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I popped the top deck covers 2 Decembers ago ( I know shame on me for trespassing) Other than the copper tubing being gone and the governor, the block was remarkably clean and didn't look like it would take much motor work to run again.

It's a dead project. I look at it every time I inspect the HNW.

Watco estimate after rail and ties was close to 70 mil to rebuild to white pine. Most likely won't happen. Its all still light DSSA rail.

The old grade from PCA south crossed over the Pere Marquette a few miles south of Stronach on a fly over and they proceeded due east. Heck of a grade from Filer City to the top of Stronach where they would tie back in.

I hope they realize that $50 million ain’t much for a grade separation project - at least if they want to fund more than one or maybe two a year. These get really expensive really quickly, especially when they’ve gotta acquire property to actually build anything in denser areas. Especially with the...

Lemme do some digging in my archives, I was on the crew that stuffed New Hollow Yard and Saginaw Yard with storage cars, as well as the guy that was fixing track the first two years of JAIL operation. As far as GM owning the yard wouldn't surprise me. There was a rift between the guy at GE that mana...

CN was seeking bidders for the line. The usual contenders bid on it. G&W was the high bidder. They are going through the paperwork process now. In tire GW form they started listing conductor jobs out of their new Detroit Office based on Garden City. They did the same thing 6 years ago when they prem...

From a engineer standpoint, GMD SD40-2s are hard to beat, they ride great, pull great and respond great. I ran a ex MP GP35M for a few months that thing was a close second for favorites. It still had the original wiring system in it. You could really make that thing dance. I also enjoyed the CEFX AC...

U30 and C30s, absolute piles of crap, closely followed by the Paducah GP10 rebuilds that had the upgraded electronics. I base this soley on my misfortune of having the run them.

Paw Paw is not gonna happen. Lawrence however is part of the plan. If they rehab the crossing at Red Arrow Highway that will cost some $$$. Plus the ROW near Lawrence is still overgrown with weeds and bushes. It's not the expensive to rent a mulching head for a skidsteer, there already a D6, off ro...

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51836252564_480c1a409f.jpg Lansing Turn by Jonathon Leese , on Flickr Norfolk Southern's Jackson-Lansing turn job is running south towards the CN diamond at Cedar with just a pair of Geeps and a single, old flatcar on this hot July day. Not long after this, the N...

Boomer Construction in Detroit down by Mack Ave also gets rebar on a rare basis in gons. Or at least they did.

It will be amazing if they drum up more business, the problem is in the UP, unless its forestry or mining there is no other manufacturing in that part of the UP that would be worthwhile to transload. You don't get into you industrial opportunities until you get down to Escanaba, Iron Mtn, or the Men...

Mineral Range from the week after Christmas heads into Humboldt after a fresh 6" of snow. The wind was kind enough to pick up and blow some off the pines as the train came into view. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51833704402_9bd28d3ab8_c.jpg Mineral Range at Humboldt by Mike Tabone , on Flickr...

From everything said in the sand house, allegedly customers were ecstatic that the railroad was sold and new owners had taken over and business was on the up tick.

JT, you know two fellas that were running the diesel.

Wow this post is back alive again! I gave up the railroad full time and went to being a Heavy Equipment Operator doing water main work. Better home life, more $$. Still get my train fix doing track for a shortline on the side.

I use to talk to the purchasing agent there when it was Kimberly Clark every week. I always wondered if the state was helping out in some way with economic funds or whatever? Their pulp was always imported but you never saw pulpcars from Seney or surrounding areas. SOO, WC & CN have always switched...

Furloughed people have a choice to hit the nearest crew base or take unemployment. RR unemployment doesn't pay near what state does so if you want to continue on the gravy train you have to go to the nearest terminal you can hold. If you are furloughed at Lensing that would be GR. If you can't hold...

U745 is back to running normal for the year.