Intermodal to Saint John

121 was into Greenville Jct. at 07:18 with 8566/8941, 18 mixed freight, 6 empty wells, 69 wells/151 containers.

[Edited at 18:06]

120 was into Greenville Jct. at 14:23 with 8810/9816, 7 tarped pacman hoppers (likely derailment cleanup), 28 wells/50 containers, 53 mixed freight (29 loaded autoracks, I believe that's the highest since the CP buyout.)

121 was into Greenville Jct. at 08:30 with 9816/8810/9374, 92 wells/170 containers, 37 mixed freight.

[Edited at 16:09]

120 was into Greenville Jct. at 14:55 with 8812/8508/8647, 67 wells/109 containers, 104 empty wells.

Mr. NHV. are these two trains, 120 & 121, that you report on here, the only two CP operates over the line?

Enquiring mind wants to know.

Mr. Norman, that is correct. At one point last year, the intermodal traffic had grown to the point where the mixed freight was split into its own trains, and they ran two pairs 4x a week, and the IM 7x, with a few extras sprinkled in. That stopped with the weekly AT3 call moving to every other week last December, which cut the container traffic quite a bit.

I haven't checked the ship tracker much these days, but you can see there was a fair amount of IM in both directions today.

121 was into Greenville Jct. at 08:02 with 8833/8812, 49 wells/100 containers, 31 mixed freight.

To note— Keith Creel will be at the port June 1 for the port days event as a key note speaker

I have no idea if shovels ever went into the ground, but Irving/CP had big plans a year ago to build the Lancaster Logistics park in Saint John to increase auto traffic (including I believe imports through the port) and domestic containers. Also, the first stag of the port expansion should come online soon with the second pier and new, larger I think, gantry crane to serve larger ships. Provided that CP is not too distracted with the KCS integration, I think there is still opportunity at Saint John with the Irvings. And of course CSX is spending big $$ to restore the Irving interchange at Keag in Maine.

121 was into Greenville Jct. at 08:49 with 8647/8508, 76 wells/161 containers, 8872 (DPU), 5 wells/spines/7 containers, 1 unloaded spine, 40 mixed freight.

[Edited at 19:02]

120 was into Greenville Jct. at 13:08 with 8110/7056, 24 wells/49 containers, 5 empty wells, 33 mixed freight.

121 was into Greenville Jct. at 07:22 with 9750/8803, 78 wells/161 containers, 8110 (DPU), 45 mixed freight.

[Edited at 16:55]

120 was into Greenville Jct. at 13:23 with 8120/7010, 52 wells/107 containers, 5 empty wells, 27 mixed freight.

121 was into Greenville Jct. at 07:11 with 7010/8120, 129 wells/223 containers.

[Edited at 14:14]

120 was into Greenville Jct. at 13:24 with 8125/8508/8647, 32 wells/58 containers, 34 mixed freight.

121 was into Greenville Jct. at 07:43 with 8647/8508/8125, 68 mixed freight, 3 wells/6 containers.

[Edited at 16:16]

120 was into Greenville Jct. at 14:09 with 8156/7054/8065, 33 wells/36 containers, 5 empty wells, 21 mixed freight.

121 was into Greenville Jct. at 07:36 with 8065/7054/8156, 56 wells/115 containers, 51 mixed freight.

120 was into Greenville Jct. at 13:50 with 8732/8004, 16 wells/34 containers, 43 empty wells, 39 mixed freight.

Mr. NHV, have you any thoughts when at such time, Chessie becomes a competitor at the Port of Saint. John - namely when she upgrades her track into Keag to Class 2 and no longer need rely on a "not exactly friendly" interchange at No. ME Jct, how much traffic do you think CPKC (CP-M) stands to lose?

Will it be a case of the Port, thence offering far more rail access to Eastern, and especially Southeastern, USA, become much more attractive to the maritime companies that there will be enough additional business to keep both happy?

At the CSX Pan Am topic, I expressed concern that given the tidal conditions at Saint John, the port might not be able to handle additional sailings, but wiser heads around here put those concerns to rest.

But if there will be enough traffic to go around, then I foresee both roads having some very favorable line hauls. True, Chessie does not serve the KC gateway, but she sure does serve the Southeast.

Finally, I must wonder if Topper will wish he was not as quick to bolt to the paddock, for now if he is to get anything other than Shipper's Routings, i.e. short haul CSX to the B&E or CPKC to Rouses Point, he will have to play "nice-nice".

121 was into Greenville Jct. at 08:57 with 7056/8733, 46 wells/81 containers, 1 empty well, 41 mixed freight.

[Edited at 18:35]

120 was into Greenville Jct. at 17:03 with 8720/ NS 7656, 53 wells/73 containers, 43 mixed freight.

Mr. Norman, other than seeing Irving Lumber in KY on a Virtual Railfan cam on a CSXT line, and knowing that the tanks with "Thiele" on them come and go from the southeast, I have no idea where many of the cars on 120/121 come and go from. We'll find out when CSXT opens that gateway back up.

121 was into Greenville Jct. at 08:00 with 8004/NS 7656/CMQ 3817, 67 mixed freight, 3 wells/6 containers.

120 was into Greenville Jct. at 16:13 with 8877/8618, 44 wells/71 containers, 12 empty wells, 44 mixed freight.