Makes sense to send it east, given the merger (takeover) of Norfolk Southern underway by UP.
I remember seeing it at the Worlds Fair in New Orleans, so it has been east of the Mississippi River before. I don’t think it’s been any further east than that.
The merger. Of course, that explains the use of NS tracks across Ohio. Hadn’t even thought of that. I just assumed they got a better rate than CSX would give them.