CN Updates - February 2018

[blueheron13]

About that Train 136 Jim wrote about, I got stopped by a train on Woodward in Pontiac at 4 pm today and it was a very long doublestack train with a little mixed freight on the headend. Didn't see the power but my daughter said it had at least one CSX unit. This may have been that 136. There was one last week. Odd time for a 116 that late in the afternoon.

This actually has been confirmed as a very late 116. Chicago had all kinds of problems with weather and power outages apparently. The Q136 came through later. It was at Durand at about 6:00 PM.

Second consecutive day for a really late 116. Friday's went though Durand after 7:00 or 8:00 in the evening. Was at Moterm around 1:00 AM today.

Today's 116 did indeed have two CSX for power. CSX 39 was the leader.

[Manistique]

Thanks for the late 116 news. And that 136 Jim mentioned must have just went by my house at MP 22.5 a few minutes ago, around 8:45 pm. It stopped out back for a bit, which is odd, then proceeded and 391 passed it NB as it was still rolling south. I did not see a DPU on it. It had one CN unit on the head end.

[atrainguy60]

Thanks for the late 116 news. And that 136 Jim mentioned must have just went by my house at MP 22.5 a few minutes ago, around 8:45 pm. It stopped out back for a bit, which is odd, then proceeded and 391 passed it NB as it was still rolling south. I did not see a DPU on it. It had one CN unit on the head end.

It's DPU was in the middle of the train today, instead of the end.

[MiRailProductions]

Thanks for everyone giving me info, glad to see some more intermodal traffic on the CN Flint and Holly Subs.

[Manistique]

The power for that 136 last night drifted NB back to Pontiac past MP 22.5 at 2:30 am.

[Manistique]

Train 451 NB past MP 22.5 on the Holly with those two CSX units off of 116 yesterday (not lease fleet ones), a blue leading a grey, at 2:53 with a short train.

[Manistique]

Bringing the reports down to this morning as to what ran on the Holly south of Pontiac last night...

What looked like an all-auto rack train (280) or maybe an early 502 with mostly racks went SB past MP 22.5 around 8:30 pm last night. Missed the power. He was passed by 391 in my backyard with two CN locomotives.

Never heard another train other than Amtrak last night. Amtrak 353 was over an hour late arriving in Pontiac. Amtrak 355 was over an hour late arriving too. What I suspected would that returning doublestack NB equivalent of 136 with the lite power I saw drift down SB around 7 pm last night never went by from what I could tell though it may have snuck by while I was sleeping.

[Manistique]

Local 950 SB past MP 22.5 at around 10 am this morning with its usual 4610 as power.

My daughter reported a double-stack SB past MP 22.5 on the Holly following Amtrak 353 this morning around 11 am. Late 116?

What I presume is Train 451 NB past MP 22.5 at 12:28 pm with two UP locomotives leading a BNSF one and a very short train.

[atrainguy60]

Q116 is approaching Linden heading south at 1:57pm. Two CNs with mixed freight up front and stacks on the end.

[Manistique]

A SB passed MP 22.5 on the Holly at 5:50 pm with two CN units and a short mixed freight. An early 502? That late 116 reported earlier without the stacks? An extra?

Amtrak 355 left Pontiac two hours late tonight for some reason, passing MP 22.5 at 7:45 pm. I wonder if, based on Ken's report on the Feb Amtrak tab that 353 had two lcomotives on it running elephant style, 353 took the extra locomotive assigned to Pontiac and 350 had to wye its train at Pontiac Yard before proceeding back to Chicago as 355 due to the lack of a locomotive facing the correct way?

At 9:12 pm a SB all container train passed MP 22.5. Train 391 passed it heading North through Bloomfield Hills.

[kc8bdr]

391 is good to depart northbound from Pontiac at 10:59 PM CN 2302 leading Did not catch trailing unit. Sounds like a short train, it's all of 1100 feet long.

edit to add:
391 by the detector MP 34.2 with 72 axels at 11:15 PM

[kc8bdr]

While out getting gas for the truck I caught a southbound at Williams Lake Rd. 2 CN units, and all empty center beams. I saw this about 10:15 PM tonight.

Also 502 is good to depart Pontiac southbound at 11:05 PM.

[Dan Cluley]

That short 391 came through East Lansing at 01:28.

CN 2302 & a CSX engine. It did not have the usual empty centerbeams.

[Dan Cluley]

CN 8881 & 8910 east through East Lansing at 02:08.

[KC8RBK]

Fairly short stack train east by 205 at 0718. Both foreign and domestic traffic so maybe a 148 segment? CN unit leading and a lease unit of CSX heritage trailing.

[Manistique]

Lite road power drifted NB past MP 22.5 on the Holly at 8 am. Maybe power from an all-stack 116?

At 1:07 pm Train 451 is NB past MP 22.5 with CN 5656 leading CSX 468 and another CN locomotive.

Train 515 is NB past MP 22.5 heading back home to Pontiac with new power: 6223 is back replacing 4925. 4619 was still on 950 today.

[blueheron13]

Fairly short stack train east by 205 at 0718. Both foreign and domestic traffic so maybe a 148 segment? CN unit leading and a lease unit of CSX heritage trailing.

Saw this train on the Durand camera around 9:00 AM. Kept going east, probably a Q148.

[blueheron13]

Lite road power drifted NB past MP 22.5 on the Holly at 8 am. Maybe power from an all-stack 116?

At 1:07 pm Train 451 is NB past MP 22.5 with CN 5656 leading CSX 468 and another CN locomotive.

Train 515 is NB past MP 22.5 heading back home to Pontiac with new power: 6223 is back replacing 4925. 4619 was still on 950 today.

On the Durand cameras, a short all-stack train went south with 2 CN engines at 4:09 AM.
And when A451 went past Durand, it had 7 engines (all CN except for the CSX 468)!

[Dan Cluley]

CN 5489 & a leaser (ex CSX) west through East Lansing at 20:58

[ConrailDetr​oit]

533, CN 8939 reversed south on the Holly Sub at 9am to Milwaukee Jct. They pulled forward to East Yard to pick up 2 Covered Hoppers and now heading north to Port Huron.