Charlotte "Old Time" Switching
One aspect I seldom hear railfans discuss is that of watching local trains or yard jobs switch local industries. Granted, it does not hold the same luster as watching priority trains race down the mainline but there is a more indicative answer for this---there simply is not as much of it today as in years gone by. Lineside customers have declined due to the loss of industry in this country and a vast majority of rail customers need not be located by the railroad due to containerized shipments. The intermodal boom of the past couple of decades has become the face of modern railroading and although the driving force in the renaissance of the industry, it has drastically supplanted what was once a staple of operations----the local freight. Added to this is the clustering of businesses in industrial parks that are generic at best and lack the charisma of that old warehouse receiving a boxcar alongside the mainline or branch.
The Class I railroads also, to be honest, attempted to shed much of this type of operation deeming the servicing of the single small customer an expensive nuisance and opted instead to serve bulk industries with high volumes. Large tracts of Class I railroad all across the United States was sold to short line operators who could still provide "personal" service for the "mom and pop" customer. Ironically, the large railroads have second guessed these actions in hindsight and are actively soliciting the on line customer once again. What comes around goes around, so to speak.
Even the trackage that served rail customers in the past was interesting itself with the number of switches, the configurations, and the nooks and crannies of a spur running between buildings. The conditions of these spurs varied from good to awful and countless numbers of them were quite decrepit to the point of being dangerous to operate on. No question these tracks were a maintenance nightmare but they still had a charm about them. Among my fondest railroad memories was watching the Penn Central in Charleston, WV during the early 1970s. Charleston was a busy rail center in that era with a considerable amount of manifest traffic. Virtually every business alongside the railroad was a customer and the diversity of traffic was interesting. Watching the locals switch those businesses is a memory that has remained with me. But let us now fast forward to a taste of some "old time" switching today.
The Class I railroads also, to be honest, attempted to shed much of this type of operation deeming the servicing of the single small customer an expensive nuisance and opted instead to serve bulk industries with high volumes. Large tracts of Class I railroad all across the United States was sold to short line operators who could still provide "personal" service for the "mom and pop" customer. Ironically, the large railroads have second guessed these actions in hindsight and are actively soliciting the on line customer once again. What comes around goes around, so to speak.
Even the trackage that served rail customers in the past was interesting itself with the number of switches, the configurations, and the nooks and crannies of a spur running between buildings. The conditions of these spurs varied from good to awful and countless numbers of them were quite decrepit to the point of being dangerous to operate on. No question these tracks were a maintenance nightmare but they still had a charm about them. Among my fondest railroad memories was watching the Penn Central in Charleston, WV during the early 1970s. Charleston was a busy rail center in that era with a considerable amount of manifest traffic. Virtually every business alongside the railroad was a customer and the diversity of traffic was interesting. Watching the locals switch those businesses is a memory that has remained with me. But let us now fast forward to a taste of some "old time" switching today.
Above is a freelanced map of the featured switching location in Charlotte. The area is opposite of CSX Pinoca Yard adjacent to Rozzelles Ferry Road and Lawton Road. The customer receiving the switching move is Colonial Materials, a home improvement distributor, and on this day an empty centerbeam flatcar is being picked up. By sheer coincidence, I discovered that these photos were taken two years ago to the day of the creation of this web article. The red numbers on the map correspond with approximate photo sequence locations. All photos Dan Robie 2010.
The Switch Moves
1) Several elements are in play here to already provide an "old time" urban feel. The heavy growth along track that is rusty and run down plus the obligatory debris that is often found at trackside locations such as this. The fact that a "GP30" slug with a GP40-2 mate as power only heightened my interest in this. There is also another GP40-2 in the consist making it a threesome.
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(2) The conductor has lined the switch for Colonial Materials and begins walking towards the Lawton Road grade crossing. This is essentially a close up version of the first photo and provides greater detail. The fall color was a bonus to enliven these images of an industrial area otherwise devoid of scenic appeal.
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The track extending behind the locomotive set is out of service within a short distance. It once continued onward to serve customers that are now no longer in existence.
(3) The #2251 is an ex GP30 originally owned by the Illinois Central Gulf. As with all the road slugs, #2251 is paired with a "mother unit" which is GP40-2 #6901.
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(4) This image offers the best vantage point of the track layout. The conductor is now on Lawton Road waiting for the locomotives to cross both the street and the rail diamond. Railroad track in pavement has an aura of its own and adds to this switching location.
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Since the slug has no prime mover (power plant), its primary purpose is to provide additional tractive effort at low speeds. These mother/slug sets are versatile and can be found in mainline service as well as switching. This view reveals another business to the right which is not served by rail. Note the dip in the track before the switch points.
(5) The power is on the move as the conductor walks toward Colonial Materials and the centerbeam flatcar. There is also a gate that will have to be unlocked and opened. This business is typically switched twice a week. The foreground track is considerably busier with industrial park traffic each day.
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(6) The ups and downs that can often be found with rail sidings is clearly visible here. The locomotives are on a descent prior to hitting the diamond as the conductor talks to the engineer telling him how many car lengths he can move prior to stopping.
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(7) In a view from a loading dock that could receive a boxcar, the locomotives ease towards the couple at Colonial Materials. The conductor, now out of sight, is checking the gate to ensure it is fully open.If this switching move were to ever to take place at night, the loading dock locale would make for quite a moody photo.
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(8) Coupled up and pulling away as the centerbeam car crosses the diamond and heads across Lawton Road. Tight confines such as this customer and the business to the left across the street created a "cramped" feel to the operation. Interesting for the railfan and appealing for a model railroad as well.
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(9) The locomotives and centerbeam have now pulled past the switch across Lawton Road. The conductor has thrown the switch for the train to back out on the left track and rejoin the industrial track lead.
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(10) The crossing gates have come down as the train backs across Lawton Road on the connecting track to the industrial track. In years past, sidings such as this generally would have had only crossbucks at a grade crossing depending on frequency of use or priority of highway.
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Back to Pinoca
(11) With the conductor now riding the car, the train backs toward the Rozzelles Ferry Road grade crossing with the switching move complete. Before crossing Rozzelles Ferry Road, the conductor will have to climb down and throw the switch to realign the through route to the industrial park as opposed to the track it is on in the photo. Then it is permission to enter the main line and head to Pinoca Yard.
Date of switch move: November 17, 2010
(12) This image was taken three years after the switch sequence above and has been added because of the location. The local is in the parking lot near the Rozzelles Ferry Road grade crossing waiting for the signal to cross the road and move onto the mainline. The area of the switch sequence is to the rear of this train. Dan Robie 2013
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(13) The lead from the main line to the area depicted in the sequence above. In addition to the documented switch move, a substantial amount of freight moves on this track to and from the West Industrial Park. Situated on a slight grade, the track descends from the main opposite Pinoca Yard and crosses Rozzelles Ferry Road on a curve. At left the new signal installed in 2011 is visible as the mainline connection is controlled by the CSXT dispatcher in Florence, SC. Dan Robie 2014
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