Hot move on the Wilderson.
#1
I got a phone call late last night from a friend that dispatches for the Wilderson Division.

He told me a special move of some type of experiential GERN product was being shipped to an unknown location. The local would pick the car up from the warehouse on Weber Way. 


I got there first thing this morning and the only car spotted at the warehouse was this box car so I was relieved it would not be hard to spot as they worked.    
I went down the road to the switch and was just in time to see the conductor cutting off the cabin.    

I had a minute to chat and He told me this car was very special and was the hottest move they had ever handled, yet he had no idea what the load was. He did mention it was 3 percent lighter than most loads in this car.


The locomotive backed up the siding passed the brewery and carefully coupled into the box car.    

Once the conductor and head end brakeman inspected the car the signal to go ahead was given.    

Once clear of the switch they backed up for the coupling to their caboose and after a quick brake test they headed for the interchange track.        

I took a few more pictures heading to the interchange including my favorite spot, Morris Trestle.                

Once they reached the interchange track they cut of their caboose    

and spotted the car.    

That completed that movement so they proceeded back uptown to the yard to see if they could make some order and deliver cars that had been delayed because of the move.    

After they had departed I walked over and talked to the tower operator. He told me this car was so hot a move that they had ordered the next train “no matter what it is” to stop and pick up that car. There was a lot of future business depending on this move and they want that car to be kept moving.


Within 10 minutes a passing train was flagged and ordered to pick up the car. Boy, was that crew mad, It happened to be an ore train and they had a couple bad cars as well as limited power, but they got the car despite their grumbling.    

While they finished up and tied into their caboose I made a dash up the mountain for one last picture of the mysterious car with its secret load.
   

I am sorry the picture is blurred, I was afraid the cattle train coming up the hill was going to block my shot and I didn't take time to focus properly.


My dispatcher friend has promised to keep me updated on the move. I hope all works well, the railroad needs the business.
Charlie
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#2
Great story line, Charlie.  I hope we'll hear more on the car's progress and on the cargo it's carrying.

Wayne
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#3
great pics Charlie!
Hope you enjoy the car and whatever load it's carrying Smile Smile
~~ Mikey KB3VBR (Admin)
~~ NARA Member # 75    
~~ Baldwin Eddystone Unofficial Website

~~ I wonder what that would look like in 1:20.3???
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#4
Very interesting Charlie---I'm looking forward to seeing where this special movement ends up.
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#5
According to my dispatcher friend it has been placed in train XD2 and is on the move.  More updates when supplied. 
Charlie
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#6
Keep it going Charlie, we need to know just what's in there and where it's headed...
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#7
I found out it is consigned to the Charlevoix Glass Company and scheduled to be spotted Tuesday before 5 PM.
Charlie
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#8
Charlie---I'm really anxious to see this car at it's final destination---I wish they could make the delivery 3% faster
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#9
I'm curious about this too.  I met up with Hugh Connaghan, the CEO and owner of Charlevoix Glass, at the Breakfast with Santa this morning and he didn't mention anything special was happening at the glass plant.

Bruce
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#10
Wow, I am glad to hear you know him, perhaps we can find out more after the shipment arrives. 
Charlie
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#11
Well, the guys really pulled a fast move and have knocked a day off traveling time. It is on the local for a delivery today, 24 hours ahead of schedule. 
Charlie
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#12
The crew reports the car spotted at 12:41....How's that for service.  2285_
Charlie
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#13
Hopefully the local railfans will be out in force snapping pictures
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#14
You know what's really clever about this shipment, the guards. Yeah, I'm sure it's securely guarded, a shipment of this nature would be, but you don't see any of them. I know they're there, they just blend in with the scenery........ Awesome
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#15
I received a heads up from a friend about a special car coming in on Conrails CAPI today.  Went up to Conrails Pavonia Yard area and waited to catch CAPI coming off the Delair Bridge which is normally around 1PM.  Waited around for several hours in the rain with no luck.  Talking to another railfan, he told me that CAPI was early and came in before 10AM.  He missed it also and did not know anything about the special car.  I then drove down to the Mannheim Yard,
looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary.  I went by the yard office and made an inquiry about a special car coming in today.  The person I spoke with said that in all the years he has worked for the RR he had never seen a car get moved from one location to another as fast as this car.  He said that CAPI was an unheard of 3 hours early, then WPMA-61 was 4 hours early and then the Shore River North Job  had left the yard before noon.  I asked what was so special about this car and all he would say that it was fasted tracked from the Wilderson Division in Ohio and was to be forwarded by the Shore River to the Charlevoix Glass Company at St. James.
I then drove over to the Pinelands Industrial Park in St. James where the glass company is located.  Shore River had spotted the car at the team track dock as the car was a boxcar and Charlevoix Glass had not the means to unload it at their facility.
No one was around when I grabbed this photo to ask what was in the car and why the rush to get it here.  That will be for another day.

Bruce

   
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