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CSX Keystone Subdivision: Operations on today's Sand Patch Grade Borkowski HC
The CSX Keystone Subdivision: Operations on today's Sand Patch grade
The CSX Transportation by Rich Borkowski Jr
Hard Cover
104 pages
Copyright 1998
CONTENTS
Introduction:3
Chapter One:CSX Manifest Freights4
Chapter Two:Helper Operations9
Chapter Three:Foreign Trains15
Chapter Four:Interlocking Towers19
Chapter Five:The Speedway: Cumberland To Hyndman25
Chapter Six:The East Slope: Hyndman To Sand Patch31
Chapter Seven:The West Slope: Sand Patch To Rockwood53
Chapter Eight:The Tunnel Alley: Rockwood To Confluence 65
Chapter Nine:The Gorge: Confluence To Connellsville81
Chapter Ten:The River: Connellsville To Sinns95
Appendix A:Signal Aspects102
Appendix B:Acknowledgements:103
Appendix C:Csx Corporate History104
INTRODUCTION
The legendary Sand Patch Grade has been the topic of hundreds of books, videos, and magazine articles over the years. Most of what has been published about Sand Patch has covered the mountain as it existed in the glory days of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It seems that when the B&O disappeared into the Chessie System, so did coverage of the mountain. Some say that the line has suffered from over-kill while others claim that once the B&O blue vanished, the magic of Sand Patch was gone.
Although the colors have changed, there is still a lot of interesting activity on Sand Patch Grade. There are six tunnels, manned interlocking towers, helper districts on both sides of the mountain, and a beautiful gorge that has been virtually untouched by man. There are busier mountain lines in the east and there are steeper grades. However no heavy-duty mountain railroad still has the human touch of Sand Patch.
As we enter the 12th year of the CSX era, some of that human touch is slowly beginning to fade away. The purpose of this book is to illustrate the essence of operations on Sand Patch before the change is complete. I did not want this book to be a collection of good photographs of the Keystone Subdivision, but instead an illustration of what it takes to operate this historic piece of railroad. It is my goal for the rail-fan reader to be able to appreciate the line from the CSX employee's perspective and for the employees to understand the satisfaction that railfans get by visiting this magnificent piece of mountain railroad.
To achieve this goal, we will first look at current CSX operations and those of the foreign roads who exercise trackage rights on Sand Patch Grade. Of course operations not only involve the trains and the men who run them, but also the employees such as operator and dispatchers who help orchestrate this wonderful show. We will then look at the physical plant of the railroad in a journey from east to west. The are six distinct areas of the Keystone Subdivision and each is unique for its own reason.
The year that this book was written, CSX was battling Norfolk Southern for the purchase of Conrail. Rumors arose that if CSX acquired Conrail, it would reroute traffic off of Sand Patch Grade and onto Conrail's Pittsburgh to Harrisburg Line. Thankfully, CSX and NS agreed to carve up Conrail with the Norfolk Southern purchasing the Conrail lines through Pennsylvania. Sand Patch Grade will live on, at least until the next round of mergers. For now, let us take a look at the first ten years of CSX operations on the Keystone Subdivision.
Rich Borkowski Jr. 1998
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