Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

Daily whereabouts of train locations along with sightings for heads ups to other railfans.
Todd_F
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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TC Man wrote:
Todd_F wrote:
Todd_F wrote: Confirmed. Someone on Facebook posted rather nice photos of the train milling about TC with the 2 tall gons and 1 lumber car.

Can you paste the FB link here? Sometimes I can at least view photos without having an account...
The gentleman hasn't responded to my IM. The photos are in the public group Ann Arbor Railroad and Successors. Here's the link to the FB page https://www.facebook.com/groups/theaarr/
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AANscaleRunner
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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392 and 393 return to Cadillac at 1645 with 1 loaded centerbeam, 10 covered hoppers and 6 tanks. Short train compared to the last week or so.

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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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Sounded like northbound out of Cadillac at 0915. Not 100% sure, too much snowplow noise in town today.

csx801
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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AANscaleRunner wrote:392 and 393 return to Cadillac at 1645 with 1 loaded centerbeam, 10 covered hoppers and 6 tanks. Short train compared to the last week or so.
They must have left a decent part of their train somewhere south of Town. They had over 40 cars on them headed north yesterday, including a healthy block of Cement hoppers, and about 20 other hoppers.

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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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csx801 wrote:
AANscaleRunner wrote:392 and 393 return to Cadillac at 1645 with 1 loaded centerbeam, 10 covered hoppers and 6 tanks. Short train compared to the last week or so.
They must have left a decent part of their train somewhere south of Town. They had over 40 cars on them headed north yesterday, including a healthy block of Cement hoppers, and about 20 other hoppers.
The 2 gondolas are still at Beacon. Both DJJX. One car number is 30137 if someone wants to trace.
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AANscaleRunner
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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Heard them leave Cadillac for Clare at 1200. No chance to see them.

AANscaleRunner
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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Have not heard or seen anything in Cadillac this morning. Maybe northbound. They went to Clare yesterday.

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James Sofonia
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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AANscaleRunner wrote:Have not heard or seen anything in Cadillac this morning. Maybe northbound. They went to Clare yesterday.
Nothing in TC as of 1400.

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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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396 and 392 leaving Cadillac for Clare at 1150 with 8 covered hoppers, 5 wood chip hoppers, 7 tie loads, 1 cement hopper, 1 covered hopper and 13 tanks.

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AARR
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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Have the pulled out the snow plow yet?
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AANscaleRunner
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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385 or 395 and 398 returned to Cadillac at 1645 with 4 coke hoppers, 5 tie loads, 8 wood chip hoppers, 1 covered hopper and 10 tanks.

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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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AARR wrote:Have the pulled out the snow plow yet?
Not yet. Although as much as it snowed yesterday they probably could.

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James Sofonia
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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I stopped by Beacon Salvage today. They still have the tall gons waiting to go South. Maybe Friday.
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Raildudes dad
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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Released on the afternoon of the 11th

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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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Pixl wrote:I stopped by Beacon Salvage today. They still have the tall gons waiting to go South. Maybe Friday.
There are also at least 2 loads for Amerhart in Williamsburg in Cadillac, so maybe a TC run today??

Raildude's Dad- any idea where those scrap loads are going (not the usual NS gons, so wondering if a different destination)?
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AANscaleRunner
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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Left Cadillac for Clare at 1020 with what looked like 9 tie loads, 1 tank, 4 covered hoppers and 8 tanks. Snowing pretty good here, couldn't see the tracks well at times.

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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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AANscaleRunner wrote:Left Cadillac for Clare at 1020 with what looked like 9 tie loads, 1 tank, 4 covered hoppers and 8 tanks. Snowing pretty good here, couldn't see the tracks well at times.

Curious question. So, there has been a center beam in Cadillac since at least Monday (and I think at least 2 now), and the gons at Beacon were released by Beacon on Monday. I wonder if there is just no time for GLC to get the loads to TC and the also pick up the loads from Beacon this week, potentially upsetting the Beacon or Amerhart (probably more likely Amerhart if they really needed that lumber ASAP as I’m guessing scrap metal doesn’t need to get anywhere fast)? Or maybe both were just fine waiting? I would assume GLC is in regular communication, but I wonder if the current traffic is a bit much for 1 Cadillac crew to handle unless they add a 2nd crew or run on a weekend? Especially with the sad likely to come back?
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James Sofonia
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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TC Man wrote: There are also at least 2 loads for Amerhart in Williamsburg in Cadillac, so maybe a TC run today??
No trains in TC as of 1330 today. Hmmnn..

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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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TC Man wrote:
AANscaleRunner wrote:Left Cadillac for Clare at 1020 with what looked like 9 tie loads, 1 tank, 4 covered hoppers and 8 tanks. Snowing pretty good here, couldn't see the tracks well at times.

Curious question. So, there has been a center beam in Cadillac since at least Monday (and I think at least 2 now), and the gons at Beacon were released by Beacon on Monday. I wonder if there is just no time for GLC to get the loads to TC and the also pick up the loads from Beacon this week, potentially upsetting the Beacon or Amerhart (probably more likely Amerhart if they really needed that lumber ASAP as I’m guessing scrap metal doesn’t need to get anywhere fast)? Or maybe both were just fine waiting? I would assume GLC is in regular communication, but I wonder if the current traffic is a bit much for 1 Cadillac crew to handle unless they add a 2nd crew or run on a weekend? Especially with the sad likely to come back?
As far as I know, 2 SD40-2s will be leased to GLC in the coming weeks. This may free up some of the GLC roster that has been working constantly without much time in between each run. This will give the possibility of keeping one or two extra engines in Cadillac to run north out of town, and maybe a second crew will be hired to do these tasks. What we could see, with the reopening of the Sand in Yuma in mind, is a revert to the schedule from a few years back, which was one crew operating south of Cadillac and to Yuma, and another crew running north to Kalkaska/Elmira/Petoskey and TC in the same day. If only one engine were given to the Cadillac North crew to do these runs, smaller cuts of cars would be taken to go north, which could mean runs north out of Cadillac on the tri-weekly or even more often.

However, this is just a speculation. What may happen is what's been happening over the past few weeks, which would be all of the Kalkaska/Elmira/Petoskey traffic going up in large trains every week, and one larger TC train every week or so.

I would hope my speculation comes true, I'd love to see GLC operate more often north of Cadillac. :D
Last edited by MiRailProductions on Fri Dec 15, 2017 5:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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TC Man
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Re: Great Lakes Central Updates December 2017

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MiRailProductions wrote:
TC Man wrote:
AANscaleRunner wrote:Left Cadillac for Clare at 1020 with what looked like 9 tie loads, 1 tank, 4 covered hoppers and 8 tanks. Snowing pretty good here, couldn't see the tracks well at times.

Curious question. So, there has been a center beam in Cadillac since at least Monday (and I think at least 2 now), and the gons at Beacon were released by Beacon on Monday. I wonder if there is just no time for GLC to get the loads to TC and the also pick up the loads from Beacon this week, potentially upsetting the Beacon or Amerhart (probably more likely Amerhart if they really needed that lumber ASAP as I’m guessing scrap metal doesn’t need to get anywhere fast)? Or maybe both were just fine waiting? I would assume GLC is in regular communication, but I wonder if the current traffic is a bit much for 1 Cadillac crew to handle unless they add a 2nd crew or run on a weekend? Especially with the sad likely to come back?
As far as I know, 2 SD40-2s will be leased to GLC in the coming weeks. This may free up some of the GLC roster that has been working constantly without much time in between each run. This will give the possibility of keeping one or two extra engines in Cadillac to run north out of town, and maybe a second crew will be hired to do these tasks. What we could see, with the reopening of the Sand in Yuma in mind, is a revert to the schedule from a few years back, which was one crew operating south of Cadillac and to Yuma, and another crew running north to Kalkaska/Elmira/Petoskey and TC in the same day. If only one engine were given to the Cadillac North crew to do these runs, smaller cuts of cars would be taken to go north, which could mean runs north out of Cadillac on the tri-weekly or even more often.

However, this is just a speculation. What may happen is what's been happening over the past few weeks, which would be all of the Kalkaska/Elmira/Petoskey traffic going up in large trains every week, and one larger TC train every 10 days or so.

I would hope my speculation comes true, I'd love to see GLC operate more often north of Cadillac. :D
I would not say that's what has been happening in TC in the last few weeks- there were in TC twice last week. :)
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