Current news

BIG SANDY CREW ASSIGNMENTS

The following are crew assignments for train crews based in Shelby, Martin, and Paintsville, Ky., as of June 26, 1999. These are subject to change according to the volume of business, which is primarily coal. The regularly assigned crews have two rest days a week. Their assignments, if called, are covered by extra board crews on their days off.

"RU" DEMISE IMMINENT

We are in the process of rehabilitating RU Cabin interlocking at the east end of Russell Yard. The project is scheduled to be complete and in service by November 15, 1999. The RU interlocking will thereafter be controlled from the Jacksonville Dispatch Center. This is the last manned interlocking plant on the old C&O property, culminating a process of operator elimination that began over fifty years ago with centralized traffic control.

The adjacent depot was given to the City of Russell several years ago and is being restored. It is my understanding the old tower will be turned over to the city for preservation.

- Frank T Branham

WALBRIDGE WOES

I happened to have a conversation with a road crew out of Columbus recently. They told me that delays around Walbridge Yard near Toledo have become legendary. A wait of six hours is not unusual. Delays at Vickers just north of Walbridge where the former Toledo Terminal crosses the former New York Central (now NS) are especially bad. The comment that struck me the most is that at Walbridge there is a crew whose job is to cut blocked crossings.

- Edward H. Miller

CSXT REORGANIZES INTO REGIONS

CSXT news release, August 11, 1999 submitted by Ray Saunders

Ronald J. Conway, president of CSXT, announced a significant commercial and operational reorganization to promote customer focus and speed the decision-making process. CSXT will create three new service groups to focus exclusively on its principal product lines in merchandise, coal, and automobiles, in addition to the existing CSX Intermodal unit. Concurrently, CSXT also will reorganize its operating department into five regions to make the network more responsive to the needs of the service groups and customers.

The operations team will be reorganized into five regions reporting to regional vice presidents. Those regions, headquarters, and vice presidents are: Northeast Region, Albany, N.Y., Robert R. Downing; Western Region, Chicago, Michael G. Peterson; Central Region, Huntington, W. Va., Alan F. Crown; Midwest Region, Louisville, Ky., John 0. Williams; and Southern Region, Jacksonville, Fla., T. Michael Pendergrass. The regional vice presidents will report to Gary M. Spiegel, senior vice president-operations.

Each of the operating regions will have a central staff that manages functions of safety, operating rules, local customer development, operations improvement and budget, mechanical and engineering.

Each region will be composed of as many as four of CSXT's service lanes. The Northeast Region includes the former Albany and Baltimore Service Lanes. The Central Region will be composed of the territories formerly part of the C&O and Cumberland Coal Business Units and the Appalachian Service Lane. The Southern Region includes the former Florence, Jacksonville, and Atlanta Service Lanes. The Midwest Region is composed of the former Louisville and Nashville Service Lanes. The Western Region will include the former Chicago, Detroit, Great Lakes, and Indianapolis Service Lanes.

(Editor's note: You will notice the emphasis of the word "former" service lane. It is unclear if the C&O Business Unit with its distinctive and historical monogram will survive into the millennium.)

TRUCK DERAILS CSX TRAIN

Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 24, 1999 submitted by Ray Saunders

Seventeen cars in a 139-car coal train (U721-22, Newport News-to-Monclo empties - Ed.) derailed early yesterday near Hanover Courthouse when a dump truck driver lost control of his rig and collided with the northbound train. No one was injured in the 4:45 a.m. incident.

The driver, Thomas M. Trent, of Mechanicsville, was driving east on Route 54 when he spotted the train, braked, and lost control of his truck. The vehicle went off the south side of Route 54 onto Pimlico Road, then veered across both lanes. The truck then went up the embankment and struck the train. The dump truck was loaded with crushed asphalt and was enroute to Warsaw.

Police said the railroad crossing's arm and lights were working at the time and that another car had stopped for the train. Authorities cleared the crossing and reopened it to traffic about 8:20 a.m. Trent was charged with reckless driving, police said. &

Copyright Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society, Inc. Oct 1999
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