CSX MAIN LINE DAMAGE @ E. BRUNSWICK, MD. 5/16/18

What did CSX and MARC do? How do they detour trains? Did MARC Brunswick/Martinsburg trains temporarily terminate at Point of Rocks or something? How did CSX detour it’s freight trains?

This from the MARC website:

The Brunswick Line will continue to operate on a modified schedule on Friday, May 18, due to ongoing weather-related problems on the railroad west of Point of Rocks. CSX reports that work continues on the track washout between Point of Rocks and Brunswick; however, another problem has developed with a mudslide west of Brunswick. Additional infrastructure problems are likely given tomorrow’s forecast for even more intense rain.

In addition, MARC management has made the decision to remove all locomotives and railcars from the storage yard in Brunswick. The Brunswick storage yard is susceptible to flooding and given the rain we have had and the rain that is predicted, we must safeguard our locomotives and cars – including two of our brand-new Charger locomotives. This will prevent major damage that would render our cars and locomotives unusable for 6-8 months, if not longer, and allow us to restore full service more quickly when the water recedes. Removing equipment from Brunswick means that in the short term, Brunswick Line service will continue to be limited, even when CSX is able to physically restore the track.

There will be no Brunswick Line service at Martinsburg, Duffields, Harpers Ferry, or Brunswick stations. There will be limited service at Point of Rocks.

End of quoted material. I changed the punctuation in a couple places.

Addendum: MARC site will be update Sunday evening for Monday commute.

David

An update and some clarification:

There are 4 tracks at East Brunswick, 2 main tracks and 2 yard leads, the 2 pairs of tracks are about 50ft. apart.

The 2 damaged tracks as pictured were #2 main track (normal eastbound track) and the South lead into Brunswick yard.
#1 main track and the north lead into the yard had debris and roadbed damage, but was able to be repaired within 24 hours.

#2 main track and the south yard lead were "patched" with rip-rap boulders and reopened with a 10mph slow order on Thursday p.m.

Keeping MARC's 20+ daily movements off this portion of the line gives CSX more flexibility to get their freights cleared up, along with the 2 daily Amtraks.
There was apparently 1 detour freight, a manifest run out of Curtis Bay yard and routed Hanover-Hagerstown-Cumberland.
This location is one of the most inaccessible in Brunswick yard with the only access through the yard or on the nearby C&O Canal towpath trail, which of course is now destroyed here. There is limited room for MOW to work.
This washout was caused by flash flooding on a 4-mile long creek, usually placid and about 8ft. wide.
Both the RR and canal culverts here were originally built in the 1830's, the RR's was rebuilt in the early 1900's because of yard expansion.

MARC has been able to run a limited service out of Point of Rocks using the Frederick maintenance/storage facility and the wye and station at Point of Rocks.

The Potomac River is scheduled to crest tomorrow afternoon at Point of Rocks at 3 ft. over flood stage, which should not affect the RR.

Wow! Bad news for commuters. Hope they can get things back to normal quickly.

And bad for the rest of us to lose a piece of original B & O engineering. This is at Little Catoctin Creek, if I am not mistaken. Here's a "before" picture, taken last October. Taken from the canal towpath, looking north.

nickaix posted:

Wow! Bad news for commuters. Hope they can get things back to normal quickly.

And bad for the rest of us to lose a piece of original B & O engineering. This is at Little Catoctin Creek, if I am not mistaken. Here's a "before" picture, taken last October. Taken from the canal towpath, looking north.

That is an interesting photo, indicates that the Canal culvert there had been previously damaged, perhaps in 1972 when its bigger brother 1/2 mile downstream over Catoctin Creek got blown out in Hurricane Agnes. Also looks like the NPS started, but never finished a replacement. All this is gone now.

NKP Muncie posted:

This from the MARC website:

The Brunswick Line will continue to operate on a modified schedule on Friday, May 18, due to ongoing weather-related problems on the railroad west of Point of Rocks. CSX reports that work continues on the track washout between Point of Rocks and Brunswick; however, another problem has developed with a mudslide west of Brunswick. Additional infrastructure problems are likely given tomorrow’s forecast for even more intense rain.

In addition, MARC management has made the decision to remove all locomotives and railcars from the storage yard in Brunswick. The Brunswick storage yard is susceptible to flooding and given the rain we have had and the rain that is predicted, we must safeguard our locomotives and cars – including two of our brand-new Charger locomotives. This will prevent major damage that would render our cars and locomotives unusable for 6-8 months, if not longer, and allow us to restore full service more quickly when the water recedes. Removing equipment from Brunswick means that in the short term, Brunswick Line service will continue to be limited, even when CSX is able to physically restore the track.

There will be no Brunswick Line service at Martinsburg, Duffields, Harpers Ferry, or Brunswick stations. There will be limited service at Point of Rocks.

End of quoted material. I changed the punctuation in a couple places.

Addendum: MARC site will be update Sunday evening for Monday commute.

David

Looks like MARC learned from NJ Transit's storm debacle from a few years ago about how to protect equipment from catastrophic weather events.  Transit usually runs a tight ship, that was not a good example of it though.  

The rains have been heavy, downtown Frederick flooded, the basement of our building there had 3 feet of water in it, hot water and boiler were mud slimed and had to be rebuilt. Cars on Market street were shifting in the flow of water running through downtown, so the entire ecostructure of that area is getting pasted. Hopefully no other weak points are found.