"System Not Working"

CSX Geometry Train W003 is seen quickly heading west while passing the classic B&A Richardsonian Romanesque style station building in Ashland after "Wying" their train in Framingham.

 

CSX W003 came out of Selkirk Yard in New York that morning with the agenda to test the CSX Boston Line from CP-SM Exclusive, –Just east of Selkirk Yard– to CP-45 Inclusive in Worcester. On this Eastbound trip, they were to test the main track in places where it is single track or track 2 where the line is double track. The next day when they head west they were going to test the sidings on the single track and track 1 where it is double track. Running late out of Selkirk due to engine troubles with CSXT9969 the train crew was getting short on time, NC was unsure if this inbound Worcester crew would have the time to wye this two car train to have it be facing West for its tasks the next day. To wye this train CSX had two options, the wye in the P&W Worcester Yard or they could run this Geometry Train on Keolis where they can wye it on the North Yard Wye in Framingham. With time running out and with two options on how to wye this train, NC ran the numbers and figured out it would be just a bit faster to just keep the train moving by CP-45 onto Keolis territory and continue East to Framingham to turn the train around. With this being in 2020 and PTC requirements not in full effect; all it took was a quick phone call from CSX NC Dispatcher in Jacksonville to the Keolis Worcester Mainline Dispatcher four floors above the South Station concourse to verbally say that this train will be running with CSX 9969 leading and it is not equipped with the ACSES PTC that Keolis uses. After they got permission to run the train on Keolis territory, it was a relatively straightforward operation that reflected the pre-Precision Railroading days or even the Beacon Park Yard days when CSX would regularly run trains as light power to Framingham North Yard in order to wye or turn the direction the power was facing. After W003 ran the Framingham wye the Worcester Main Line Dispatcher gave them the lights from CP-22 to CP-42 and have them lined to head onto the THOROUGHFARE track to run into Worcester Yard to tie down for the night.

 

However, it did not happen all that smoothly as they headed west through the town of Ashland. A vehicle at the Main Street Grade Crossing there in Ashland bent the gate back as W003 passed and ended up getting the crossing gate stuck on a traffic light which led to a whole chaotic situation in Ashland for vehicle traffic and later train traffic. They are a few videos on YouTube that document this situation with the crossing in Ashland. Not only that, but CSX W003 proceeded to be the train that finally broke the Devtronics manufactured EEPROM memory voice box of the Conrail era dragging equipment detector in Ashland and received a "System not Working Message". Unfortunately, that detector was powered off for the final time that night by Keolis C&S and was then soon replaced with a digital Progress Rail Micro Talker. Fun Fact: a standard Class 1 modern defect detector cost around a quarter of $1 million to install.

 

W003 is the symbol assigned to one of two Full Crew Geometry Trains on CSX. W001 and W003 are the Full Crew GEO trains on CSX, they are given the Full Crew title as these Geometry Test Trains require a full train crew to run opposed to just a pilot/engineer for GMS or Sperry Geometry cars. Both W001 and W003 have an assigned train consist consisting of a few CSX passenger/ geometry cars along with a designated higher speed CSX locomotive for geometry train service. W003 has CSX engine 9969 assigned to it, and that locomotive is a one of a kind CSX GP40HW-2 that was originally built as a standard Conrail GP40 in the 60s. That Conrail GP40 was acquired by MARC in the 80s and by the early 90s was rebuilt receiving a wide cab and other components to help it adapt to Maryland Area Regional Commuter Service like the all important head-end power and passenger signal systems. In 2013 CSX brought the engine from MARC with intended use for the new second geometry train. Right behind 9969 is one of CSX's newer executive passenger cars numbered 994365 and named Hocking Valley. The Hocking Valley was originally built in the early 20th century by Budd for the Union Pacific as a recliner seat passenger car. Of note when Budd built this car it was not equipped with the famous Budd car "Fluting" on the side. Then it went on to Amtrak and modified to a combined power car and coach then onto the Echo Canyon Railroad where CSX purchased it in 2013 and modified it into a combined power car and dormitory for the track geometry crew. The last car on W003 is the geometry/visual observation car number 994366 and named Track Geometry Car 3 or TGC3. This car was again built by Budd for the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1940s as a passenger coach and fallowed the typical PRR equipment passed down until this car also ended up on MARC as a passenger coach. Like the Hocking Valley car and 9969 engine, CSX purchased this car in 2013 from Mid Atlantic Rail Car Leasing and heavily modified it to turn it into a Track Geometry Car by adding millions of dollars worth of railroad computer equipment and a huge observation window at the back which can be electronically tented for privacy for the GEO crew inside. TGC3 is also equipped with bright floodlights for the crew to do night inspections and even: ditch lights, a K5LA horn and an E-bell for shoving movements. Recently these two cars on W003 were painted into the new Baltimore and Ohio inspired paint scheme that is seen on the CSX passenger car fleet for the Office Car Train. It is projected that 9969 will receive a B&O paint job as well once CSX has all four Ex-Amtrak F40PH locomotives put into the B&O paint and renumbered to CSXT 1, 2, 3, & 4. 9969 could possibly be renumbered to CSXT 6 when it is given the B&O paint as it fits the single digit numbering that CSX is doing for its special locomotives while keep a bit of history in the number by keeping the 6 from the MARC number 69.

Done