Chasing the First NS 264 Reroute (CSX Z618) on CSX Tracks From Worcester to Ayer (MA), 1/13/2026

Описание: Date: Tuesday January 13, 2026
Locations: See train listings below
Resolution: 4k with 30 FPS (iPhone 14 Pro Max)

[details of the 4 trains are below my description]

Tony's Heritage Tracker (as of this sighting):
CSXT 8
Norfolk Southern 9
Comment: NS retakes the lead with the fabulous D&H unit # 1080!

After months (years?) of waiting, the day of reckoning finally arrived. All the bridges were raised, permits received, crew-change facilities built, crews hired & trained, etc. The long-awaited Norfolk Southern 264/265 reroute across the CSX Berkshire, Boston and Worcester subdivisions arrived. And NS made it even better with a fantastic heritage power duo to die for.

I picked my primary video locations in part to be "off the beaten path" so that I wouldn't have to contend with loads of other railfans & foamers. That worked great with my Worcester location; it wasn't quite perfect in Lancaster, as I had to find a more obscure crossing in between the two Neck Rd. crossings I had originally thought of as both of them had multiple other railfans already there.

After my two initial captures, I decided to go to the T station in Ayer to see if I could catch 1) Z618 spinning their power for the return trip, and/or 2) NS 1072, which was on EDSA / SAED and was supposedly in the Ayer area that morning. I would see neither of those, though I did see a bit of Z618 moving around in the yard, as well as the first EDAY ever so it was worthwhile, despite the mass of railfans there (I counted at least 25 other people there).

At any rate, I am reasonably happy with what I got (despite another "stray finger" incident in the Worcester video). I hope you like it! Please like my videos and comment on them as appropriate, as I believe that will help increase the promotion of the videos on my channel (like having YT actually send notifications of my new videos out to my subscribers!).

Here are the trains seen in this video:

1
Time: 08:53
Location: Worcester, MA (off of Stafford St., not far from the Heard St. bridge)
Train Symbol: CSXT Z618 (EB from Voorheesville, NY to Ayer, MA)
Power: NS 8098 (ES44AC), NS 1080 (SD70ACe); 2x0x0
Consist: Intermodal (58 wells/flats)
Comment: Starting the next day, this train would receive a new ID, Z264 (since this is the CSX routing of NS 264)

2
Time: 10:14
Location: Lancaster, NY (at the Packard St. crossing)
Train Symbol: CSXT Z618 (EB from Voorheesville, NY to Ayer, MA)
Power: NS 8098 (ES44AC), NS 1080 (SD70ACe); 2x0x0
Consist: Intermodal (58 wells/flats)

3
Time: 11:55
Location: Ayer, MA (MBTA station)
Train Symbol: BERX AY-1 (Ayer Hill Yard local switcher)
Power: BERX 5936 (B40-8), BERX 7518 (C40-8); 2x0x0
Consist: Light Engines

4
Time: 12:16
Location: Ayer, MA (MBTA station)
Train Symbol: BERX EDAY (EB from E. Deerfield, MA to Ayer, MA - Hill Yard)
Power: BERX 7535 (C40-8), BERX 7878 (C40-8W), BERX 5974 (B40-8); 3x0x0
Consist: Mixed Freight (15 cars)


My Social Media Presence:
YouTube: TJ's Train Videos (MA and Beyond)
Facebook: Anthony Lee Jordan
Chester, MA Rail Camera (YT: Boston and Maine Live): Tony Jordan V2 (aka @TJ-v2.0)