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Double stacks have been fairly rare on the Southern Tier Mainline in upstate NY over the past 10 years or so. Most NS intermodal traffic in the Northeast runs on other routes and the pair of intermodal freights (22K and 23K) that do use the Tier are limited by tunnel clearances further east in Hoosac, MA.

With that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised when I caught a glimpse of double stacks rolling through the Gang Mills yard yesterday. Initially, I thought it might be a late running 22K, with the double stacks possibly being dropped off at the new intermodal yard in Mechanicville. I had to find out more about this train, so the chase was on. I headed east and intercepted the train east of Elmira. The power indicated it was 38T, the joint NS/CP train which runs from Toronto to Binghamton.







Both photos in this post were taken by me Saturday 9/8/2012 in Wellsburg, NY. The double stacks were headed to Philly or possibly NJ. 

Owing to a long stretch of road construction on nearby Route 17 (the main expressway in the area), chasing 38T further east was impossible. I headed west, where I caught the power for 12T backing up to the train.







Both photos in this post were taken by me Saturday 9/8/2012 in Gang Mills, NY.

I set up a few miles west of the Gang Mills yard, where I caught eastbound 13T and then departing 12T, running next to State Route 417.















All photos in this post were taken by me Saturday 9/8/2012 in Addison, NY.

After 12T passed, I returend to the Gang Mills yard and found pair of classic Geeps.



My chase day was completed by catching 13T again at the Hammond Road crossing in Big Flats, NY:







All photos in this post were taken by me Saturday 9/8/2012.

From a trusted source- 38T had double stacks to compensate for NS 206 being unable to deliver them, due to a bridge being out of service in Afton, NY.