CSX Atlanta Downsizing Continues

BNSF FAN Jan 18, 2018

  1. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    Rumors have swirled around the Clinchfield for a few years now; I'm not sure if it's on the CSX potential sale list or not. It's a shame to see one of the best engineered routes in the east gathering rust. I don't see much of a fit for NS there, but I might be overlooking something.
     
  2. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    You are right about there not being much for NS in former Clinchfield country. Now, if something were to change and the higher sulfur content eastern KY coal demand went back up, then I could see NS showing some interest but that's pretty unlikely in the foreseeable future.

    As for rumors, there is always a new one around the next turn. They mostly never pan out but do make for fun conversation. :)
     
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  3. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    Latest update is the track in the hump yard is being removed. Saw a photo on another site yesterday that showed the rails already gone from the first several tracks. Still in a little bit of shock that this is really happening.
     
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  4. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    Came across this neat 01/25/1974 rail map of Atlanta in an SCL Employee Timetable. Helps to clarify the location of things as they were.

    Atlanta SCL 01-25-1974 - for upload.jpg
     
  5. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Is all of the track depicted still in place?
     
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  6. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    Most of it remains, though some has been removed per my edits below. The line in the upper left is the former SAL main west to Birmingham that once carried The Silver Comet and much of the line has been pulled up. :( Perhaps BNSF FAN can update us a bit more about changes in the area.

    Atlanta SCL 01-25-1974 - with tracks gone.jpg
     
  7. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    So that line at upper left is pretty much just a stub?
     
  8. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    Yes, at a point called Edna close into the city just outside of the I-285 Loop. Interestingly, a portion of the abandoned ROW beyond is labeled on maps as the Silver Comet Trail.
     
  9. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    That is a pretty good map. Indeed, the old SCL line to the west/northwest is stub ended maybe a bit closer in than many think. After that, it is the Silver Comet Trail (rails to trails) all the way to the Alabama state line. Like Hardcoaler showed, from South Bellwood around to the junction just before what the map shows as A&WP under the SOU. is gone but at that point there is still a small amount of active trackage. It runs from Oakland Jct. to just past the Sou. This is the only south side stretch of what was once known as the Atlanta Belt Line that is still intact. it killed the yuppie crowd here to have to build connector trail here and across the north/northwest side of the loop. Then I have marked the next two sections of the Atlanta beltline that are now a trail. The Inman beltline is still intact for now and Tilford is continuing to be dismantled. :( Hope that sheds a little more light on the layout and hopefully not too much of an eye chart. :)
    atlanta rail.JPG
     
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  10. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thanks! Somewhere in memory cobwebs, I have heard mention of that Fulton County RR.
     
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  11. DJ of DJsTrains

    DJ of DJsTrains TrainBoard Member

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    I have been an engineer with CSX since 2/1999. This past year has made me sick with anxiety.
     
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  12. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    I can't begin to imagine the work stress you carry each day DJ. Some years ago as I waited in the Atlanta airport between flights at a distant and quiet gate, I couldn't help but overhear an emotional phone conversation between a man and his wife. His eyes were watering on the verge of tears as he explained his continuing tribulations as a CSX engineman. He was in Atlanta for training and the expectations that had been put upon him were too much to bear.

    We spoke after the call and he said that the workload had become impossible, the training incessant and that no matter how good your skills, you never measured up. He'd been in engine service for many years (before computerized screens in engine cabs) and felt certain that he'd be given the boot. Such a terrible thing, so see a thoughtful and capable man brought to tears over job uncertainty.
     
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  13. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Stress can indeed do nasty things to your health. With fallout thereafter including family, friends and.... I hope you can find a way to mitigate this condition. :(

    Anyhow, welcome to TrainBoard!
     
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  14. mmi16

    mmi16 TrainBoard Member

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    CSX will sell anything at THEIR price, which will be well above market value.
     
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  15. Wojo

    Wojo TrainBoard Member

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    Watching the change at CSX, is reminiscent of the X plan envisioned by Conrail, back in the 90s... The nature of railroad freight business is changing, and CSX is reacting to the changes.
    Some of the proposed line sales will become a windfall for shortline operators, while other lines will become trails or fade to obscurity. I am amazed how much the railroad industry has changed sice my retirement ten years ago.

    Boris
     
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  16. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    I'm pleasantly surprised at the upbeat and humorous radio banter I hear on my scanner amongst NS crews in the Carolinas. These guys and gals are often struggling with clogged yards, defective PTC systems, lack of sleep and other daily irritations, yet they somehow maintain an esprit de corps that gets trains over the road. My hat is off to them.
     
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  17. Wojo

    Wojo TrainBoard Member

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    FWIW, yesterday, CSX announced record quarterly earnngs, and a "record" operation ratio somewhere around 58.6. Today the stock closed at $69 / share, a new 52 week high. Looks like they are doing something right.
     
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  18. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    I saw that too -- a phenomenal quarter for CSX. I was reading Value Line's opinions on rail carriers at the library today and most of the Class 1s are still struggling with capacity issues -- too much tonnage and too few employees and plant to handle the rapid rise in demand. CSX is an exception, having lost business during their transition to "precision railroading" and the reduction in carloads serving to keep their lines fluid.

    I'd have guessed that global rancor over trade and lost business from clogged lines would be tanking other rail shares, but most of the rails are doing extremely well, with NS also hitting a 52-Week high today. It's been an industry horserace. CSX shows as the darkest blue line. UP, NS and CSX have had a very good trailing 12 Months, while CN and KCS had a difficult time.

    upload_2018-7-18_20-11-2.png
     
  19. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

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    So, for the short term, CSX is looking good. The real question is will this be sustainable for them? I guess only time will tell.
     
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  20. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    Agreed. If CSX is able to regain and retain their lost traffic and do so without clogging their lines, they might have a winning formula. In view of the hump closures, train re-routings, and deep layoffs and management firings, It'll be interesting to follow their progress.
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2018
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