I spotted CSX SD40-2's <--8182 & 8274--> with about 25-20 unloaded coal hoppers and then I saw 8200--> running backwards on the other end of the train. Coupled to that engine was about 6 heavily blackened Railbox Boxcars with a Yellow notice on the last boxcar that read: "TEST CAR DO NOT HUMP". about 30 minutes later I was stopped at the same crossing again, and then here came 6 "black" (really yellow, but were so dirty) Railbox Boxcars with 8200 pushing them with about 25-35 empty coal hoppers with 8274 and 8182 pushing. I haven't heard of any track repair on the scanner and ther hasn't been any rain in a week. Yet another Odd Sighting On CSX"S Cowen Sub.
Could those blackened ones be specially loaded checking out brakes, or special kind of wheels or truck springs, or something like that?
You say "heavily blackened". Do you mean like burned or covered with soot from a fire? Remember the freight that was caught in the Howard Street Tunnel wreck was a 60 car freight. Could the cars have been "cripples" from that wreck headed to the Huntington shops?
the cars didn't have actual burn marks, but the last 3 of the 6 boxcars looked pretty sooty. The 121 mile branch line through here stops in the middle of an abandoned railyard juat shy of 10 miles out of charleston, they probably weren't going to Huntington. P.S. there have been a lot of boxcars sitting around here lately.
also why would csx take the "cripples" right past the Cumberland shops to huntington, I mean cumberland is only about 80 miles from Baltimore, not like 280 to Huntington.