The Philadelphia Chapter of the

National Railway Historical Society

Established in 1936

CSX train Q418 from Pavonia Yard in Camden NJ usually makes a pickup at Woodbourne Yard on the Trenton Line. The cars that it picks up are brought to Woodbourne by the local night job, C764, from the CSAO yard in Morrisville, and after the pickup, it proceeds north to Selkirk Yard near Albany NY. But it took a more unusual route on Friday March 18 2005.

At 22:10 on March 17 2005 a light engine move passed CP Cheltenham headed north. The engines were CSX 8556 and 8440. They evidently went up to North Jersey, possibly to get a crew, as they returned south as X091 passing CP Wing around 6:00 on the 18th, and ran into Woodbourne Yard on their way to Morrisville. There they coupled up to a train they called Q418. It could be that Q418-17 outlawed on their way from Pavonia to Selkirk, and the train was too large (approximately 110 cars) to park in Woodbourne Yard, so they ran it all the way into Morrisville. Whatever the reason, around 7:30 Q418 came over the Fairless Branch into Woodbourne Yard and continued south on the main and stopped short of CP Berry. The power was cut off and, after Q300 passed on the controlled siding, the engines ran around the train and coupled up after pulling the marker off the north end and replacing it on the south end, and Q418 continued north.

Q418 made for quite a surprise for the many unhappy motorists on Woodbourne Road as it approaches the western end of the Fairless Branch and the entrance to Woodbourne Yard.