Grain Train Symbol Questions

[nspitltrainlogger]

Hello all, my name is Josh and I'm from the Baltimore/Washington area.  My main railfan territory would be NS' Pittsburgh Line between Altoona and Johnstown.  I have a question involving the grain trains.  I theorize that many of the grain trains that travel over the Pittsburgh Line probably originated in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan.  Which division's resource page on this forum would be the appropriate spot to ask a more in-depth question?  Thanks.

[JCagle]

Thanks for taking the time to ask. Don't feel that your questions need to be inside a division box. The intent of the division boards is to have a place for resources for the divisions and help keep the localized discussions confined. Many times the things like new signal installs and new locals are the type of things discussed there.  The general discussion is kind of the catch all for anything that may spill over divisions and that sort of thing. Feel free to ask away here for things like what you are wanting to ask. If you want to know where a good spot to go to in a particular city then go to the division boards.  If you do get something in the wrong spot have no worries one of the admins or mods will get it in the right spot, and we won't chase you down with pitchforks and burning torches!

Welcome to Jreb and we hope you like what you find!

[nspitltrainlogger]

Ok then.  The latest grain train symbol that I haven't heard of before involves the 42K.  I've been told it was through Berea, OH (CP-194) at 15:31 and it included one of the two SD60s left in blue paint (assume that w/o the M it's probably a spartan cab).  It is allegedly also bound for Delaware.  If someone could perhaps also provide an origin I would greatly appreciate it.

As for the other grain train symbols, the ones I've heard or seen go across the Pittsburgh Line include the following:

Loads - 40R, 42R, 44G, 44R, 44T, 44W, 46R, 48R, 50K, 50R, 50W, 52J, 52K, 52N, 52T, 52W, 52Z, 56A, 56R, 58K, 58R, 58W

Empties - 51G, 51J, 51K, 51V, 57W

I have bits and pieces of information on most of them, mainly in regards to whether they were interchanged with the RJC at Cresson, PA for the ethanol plant in Clearfield, PA.  Any more information on those grain trains would be greatly appreciated.

[railnuts]

Maybe this will help alittle

40A Battle Creek/ Port Huron MI (?) Grain Loads
40E Northumberland PA Roanoke VA Grain Loads
41M Detroit MI Chicago IL (IHB) ??
43G * (R) ??
44V Grain *(H)
48E Elkhart IN Detroit MI ??
49E Detroit MI Elkhart IN ??
50E Loaded Grain (H)
50G Chicago IL Gainsville GA ??
50J Chicago IL Goldsboro NC As needed Grain Loaded
50K Chicago IL Goldsboro NC As needed Grain Loaded
50N Chicago IL Norfolk VA As needed Grain *(F)
50Q Chicago IL Valdosta GA ??
50R Elkhart IN Harrisonburg VA As needed Grain
50T Decatur IL Gainsville GA ??
50V Columbus OH Winston-Salem NC As needed Grain
50W Decatur IL Mobile AL ??
50Z Gibson City IL Harrisonburg VA As needed Grain
51E Harrisonburg VA Gibson City IL As needed Grain
51J Goldsboro NC Chicago IL As needed Grain Empty
51K Goldsboro NC ? As needed Grain Empty
51R Winston-Salem NC Chicago IL As needed Grain
51T Gainesville GA Decatur IL ??
51V Winston-Salem NC Columbus OH As needed Grain
51Z Harrisonburg VA Gibson City IL As needed Grain Empty
52G Decatur IL Loudon TN ??
52J Decatur IL Loudon TN ?? 
52K Gibson City IL Goldsboro NC As needed Grain Loaded
52M Decatur IL Goldsboro NC As needed Grain Loaded
52N Decatur IL Valdosta GA ??
52V Grain Loads ??
53G Loudon TN Decatur IL ??
53J Loudon TN Decatur IL ??
53K Goldsboro NC Gibson City IL As needed Grain Empty
53N Valdosta GA Fort Wayne IN ??
54E Toledo OH Radford NC As needed Grain
54K Bluffton IN Chester SC As needed Grain
54M Chattanooga TN Forsyth GA
54N Roanoke VA Culpeper VA As needed Grain
54Q Adrian MI Harrisonburg VA As needed Grain
54V Red Key IN Harrisonburg VA As needed Grain
54Z Columbus OH Harrington DE As needed Grain
55E Goldsboro NC ? As needed Grain Empty
55J  *(F) Grain Empty
55M As Needed Empty Grain
55Z Harrington DE Columbus OH As needed Grain Empty
56W Elkhart IN Goldsboro NC As needed Grain Loaded
56Z Elkhart IN Goldsboro NC As needed Grain Loaded
57W Harrisonburg VA Oakville IN As needed Grain 
57Z Brunswick GA Fort Wayne IN
58J Albion MI Valdosta GA As needed Grain
58K Roanoke VA Harrington DE Loaded Grain
58T Forsyth GA S Circleville IN
59A Grain Empty *(F)
59J Valdosta GA Albion MI As needed Grain Empty


40E im not sure about at all. Just checked the ATCS and that doesn't even show this train operating west at all. It suppose to be at MP-11 on the Lurgan Br but nothing is showing W/B.

I wouldn't include this one in the list.

These r some that i've been able to compile over a period of time. It's tough trying to keep track of all NS's
symbols. Some seem to change by Div they operate in.

btw the * with a letter is a confirmed sighting or heard over a scanner....
example *(H) was either seen or heard over the radio from Harrisburg, *(F) would be Fostoria, OH.
U get the idea i think.

Fred

[NS212]

If you are using this website

http://www.pacerfarm.org/wta.htm

to track train movements, don't. It's completely wrong, and from the looks of it, hasn't been updated in quite sometime.

[railnuts]

NS 212,

U r indeed correct about PacerFarm. I've stayed up into the wee hours of the morning listenning to the scanner feeds out of Harrisburg and while some trains that the program list do in fact operate but not at the times that one would think or lead to believe.

I'm written to the webmaster with no respond at all. It's too bad cause if it was updated on a monthly bases it would be a great tool to use trackside.

The last update i could find was from 1995. Cann't help to think that maybe the 9/11 ordeal may have had something to do with this program not being brought up to date.