Operations west of East Deerfield

Just wondering if anyone knows what the general pattern of ops is on the west end? What trains tend to run at what times, if there is a tendency to "fleet" one direction or the other at various times of day, etc.? Also, is there any pattern to which trains get CP runthrough power (other than, onviosuly, trains to/from CP points), and any train that is more likely than others to get some of the remaining SDs as power?

Huh, I guess Guilford no longer operates trains on the West end???

Guilford doesn't. Pan Am does.

"Guilford doesn't. Pan Am does."

Pull-ease....

I guess you need binocs to spot the unit numbers up at that altitude?!

Ok, well maybe someone can at least refresh my memory- are the CTC interlocking signals (such as at CPF-415, 421, 423, 448, 464, 466) constantly lit or approach-lit?

There are two pairs of road freights in and out of East Deerfield. There's EDRJ westbound and SEED eastbound that handle CSX traffic at Rotterdam Junction. They're usually Guilford powered. Another pair, EDMO westbound and MOPO eastbound, handle the CP traffic at Mohawk and are CP powered, usually SD 40's either CP or SOO Line, and a CP "Red Barn" from time to time. In addition there are daily intermodal trains MOAY eastbound and AYMO westbound that go to Crescent/CPF477 and combine with NS trains 169 and 168 to and from Harrisburg. They use Guilford power between Ayer and Crescent. A local out of East Deerfield works the Adams Branch at North Adams. NS powered coal trains also operate over the west end, on average about once a week.
The general pattern is a little iffy. The most reliable trains seem to be MOPO and EDMO running in daylight and meeting, along with SEED departing Rotterdam in the mornings. However per Guilford custom, there is much "canning", usually at either Eagle Bridge or North Adams.

oibu wrote:Just wondering if anyone knows what the general pattern of ops is on the west end? What trains tend to run at what times, if there is a tendency to "fleet" one direction or the other at various times of day, etc.? Also, is there any pattern to which trains get CP runthrough power (other than, onviosuly, trains to/from CP points), and any train that is more likely than others to get some of the remaining SDs as power?

Greetings:
This question has been asked about a million times and the answer is always the same.
I have found that the best times are early morning and in the afternoon, but a train, especially a coal train can come at any time.
GRS / Pan Am runs trains on a "as needed" basis. This is to say they run when they have a train to run and a crew to run it.
With all this being said, you can increase your chances of seeing a train on the west end by doing a few simple things.
1) Bring a radio scanner and listen.
2) Go to East Deerfield and take a look at the trains in the yard and try to figure out if they are ready to move and in what direction.
3) Drive by the tracks on Rt. 2 at Buckland at the overpass to see if there is a train sitting there. Listen if it is recrewed and if it might move anytime soon. (They often outlaw here.)
4) Listen to the road channel for "Zelda Zoar" defect detector. She will tell you of freight movements near the tunnel. This HBD at Zoar is a railfans friend!
5) If all is quiet, go to North Adams and check out the yard. You might get lucky. If nothing is happening, then go into the Western Gateway Museum (Hoosac Tunnel Museum) and have a look.
6) Look for other people sitting near the tracks. If they have a odd looking antenna on their car or are eating junkfood, they will often be railfans. Say hello and ask if there is anything "out there" you will often get useful information or a strange look!
Hope this helps.....
Jerry Kelley