An unusually busy Saturday on the CNO&TP "Capacity" and "Velocity"

[E.M. Bell]

"Capacity" and "Velocity" are Two words we have been seeing the RR's throw around alot in the past couple of years, and this past Saturday 04/30/11, the 2nd District of the CNO&TP didn't seem to have a lot of either.

While not unusual to see fleets of Southbound trains during the day South of Danville, it was most unusual to see everything "hit at almost the same time.  The morning started out with signal issues between Bowen and Palm that had everything running at restricted speed for a couple of hours, which managed to bunch up a few trains.  By the time we made it down to the new crew change point at Burnside KY, those trains where stacking up one after another as they waited for new crews, A couple of Northbounds where also in the mix waiting their turn, and 167 was working the small yard at Somerset, which had single track tied up for a long while. While all of this was going on at Burnside, Three of the hot pig trains, 229, 215, and 223 left Danville, and somehow the dispatchers managed to weave them through the log jam.

By the time everything started to break loose, it was after 1400, and we barely had time to change locations between trains (and had to let a couple go just to get to a few spots we wanted to shoot)  The hot stuff ran, the warm stuff waited, making a very frustrating day for the RR (but a pretty dang good one for us!)  It seemed that a big part of the problem this day was changing crews at Burnside (CAPACITY)...Danville could, and did, do the same thing a lot faster, with a lot more room for stuff to move around.

I added 18 new images from all the mess to my Pbase gallery, including a heaping helping of EMD, and even a little CN power. This link will get you to all of the "big" pictures.  http://www.pbase.com/kd4jsl/gallery/nscs2eb11

NS 216 is creeping along on bad signals, through downtown Moreland Kentucky



A Short 197 passes under the new signal bridge at the new CP called General. This is the South end of the  new "yard" at Burnside Ky, and was formally CP Tateville (which was moved a mile or so South of this location)



NS 167 rolls through the cut at Parkers Lake, KY with a spartan cab SD70 leading..you cant go wrong with that!



Southbound NS 61N, with a CN leader, works up the hill at Garlands Bend, just South of Tateville, KY