Search found 233 matches

by DLM
Thu Mar 28, 2024 3:23 pm
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: New siding-business in Traverse City???
Replies: 32
Views: 1573

Re: New siding-business in Traverse City???

I can see empty 20' and 40' containers coming in on standard 89' flatcars depending on where they are purchased from. I do not expect to see finished containers shipping via rail due volume, damage potential (graffiti), and trucks being needed to deliver to the end users site. The only exception wou...
by DLM
Sun Mar 17, 2024 9:26 pm
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: The port of monroe-containers?
Replies: 17
Views: 1464

Re: The port of monroe-containers?

Barge service to and from Montreal makes the project realistic. The hard part is developing the inbound traffic that then supplies empties for the outbound traffic. Export traffic is generally controlled in the US. Import traffic is generally controlled somewhere overseas.
by DLM
Sun Sep 17, 2023 9:53 am
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: Hamilton Northwestern Railroad Co.
Replies: 208
Views: 1564167

Re: Hamilton Northwestern Railroad Co.

Warehouses use boxcars. The boxcar business has been in a slow decline for awhile. Their new business will come from trans-loading bulk materials. Think Darling Ingredients loading tank cars. Think ag products. Think lumber. Think commodities that only require land to load or unload. That's where th...
by DLM
Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:36 pm
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: CN joins UP and Ferromex for new I/M Service
Replies: 15
Views: 6004

Re: CN joins UP and Ferromex for new I/M Service

The train will come into UP's Global 4 Chicago ramp. I do not think this is a train from Mexico going direct to the CN. I expect the CN containers will be removed from the train at UP G4 and trucked to the CN Chicago Harvey ramp. I do not think UP will do a steel wheel interchange with CN. CN will t...
by DLM
Sun Sep 04, 2022 9:45 am
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: Michigan Rail business news redux
Replies: 85
Views: 71625

Re: Michigan Rail business news redux

They make food grade plastic packaging. I have moved many intermodal loads for them when the transit time fits with their customers production schedule. They will never ship finished product via boxcar due to transit time and customers not having sidings. The plastic pellets come from the Grand Elk ...
by DLM
Wed Aug 31, 2022 5:02 pm
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: Cherry Growers in Grawn
Replies: 33
Views: 16162

Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Inbound packaging and raw food ingredients are trucked in. Apples are trucked in from Michigan along with NY and WA as needed. I have done apples on containers from Washington to Ludington to be made into sauce. We did it in the early spring to avoid hot or freezing weather. But intermodal service h...
by DLM
Tue Aug 30, 2022 3:55 pm
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: Cherry Growers in Grawn
Replies: 33
Views: 16162

Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

There is basically a zero chance Materne will ever use rail. As packaged, Go Go Squeeze will not ride well on a boxcar. Materne was also not willing to use intermodal. Last time I called on them, all the finished product was trucked to a warehouse in Grand Rapids. The trucks returned north with raw ...
by DLM
Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:05 pm
Forum: Historical Q & A
Topic: Hall "Banjo" Signals on the PMRR
Replies: 14
Views: 8517

Re: Hall "Banjo" Signals on the PMRR

The postcard shows a grade and a curve. The Hamilton branch has curves close to 8th Street in Holland and a grade with no curves coming into Hamilton. There are no grades north or east of Holland. That leads me to think of the grade with curves between New Richmond and East Saugatuck.
by DLM
Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:14 pm
Forum: Historical Q & A
Topic: Hall "Banjo" Signals on the PMRR
Replies: 14
Views: 8517

Re: Hall "Banjo" Signals on the PMRR

Reminds me of the hill coming north from the New Richmond bridge over the Kalamazoo River. The train in the postcard could be headed down to the bridge.
by DLM
Wed Dec 08, 2021 9:32 pm
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: Study Time....again - A2TC commuter rail project
Replies: 213
Views: 109821

Re: Study Time....again - A2TC commuter rail project

Unemployed or working as a consultant. Either way, he is living off the government. At least he provides us with an evening of useless reading. Maybe in his next proposal he can electrify the line and have it powered by windmills and solar.
by DLM
Thu Nov 11, 2021 1:01 pm
Forum: Train Location Updates / Heads Ups
Topic: CSX Train Location Updates - November 2021
Replies: 1053
Views: 164432

Re: CSX Train Location Updates - November 2021

If I did it correctly, two photos of the CSX derailment east of Grandville should be on this post.......
by DLM
Fri Oct 22, 2021 7:07 pm
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: Cal-Chlor, Ludington
Replies: 8
Views: 6774

Re: Cal-Chlor, Ludington

Calchlor was a customer of mine for 25 until I retired earlier this year. They shipped domestic loads of calcium chloride with me in 40' containers to California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Texas, and Florida. They ship all over the world. The new building is suppose to be a fully automated process...
by DLM
Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:00 pm
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: Ford Motor Vehicle Train Deliveries from Oakville, Ontario
Replies: 18
Views: 10441

Re: Ford Motor Vehicle Train Deliveries from Oakville, Ontario

In the year 1993, did auto racks fit through the CN Port Huron or CP Detroit tunnels? If no, the train might have crossed the bridge into Buffalo, NY to avoid the tunnels. I can't imagine it would have gone to western Canada and then turned south. My guess would be the CN running a dedicated auto ra...
by DLM
Tue Dec 29, 2020 3:19 pm
Forum: Historical Q & A
Topic: Pere Marquette Berkshires
Replies: 9
Views: 10130

Re: Pere Marquette Berkshires

Somewhere in my basement, I have the original AFE on the purchase of these locomotives. I obtained it with many other boxes of AFE's and accident files before the Wyoming Storehouse was torn down. Long ago, I gave him a copy of the file to Bill Berkompas to take back to Owosso. Bill was shocked by t...
by DLM
Wed Oct 07, 2020 10:01 am
Forum: Historical Q & A
Topic: Grand Rapids Holland Interurban
Replies: 8
Views: 11140

Re: Grand Rapids Holland Interurban

Donald Van Reken wrote a book with lots of photos of this line about 30 years ago. I have it at home. You can still see where the tracks ran many years ago in Wyoming, Grandville, Jamestown, Holland, and Laketown Township. Sure wish we had it now to ride.
by DLM
Tue Oct 06, 2020 3:16 pm
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: New Amazon DC at CN Moterm (State Fairground Site)
Replies: 35
Views: 26305

Re: New Amazon DC at CN Moterm (State Fairground Site)

What you might see is warehouse restocking on 53' Amazon containers coming from Los Angeles on the BNSF to CSX North Baltimore. This train runs on a 127 hour schedule 6 days per week. It is actually a large block of cars off the LA to Logistics Park train that BNSF hires CSX to run as a BNSF dedicat...
by DLM
Tue Oct 06, 2020 9:44 am
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: New Amazon DC at CN Moterm (State Fairground Site)
Replies: 35
Views: 26305

Re: New Amazon DC at CN Moterm (State Fairground Site)

Saturnalia and Redcrumbox nailed it. Take it off the train in Chicago and deliver in about 6 hours. Or rubber tire it across Chicago to an eastern railroad for a slow train to Detroit and a rubber tire delivery to Amazon. The slower plan actually costs more than the faster plan. I have been selling ...
by DLM
Tue Sep 22, 2020 3:12 pm
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: Go Go Squeeze email stating rail service starting
Replies: 16
Views: 8649

Re: Go Go Squeeze email stating rail service starting

For awhile, all finished product was moved to a warehouse in Grand Rapids due to the shortage of trucks in Grawn. From there, it was trucked to their customers. Not sure who has the warehouse contract currently. They ran daily trucks with packaging/manufacturing items north and applesauce south. Che...
by DLM
Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:04 pm
Forum: Michigan Talk
Topic: Spartan Motors in Charlotte
Replies: 14
Views: 8599

Re: Spartan Motors in Charlotte

They assembly trucks for Isuzu at the Charlotte plant. Many of the parts come in on 40' containers over the BNSF and UP ramps near Chicago. All leave via OTR. They also make motor home chassis.
by DLM
Fri Aug 21, 2020 1:36 pm
Forum: Historical Q & A
Topic: GTW Grand Rapids Sub Tonnage Ratings
Replies: 7
Views: 7425

Re: GTW Grand Rapids Sub Tonnage Ratings

I've been selling intermodal out of Western Michigan for 30 years. The only ramp I can recall was the C&O ramp on the east end of their yard which was long out of service by then. Amway never had a ramp to my knowledge. Amway invited me to a meeting about 25 years ago as they looked at building one....