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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2017 8:03 pm
by MiRailProductions
TC Man wrote:
MiRailProductions wrote:Does anyone know if this customer in Grawn will be a permanent customer, or is it just a one-time deal? If so, will the GLC be out in Grawn every time they go up to Traverse?
Confirmed that: "the first one was loaded on Friday and will go out shortly....kind of trial run- if all goes well, we will continue to do more and more via rail".
Thanks. If they go north out of Cadillac tomorrow to Elmira (which I've noticed they usually do on Tuesdays), I'll be trackside in Kalkaska.

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 9:39 am
by AANscaleRunner
Sounded like northbound out of Cadillac around 0930.

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:13 pm
by MiRailProductions
Caught them in between Kalkaska and Mancelona around 1125. They were NB (for Elmira I suppose) with 13 cement hoppers. 399 leading 398.

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 3:26 pm
by SD70ACe Fan
GLC came into Durand earlier around 2pm ish.

GLC 385
GLC 396

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 4:16 pm
by AANscaleRunner
Returned to Cadillac shortly before 1530.

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 9:44 pm
by csx801
Great Lakes Central rolling north through Mount Pleasant 21:35

GLC 385 Leading
GLC 396

6 plastics hoppers
1 tank
1 pole load
1 NS top gon??? (NSSX 200216 reporting marks)
14 woodchip hoppers
1 plastics hopper
1 tank

25 total

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 9:46 pm
by TC Man
[quote="csx801"]Great Lakes Central rolling north through Mount Pleasant 21:35

GLC 385 Leading
GLC 396

6 plastics hoppers
1 tank
1 pole load
1 NS top gon??? (NSSX 200216 reporting marks)
14 woodchip hoppers
1 plastics hopper
1



NSSX 200216 is an NS MOW car for tie loading. Probably load for the place in McBain...

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 11:57 pm
by csx801
I should have figured it was a tie load. No major surprise there.

GLC 385, 396 light power south through Mount Pleasant at 23:25.

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 10:57 am
by AANscaleRunner
399 and 398 leaving Cadillac for Clare at 1005 with 2 pole loads, 2 tanks, 3 tie gons, 8 coke empties and 12 cement empties.

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 4:34 pm
by MiRailProductions
I have a question about the Yuba line. Do they ship sand out there anymore? On google maps there is a large sand facility with about 20 hoppers out there. However, I cannot find any recent reports of the GLC being out there. Is this line even used anymore?

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 4:41 pm
by AARR
Fairmount Minerals, the operator of Wexford Sand (in Yuma) closed the sand plant a few years ago. They may have removed equipment.

At it's peak it was shipping up to 100 cars a week (65 was probably about average). In the mid 2000's Ford closed and/or retooled their Cleveland engine foundry operations and little to no sand was shipped there by around 2011. They found a few other foundry sand customers but didn't ship nearly as much as they did Ford.

Also the plant processed frac sand for a few years and would ship up to 300 cars a month but that also came to a halt as other larger more efficient sand plants opened in IL and WI.

Amazingly, Sargent reopened it's mine north of Ludington and is transloading frac sand at several locations. I don't know how they can do this and Yuma was unable too.
MiRailProductions wrote:I have a question about the Yuba line. Do they ship sand out there anymore? On google maps there is a large sand facility with about 20 hoppers out there. However, I cannot find any recent reports of the GLC being out there. Is this line even used anymore?

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 5:19 pm
by AANscaleRunner
398 and 399 return at 1540 with 2 covered hoppers, 2 tanks, 1 pole load, 1 NS Top Gon, 14 wood chip hoppers, 1 covered hopper and 1 tank.

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 6:30 pm
by James Sofonia
AANscaleRunner wrote:398 and 399 return at 1540 with 2 covered hoppers, 2 tanks, 1 pole load, 1 NS Top Gon, 14 wood chip hoppers, 1 covered hopper and 1 tank.
I wonder if the NS Top Gon is headed for Beacon scrapyard in TC.

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 8:20 pm
by Raildudes dad
[quote="AARR"]
Amazingly, Sargent reopened it's mine north of Ludington and is transloading frac sand at several locations. I don't know how they can do this and Yuma was unable too. /quote]

Pretty sure it has to do with the type of sand as well as the grain size.

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 10:47 pm
by MiRailProductions
AARR wrote:Fairmount Minerals, the operator of Wexford Sand (in Yuma) closed the sand plant a few years ago. They may have removed equipment.

At it's peak it was shipping up to 100 cars a week (65 was probably about average). In the mid 2000's Ford closed and/or retooled their Cleveland engine foundry operations and little to no sand was shipped there by around 2011. They found a few other foundry sand customers but didn't ship nearly as much as they did Ford.

Also the plant processed frac sand for a few years and would ship up to 300 cars a month but that also came to a halt as other larger more efficient sand plants opened in IL and WI.

Amazingly, Sargent reopened it's mine north of Ludington and is transloading frac sand at several locations. I don't know how they can do this and Yuma was unable too.
MiRailProductions wrote:I have a question about the Yuba line. Do they ship sand out there anymore? On google maps there is a large sand facility with about 20 hoppers out there. However, I cannot find any recent reports of the GLC being out there. Is this line even used anymore?
Thanks for the info!

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 9:31 am
by TC Man
At Yuma, some of the equipment has been removes (all tractors, pretty much everything which wheels). However, all the conveyors, the loading silos, name on the fence, etc. are still there. There are about 30 sand hoppers on the loading track that were shoved up there after the place closed up (most WSSX, SHPX, FURX, GACX, NAHX reporting marks). Toward the very end of the line are a line of beat up ex-METRA commuter cars and various old TSBY box cars (former AA). The sand plant, with the hoppers there, look like everyone went home one night and forgot to show up for work ever since. Kind of eerie!

Also a mile or 2 before the sand plant is a line of TSBY and GLC marked former MKT hoppers. All been there for a couple years or more.

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 11:37 am
by AANscaleRunner
399 and 398 leaving Cadillac for Clare at 1050 with 6 covered hoppers, 2 pole loads, 8 or 9 wood chip hoppers, 6 or 7 tie gons and 3 tanks. Slightly obstructed view today.

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 4:17 pm
by MiRailProductions
TC Man wrote:At Yuma, some of the equipment has been removes (all tractors, pretty much everything which wheels). However, all the conveyors, the loading silos, name on the fence, etc. are still there. There are about 30 sand hoppers on the loading track that were shoved up there after the place closed up (most WSSX, SHPX, FURX, GACX, NAHX reporting marks). Toward the very end of the line are a line of beat up ex-METRA commuter cars and various old TSBY box cars (former AA). The sand plant, with the hoppers there, look like everyone went home one night and forgot to show up for work ever since. Kind of eerie!

Also a mile or 2 before the sand plant is a line of TSBY and GLC marked former MKT hoppers. All been there for a couple years or more.
Wow. Kinda sad to see a giant customer go, nowadays it would be nice to see more traffic in Cadillac. So the line is primarly used for storage now?

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:17 pm
by AANscaleRunner
398 and 399 return to Cadillac at 1710 with 1 tank, 1 cement hopper, 1 passenger car, 19 cement hoppers, 1 loaded centerbeam, 4 covered hoppers (feed) and 4 empty pulpwood flats. Any ideas on the passenger car?

Re: Great Lakes Central Updates June 2017

Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 6:10 pm
by Robertrains
Does anyone know where the Great Lakes CentralĀ® "Anniversary" painted GP35 #393 is working now, 6-22? :?: