CSX Transportation

Last updated
CSX Transportation
CSX qurent logo.png
CSX Transportation system map.svg
CSX system map (Pan Am Railways not included, trackage rights in purple)
CSX 660 (9116932295).jpg
CSX 660, a GE AC6000CW, westbound at Point of Rocks, Maryland
Overview
Headquarters CSX Transportation Building, 500 Water Street, Jacksonville, Florida
Reporting mark CSXT
Locale Northeastern, Southern, Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada
Dates of operationJuly 1, 1986;36 years ago (1986-07-01)–present
Predecessors
List
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length21,000 miles (34,000 km)
Other
Website csx.com

CSX Transportation( reporting mark CSXT), known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates on approximately 21,000 route miles (34,000 km) of track. [1] The company operates as the leading subsidiary of CSX Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. [2] [3]

Contents

CSX Corporation (the parent of CSX Transportation) was formed in 1980 from the merger of Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries, two holding companies which controlled a number of railroads operating in the Eastern United States. Initially only a holding company itself, the subsidiaries that made up CSX Corporation were gradually merged, with this process completed in 1987. CSX Transportation formally came into existence in 1986, as the successor of Seaboard System Railroad. In 1999, CSX Transportation acquired approximately half of Conrail, in a joint purchase with competitor Norfolk Southern Railway. Later, in 2022, it acquired Pan Am Railways, extending its reach into much of Northern New England.

CSX and its chief competitor, the Norfolk Southern Railway, have a duopoly on the transcontinental freight rail lines in the Northeastern and Southern United States (South Atlantic and East South Central states).

History

Early years

CSX Transportation Building in Jacksonville, Florida CSXJAX15.JPG
CSX Transportation Building in Jacksonville, Florida

CSX Corporation was formed on November 1, 1980, as a merger between Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries. [4]

Original logo for the CSX Corporation, emphasizing the "multiplication symbol" X Csx corp logo.svg
Original logo for the CSX Corporation, emphasizing the "multiplication symbol" X

The name came about during merger talks between Chessie System and SCL, commonly called "Chessie" and "Seaboard". The company chairmen said it was important for the new name to include neither of those names because it was a partnership. Employees were asked for suggestions, most of which consisted of combinations of the initials. At the same time a temporary shorthand name was needed for discussions with the Interstate Commerce Commission. "CSC" was chosen but belonged to a trucking company in Virginia. "CSM" (for "Chessie-Seaboard Merger") was also taken. The lawyers decided to use "CSX", and the name stuck. In the public announcement, it was said that "CSX is singularly appropriate. C can stand for Chessie, S for Seaboard, and X, which actually has no meaning." However, an August 9, 2016, article on the Railway Age website stated that " ... the 'X' was for 'Consolidated' ". [5] A fourth letter had to be added to CSX when used as a reporting mark because reporting marks that end in X means that the car is owned by a leasing company or private car owner.

The originator of SCL was the former Seaboard Air Line Railroad, which previously merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1967 to form the Seaboard Coast Line. In later years, it merged with the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, as well as several smaller subsidiaries such as the Clinchfield Railroad, Atlanta & West Point Railroad, Monon Railroad and the Georgia Railroad. From the late 1970s onward, these railroads were known collectively as the Family Lines. In 1982, they were merged into a single railroad, the Seaboard System Railroad. [4]

The origin of the Chessie System was the former Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, which had merged with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and the Western Maryland Railway. [4]

Despite the merger in 1980, CSX was a paper railroad (meaning no CSX painted locomotives or rolling stock) until 1986. In that year, Seaboard System changed its name to CSX Transportation. On April 30, 1987, the B&O merged into the C&O. With the Western Maryland having already merged into the C&O, this left the C&O as the sole operating railroad under the Chessie System banner. Finally, on August 31, 1987, C&O/Chessie System merged into CSX Transportation, bringing all of the major CSX railroads under one banner.

Conrail acquisition

On June 23, 1997, CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) filed a joint application with the Surface Transportation Board for authority to purchase, divide, and operate the assets of the 11,000-mile (18,000 km) Conrail, which had been created in 1976 by bringing together several ailing Northeastern railway systems into a government-owned corporation. On June 6, 1998, the STB approved the CSX–NS application and set August 22, 1998, as the effective date of its decision. CSX acquired 42 percent of Conrail's assets, and NS received the remaining 58 percent. As a result of the transaction, CSX's rail operations grew to include some 3,800 miles (6,100 km) of the Conrail system (predominantly lines that had belonged to the former New York Central Railroad). CSX began operating its trains on its portion of the Conrail network on June 1, 1999. CSX now serves much of the Eastern United States, with a few routes into nearby Canadian cities.

In actuality, not all of Conrail was eliminated. There were a few parts of Conrail that both CSX and NS wanted, and neither wanted to allow the other to have total control over. Those small pieces remained owned by the renamed "Conrail Shared Assets," (later "Conrail Shared Assets Operations") so that the pieces were effectively owned and operated by a separate railroad owned by both railroads, thus neither railroad would control those pieces.

Into the 21st century

The company introduced its current slogan, "How Tomorrow Moves", in 2008. [6]

In 2014, Canadian Pacific Railway approached CSX with an offer to merge the two companies, but CSX declined, and in 2015 Canadian Pacific made an attempt to purchase and merge with Norfolk Southern, [7] but NS declined to do so as well.

In 2017, CSX announced Hunter Harrison would become its new chief executive officer; a settlement with activist investor Paul Hilal and Mantle Ridge. [8] CSX added five new directors to their board, including Harrison and Mantle Ridge founder Paul Hilal. Mantle Ridge owns 4.9% of CSX. [9] Harrison quickly moved to convert CSX rail operations to precision railroading. [10] On December 14, 2017, CSX announced that Hunter Harrison was on medical leave. Two days after the announcement, Harrison died, one day after being hospitalized for complications of an ongoing illness. CSX initially saw a 10% drop in its stock price, but turned around to hit a new 52-week high less than a month later (January 2018). [11] Harrison's successors have continued the shift to precision railroading, with most hump yards converted to flat yards, low volume shipping lanes eliminated and reductions in rolling stock and work force.

Pan Am Railways acquisition

On November 30, 2020, CSX Transportation's parent company CSX Corporation announced on social media that they had come to an agreement with Pan Am Systems to purchase New England based Class II Pan Am Railways, pending regulatory approval from the Surface Transportation Board. The STB approved the purchase on April 14, 2022. [12] As part of the acquisition, Norfolk Southern Railway will gain trackage rights over several CSX lines, and Pan Am Southern, 50 percent owned by Pan Am Railways, will be operated by the Berkshire and Eastern Railroad, a new Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary formed explicitly for this purpose. [12] CSX completed the purchase on June 1, 2022. [13]

Unit trains

A long CSX coal train of empty hoppers crosses the New River as seen from Hawks Nest State Park Silver Snake (4252221127).jpg
A long CSX coal train of empty hoppers crosses the New River as seen from Hawks Nest State Park

CSX operated the Juice Train which consisted of Tropicana cars that carried fresh orange juice between Bradenton, Florida, and the Greenville section of Jersey City, New Jersey. The northbound train was originally designated on CSX as K650 during the 1990s, and Q740 in the 2000s. The Juice Train has previously been studied as a model of efficient rail transportation that can compete with trucks and other modes in the perishable-goods trade. The train was abolished in 2017 north of Tampa, Florida, and now mixed freight trains deliver the cars to their respective destinations. It still operates between Bradenton and Tampa however, but is designated as local O823. [14] [ better source needed ]

The Coke Express rolls through a level crossing. Hopper cars display both the CSX logo and the words COKE EXPRESS Coke Express.jpg
The Coke Express rolls through a level crossing. Hopper cars display both the CSX logo and the words COKE EXPRESS

CSX operates Coke Express unit trains. [15] They carry coke for steelmaking, power generation and other various uses, running between Pittsburgh and Chicago, and other places in the Rust Belt.

Locomotives

A new CSX ES44AC in the YN3 paint scheme. Clean and Almost Brand New (2246953505).jpg
A new CSX ES44AC in the YN3 paint scheme.

CSX has rebuilt a significant number of locomotives. [16] Some of the EMD GP38-2, GP40-2, and SD40-2 have been rebuilt to Dash 3 standards with updated Wabtec Electronically Controlled Air Brakes, air conditioning, automated starting controls, a crash safe cab, a new electronic control stand, and Positive Train Control (PTC). [17] In 2019, 25 SD70AC locomotives were rebuilt at the CSX Huntington Heavy Repair Facility, with rebuilt prime movers, in-cab electronic and comfort improvements, New York Air Brake CCB II airbrake systems, and new Mitsubishi drive controls. [18] CSX has also partnered with Wabtec to rebuild GE locomotives at their Fort Worth facility [19] with prime movers upgraded to the FDL Advantage spec and new electronic controls such as the Wabtec Trip Optimizer Zero-to-Zero system. [20]

CSX has also obtained a few EMD F40PH-2s—nos. 9992, 9993, 9998, and 9999 (All locomotives except 9999 have been renumbered to CSX 1, 2, and 3 and were repainted into a heritage Baltimore and Ohio Railroad scheme)—that were retired from Amtrak for executive office car service and geometry trains. Another locomotive, ex-MARC GP40WH-2 no. 9969 was acquired for the same purpose.

With the arrival of Hunter Harrison, CSX has begun to store many locomotives. By the end of 2017, CSX plans to store or retire all of the GE CW40-8, CW40-9, CW60AC, CW60AH, CW46AH, EMD SD50, SD50-2, SD50-3, SD60, SD60M, SD60I, SD70M, SD70AC, and SD70AE (SD70ACe) units. Most of the GE C40-8, B40-8, and B20-8 units stored in Corbin, Kentucky, have already been retired and sold off. Even with the passing of Harrison, his replacement, James Foote, confirmed the locomotives would still be retired. [21]

CSX ordered ten SD70ACe-T4s in August 2018, which were delivered in July the following year. They are classified as ST70AHs. CSX also has a contract with Wabtec for modernizing their fleet of CW44s. The modernized locomotives, nearly thirty in number as of June 2020, are being classified as CM44AC. [22]

On April 30, 2019, CSX unveiled locomotives 911 and 1776, two locomotives created to honor the first responders and veterans. [23] Another special unit, CSX 3194, was unveiled on August 22, 2019, in honor of the law enforcement. [24]

Safety

In 1995, CSX started a new liability insurance requirement of $200 million to introduce their official policy, "no steam on its own wheels", banning the operation of steam locomotives and other antique rail equipment on their trackage due to safety concerns, and increased risk. [25] [26]

List of accidents and incidents

Major yards

Hump and control tower at Selkirk Yard Selkirk Yard 2012c.jpg
Hump and control tower at Selkirk Yard

Hump yards

In hump yards, trains are slowly pushed over a small hill as cars are uncoupled at the crest of the hill and allowed to roll down the hump into the appropriate tracks for outbound trains.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Pacific Railroad</span> Class I freight railroad in the United States

The Union Pacific Railroad, legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over 32,200 miles (51,800 km) routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, with which it shares a duopoly on transcontinental freight rail lines in the Western, Midwestern and West South Central United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk Southern Railway</span> American Class I railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia, and had rights in Canada over the Albany to Montréal route of the Canadian Pacific Railway. NS is responsible for maintaining 28,400 miles (45,700 km), with the remainder being operated under trackage rights from other parties responsible for maintenance. Intermodal containers and trailers are the most common commodity type carried by NS, which have grown as coal business has declined throughout the 21st century; coal was formerly the largest source of traffic. The railway offers the largest intermodal rail network in eastern North America. NS was also the pioneer of Roadrailer service. Norfolk Southern and its chief competitor, CSX Transportation, have a duopoly on the transcontinental freight rail lines in the Eastern United States.

Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), the Western Maryland Railway (WM), and Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT). Trains operated under the Chessie name from 1973 to 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaboard System Railroad</span>

The Seaboard System Railroad, Inc. was a US Class I railroad that operated from 1982 to 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaboard Coast Line Railroad</span> Transport company

The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lines to create the Seaboard System in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Railway (U.S.)</span> Defunct United States railroad

The Southern Railway was a class 1 railroad based in the Southern United States between 1894 and 1982, when it merged with the Norfolk & Western to form Norfolk Southern. The railroad was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juice Train</span> Tropicana unit trains

"Juice Train" is the popular name for unit trains of Tropicana fresh orange juice operated by railroads in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CSX Corporation</span> American transportation company

CSX Corporation is an American holding company focused on rail transportation and real estate in North America, among other industries. The company was established in 1980 as part of the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries merger. The various railroads of the former Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries that are now owned by CSX Corporation were eventually merged into a single line in 1986 and it became known as CSX Transportation. CSX Corporation currently has a number of subsidiaries beyond CSX Transportation. Previously based in Richmond, Virginia after the merger, the corporation moved its headquarters to Jacksonville, Florida, in 2003. CSX is a Fortune 500 company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conrail</span> Former American Class I railroad (1976–1999)

Conrail, formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do business as an asset management and network services provider in three Shared Assets Areas that were excluded from the division of its operations during its acquisition by CSX Corporation and the Norfolk Southern Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pan Am Railways</span> American transportation company

Pan Am Railways, Inc. (PAR) is a subsidiary of CSX Corporation that operates Class II regional railroads covering northern New England from Mattawamkeag, Maine, to Rotterdam Junction, New York. Pan Am Railways is primarily made up of former Class II regional railroads such as Boston and Maine Corporation, Maine Central Railroad Company, Portland Terminal Company, and Springfield Terminal Railway Company. It was formerly known as Guilford Transportation Industries and was also known as Guilford Rail System. Guilford bought the name, colors, and logo of Pan American World Airways in 1998.

The Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway (SA&M) was a historic railroad located in the U.S. states of Georgia and Alabama. SA&M was built in the 1880s running between Montgomery, Alabama and Lyons, Georgia. It would be completed to Savannah, Georgia in 1896 after being renamed the Georgia and Alabama Railway. The line would notably become part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad network in 1900.

The Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad was organized in 1833 to extend from the area of the rapids of the Roanoke River at its fall line near Weldon, North Carolina to Portsmouth, Virginia, across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk on the harbor of Hampton Roads.

The Saginaw Subdivision is a railroad line in the U.S. state of Michigan. The line runs 105 miles from Toledo, Ohio, to Saginaw, Michigan. CSX owns the line although since 2006, the section from Mt. Morris to Saginaw has been leased to the Lake State Railway but is still occasionally used by CSX. The Plymouth to Mt. Morris line was also leased to LSRC starting in March 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmetto Subdivision</span> CSX railroad line in Florida

The Palmetto Subdivision is a CSX Transportation rail line in the Tampa Bay region of Florida. It runs from East Tampa and roughly parallels U.S. Route 41 south through Ruskin to Palmetto and Bradenton. The Palmetto Subdivision ends just south of Tropicana Yard in Oneco, where it connects with the Seminole Gulf Railway, a shortline that continues south into Sarasota.

The Brewster Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in Florida. The line runs from the Valrico Subdivision at Edison Junction south through Bradley Junction to Arcadia for a total of 47.2 miles. It junctions with the Achan Subdivision and the Agricola Spur at Bradley Junction, and connects to the Seminole Gulf Railway in Arcadia.

The Norlina Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. State of North Carolina. The line currently runs from Norlina, North Carolina to Raleigh, North Carolina for a total of 51.2 miles. At its north end the line comes to an end and at its south end the line continues north from the Aberdeen Subdivision. While the current line dates back to 1840, it has been known as the Norlina Subdivision since the 1970s. Under CSX's predecessor, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, the Norlina Subdivision continued north to Collier Yard near Petersburg, Virginia.

The Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad was a railroad built in the early 1900s. As its name suggests, it ran from Richmond, Virginia south through Petersburg into northern North Carolina. It was a key part of the network of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad</span>

The Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad was chartered in 1885 as the Macon and Dublin Railroad. It was built to connect its namesake towns, Macon and Dublin. Eventually, it became a 96-mile short line operating between Macon and Vidalia.

The Seaboard Air Line Railroad’s Main Line was the backbone of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's network in the southeastern United States. The main line ran from Richmond, Virginia to Tampa, Florida, a distance of over 800 miles. Along its route it passed through Petersburg, Raleigh, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Ocala, Florida. While some segments of the line have been abandoned as of 2022, most of the line is still in service and is owned by the Seaboard Air Line's successor, CSX Transportation as their S Line.

References

  1. ↑ CSX Transportation, Jacksonville, FL. "Company Overview." Archived 2011-01-29 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2012-12-02.
  2. ↑ "CSX Corporate Structure" . Retrieved 2019-01-07.
  3. ↑ "Fortune 500 - CSX". Fortune. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
  4. 1 2 3 "CSX merger family tree". Trains . June 2, 2006. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  5. ↑ Vantuono, William (2016-09-28). "So what does the "X" in "CSX" really mean?". Railway Age.
  6. ↑ Dolinger, Milt (2006-05-01). "How CSX got its name". Trains. Archived from the original on 2008-12-09. Retrieved 2006-08-04.
  7. ↑ Mattioli, Dana; Hoffman, Liz; George-Cosh, David (October 13, 2014). "Canadian Pacific Approached CSX About Merger Deal". The Wall Street Journal.
  8. ↑ Orol, Ronald (March 6, 2017). "CSX, Mantle Ridge Reach Blockbuster Deal". TheStreet.com.
  9. ↑ Michael Flaherty and Aishwarya Venugopal (March 6, 2017). "UPDATE 2-CSX names Hunter Harrison CEO". Reuters.
  10. ↑ Barrow, Keith (September 17, 2019). "Precision Scheduled Railroading Evolution-Revolution". International Railway Journal.
  11. ↑ "CSX Investors Seek Clarity After CEO Death, Stock Stabilizes". Reuters. 18 December 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  12. 1 2 Stephens, Bill (April 14, 2022). "Regulators approve CSX Transportation's acquisition of Pan Am Railways (updated)". Trains. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  13. ↑ "CSX Completes Acquisition of Pan Am Railways". June 1, 2022.
  14. ↑ "The Way It Was: Juice Train 1997". Distant Signal Productions. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  15. ↑ "CSX.com - Resources". www.csx.com. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  16. ↑ "CSX locomotive rebuild program preserves jobs in Huntington". WVNews. 2015-08-28. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  17. ↑ "SD40-3: CSX Old "New" Locomotive" . Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  18. ↑ Anderson, Chris (2019-09-03). "CSX upgrading 25 SD70ACs". Trains. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  19. ↑ Whitely, Jason (2021-11-27). "Fort Worth factory successfully reinvented itself after railroads stopped buying new locomotives". WFAA Dallas. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  20. ↑ Luczak, Marybeth (2021-06-24). "CSX Selects Wabtec for Power Upgrades". Railway Age. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  21. ↑ Stephens, Bill (January 17, 2018). "'There is no turning back'". Trains. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  22. ↑ Landrum, Erik (2019-07-09). "First Progress-built Tier 4 locomotives for CSX arrive". Trains. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  23. ↑ Anderson, Chris (April 30, 2019). "CSX releases veterans, first responders commemorative units". Trains. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  24. ↑ "CSX unveils 'Spirit of our Law Enforcement' commemorative locomotive No. 3194 | Trains Magazine".
  25. ↑ Wrinn, Jim (2000). Steam's Camelot: Southern and Norfolk Southern Excursions in Color (1st ed.). TLC Publishing. p. 102. ISBN   1-883089-56-5.
  26. ↑ Spradlin, Kevin (June 24, 2010). "CSX disputes claims it pulled support for Petersburg festival in '11th hour'". Cumberland Times-News . Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Train collision kills 1 in West Virginia - June 8, 1997". CNN. June 8, 1997. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Rear end collision, Mineral Springs NC | FRA". railroads.dot.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
  29. ↑ "Film Crew member of Midnight Rider killed by train". Los Angeles Times . 30 January 2019. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  30. ↑ "A Train, a Narrow Trestle and 60 Seconds to Escape: How 'Midnight Rider' Victim Sarah Jones Lost Her Life". hollywoodreporter.com. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  31. ↑ Lee, Anita (15 March 2017). "Driver was 'Sober' Before Train Hit Tour Bus, Biloxi Chief Says". Sun Herald. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  32. ↑ "CSX Working to Remove 25 Coal Cars Derailed in Pennsylvania". U.S. News & World Report. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  33. ↑ www.ntsb.gov https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/DCA17FR011-prelim-report.aspx.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[ dead link ]
  34. ↑ "Train crashes into Atlanta house, destroying it". USA Today .
  35. ↑ Moulton, Cyrus (21 July 2018). "CSX Cars Derail at Cambridge Street Bridge in Worcester". Telegram.com. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  36. ↑ "Kentucky tornado derails a train in Hopkins County; one car lands on home". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-10-16.

Bibliography

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