Port Huron and Thumb area railfan info

[trnwatcher]

Been thinking of doing a railfan\boatnerd day on the east side around Port Huron. Been searching posts on here but everything is 6+ months old. Just looking for some more recent info on CN traffic levels, the shortlines in the thumb area main days of operations, etc. Any help will be appreaciated. TIA.

[CSXBOY]

I am not too sure about the Shortlines But Michigan is MIchigan.

Port Huron is where the CN Mt Clemens sub and Flint subs cross. The Flint sub only has about 15-20 CN trains a day. Plus 2 CSX trains from Flint.


On the other line the Mt Clemens sub i believe has 8-10 trains a day. It has most of the traffic that goes on the Shoreline sub through Wyandotte.


Its not much different from anywhere else in Michigan. I recommend Fostoria Ohio, Vickers Junction in Northwood Ohio, Deshler Ohio, Berea Ohio, Greenwich Ohio, Bellevue Ohio, and the NS Chicago line for big railfanning trips.

If you like boats and trains try go between Oak Harbor Ohio-Sandusky Ohio you see lake Erie and the NS Chicago line. The Chicago line has about 60-70 trains on that portion of the line.


If you go on YouTube, take a look at this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdPyEXx6Nko

[GreatLakesRailfan]

I am not too sure about the Shortlines But Michigan is MIchigan.
Port Huron is where the CN Mt Clemens sub and Flint subs cross. The Flint sub only has about 15-20 CN trains a day. Plus 2 CSX trains from Flint.
On the other line the Mt Clemens sub i believe has 8-10 trains a day. It has most of the traffic that goes on the Shoreline sub through Wyandotte.

Not true. Trains in Port Huron are now invisible. It's a special cross-border cloaking system. You can't see them until they leave town.

Ok, enough sarcasm. For those wondering, I did respond to the OP elsewhere already. Based on stuff posted on the MichiganRailroads boards, the main HESR runs east of Saginaw seem to be at night, south of Bad Axe is pretty much as needed, often in daylight, but I'm unaware of an actual schedule.

CSX runs a couple local jobs, one works the yard at Port Huron during the day, and returns to the St. Clair Yard in the evening. Again, the MichiganRailroads board usually has more information as to when the road train runs as one of the members there keeps closer tabs on CSX activity in the Flint area than anyone else I know of on the two boards.

Most of my train watching here takes place between noon and dark, on the weekends. I know there's usually a couple trains through the afternoon, usually westbound, with an eastbound or two thrown in. Over the past several years it seems L501 and M385 have been afternoon trains more often than not, and M396 is pretty regular as far as an eastbound. It's not unusual to see L504 working the industries north of the yard as well at just about any time through the day. The Mt. Clemens Sub locals tend to work in the day time and return to Port Huron in the mid to late afternoon.

Most of the railroad activity on CN here seems to be at night. I've heard that CN runs more trains through the tunnel between Amtrak's arrival at Port Huron at night and departure in the morning than just about any other time of the day. I do know the Flint Sub tends to be busier in the morning as Amtrak is making its way west than it is later in the day, but I can't say just how much busier.

One last thing- don't discount the Port Huron area or the Thumb just because the train counts are lower. People don't come to Port Huron just to watch the trains. The trains are just a distraction from the real attraction here- boat watching. It's hard to get as close to the lake freighters almost anywhere else as you can get here without getting wet. And with Chemical Valley and several other lake freighter traffic generating areas just across the river, it sometimes feels like the Blue Water Area is a magnet for freighters. Plus, much of Port Huron's waterfront is park space, so it's easy, safe and convenient to watch boats.

Come for the boats and stay for the trains.

[CSXBOY]

I am not too sure about the Shortlines But Michigan is MIchigan.
Port Huron is where the CN Mt Clemens sub and Flint subs cross. The Flint sub only has about 15-20 CN trains a day. Plus 2 CSX trains from Flint.
On the other line the Mt Clemens sub i believe has 8-10 trains a day. It has most of the traffic that goes on the Shoreline sub through Wyandotte.

Not true. Trains in Port Huron are now invisible. It's a special cross-border cloaking system. You can't see them until they leave town.

Ok, enough sarcasm. For those wondering, I did respond to the OP elsewhere already. Based on stuff posted on the MichiganRailroads boards, the main HESR runs east of Saginaw seem to be at night, south of Bad Axe is pretty much as needed, often in daylight, but I'm unaware of an actual schedule.

CSX runs a couple local jobs, one works the yard at Port Huron during the day, and returns to the St. Clair Yard in the evening. Again, the MichiganRailroads board usually has more information as to when the road train runs as one of the members there keeps closer tabs on CSX activity in the Flint area than anyone else I know of on the two boards.

Most of my train watching here takes place between noon and dark, on the weekends. I know there's usually a couple trains through the afternoon, usually westbound, with an eastbound or two thrown in. Over the past several years it seems L501 and M385 have been afternoon trains more often than not, and M396 is pretty regular as far as an eastbound. It's not unusual to see L504 working the industries north of the yard as well at just about any time through the day. The Mt. Clemens Sub locals tend to work in the day time and return to Port Huron in the mid to late afternoon.

Most of the railroad activity on CN here seems to be at night. I've heard that CN runs more trains through the tunnel between Amtrak's arrival at Port Huron at night and departure in the morning than just about any other time of the day. I do know the Flint Sub tends to be busier in the morning as Amtrak is making its way west than it is later in the day, but I can't say just how much busier.

One last thing- don't discount the Port Huron area or the Thumb just because the train counts are lower. People don't come to Port Huron just to watch the trains. The trains are just a distraction from the real attraction here- boat watching. It's hard to get as close to the lake freighters almost anywhere else as you can get here without getting wet. And with Chemical Valley and several other lake freighter traffic generating areas just across the river, it sometimes feels like the Blue Water Area is a magnet for freighters. Plus, much of Port Huron's waterfront is park space, so it's easy, safe and convenient to watch boats.

Come for the boats and stay for the trains.

Oh ok, I dont really know that area. The only place i been on the Flint sub is Flint, Durand, and Battle Creek. It seems to me east of Flint the train count gets lower. The next big town west on interstate 69 is Imlay City Michigan which has a viewing platform

But your right Port Huron I heard is a great place for boats. If you really want boats and you want to be on the water. Try going over to Holland or St Joesph Michigan. As for the trains this is a full day out : CSX Q326, CSX Q327, AMTK P370, AMTK P371, CSX D700, CSX N903 and CSX E949. AMTK P370 meets CSX Q327 somewhere between Holland and Wyoming Yard in the evening. CSX N903 and E949 can run at all times during the day and night since they are coal but they can even run as different numbers. AMTK 371 goes through Holland in the morning. CSX D700 follows AMTK 371 all the way to New Buffalo. Lastly I believe CSX Q326 runs at night.

Port Huron sees a bit more activity than Holland or St Joseph.

Holland and St Joesph have stuff to do on the water I believe

[Saturnalia]

If you really want boats and you want to be on the water.

That's sound advice right there!

FWIW lately Q326 arrives into GRP between 0500 and 1000 on the days that is runs, and Q327 departs between 2330 and 0200 on the nights it runs. And D700 only goes as far as New Buffalo once in a great while.

[CSXBOY]

Thanks Saturnalia guess the wiki is out of date

[Saturnalia]

Thanks Saturnalia guess the wiki is out of date

They've been changing so much stuff so frequently that it is easy for it to drift out of date.

[GreatLakesRailfan]

Thanks Saturnalia guess the wiki is out of date

Unless someone has direct access to a railroad's computerized schedule (i.e. employee access), it's hard to know exactly which train symbols are being used, where the symbols are originating/terminating and which symbols have been reassigned or annulled on an ongoing basis. You could probably get a lot of the information from direct observation, but that's not easy either. I seem to recall that at least one and possibly all of the Class 1s had taken steps to keep the information in their internal networks from being posted openly on the internet, but that may not be the case anymore. As a result of the schedule/symbol/endpoint information being less freely distributed than it was in the past, it's more difficult for those maintaining lists like the wiki to keep their information up to date, not to mention finding the time to do so. The CSX wiki page isn't the only page out of date- the information on the CN page is apparently badly outdated as well.

[trainjunkie47]

If you have a passport, or an enhanced drivers license, go to Sarnia at dawn, then come back across the border mid day. Much of the switching around Sarnia takes place in the early morning. If you are on the St Catherine Street pedestrian bridge, waiting for a tunnel shot, you'll see if the local is heading for the water front before it gets there. Sombra is also a good location for freighter pictures.

Come back mid day when traffic is light and the sun is high.

[hoborich]

If you are interested in freighters, this guy has a cool Facebook page. Lots of photos and inside info.

https://www.facebook.com/STORM-WARRIOR- ... 0/?fref=ts