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Forgot to post this a couple of days ago. The Artrain is back on its siding in Ann Arbor off of N Main St by the NS-AA interchange track. Saw it there Wednesday morning on my way to work.

Garry K

Have any of y'all ever wondered about some model railcars that have no prototype? For example, Bachmann currently (and other companies before that) offers "DTI 32246," an Evans all-door boxcar. http://www.walthers.com/prodimage/79928796/73693292631618.gif I have never seen any evidence that the DTI ...

I just got back from spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Iowa. Left Michigan on Amtrak on Nov 20 and returned the same way on Nov 26. Cold and rainy on the way to Chicago & Iowa on Nov 20, so most pix from the train didn't turn out (too dark outside for a fast enough shutter speed while taking pix ...

I'm just wondering how the things will stand up to road salt (& other chemicals) and snowplows in the winter. Maybe that's why they just want to test one at first.

-- Garry K

Passengers sick of cramming into crowded Connex carriages, take note. If you're lucky, you can get an express train all to yourself. Train drivers and regular commuters call them "ghost trains" — and, unlike the paranormal, there's a rationale behind them. Every week, Connex schedules 44 "non-passe...

Rail Graphics is one company that does custom decals. [url]http://www.railgraphicsdecals.com/[/url] Microscale Industries is another, but they have a minimum of 250 sheets. [url]http://www.microscale.com/custom.htm[/url] A Google search of "custom decal model railroad" or similar will turn up other ...

I was just getting back into Ann Arbor around 2:30pm on Sunday, Nov 4 (had been out in Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids for Saturday night's roller derby match), and as I was heading south down Main St I saw the Annie coming across the Huron River bridge. Fortunately, they cross the bridge very slowly, so I w...

I wonder if GLC dropped off some hoppers at Ann Pere. The Annie was at Osmer the morning of 11/2 with a line of grain hoppers that stretched the entire length of Osmer, so I'm assuming they had a lot more than 65 hoppers to hand off to GLC. Of course you can't count the cars at Osmer that are alread...

At 8:15am on Fri, Nov 2, the Annie went northbound through downtown Ann Arbor. I got to Osmer around 8:45, and the train entirely filled the Osmer siding with 3-bay covered hoppers. The hoppers looked like the same hoppers the Annie got from GLC recently. There were only the two yellow AA locos (236...

On the morning of Thursday, November 1, there were 10 covered hoppers (looked like all 3-bay grain hoppers) on the north end of Osmer siding, just waiting for the GLC to come and pick them up.

Garry K

I recently contacted my ex-wife, and inquired as to whether she would sell me her old DT&I HO scale model RR engines and cars. To my surprise, she said yes! So I bought them from her, and now I have two more Atlas GP40-2 locos, plus a Bachmann dummy GP40-2, plus five freight cars and a caboose. When...

When I drove by the Osmer siding around 8:30am on Oct 30, there was nothing on the south end of the siding, but a long string of cars (looked like covered hoppers but hard to tell looking from the south) that stretched at least halfway down the siding. In the evening (around 6:30pm), there was nothi...

I missed last year's Trainorama (2006), but the show in 2007 was only about half the size of the 2005 show. The show was only in the one big room, and only half of that room was tables of folks selling stuff. The other half was two modular RRs, the Ford Model Railroad Club and a Livonia Boy Scout Tr...

Generally speaking, GLC leaves cars at the south end of Osmer siding for the Annie to pick up, the Annie leaves cars at the north end of the siding for GLC to pick up. During the week, I believe the Annie still mostly visits Osmer between midnight and 8am, while the GLC comes around 11am to 1pm or s...

Just a reminder to all model railroaders that the Redford Model Railroad Club is having "Trainorama" at the Livonia Recreation Center (SE corner of Five Mile Rd. & Hubbard). It's on Sunday, October 28, from 10am to 4pm. $4 to get in (cheap). http://info.detnews.com/hotbox/index.cfm?action=calendar I...

What was that second train following behind the Annie grain train?

Garry K

Just before 1pm on Sunday, October 21, I heard the Ann Arbor RR blowing for grade crossings in downtown A2. I was thus able to grab my camera and head out to get some pix. I decided to try to get some pix at the W. Summitt St. crossing on their way north. Bad decision. At the time of day, if I stood...

The Annie has been running through Ann Arbor at different times lately. Last night (Oct 18) they went north through A2 just before 11pm, returning south around 12:30am (Oct 19). A day or so ago they went north through A2 just before 7am, returning south before 8:30am. Although usually they seem to g...

On the evening of Friday, October 5, the Ann Arbor Railroad went northbound through Ann Arbor around 8pm, returning south from Osmer around 9:30pm. I didn't go and check them out as it was already too dark to take any pictures. Also, on Thursday, October 4, in the evening I noticed that amongst the ...

Occasionally when I'm awake in the middle of the night, I'll hear the Ann Arbor RR blowing for crossings in town around 3:30 to 4:30 am. I've been home sick for the past week, and haven't heard them come through town at any other times recently. In the past, every once in a while they'd come through...