CSX Offers Bonuses for Temporary Crew Transfers to Water Level Route Terminals

CSX is offering train and engine workers bonuses to temporarily relocate to terminals along its Water Level Route where crew shortages have become acute.

Trains magazine reported on its website that the bonuses would be paid to workers agreeing to work up to six months at the New York terminals of Buffalo, Syracuse and Selkirk, or at West Springfield, Massachusetts.

Workers would receive a $5,000 bonus once they qualify on their new territories and $17,000 after six months of service.

The Trains story noted that CSX management had expected an ongoing shortage of crews at Selkirk to ease after Labor Day when the summer vacation season ends. But the shortages continued and, in fact, became worse.

The Class 1 railroad also is offering $5,000 bonuses to new conductors hired at those same four terminals.

The story can be read at https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/as-stopgap-to-relieve-crew-shortages-csx-seeks-transfers-to-water-level-route-terminals/

Amtrak Extends Delay Warning for LSL

Amtrak has extended through Oct. 29 its notification of possible delays on trains traversing New York State on the CSX Water Level Route.

The Chicago-New York Lake Shore Limited, which serves Northeast Ohio, will be subject to delays of up to 45 minutes on Sunday through Wednesday due to CSX track work between Buffalo and Rome, N.Y.

Also affected are the New York-Toronto Maple Leaf and the New York-Niagara Falls, N.Y., Empire Service trains.

Amtrak said passengers should sign up for delay notifications when booking their travel and to check the status of their train on Amtrak.com, its mobile apps or at 800-USA-RAIL (800-872-7245).

Winter on the Water Level Route in Lake County

An eastbound CSX manifest freight near Bowhall Road east of Painesville.

Most of the time, trees are not a photographer’s friend. They cast shadows and diminish the amount of open space with work with next to the tracks.

But when coated with snow, trees can create for some striking winter photographs. And so it was on a recent Sunday when we found ourselves looking for trees next to the tracks.

Shown is a selection of CSX trains on the Water Level Route of the former New York Central east of Cleveland. It was an odd day from an operating standpoint.

Traffic was fairly steady, but from the time we got trackside around 11 until nearly 3:30 p.m. all of the trains were headed east. Where were the westbounds?

A fleet of them began reaching Lake County in late afternoon. The images shown here were taken at various locations including the crossings of Bowhall Road, Park Road and Davis Road. We also photographed near the ex-NYC Painesville passenger station.

One of our primary goals was to catch one or both of the Canadian Pacific intermodal trains that began running on CSX between Chicago and Buffalo late last year.

But we struck out on that objective. As reported in an earlier post, we did get four trains with BNSF power in the lead. The last train that we caught had Union Pacific power.

Aside from a few flurries early in our outing, there was no snowfall. Skies were cloudy all day, but the beauty of the snow clinging to the trees and everything else made for some nice winter scenes.

There also was enough snow on the right of way to create those clouds of misty snow that add drama to the sight of a fast oncoming train.

When we called it a day just past 5 p.m., we had photographed 18 trains. And we were pleased to have photographed all of them.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders

If only there were trains on Sunday on the NS Fairport, Painesville & Eastern branch.

Bort Road Closed in North East, Pa.

If you’ve ever photographed trains at North East, Pa., chances are you’ve spent some time shooting at Bort Road, a country road just off Interstate 90 that crosses over the CSX tracks (ex-New York Central) on a narrow, ancient bridge.

It’s an odd arrangement because right after motorists cross over CSX tracks, they encounter a single-track Norfolk Southern line (ex-Nickel Plate) at grade.

On Sunday morning, I arrived at Bort Road to find that it has been closed. There is a small pile of new steel supports of some type located next to the CSX tracks.

It was not clear if this mean that the bridge is going to be replaced, if the closure is permanent or if some other type of road work will be done. For now, it means that you can photograph from the bridge without having to dodge passing traffic.

I hung around for a while and caught the hour late Amtrak No. 48, the eastbound Lake Shore Limited.

Not long after Amtrak 48 cleared, an eastbound CSX manifest freight came past on Track No. 2.

If the bridge carrying Bort Road over the tracks is replaced, chances are there will be fence on it and the open views down the tracks will no longer be available.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders