Lakeshore coal trains

So far over the past 2 months, I've seen coal trains go east past the Lakeshore Museum camera near Erie. All CSX black or gray aluminum bathtubs, flood loaded, heaped to the top. These trains are never listed on the Fairport cam train sheet so they apparently never go farther east than Buffalo. I've seen them in 3x0 with a non-DPU leader. Today's train was 2x1. Engs 3267/277=3421. Trace cars CSXT 303056, CSXT 305448, CSXT 398169. Origin (MGA or C&O?) and routing and destination?

Second coal train 4 hrs after the earlier one. Probably service failure related. Same style cars, 2x0 with 3275/5211 and no DPU. This one looked as if it was not flood loaded, but loaded by front end loader bucket. Trace car CSXT 301865.

Don't quote me on this, but there was a youtube video I watched documenting recent activity at a coal storage site at Bethlehem Steel in Lackawanna. CSX delivered coal to the nearby yard and BPRR brought it into the site to be loaded at some point onto a freighter to go to Hamilton, Ontario. Will link that video as soon as I can.

~~~~~~~~
Https://youtu.be/b-yJ3hKYdBY

The lake freighter Algoma Mariner has arrived in Buffalo and is docked at the former Bethlehem Steel. Doesn't specify if he's loading or unloading nor does it forecast its next destination.....yet.
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/de ... MA_MARINER

There is also another ship [H. Lee White] entering Lake St. Clair near DTW [as of this writing] on its way to Buffalo.
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/de ... _LEE_WHITE

The ship, Sam Laud is tied up delivering sand across from the ADM. Speaking of sand......I have noticed a lot of activity at the sand pit across from ADM. Truck after truck is hauling out the sand, up and over the skyway. Over the summer on my way to my boat slip, I pass over the Bison yard along the I-90 westbound. I see they are loading sand on many many rail cars lined up to be filled. You can also see the piles of sand that spilled off the conveyor belt while going up to the top of the car. I'm wondering if all the trucks from downtown are coming to the Bison Yard and loading up for rail shipments. Too bad NS doesn't have access to the yard of tracks that are sitting right up against the sand dryer downtown. Actually, the rails have been removed. Curious as to why CSX didn't try for it. I would guess that transport by truck is probably cheaper than installing new rails.

That's a fascinating drone video of the coal being unloaded at the former steel mill complex. Q: how does a ship actually get loaded with coal there to transport to Hamilton?

The more fascinating thing is why anyone would transload coal at Buffalo for Hamilton. The only places I see in Hamilton that would use the coal have easy rail service and it's only about two hours more by train from Seneca to Hamilton. The Canadians can't spare a crew to come get the train to run it up to Hamilton? Or did the Grimsby Sub fall into the lake?

The coal pile is not adjacent to the ship canal. In the video, I could not see how to convey the coal to a waiting ship.

TrainDetainer wrote:The more fascinating thing is why anyone would transload coal at Buffalo for Hamilton. The only places I see in Hamilton that would use the coal have easy rail service and it's only about two hours more by train from Seneca to Hamilton. The Canadians can't spare a crew to come get the train to run it up to Hamilton? Or did the Grimsby Sub fall into the lake?

I have been wondering the same thing. In less time than it takes to spot and unload the coal at Lackawanna, a train could be at Stelco or wherever it's going in Hamilton. Let's say one 2-man crew to get the train across the border, another to get it to Hamilton, and maybe even a third to deliver it to a plant. Six crewmen, add in fuel, and that's more expensive than transloading to a ship, sailing the ship to Hamilton, and unloading it again? How many men on a ship? Wages alone would seem to make rail cheaper. What are the economic factors driving this move?

Also, the Welland canal is closing for the winter today 1/7/23 at noon. Should re-open in late March 2023.

Does the steel plant in Hamilton even have a rotary dumper? Or did it always take their supplies by boat?

Satellite imagery suggests both steel mills in Hamilton can only accept raw materials via boat. The Dofasco steel mill appears to have no rail access close to its iron or coal stocks; while the StelCo plant has rails close to its coal stocks, there are no signs of any capacity to unload hoppers in the imagery.

SST wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 8:33 pm The lake freighter Algoma Mariner has arrived in Buffalo and is docked at the former Bethlehem Steel. Doesn't specify if he's loading or unloading nor does it forecast its next destination.....yet.
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/de ... MA_MARINER

Algoma Mariner departed Buffalo this morning with coal for Hamilton.

Why didn’t they just stop at Ashtabula? Huge coal loader with NS and smaller ops with CSX. Unless it’s closed.