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Welcome to the M&D Seaford Line Job Description Page!!
Below is a line description
of the Seaford Line, as well as a description of it's local operations.
The M&D’s Seaford Line is operated
much the same fashion as the rest of their branches; as required. While there
are no guarantees for a train on the line, a good bet is Monday. In fact,
whether it goes that way or not, the company will try to operate the line
on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Normal operating patterns see the crew heading
out east to the runaround in Federalsburg to get any cars headed west for
Hurlock, then ultimately heading right back west for Perdue Hurlock. After
working Perdue, they'll get around the train and head back east, working
Tri-Gas in Williamsburg in the winter time, then on to Federalsburg to begin
switching chores at the home terminal. The first switch on the west side
of town is the lead to K-Pak, a warehouse that receives boxcars. The normal
move will be pull two empties out, then spot two loads. Extra cars will be
left on the head of the siding.
Proceeding through town, the train will
arrive at the Federalsburg Industrial Park, home to Solo Cup and Reliance
Wood. Solo's westernmost switch leads to the plastic track, which is switched
less than the box track (box is a daily switch when running). Five in and
five out will probably be done at Solo Box. If the crew works plastic, empties
are usually one or two at a time, and there's not always loads to go in
there at the same time. Plastic is hit or miss. After completing Solo, the
crew may stop at Reliance, just east of Solo, to place a flatcar of poles/lumber
or pull an empty or two out. From here it is on to interchange with Norfolk
Southern in Seaford.
At Seaford (see
map), the MDDE crew will coordinate interchange plans with NS local
H57 on the radio using the NS Road Channel 1 (160.800mhz). A normal move
will be to back their empties off of the gas track, then go back to the
west end and get their cars out of the Parsons and the storage. With no
industry work between Seaford and Federalsburg, the MDDE will shoot straight
back, taking a half hour or so on this leg of the trip. When departing Seaford
and back on home rails, the crew will call the MDDE Federalsburg office
on the radio (MDDE channel) and communicate interchange times and car totals.
Once arrived back at the Federalsburg runaround, work will begin on classifying
the train. Depending on how things are lined up, and how many cars they
have, this can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours. Matters are complicated
when hot boxcars or plastic cars from Seaford must be put immediately into
Solo Cup, as the crew must run around those cars.
Depending on the day, the crew could be
done once the train is classified at Federalsburg and left in the runaround.
However, they could end up taking hot hopper cars out to Perdue Hurlock,
or additional Tri-Gas cars to Williamsburg in the winter months.
About twice a week, a run to the end of
the line in Cambridge is required of the Seaford Line local. Near the end
of the line in the Cambridge Industrial Park, Corrpack receives tank cars
of wax that must be switched out once every two weeks or so (and sporadic
boxcars as well). On a day when the crew is running to Cambridge, they'll
first work Hurlock while going west, then head for Cambridge. On the way
back from Cambridge, they'll pick up any empties left in Hurlock (if any)
and work Williamsburg and Federalsburg going east to interchange. After interchange,
they'll tie the train up in Federalsburg, as they'll be pushing 12 hours
at that point even if things go smoothly.
Excursions have been run over the Seaford
Line the last few years out of Hurlock, MD. These excursions are operated
using the two town-owned coaches alone with a diner car that is brought up
on Norfolk Southern. The trains usually run in the first week of October during
the town festival, operating to Federalsburg and back, with three to four
trips done throughout the day.
The Seaford Line local power is RS3M 1203. While CF7 2628 is also in the shop, it is only used on very sporadic occasions. On rare occasions where traffic dictates, both engines will be used on the job. This is most common during the winter grain rush for grain trains to Perdue in Hurlock.
All radio communications are done on 160.695mhz.
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