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Caption: CN 330 and 331's demise has not been as much of a loss as originally expected to be. CN has added two trains, 523 and 524, although they are only as needed from what I hear. 524 only did an Aldershot-Toronto run on this day. However, either an extra load of autoracks was ordered for Oakville, or 232 was assigned to run in relief for 422. This particular 232 is made up of 73 empty multis. Here, it begins its trip on the south track from Nelles Road towards Hamilton. Whether it was Flint or Oakville bound is unknown to me, but ATCS suggested Oakville. If it was Oakville bound and operating in relief for 422, then perhaps there were CAMI bound autoracks in this consist to go along with the Ford's. Time will tell how CN's new Niagara operating plan works out, but so far it has shown unpredictability, which perhaps is a nice change from knowing approximately when every train is going to show up. So far more freights have been running into the sun, which is hard to come by in Niagara. This 232 showed up around 4pm, so it would have been a bright noselit shot if it wasn't snowing. Yes, the snow hasn't left yet, as you can barely make out by looking at the nose and plow of 2561. I personally don't mind, as winter barely even showed up when it was scheduled to!
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Hey Daniel, nice shot. 232 was ordered out of Buffalo this afternoon. The crew was on duty at 11:45. LOL..it was supposed to be my train, but as i said. Railroad politics. 232 is not really a relief train for 422. If 422 is to large they normally run an extra. 331/330 abolishment is not great and i think the train will be back. You are right about 523/524, they are ordered as needed, but I think you will see a lot of them in the coming weeks. I actually worked 524 today and even after 422 did its work at Aldershot I still ended up with just over 10,000 of traffic on 524 for Mac Yrd.
Keep up the good work
Thanks! Wow, it should sure took them a while! I see, I’ve kind of anticipated that response as if it was a relief train, then there’d be a 233 for 421! Do you know when 523 is usually ordered? And 10,000 feet for a 500 series train? Yikes… I’ve always wondered why 551 or something doesn’t just drop off a bunch of autoparts and autoracks for 330 at Hamilton, and then it run to Port Rob with about 100 cars, therefore shortening the length of 421. If Hamilton is too full, run 330 into Aldershot, wye the power and then head Niagara bound. 331 could do vice versa. I guess I will keep an eye on 523/524 over the next several weeks until CN perhaps changes their mind. Lol. Thanks again.
Ngineered4u – I know who you are now….after listening to you make up your train yesterday afternoon. you talk fast
@Snake…lol I am not sure if thats a good or bad thing.
Great catch Daniel, as well as the in depth description. Hope to see more of these 232′s around on weekends. I was in the Superstore at Grimsby when this passed by.
@ngineer4u — I’d know your voice on the radio anytime…you tend to talk fast…but you are never on the same job. Often IIRC – I’ve heard you relieve a train more than a few times. I live in the houses beside the berm between Waterdown RD & Snake, with an attic mounted scanner aerial. One time – maybe 6 or 7 years ago, I recall you calling in some “foamers” ( as you put it on the Radio – trespassing at Bayview taking pics.
@snake..hmm you are the first to tell me that i talk fast, but its all good. Yeah, i do relieve a lot of trains and I work only freight trains, not roadswitchers.
I probably did call in some trespassers if they had been on the property and in a place they should not have been. As for the reference to “foamers”. I have never used that term to describe railfans and especially not on the radio.
232 is an extra auto rack train for Oakville received from CSX at Buffalo. This train only runs when the regular supply route for empty racks for Oakville is not available. 435 handles the regular empty autos from Mac Yard to Aldershot that then supply Ford at Oakville. When there is a shortage, the TTX pool will find the cars elsewhere. This sometimes means CSX interchanging an empty auto train with CN at Buffalo. Sometimes the empties will come from a western carrier at Chicago and come to Oakville as 276. Just to be clear, 422 does not handle empty auto racks for Oakville, so this train doesn’t really have anything to do with the 330/331 abolishment. Obviously 421/422 will not be able to handle the former 330/331 traffic to and from Niagara most days (especially near the end of the week when volumes rise) so you can expect to see a lot of add to plan trains such as 567-522-523 filling in the gap.
PRH
Good thing I left the idea of an extra train open.
I do remember not long ago 232 operated three days in a row, which made me wonder if its main purpose was just to supply Oakville when autos were not around. Hmm… That does surprise me none of 422′s racks end up in Oakville. Makes sense though as I remember several times 338 would have 50+ autoracks and straight shot to Mac without stopping. Positive though that 330/331′s abolishment doesn’t necessarily mean less trains.
@daniel. 232 is not just a Buffalo to Oakville train as it operates to Beechville too. Amazingly the destination may change while the train is enroute! 232 has never been a regular train. There was talk about 3 yrs ago of trying to make it more regular and it operated every second day, but that was short lived. 421/422 handle all the auto parts cars for Oakville. Autoracks are also provided from the east on trains like 231 as they bring traffic to Aldershot for Oakville and also do work at Beechville. Sometimes they call in a 570 to take traffic down the Bala Sub with Oakville empties, or run it to Aldershot and the crew will run around the train there and take it to Oakville. No absolutes on the railroad.
While anything is indeed possible on the RR, I haven’t seen any 232′s turn the corner at Bayview and head for Beachville in at least a year. There were times in 2014 that CSX (who was in the middle of some serious service problems) was handing over empty auto trains at Buffalo that were heading for plants in Michigan. Word was, if CN didn’t take it there, who knows when they would get them at Toledo or Detroit! Events have even seen some empty autos repostioned from ON or PQ for the Nissan plant in Canton MS on CN! Undesirable, but if you need the cars, you need them!
PRH
PRH – where are you when we need you !….come back to the REAL world instead of playing with “scoots, green shooters, dinkys”, or whatever they call ‘em !
@rlk.. well at least 2 times in the last year 232 has turned the corner at Bayview and headed west. I was on one of them.
You are indeed correct, that that when you need the cars you have to get them where you can.
On more than one ocassion I have departed Buffalo thinking we were headed to Oakville, only to have the destination change to the west.
That’s railroading I guess.
Snake…no chance! Having too much fun with the green and whites.
PRH
Ngineered4u I guess I missed lining those two up the hill!
PRH
PRH..lol I was only on one. Hmm guess those green & whites keep you busy
@ngireeded4u – was that you on a ballast train Tuesday out of Aldershot to mile 11 ?
Lol! I think Railpictures.ca needs a forum!
@snake. No my friend that was a different crew. I worked 369 to Belleville and missed the work train…phew!!
@ Daniel..lol perhaps we do need a forum.
Just a heads up. I worked 532 from Mac Yrd to Buffalo today. 13.469 tons and 9535 ft. I dropped off CN 2600 in Buffalo for an auto train. I am not sure when its running though. Could be as early as tomorrow. Keep a look out.