It was a busy day as joint Intermodal service was in full swing over trackage rights of the CAS (CEO Larry Mosher) to the port of Salem. Both Suleski Transportation and CAS run container service directly from ship to rail. The CAS just purchased two SD40-2's from Canadian Pacific. They are currently running in their CP paint which catches a lot of attention this far south.
Here the CAS unit crosses the arch bridge leading a string of Gunderson 5 car units.
Because of high wind gusts today all container service was run single stack for safety reasons.
Suleski Transportation sent a switcher, ST #24 an NW2, out with a single well car and a tank car. Here it rounds the curve where the new passing siding was recently installed. The passing siding allows two engines and 15 container cars to sit by.
The tank car was purchased from ADM, but is now used to carry diesel fuel for refueling engines at the CAS Port of Salem yard. It will receive new paint when ST paint shops get some time.
Coming from the CAS yard in Beverly the mainline is single tracked out across a steel arch bridge, then runs round a horseshoe curve where the new passing siding has been added. The curve starts the climb up grade where it turns back to single track. At the summit it runs through CAS's only tunnel and starts back down grade. The track turns to double mainline as it runs into the Port of Salem.
Here the CAS CP unit passes ST #6114 on the curve. Each train is pulled by large six axle diesels and because of the single stack run order only a single unit heads up each train.
It is a pretty impressive site as the two trains pass pulling their Intermodal freights in opposite directions.
Here ST #6114 pulls out of the CAS yard as ST #28 a four axle GP38-2 brings another Intermodal freight into the yard from the high line.
ST#28 and ST #6114 pass to the sound of air horns, diesel engine notching up and dynamic brakes wining.
Another shot of a meet on the curve with two ST units.
This shot shows the empty tank car being returned empty on the end of a string of container cars.
Here ST # 28 brings the last run of the day across the bridge as the sun starts to set.
It was the busiest day of Intermodal service since the start of the program. Both CAS and Suleski Transportation are enjoying this venture.
Click here to see a MPG of the ST#6114 crossing the bridge.
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