PASSING TRAINS PT 46; IC49 PT 1

 The headlights of the engine leading IC49 (Baltimore-Chicago international container traffic) round the curve.

Led by a pair of brand-new ET44AC's, the train is not running at it's usual speed, but slowing down as it enters Hillsdale Yard.

As lead engine 517 pulls in, a crew awaits the train's arrival. When IC49 passed the local in Dale City, they noted that the doors on one of the containers appeared to be open.

As the train  comes to a stop, it becomes clear that the crew of the local was, unfortunately, right; one of the top containers has, indeed, been broken into.

One of the men inspects the compromised container, while both Supervisor Dale Williams and security man Brad look on. Apparently, numerous cases of Nike's -including Air Jordans- have been stolen. Neither the shipper nor the AP&W's claims adjusters will be happy.

Now, closed with a security tag placed on the door, the container is released, along with the rest of the train. Once in Chicago, the container will be placed in hold for further inspection. Since the container was still locked when it was loaded in Baltimore, it is believed that the theft occurred during an hour-long delay entering a congested Miller Yard in Cumberland.  At least the train re-started before the thieves could steal all the cases. Meanwhile, someone in the Cumberland area is getting ready to make a small fortune, either online or on the streets!

As the train gets underway once again, Brad and another man watch for more "unsecured" containers. Sitting in 40' wells, the bottom containers are impossible to open up, but the top ones are a different story, as we have seen.

More of  IC49 next week.