses and being sharp-eyed readers! 
Conrail lives on along Conn Rail Road; the railroad version of Elvis. This double-door boxcar has vestiges of U-1 wheel stencil, consolidated lube plates and an ACI label. Perhaps an AEI car reader tag too.
While rejoining my party at Wal-Mart (where the Salvation Army kettle-minder rings his bells in a suitably attention-getting and hopefully donation-getting manner), I missed an eastbound auto rack train. No problem, just zoom in from the parking lot to catch these BNSF Auto-Max cars.
And now a selection of US intermodal cars (click to enlarge) you won't see on CN's Kingston Sub. While regular Trackside Treasure readers know that I usually feature Canadian railroading, Syracuse is close to Kingston, and is the junction of the CSX St Lawrence Subdivision which connects with the CSX Montreal Subdivision at Massena. The junction is very close to Destiny USA, formerly known as Carousel Mall, and can be seen at the top of this Destiny USA aerial photo.
Got ONR? Check out Jerry Marshall's awesome N scale collection. Adam Walker photographed Jerry's train show display. It's truly impressive.
CP hunts for savings, moving its Calgary headquarters to cheaper real estate, chopping train starts, cutting their workforce, and no doubt adopting the measures that got CN's operating ratio way down. Cutting costs since 1885...
NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center featured always cool Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, Trace Adkins and the tinselly festive and precise Radio City Rockettes. 'Tis the season for Christmas specials. I share David Letterman's favourite show suggestions: Martha Stewart Makes a Bunch of Cheap Crap from Tinsel. Due to global warming, CBS has remade Frosty the Snowman into Frosty the Puddle.
You're a braver man than I, heading into the morass of consumerism that is Black Friday. I prefer my shopping to be done much more impersonally; on my couch with some good tunes on. Of course, the resultant pictures from your trip are a nice slice of northwestern New York action, so I'm glad you went!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think the answer to your Stop sign contest is 5.
Regards,
Adam Walker
http://walkerweb.ca
Hi Adam,
ReplyDeleteThere is a fine line between bravery and foolhardiness! Three factors that made me cross it were a real opportunity to get trackside, sampling the hearty bur generally unhealthy US dinner fare like Olive Garden, and the chance to visit Barnes & Noble bookstore, where I picked up a deeply discounted hardcover of the early seasons of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
We've gone over a few times for the novelty of it, and this was my best 'fanning opportunity. I'd recommend that spot to anyone.
Your guess of 5 is correct. I'll be adding the Syracuse CSX contest prize to your other items!
Thanks for your comments and your correct guess.
Eric
I've flown in and out of SYR a bunch of times and always wanted to make a sidetrip to railfan the mainline there but never made it. Nice to see a write-up on the place.
ReplyDeleteI also sadly see that your "write-ups in progress" sidebar no longer contains anything about the CN Outer Station yard and Hanley Spur. What gives!? :)
-Bryan
Hi Bryan,
ReplyDeleteNot to worry, I leave the Posts in Production as a bit of a reminder to myself, and if I haven't worked on one in awhile, it goes.
This is not to say this post will not be produced. It will. It is going to take a bit more research, perhaps over the holidays. Would this interest you....a Pennsylvania RR hopper of coal across Ontario St from Fort Frontenac? An example of the neat stuff found on the Hanley.
With all the Homeland Security post 9/11 stuff, I was relieved to find an ACLU-friendly trainwatching spot. Syracuse is surprisingly busy, especially deep in the yard and good-sized engine terminal.
Thanks for your comments, and stay tuned for more Kingston rail-served industries.
Eric
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI'm mostly interested a yard/trackage/car control map, and definitely the near-term history of the line.
One of my favourite things about your blog is that it covers what I consider a "lost era" of railfanning. It's easy to find plenty of romanticized accounts of the steam era, the Canadian Locomotive Company, the downtown stations, etc. But few people seem to put much interest or research into 1970-90, the period before the Internet and when railroads entered steady decline. To me, this era is "the good old days" when railroads were at their peak. I guess part of the problem is that this period hasn't become "history" yet? (Until now, as we all get older!)
-Bryan
Yes, I share your interest in the 'lost era' of the 70's and 80's, when there was also first gen. power and cabooses still in use. This is also the era of modelling I'm interested in, having backdated my HO Vancouver Wharves layout to 1970-75!
ReplyDeleteYour request has not fallen on deaf ears and I'm going to get to work on that post right away.
Thanks for the encouragement, Bryan.
Eric
Woohoo!
ReplyDeleteCould be a double woohoo, because it has become two posts...the Outer Station and the Hanley Spur, the latter complete with car control diagrams and street map plus photos.
ReplyDeleteEric
In that case, I'll do a "Hee hee, woohoo, oh my" like the time Homer was gaining weight to go on disability and he found out his stomach was resting on the towel rack!
ReplyDeleteThis just in...the Hanley Spur may in turn split into two posts...did Homer star in any episodes that featured cloning experiments gone horribly wrong?
ReplyDeleteI'd been to the Queen's University Archives and copied some aerial photos, including views from 1965 back to 1924. While I realize these earlier years may be before your period of interest, the photos show the line clearly in its heyday. Also, there's just too much stuff I'm accumulating to fit in one post. D'oh!
Eric
Ah, nice to see you dug up that stuff from the archives. I searched online and found that it existed, but none of it has been scanned for online use.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally to this, the City of Toronto has a large amount of scanned archive information available of this sort (fire insurance maps, aerial photos, etc.); it allowed me to gather lots of info on the rail history of the Toronto Portlands. Although as usual, there is a bit of a hole between 1970-1990.
Good luck with the continued research. I'm looking forward to the results!
-Bryan