Re: PC: PC\CR frieght symbols

["John P. Krattinger" <crts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Conrail currently uses the 10 C40-8W's with Harris Locotrol II equipment
(6050-6059) on the "ZWW" unit iron-ore trains from South Philadelphia, PA to
Mingo Junction, OH.

At 02:28 AM 4/15/97 +0000, you wrote:
>o 
>> 
>> To all:
>> 
>> The "LS" symbol stands for "Less-than-carload freight" I am told.  The
>> trains eventually died off due to the lack of LCL freight and the
>> increase of "Super Van" (SV) service as it was known on the NYC of just
>> plain Trailer Train.  Your choice depending on ones preference.
>> 
>> One other symobl through Marion I remember quite well was the "SLX" or
>> "Silex" as we called it.  I believe it ran from St. Louis to Selkirk,
>> but could be wrong.
>> 
>> I have train sheets from the Pennsy Ft. Wayne line from PC days, but it
>> will take some time to dig those out.  When I do, I'll pass along the
>> info.
>> 
>> Often times, BF-7 would be followed closely by a BF-7a through Findlay,
>> Ohio on the T&OC.  Two other trains that ran this way were DSL-1 and
>> DSL-1a (Detroit to St. Louis). DSL-1a was not a regular, but often times
>> ran towards weeks end and on Saturday. Watching trains living by the
>> T&OC (Toledo to Columbus Western Branch) would keep one on their toes as
>> one train would be fifteen minutes behind the other when they ran.
>> Although  the locals often wondered why they never ran them 12 hours
>> apart in order to get all the traffic.  May explain why PC floundered.
>> 
>> So how many of you folks remember the remote control units on PC?  They
>> ran out of the coal fields in West Virginia and up to Toledo/Detroit
>> area.  Three SD-40/45's on the head end and three more in the middle on
>> some huge 200+ car coal trains.  The power would stay this way all the
>> way to Toledo due to the heavy grades north of Dunkirk, OH and on
>> Findlay, Ohio's north side (Where I lived).  Can tell you that some days
>> it worked and some days it didn't!  Have seen a train go by with the
>> head end in run eight and barely moving while the mid-train power
>> (unmanned) would be on idle.  Eventually, the mid-train units became
>> manned, but this didn't last as it defeated the purpose of the long
>> trains.  End of experiment.
>> 
>> Dale A. DeVene Jr.
>> ddevene -AT- udata.com
>
>Dale:
>
>Thanks for the info...you might have cleared up the mystery of the 
>"LS"-series trains, among other things (at least we know that "LS" didn't 
>stand for "Lousy Schedule", or something like that...).
>
>Speaking of the remote control units on PC coal trains (which I never 
>saw, myself), does anyone remember hearing about Conrail trying the same 
>thing with long drags a few years back on the Water Level Route?  I 
>caught one MONSTER of a manifest train in Waterloo, Indiana one 
>afternoon, which must have been around 200-250 cars or so, with two 
>SD-60's up front and two more mid-train.  A guy in Bryan, Ohio said he 
>thought Conrail was testing remote-control mid-train operation, but 
>didn't know any particulars.  I never saw another drag like that, and 
>never heard what was up.
>
>Uncle E
>