B32-8s Smoking It Up
Just another view of this job I stumbled into and a more broadside view of these squat little GE 4-motor units.
The historic city of Savannah was a place long on my bucket list of places to visit in this country, but not really for the trains. In fact I knew almost nothing about rail operations in the city and other than a cursory glance at my rail atlas while passing through on Amtrak to Florida I never gave it much thought. So I was quite surprised to learn how astonishingly busy the terminal complex is and was amazed when I read that the port here is the third largest in the nation trailing only the Los Angeles/Long Beach complex and the Northern New Jersey/New York City area. With nearly 6 million TEUs handled in 2022 it's no surprise that railroad traffic is heavy.
Additionally Savannah sits astride CSXT's I95 corridor so sees multiple thru trains as well as hosting 8 Amtrak trains a day. While an endpoint terminal for Norfolk Southern, the city is still a major point on the road dating back to its time as the historic headquarters of the Central of Georgia Railway.
Along with two Class 1s, Genesee and Wyoming has three operations in the city including the Savannah Port Terminal Railroad which is the contract operator of the old Savannah State Docks Railroad on behalf of owner Georgia Ports Authority. Lastly, Watco also has a presence in the city with its relatively new Savannah and Old Fort Railway operating a former CSXT branch to the Seapoint Terminal downriver beyond Fort Jackson.
But my visit to the city wasn't a train trip and the full day was spent walking miles through the squares and gardens while enjoying some fabulous libations in cocktail bars, on rooftops, or just wandering the streets. The historic city is awash in Colonial, antebellum and Civil War era history seemingly everywhere you look so I was rightfully distracted. That being said, after a brunch bloody marh and catfish and grits down on River Street I had an hour to explore before striking north for the long drive to Virginia.
Without any idea what might be running we drove toward the port district where I stumbled upon this Georgia Central Railway crew shoving a long heavy train into a yard near the huge International Paper plant. IP is the current owner of the mill that has been in operation since 1936 and currently produces over 500,000 tons of paper products per year. The GC has been a subsidiary of GWRR since 2005 when the GC's then parent Rail Management Corporation was bought by Genesee and Wyoming. Once famous amongst fans for running with a fleet of vintage high hood ex Southern GE U23Bs those are alas not long gone. The GC enters Savannah on a former Seaboard Air Line route that was built in 1896 though I'm honestly not sure the heritage of the rails here or even whose property this yard is. If any local fans can provide more details I'd be grateful to learn more.
Continuing the hand me down GE tradition are GC 537 and 555 both GE B32-8s blt. Oct. and Nov. 1989 as NS 3537 and 3555 respectively. They are smoking as they shove a long line of loaded wood chip hoppers over into the big yard just south of the mill which is behind me here.
Savannah, Georgia
Wednesday March 30, 2023
B32-8s Smoking It Up
Just another view of this job I stumbled into and a more broadside view of these squat little GE 4-motor units.
The historic city of Savannah was a place long on my bucket list of places to visit in this country, but not really for the trains. In fact I knew almost nothing about rail operations in the city and other than a cursory glance at my rail atlas while passing through on Amtrak to Florida I never gave it much thought. So I was quite surprised to learn how astonishingly busy the terminal complex is and was amazed when I read that the port here is the third largest in the nation trailing only the Los Angeles/Long Beach complex and the Northern New Jersey/New York City area. With nearly 6 million TEUs handled in 2022 it's no surprise that railroad traffic is heavy.
Additionally Savannah sits astride CSXT's I95 corridor so sees multiple thru trains as well as hosting 8 Amtrak trains a day. While an endpoint terminal for Norfolk Southern, the city is still a major point on the road dating back to its time as the historic headquarters of the Central of Georgia Railway.
Along with two Class 1s, Genesee and Wyoming has three operations in the city including the Savannah Port Terminal Railroad which is the contract operator of the old Savannah State Docks Railroad on behalf of owner Georgia Ports Authority. Lastly, Watco also has a presence in the city with its relatively new Savannah and Old Fort Railway operating a former CSXT branch to the Seapoint Terminal downriver beyond Fort Jackson.
But my visit to the city wasn't a train trip and the full day was spent walking miles through the squares and gardens while enjoying some fabulous libations in cocktail bars, on rooftops, or just wandering the streets. The historic city is awash in Colonial, antebellum and Civil War era history seemingly everywhere you look so I was rightfully distracted. That being said, after a brunch bloody marh and catfish and grits down on River Street I had an hour to explore before striking north for the long drive to Virginia.
Without any idea what might be running we drove toward the port district where I stumbled upon this Georgia Central Railway crew shoving a long heavy train into a yard near the huge International Paper plant. IP is the current owner of the mill that has been in operation since 1936 and currently produces over 500,000 tons of paper products per year. The GC has been a subsidiary of GWRR since 2005 when the GC's then parent Rail Management Corporation was bought by Genesee and Wyoming. Once famous amongst fans for running with a fleet of vintage high hood ex Southern GE U23Bs those are alas not long gone. The GC enters Savannah on a former Seaboard Air Line route that was built in 1896 though I'm honestly not sure the heritage of the rails here or even whose property this yard is. If any local fans can provide more details I'd be grateful to learn more.
Continuing the hand me down GE tradition are GC 537 and 555 both GE B32-8s blt. Oct. and Nov. 1989 as NS 3537 and 3555 respectively. They are smoking as they shove a long line of loaded wood chip hoppers over into the big yard just south of the mill which is behind me here.
Savannah, Georgia
Wednesday March 30, 2023