Honda Plant/CIND Ops continued

[INprinter]

Here are two shots of the first train to leave Honda today. Not good quality and will repost later this evening. Got connected to internet with the help of a little duct tape and had to edit photos with like Photoshop version 3.0 LE edition. Will also add some other shots as well. I had a steak dinner waiting and a cold beer after the photo op at Honda so you can see where my priorities are.

Inprinter

[Cheviot_Hill]

Well late as usual getting home from work. Stopped down at the old Amtrak station on River Road in Cincinnati, and saw the two engines there waiting to get into Queensgate/Gest yards. It had the two empties only. My question is did I miss the hand off of the other 5 cars, and why were the 2 new CIND units and the 2 empties sitting on CSX rails??? Did they back up onto CSX track, or did they come down from the North Bend switch point? It's got me a little perplexed. 

[Sunman_ite]

First Honda train EVER rolls through Sunman Indiana Haulin...CIVICS haha
So fast that the paint was rollin haha
but here is what i caught on the cell phone.. @ exactly 5:35pm

[INprinter]

Here are a selection of the shots I got at the Honda Plant earlier today of the first car train leaving for Cincinnati. Even though it was a little cold out there the sun was shining. Not many folks showed up for the event. I didn't see more than 2 dozen folks at the banner breaking location including channel 6 news people and a couple of other video crews. It was almost a non-event. However, it was the culmination of a lengthy process that we all have been watching since June 27, 2006, 10:45:05 PM when Cheviot_Hill made the first post to this thread announcing that Honda would be locating in Greensburg and that we should be ready to watch the MOW trains work the CIND line. Well, 766 entries to this thread and 32491 views of these postings later and it looks like the mission has been accomplished. Now we have more trains to watch as time goes by.

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[INprinter]

And, a few more shots...


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[scraphauler]

Well late as usual getting home from work. Stopped down at the old Amtrak station on River Road in Cincinnati, and saw the two engines there waiting to get into Queensgate/Gest yards. It had the two empties only. My question is did I miss the hand off of the other 5 cars, and why were the 2 new CIND units and the 2 empties sitting on CSX rails??? Did they back up onto CSX track, or did they come down from the North Bend switch point? It's got me a little perplexed. 

Must have missed the hand off of the loaded cars - not sure if they went NS or CSXT or both - my guess is NS.  The empty cars where bi-levels that where erroneously mixed in the first train and where being returned to CSXT (as that is where they came from).  As to why the power and 2 cars where sitting on the CSXT side at Oklahoma, I would assume that the train director routed him that way for some reason - my guess is they where going to leave the empties on the CSXT at Storres for a CSXT yard job to grab later (that has happened in past with special moves not handled via the normal interchange track at North Bend)

Westbound power past MP 47 Batesville at 1:11 AM this morning.  Had to be engine light or only 1 or 2 cars as he was already clear of crossing I can see from kitchen by the time I got to the window.

My original understand of the operating plan was that Greensburg crew and power where only handling train to Valley and a Valley based crew and power where to take to Cincy.  That obviously did not happen on this first train.  Will be interesting to see how this develops as we settle into regular operations and volumes grow. 

[Kim_Heusel]

Here is a link to a story that appeared in today's (Wednesday's) Indianapolis Star.

Kim

http://www.indystar.com/article/20081203/BUSINESS/812030341

[Cheviot_Hill]

That was the short train you saw early this morning. They were still at Valley as of 9:30 last night. The SP unit was sitting on the siding at Idaho St. hooked up to a long string of hoppers, waiting to head west to Valley Junction Yard.

When was the next train load of cars coming thru from Honda? Thought you said it ws a daily, but not sure.
Thanks for your insight Scrappy!  

[scraphauler]

When was the next train load of cars coming thru from Honda? Thought you said it ws a daily, but not sure.
Thanks for your insight Scrappy!  

Should be tonight - supposed to be daily, Monday through Friday (taking same holidays as Honda) from here on out.  Plant is producing 180 cars a day right now, with 50% to 80% (5-10 car loads) moving out by rail. 

[Jeffrey J Mitchell]

Anyone have some definite radio frequencies for this train? I did some research but the ones I have don't seem to have any traffic.

[Sunman_ite]

So, I'm wondering, when they said two trains a day, is that one empty going up and one full going back? Or do they mean two loaded trains a day?

[Sunman_ite]

Scaphauler,
Just wondering, I heard around town that the Welding guys bought or leased the old mill lot. I also heard they are putting in a new siding, I usually don't really listen to small town gossip a lot, but I drove by yesterday and seen they are ripping out the old concrete foundations. I figured you'd be in the know, do they plan on using the siding now for something Honda related, or are they just clearing the way for nothing? I know they did have semi trailers in there this Summer. I was just curious, thought maybe since  that is basically the only siding  from Greensburg to Valley they would use it for the Honda trains or regulars to bypass each other?

[scraphauler]

So, I'm wondering, when they said two trains a day, is that one empty going up and one full going back? Or do they mean two loaded trains a day?

One loaded train eastbound, one empty train westbound.  However, initially it will probably be one loaded train eastbound, engine lite 4 days a week westbound, and one long empty train once a week westbound.  TTX (who controls the autorack pools) generally likes to send train load quantity of racks to the auto plants vs. spoon feeding 8-10 at a time into them. 

[scraphauler]

Scaphauler,
Just wondering, I heard around town that the Welding guys bought or leased the old mill lot. I also heard they are putting in a new siding, I usually don't really listen to small town gossip a lot, but I drove by yesterday and seen they are ripping out the old concrete foundations. I figured you'd be in the know, do they plan on using the siding now for something Honda related, or are they just clearing the way for nothing? I know they did have semi trailers in there this Summer. I was just curious, thought maybe since that is basically the only siding from Greensburg to Valley they would use it for the Honda trains or regulars to bypass each other?

Semi trailers stored there where for GE Lighting Distribution Center in Batesville and where full of light bulbs - they expanded their lot there at the distribution center and now keep all of their storage trailers there (Same story on all the trailers that used to be stored in the old Pri Pak lot, Lee's RV's at Twin Oaks, and at Morris).

As for the old Sunman Hardwood property, yes, Simpson and Son's out of Harrison did in fact purchase the property back in May or June I think.  And yes, there are likely some track changes/expansions to take place on the property, however, right now it's more for their convenience in repairing the cars than anything else.   CIND can currently use the siding to have a local and rack train meet (assuming local is small enough and there is enough room), but I think that will an exception more than a rule - pretty sure CIND's goal is to not have the local in a position where it could possibly interfere with the time sensitive rack train. 

[CIOR]

There really isn't a need to have the local out there in the same time frame as the Rack train. 
I imagine that even if they did do it that way it would be arranged to have the local out of the way in order to move the rack train.

That 4 hour window "GREENSBURG-CINCINNATI" isn't that big of a window, considering its a 2 hour transit time.  You get a knuckle, air hose or any other condition in route and that 4 hour window will go away quickly. 

Scrap, does CIND have a carman on duty during that time frame the racks are running?  I figure at least a Utility man job would be there to assist, but could be wrong.

[scraphauler]

Sounds like an extra was run today (already!).  Wife said she heard a train around 1115 this morning, then again around 130PM (Batesville).  I've since talked to a friend who saw it - CIND 5000/5008 eastbound engine lite at 1115, CIND 5008, CIND 5000, CEFX 9400 westbound with approx 60 empty racks around 130PM.  

My guess is the an empty rack train showed up at Gest Steet or Queensgate this morning and neither NS/CSXT or CIND had anywhere to park this thing out of the way until tonight, so the 9400 drug the cars onto CIND toward Valley and the 5000/5008 ran down lite to assist as the 9400 probably would hard pressed to lug the train up Guilford hill solo.  If this is what played out, I bet the normal Valley Jct crew assignments are all messed up now.

[scraphauler]

Scrap, does CIND have a carman on duty during that time frame the racks are running?  I figure at least a Utility man job would be there to assist, but could be wrong.

I think mechanical only goes over to CIND once or twice a week to handle anything on RIP at Valley.  In fact, they've farmed some of their misc. work out to our guy at Sunman (he's got 9 covered hoppers up there right now mixed in with our gons), so no, there's no carman.  Don't really thing there a utility job either - believe they are pretty much on there own and if something falls apart, the Trainmaster responds. 

[CIND 2254]

Scrap, I'm suprised I didn't see you tking those pictures. I was driving by right at the time that you were taking the pictures. I talked to Bob at the Honda plant, and then ran into him a few time along the way. I guess I will have to post afew photos of the train east of Morris.
                      Christian

[Coach]

Sraphauler, Honda is making 210 cars a day now.  Looks like they are leaving Honda grounds a little eariler today on Day #2!  About 4:30 versus 4:35 yesterday for the banner celebration.

[CIOR]

Very interesting, but true of a shortline op.
Do you know who is doing the RIP work at Honda?  Is it R&R or the guy you mentioned above.

I imagine as they get the kinks worked out of it, the train departure will be like clock work, seeing as how its the only thing that job does.