CSX Transportation
Logo System map (trackage rights in purple) A CSX train is led by two GE AC6000CW locomotives, with the #5000 "Diversity in Motion" unit leading
Reporting mark	CSXT
Locale	Eastern United States, Southwestern Ontario, and southwestern Quebec
Dates of operation	1986–present
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Length	21,000 mi (34,000 km)
Headquarters	Jacksonville, Florida

CSX Transportation (reporting mark CSXT) is a Class I railroad in the United States. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles.^[1] CSX operates one of the three Class I railroads serving most of the East Coast, the other two being the Norfolk Southern Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway. This railroad also serves the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

History[link]

CSX's headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida, with the Florida East Coast Railway bridge in the background

CSX Transportation was formed on July 1, 1986, as a combining and renaming of the Chessie System, Inc. and Seaboard System Railroad into one entity. The originator of the Seaboard System was the former Seaboard Air Line Railroad, which previously merged Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and later Louisville and Nashville Railroad, as well as several smaller subsidiaries. On August 31, 1987, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, which had absorbed the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on April 30 of that year, merged into CSX. The merger had been started in 1986 with the merger of Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries to form the CSX Corporation.

On June 23, 1997, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern filed a joint application with the Surface Transportation Board for authority to purchase, divide and operate the assets of the 11,000-mile Consolidated Rail Corporation (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% of Conrail's assets, and NS received the remaining 58%. As a result of the transaction, CSX's rail operations grew to include some 3,800 miles 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 U.S., with a few routes into nearby Canadian cities.

The name came about during merger talks between Chessie System, Inc. and Seaboard System Railroad, Inc., 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. But the X could be used as a short term for the word "Express" taking off the "E" giving out "Xpress", putting the X in use. " The T 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. Its current slogan, "How Tomorrow Moves", appeared in 2009.^[2]

CSX divisions[link]

CSX operates two regions of five divisions each: the Northern, based in Calumet City, Illinois, and Southern, based in Jacksonville, Florida.

CSX rail tunnel at Harper's Ferry, in the Baltimore Division.

CSX Transportation tracks in Clearwater, Florida, in the Jacksonville Division.

Northern Region Divisions

• Great Lakes Division – Based in Indianapolis, IN
• Chicago Division – Based in Calumet City, IL
• Albany Division – Based in Selkirk, NY
• Baltimore Division – Based in Baltimore, MD
• Louisville Division – Based in Cincinnati, OH

There are two lines in the Northern Region that travels into Canada:

• Sarnia Subdivision (Chicago Division) from Chatham, Ontario to Sarnia, Ontario, then across the border to Port Huron subdivision via Port Huron, Michigan.
• Montreal Subdivision (Albany Division) from Kahnawake, Quebec to Massena, New York

Southern Region Divisions

• Atlanta Division – Based in Atlanta, GA
• Appalachian Division – Based in Huntington, WV
• Nashville Division – Based in Nashville, TN
• Florence Division – Based in Florence, SC
• Jacksonville Division – Based in Jacksonville, FL (At Dufford Center)

Unit trains[link]

CSX operates the Juice Train, train numbers Q740 and Q741, a notable unit train of Tropicana fresh orange juice between Bradenton, Florida, and distribution centers in the Greenville section of Jersey City, New Jersey and Cincinnati, Ohio in the United States.

In the 21st century, CSX Juice Trains have been the focus of efficiency studies and have received awards. They are considered good examples of how modern rail transportation can compete successfully with trucking and other modes to carry perishable products.

Coke Express trains run between Pittsburgh and Chicago, and other places in the rust belt, carrying coke to industries, mainly steel mills.

CSX also runs daily trash trains out from New York City, bound for Florida, train numbers Q706/Q707 and Q702/Q703. These trains usually consist of about 50 cars with four 20 foot containers of trash on each.

Another style of unit train is a local trash train, D765, runs between Derwood and Dickerson, both in Maryland. The train runs daily except Sunday, sometimes twice a day around holidays. Trash is carried from Montgomery County's Shady Grove Transfer Station to a waste-to-energy plant located off the PEPCO lead to Mirant's Dickerson Generating Station. The trip is roughly 17 miles (27 km), and the train is made up of National Steel Car Company-built well cars, hauling 40 foot containers. The first NEMX equipment was built when the D765 first started operations in 1997. In recent years, the fleet has been somewhat upgraded, repainted, and some entirely new cars have been constructed. In the early days, the locomotives powering the train were a GP40-2/RDMT slug set, but the train has since grown to roughly 40 cars. The locomotives that now routinely power the train are a pair of EMD SD50s.

CSX, in cooperation with the Union Pacific, runs an extended haul perishables train, Q090; known by the railroad as the "Apple Train" or "Salad Shooter", from Wallula to Schenectady. This train typically runs with 3 of Union Pacific's newest locomotives and has its extended haul inspection from Wallula to Schenectady at Cleveland – Collinwood Yard on CSX headed in both directions, but on the return trip the train is labeled as a Q091. CSX Train Handling rule book is modified specially for this train to allow use of more power axles.^[3]

Locomotives[link]

A newer GE ES44DC in the CSX scheme crosses a diamond in Marion, Ohio.

CSX currently uses a blue and gold paint scheme for its locomotives. Former CR locomotives can be spotted by recognizing phase differences in engine models and numbering. Other spotting details can be inconsistent, but can include a number of the following: Class lights, Leslie model RS3L air horns, former Conrail SD40-2s ride on Flexicoil "C" trucks and have anticlimbers, ditch lights mounted beneath the anticlimber, headlights above the cab (vs. CSX's standard practice of nose mounted headlights on all wide nose GE units), and modified "Bright Future" paint with battery box faces painted yellow versus black or blue. There are no Conrail locomotives in active service with CSX at this time.

CSX has created a new paint scheme, known as YN3, which debuted in 2002 on EMD SD50 8503,^[4] now downgraded to an SD50-2. Currently, CSX has over 1000 YN3-painted locomotives and are continuing to paint their locomotives in YN3. The vast majority of CSX locomotives today have flashing ditch lights.

CSX has also obtained a few EMD F40PHs that were retired from Amtrak service.

• 

  An AC6000CW leads a coal train through the New River Gorge in West Virginia.

• 

  A former Seaboard System B36-7 converted into an RCPHG4, which serves as a remotely controlled unit.

• 

  A CSX C40-8 in the YN2 "Bright Future" color scheme rests inside a railroad yard in Florida.

Runaway train[link]

A CSX train, led by CSX Transportation SD40-2 #8888, left its Walbridge, Ohio, rail yard in 2001 and began a 66-mile (106 km) journey through northwest Ohio with no one at the controls. Its engineer had gotten out of the originally slow-moving train to correctly line a switch, mistakenly believing he had properly set the train's dynamic braking system.

Two of the train's tank cars also contained thousands of gallons of molten phenol, an ingredient of paints and dyes, that is toxic when inhaled, ingested, or contacted with the skin. Attempts to derail CSX 8888 using a portable derailer failed, and police were unable to shoot out the Emergency Fuel Cut-Off Switch, instead hitting the fuel cap. For two hours, the train traveled along at speeds up to 47 miles per hour (76 km/h) until the crew of a second train coupled onto the runaway and slowly applied its brakes. Once the runaway was slowed down to a speed of 11 miles per hour, a CSX employee, trainmaster Jon Hosfeld, ran alongside the train and climbed aboard, shutting down the locomotive. The train was stopped just southeast of Kenton, Ohio.^[5]

The CSX 8888 incident inspired the 2010 movie Unstoppable, which borrowed some elements from the actual event for its plot.

Currently operating rail yards[link]

CSX operates a number of large classification yards around the system that include "hump yard" operations. Trains are slowly pushed over a small manmade 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. These are located at:

Hump Yards (12)

• Atlanta, Georgia – Tilford Yard
• Avon, Indiana – Avon Yard
• Birmingham, Alabama – Boyles Yard
• Cincinnati, Ohio – Queensgate Yard
• Cumberland, Maryland – Cumberland West Hump (East Hump shut down)
• Hamlet, North Carolina – Hamlet Yard
• Louisville, Kentucky – Osborn Yard (for Prime F. Osborn former President of CSX)
• Nashville, Tennessee – Radnor Yard
• Selkirk, New York – Selkirk Yard
• Toledo, Ohio – Stanley Yard
• Waycross, Georgia – Rice Yard
• Willard, Ohio – Willard Yard (Double Hump, Eastbound and Westbound)

Other Yards:

• Baltimore, Maryland – Curtis Bay Yard, Locust Point Yard, Bayview Yard, Penn Mary Yard, Mt. Clare A Yard, Mt. Winans Yard, Grays Yard
• Chicago, Illinois – Barr Yard
• Dearborn, Michigan – Rougemere Yard
• Russell, Kentucky – Russell Yard
• Cleveland, Ohio – Collinwood Yard and Clark Ave. Yard
• Bronx, New York - Oak Point Yard
• Buffalo, New York – Frontier Yard
• Newark, New Jersey – Oak Island Yard, shared with Norfolk Southern
• North Bergen, New Jersey - North Bergen Yard
• North Haven, Connecticut – Cedar Hill Yard
• Framingham, Massachusetts – Nevins Yard
• Watertown, New York – Massey Yard
• Syracuse, New York – DeWitt Yard
• Wilmington, Delaware – Wilsmere Yard
• Richmond, Virginia – Acca Yard and Fulton Yard
• Charleston, South Carolina – Bennett Yard
• Charlotte, North Carolina – Pinoca Yard
• Spartanburg, South Carolina – Maxwell Yard
• Columbia, South Carolina – Cayce Yard
• Savannah, Georgia – Southover Yard
• Columbus, Ohio – Parsons Yard
• Dayton, Ohio – Needmore Yard
• Middletown, Ohio – North Excello Yard
• Hamilton, Ohio – New River Yard
• Toledo, Ohio – Walbridge Yard
• North Baltimore, Ohio – Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal
• Rochester, New York – Goodman Street Yard
• Evansville, Indiana – Howell Yard
• New Castle, Pennsylvania - New Castle Yard
• Akron, Ohio - Akron "Hill" Yard
• Lordstown, Ohio - Goodman Yard (Lordstown)

See also[link]

	Trains portal
	Railways portal
	Companies portal

• CSX 8888 incident
• CSX milepost prefixes
• History of railroads in Michigan
• List of CSX Transportation lines
• List of CSX Transportation predecessor railroads
• Railex

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: CSX Transportation

• CSX official website
• CSX History
• CSX Dispatcher code cross-reference table
• Railex the refrigerated Unit Train in partnership with CSX