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What were CSX's train symbols before the Conrail takeover? Anybody have a list?

I don't believe they've changed much since the 90s. I know the freight trains were "R"s instead of Qs for a while pre-1999. About the only major change for CSX symbols in the last 20 years (that I can think of) are when they adapted the "V" symbols for empty grain trains, and the short-lived experiment from 2014-2015 when they would change the symbol on freights trains 6 days a week and would call them 3-4 hours later every day to "improve traffic flows". For example, Q334 would leave Grand Rapids on Monday at 1800 as Q334. The next day, it would be called for 2100 as M334. Then I334, R334, S334 etc until it reset back to Q. It was a very convoluted system and didn't last long!

SD80MAC wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 28, 2021 9:33 am

I don't believe they've changed much since the 90s. I know the freight trains were "R"s instead of Qs for a while pre-1999. About the only major change for CSX symbols in the last 20 years (that I can think of) are when they adapted the "V" symbols for empty grain trains, and the short-lived experiment from 2014-2015 when they would change the symbol on freights trains 6 days a week and would call them 3-4 hours later every day to "improve traffic flows". For example, Q334 would leave Grand Rapids on Monday at 1800 as Q334. The next day, it would be called for 2100 as M334. Then I334, R334, S334 etc until it reset back to Q. It was a very convoluted system and didn't last long!

I see.

My main motivation for asking was to get a log of the Saginaw Sub before they started leasing/selling it off. Plymouth Sub as well before it was reduced to the 2 a day we have now.

Oh, well in that case...

I can't speak for the Saginaw Sub, but when I started railfanning in 2005, the Plymouth sub was still seeing these trains daily:

-Q326 Chicago-Grand Rapids-Detroit
-Q327 Detroit-Grand Rapids-Chicago
-Q334 Grand Rapids-Toledo (Stanley)
-Q335 Toledo (Stanley)-Grand Rapids
-Q336 Chicago (BRC Clearing)-Grand Rapids-Flint (maybe Saginaw, pre LSRC?)
-Q337 Flint-Grand Rapids-Chicago (BRC Clearing)
-D708 Lansing-Grand Rapids Local
-D709 Lansing-South Lyon Local
-Y106 Grand Rapids-Fox Local
-K356 Hammond-Grand Rapids-Detroit Coke Empties
-K357 Detroit-Grand Rapids-Hammond Coke Loads

There were also a smattering of other trains, like stone trains (K909, K910), eastern coal trains, and grain trains that didn't run every day, but were common. K905 lime loads ran up from Toledo to Grand Rapids and on to Manistee about once a week. There were also 2 additional coke trains, K351 and K352, that would run semi-regularly in the 2005-2008 time frame. And of course, you had all the CP trains until December 2005 (X500, X501, X502, X503, X504, X511, X512, X747), most of which ran every day. X500 continued to run daily until 2010. 2010-2011 also saw intermodal trains Q195 and Q196 running between 59th St in Chicago to Detroit via Grand Rapids, until North Baltimore opened.

The death was a slow one. First, the CP trains (other than X500) left. Then the coke suppliers for the steel mills in Indiana changed, and it no long came from Detroit, around late 2008. Q326 and Q327 were cut off east of Grand Rapids around 2010-2011. Stone trains ceased in 2015 and the traffic began moving as general freight. Q334 and Q335 were killed in 2015 as well. The last eastern coal train ran in 2014. For late 2015 and early 2016, they tried running everything between Grand Rapids and Plymouth with just D707 and D708, which was a disaster. Then they briefly instated a Grand Rapids-Flint local pair as D701/D702 for part of 2016. Next they decided to run Q326 and Q327 between Grand Rapids and Detroit again, which were later changed to Q328 and Q329. This arrangement continued until May 2020 when those trains were axed as well. After a few months of floundering around with D707 and D708 again, D705 and D706 were instated late last summer, and they continue to run today.

Here's a list of symbols from July 1, 1987 we received while I was still working in Saginaw and we had "gone CSX." Didn't take long for Jacksonville to change all symbols, renumber locomotives, etc., etc., etc. For manifests they first had an "R" prefix and the locals had a "D" prefix. Can't recall about unit coal, grain, etc.

Also, this site has a list of CSX trains through Plymouth before and after CR, including the Saginaw Sub. Click on Mainline Operations for the post Conrail list. There will also be link to the Pre Conrail list there.

http://xrailfan.com/trains/ply/plydiam.html

C&O Dispatcher wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 28, 2021 1:26 pm

Here's a list of symbols from July 1, 1987 we received while I was still working in Saginaw and we had "gone CSX." Didn't take long for Jacksonville to change all symbols, renumber locomotives, etc., etc., etc. For manifests they first had an "R" prefix and the locals had a "D" prefix. Can't recall about unit coal, grain, etc.

Chessie to CSX manifest symbols_0001.jpg


Chessie to CSX manifest symbols_0002.jpg

Just a wee bit busier…

Thank you all so much.

That xrailfan site is actually what I've looking for so God bless.

Always a pleasure to hear from you, as well, Mr. Hefty!