Current Status of Brunswick and Connellsville yards?

Hello,

I would like to know the current status of the CSX yards at Brunswick and Connellsville, both along the former B&O.

I visted Brunswick Yard at the beginning of this year and It was very much still in operation, with a switch crew working the yard. I did read that CSX was to close the yard, but that appears to be false. Is this to change? How does Brunswick fit within the rest of the CSX system?

I also went on the Capitol Limited to Pittsburgh last year. I wasn't able to get a good look at Connellsville yard, but from what I did see, it appeared to be mostly empty. Did Connellsville close? If not, what does CSX still use it for?

There are occasional rumblings that the MARC Brunswick Line service will be truncated to Brunswick station due to funding issues. If it were so truncated, I suspect that the MTA would need to pay CSX to retain the yard and the interlockings in some form, to make it easier to reverse the terminating trains back towards the District.

I am also curious to know about the operational usefulness of having a yard and sidings between the two junctions with the Shenandoah line and the Old Main Line where idle locomotives can be stabled.

TheOneKEA wrote: ↑Fri Nov 29, 2019 8:50 pm There are occasional rumblings that the MARC Brunswick Line service will be truncated to Brunswick station due to funding issues. If it were so truncated, I suspect that the MTA would need to pay CSX to retain the yard and the interlockings in some form, to make it easier to reverse the terminating trains back towards the District.

I am also curious to know about the operational usefulness of having a yard and sidings between the two junctions with the Shenandoah line and the Old Main Line where idle locomotives can be stabled.

All MARC trains operate in Push-Pull so there is no need to turn trains. MARC already stores most the Brunswick Line MARC trains at Brunswick - they may need to lease additional space at Brunswick if the stop laying over trains at Martinsburg.