A mixed manifest KCS revenue freight passed eastbound an hour ago on the as-yet unrepaired trackage through Gulfport and Biloxi. I have to assume that the train entered the CSX trackage in Gulfport off the KCS line from Hattiesburg and Jackson, MS, unless CSX has opened the line to New Orleans three weeks earlier than expected. The train was led by four big KCS SD-(?)'s. (Sorry, but I don't know how to identify most of the modern diesels. ) Can anyone, perhaps mmi16, add information?
Aha! A mystery! Was it traveling at track speed? As pre-storm? Or restricted speed? Maybe it was being sent as a test train? Boxcab E50
Hi Ken, The train was traveling at 15-20 mph, and stopping at every crossing that still doesn't have operating guard devices. Also, I doubt if it was a "test" train. Somehow I don't see KCS loaning four of its big road engines and 60-80 loaded cars just so CSX could test a section of track that had yet to be repaired since Katrina. I suspect that KCS had some freight that had to be delivered somewhere east of here ASAP. Although why KCS didn't interchange with CSX up in Meridian or B'Ham is a good question....
Hank- I was thinking that those engines may have been out on a pool power type arrangement. It would be interesting to know more about this mysterious movement. Boxcab E50
I agree. The KCS freights are coming through more often now. There have been two so far this morning, one eastbound with KCS power, and one westbound with CSX power. The one thing I haven't been able to determine is whether these trains are interchanging with CSX in Gulfport, i.e coming south from Jackson, or if they are interchanging in New Orleans, coming directly down from Shreveport. I doubt this latter since I don't think the Bay St Louis Bridge repair has been completed. All I can guess is that something major has happened to prevent KCS from continuing east out of Jackson and interchanging with CSX either in Meridian or B'Ham. Maybe mmi16 can shed some light on this, if he's still in the area.
