Switching in Framingham MA - 3/20/11

This video is a personal first in a few ways. It's the first CSX video I've uploaded. It's the first video I've uploaded that I've shot with my new tripod (manfrotto 755xb with 701hdv head) and microphone (canon DM-100), and it's the first video I've uploaded that's over 15 minutes in length. I could have trimmed this one down more, but you can watch as much or as little of it as you like. Beyond the second clip of the Eastbound manifest it mostly consists of switching and a couple of MBTA trains.
There are a couple of interesting cars in this video, specifically a pair of large (woodchip?) gondolas with Christian "advice" on them, and a few of what appear to be bulkhead flatcars converted into gondolas.

[@neblitude]

Very well done. Incredible audio!

[@mattwalsh6347]

AWESOME video! The first CSX train is CSX B722. The second CSX train is CSX B721. And the CSX train that is in the majority of the video is the Framingham yard switcher, CSX Y201. Most if not all of the cars they were moving were cars that would be going on that night's B725. So, they were putting together B725. All of the tankers and all of the gondolas were definitely going to be on B725, but some of the boxcars and centerbeams might be going on other trains. B725 is by far the largest local train in Masschusetts (at least in the Framingham and Boston area). B725 departs Framingham Sunday-Thursday nights around 11:15 p.m., usually with 3-4 locomotives and 60-70 cars, longest I have personally seen is 82 cars, but there have been longer. B725 travels the Framingham Secondary from Framingham to Mansfield, where they set off typically 10-15 cars (boxcars and centerbeams, sometimes covered hoppers) in the Mansfield yard. Then they switch into Amtrak's Northeast Corridor around 2:30 a.m. with the majority of their train from Framingham (tankers, trash cars, gondolas, refrigerated cars, bulkhead flats carrying telephone poles, covered hoppers, a few boxcars and centerbeams, and occasionally ballast gondolas), and take the Northeast Corridor from Mansfield to Attleboro, where they back onto the CSX Middleborough Secondary, where they meet up with CSX B726, which is from Middleborough, and exchange cars at Attleboro. B726 brings cars from Middleborough that are heading to Framingham and passes them off to B725, and B725 gives B726 cars from Framingham that are heading to Middleborough. Attleboro is the interchange point. B725 usually departs Attleboro with their new train around 3:30 a.m., and takes the Northeast Corridor back to Mansfield, where they switch onto the Framingham Secondary for the trip back to Framingham. They usually get back to Framingham between 7:30-8:15 a.m. As for the gondolas in the video, all of those cars are for B725. The large black and white ones are Construction and Demolition Debris (C&D) cars. They head to Attleboro on B725, and B726 takes them to Middleborough. A CSX local out of Middleborough, B729, takes them to Brockton, where they get loaded up with debris at Champion City Recovery. The ones that have the sayings are the black REGX cars. I think it is just advertisements, but they are good advice, I guess. Why they are advertised on railcars carrying debris, I have no idea. I see them all the time on B725. I enjoy seeing them. I looked online for The Way To Happiness, and there are 21 ways to happiness, all advertised on the railcars. Online it doesn't mention anything about the trains. As for the smaller gondolas, all of those are for Mid-City Scrap in Westport. After heading to Attleboro on B725, B726 takes them to Middleborough. Another Middleborough-based CSX train, B727, brings the cars to Taunton, where they are interchanged with the Mass Coastal Railroad. Mass Coastal brings them to New Bedford, where they are interchanged with the Bay Colony Railroad (BCLR), who takes them to Mid-City Scrap. Mid-City loads them with scrap metal. I don't know which gondolas you are referring to as looking like a bulkhead flatcar. Sorry this was so long. Great video!

[@Tcostello105]

Great video i also took a visit to Framingham Station last Sunday for the first time and caught lots of CSX action from the same spots you were in! The second CSX train you saw was CSX local B721 on its way to Boston. The third and fourth CSX train you saw were dropping off freight cars for the B725 Local that departs Framingham at about 10pm to go to Attleboro. Those gondolas carry scrap metal back from eastern MA.

[@burdizdawurd1516Official]

I love this vid! As for those odd hoppers, I did a bit of research. They are hoppers only unloadable by tipping them and are used for light products (like woodchips) and it does look like a converted bulkhead flatcar. Here is the link to a picture of one of the cars in the video www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsPicture.aspx?id=676205

[@bernduhlemann4458]

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