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West Michigan Train Location Update 03-16-2008

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:22 am
by Tlout
D803-15 south at Riley St. with empties from West Olive 9:10 AM. CEFX 1019, BNSF 9684.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:27 am
by ~Z~
Q32616 - GRAND RAPIDS MI CG 1 03-16-2008 08:20
Q32716 - set to leave Detroit at 2pm
Q33416 - didn't leave GR yet
Q33516 - ROMULUS MI CC 94 03-16-2008 09:22
CP X50015 - NEW BUFFALO MI CG 115 03-16-2008 09:21
N90315 - WELLS MI CG 42 03-16-2008 04:34
N90316 - hasn't left Chicago
N91411 - PICKLE ROAD OH CTT 52 03-16-2008 09:11 (enroute to GR then west olive)
N95616 - hasn't left Chicago yet
E94514 - hasn't left Flint yet
E94913 - CICERO IL DAL 32 03-16-2008 02:45
E94914, E94915 - at west Olive
D80315 - HOLLAND MI CG 25 03-16-2008 09:23
D80116 - WEST OLIVE MI CGC 33 03-16-2008 06:10

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 10:57 am
by ~Z~
We have an X90015 nearing Hudsonville right now, bound for Flint... dunno much about it past that, besides that it started in Chicago.
Hearing that X90015 is going to go pick up X50015 who will be dying at Wells.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 10:59 am
by SD80MAC
railroadfan wrote:We have an X90015 nearing Hudsonville right now, bound for Flint... dunno much about it past that, besides that it started in Chicago.
Per Mr. Hall, it appears to be a Bensenville-Flint train. What would CP be sending to Flint?

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:21 am
by SD80MAC
Sounds like X900-15 is entering the yard right now with CSX 8559? leading.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 2:26 pm
by Tlout
X500 clear Holland - 2:25 PM.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 3:40 pm
by TrainSpottingGR
X500 arrived at GR at 3:35, N914 is coming thru town, near Pleasant at 3:40. Live from Judd St.

J.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 4:32 pm
by SW
E945-14 did NOT make the turn west at Plymouth. Continued SB after clearing the diamond at 14:50. BNSF 8983 / 9975 + 127 cars.

Q327-16 cleared Ply. diamond at 15:40. CSX 8112 / 8767 + 74 cars (first 50 were coal loads).

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 4:37 pm
by SD80MAC
Got 5 trains today! As Zack says, woot woot!

When I got down to the yard at 1 p.m. X900 was sitting at the east end with SD50-2 #8559 and SD40-2 #8425. Q334 was sitting an adjacent track with CSX CW60AC #607 leading, yesterday's Q335 power.

Q335 got in around 2:15 p.m. with CSX CW44AC #307 as the sole unit with 3800' of train.

Next up was X500 which rolled through Grandville at exactly 3 p.m. Long train of mostly autoracks as usual, CP AC44CW #8611 for power.

Finally we then had N914 which cleared Godfrey at 3:50 p.m. Long train, atleast 130 bethgons full of coal, with CSX CW44AC #410, ES44DC #5435 and CW44AC #285 for power.

Not bad for a Sunday afternoon in GR.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 4:39 pm
by ~Z~
TrainspottingGR...you were just down the tracks from us.. I was at Freeman for a few minutes before N91411 came, then went to the interurban bridge for my shots. Conrail Jon and Slyguy1500 were there as well.
N91411 came into the yard, got a new crew quick and already left.

Q32616 - GRAND RAPIDS MI CG 1 03-16-2008 08:20 (terminating there today)
Q32716 - SOUTH LYON MI CH 36 03-16-2008 16:17
Q33416 - hasn't left GR
Q33516 - GRAND RAPIDS MI CG 1 03-16-2008 14:20
CP X50015 - LAMAR MI CG 4 03-16-2008 15:10
E94514 - SIBLEY ROAD MI CC 103 03-16-2008 16:34 (correct, routed through Walbridge to go to Chicago)
X90015 - GRAND RAPIDS MI CG 1 03-16-2008 12:10 (bound for Flint)
N90316 - CICERO IL DAL 32 03-16-2008 15:30
N91411 - GRANDVILLE MI CG 6 03-16-2008 16:31
N95616 - hasn't left Chicago yet
E94914 - PORTER IN CG 136 03-16-2008 14:51
E94915, E94916 - at west Olive
D80116 - WEST OLIVE MI CGC 33 03-16-2008 06:10
no D800's actually moving...

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 5:34 pm
by RailCanon
At 5:30 PM, the RN dispatcher called Q327-16 at Williamston to give him the Cash block. As mentioned previously CSX 8112 is on the point. Of the 74 cars mentioned by SW earlier, 59 of them are being dropped at Ensel. As I type this, the train is between East Lansing and Williamston.
The dispatcher only gave him the Cash block because she said X500 is currently leaving Grand Rapids, and she's trying to figure out a place for the trains to meet.

UPDATE at 5:55 PM: The cars being dropped are being set out in tracks 2 and 3 at Ensel yard, and the train will be picking up two "turn cars" for Grand Rapids.
And I have some other tidbits from the lengthy radio conversation between Q327 and the YM at Ensel:
Q334 and Q326 are still stuck in Grand Rapids. X500 called at 17:15 and presently is the only train marked out of GR. The YM also mentioned that another "set of empties" (which I assume is another E945) is running south out of Flint tonight, via Toledo and Garrett. As SW said in the shoutbox, it's hard to believe they are doing this considering how plugged up the lines are down there.
Q327 is crossing the diamonds at Trowbridge as I type this.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:21 pm
by SD80MAC
I don't know how they could do much better up here, 3 trains dead in Wyoming yard awaiting crews.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:26 pm
by Tlout
CSX light power (3 units) south at Riley St. 7:22 PM.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:38 pm
by RailCanon
X500 through Trowbridge at about 8 PM.
X900 passing by Ensel Now (8:41 PM).
D709 or D708 (think it's 709) is also at Ensel, waiting for X900 to pass so they can leave.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:38 pm
by J T
Great, another day of perfect sunshine and lots of trains that I missed out on, starting with the coal train with a cool leader this morning out of West Olive. :x

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:48 pm
by SW
X500 is in the Plymouth area now.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:49 pm
by Tlout
J T wrote:Great, another day of perfect sunshine and lots of trains that I missed out on, starting with the coal train with a cool leader this morning out of West Olive. :x
Yep - that CEFX unit looked nice and clean - I didn't get a shot of it, either.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 10:10 pm
by ~Z~
X90015 - BRIGHTON MI CH 45 03-16-2008 21:58
Q32616 - GRAND RAPIDS MI CG 1 03-16-2008 08:20
Q32716 - ELMDALE MI CH 130 03-16-2008 21:55
Q33416 - didn't leave GR still...
CP X50015 - PLYMOUTH ROAD MI CH 25 03-16-2008 22:05
E94514 - GODSEND OH BI 41 03-16-2008 22:05
N90316 - GROSS MI CG 62 03-16-2008 22:06
N91411 - GRAND RAPIDS MI CG 1 03-16-2008 19:59 (dropped off it's load)
N95616 - SAWYER OS MI CG 105 03-16-2008 22:07
E94915, E94916 - at west Olive
D80216, D80316 - not moving yet
Amtrak P37016 - GRAND RAPIDS MI CG 1 03-16-2008 22:03
D70816 - ENSEL MI CH 89 03-16-2008 22:08
D70916 - FOWLERVILLE MI CH 62 03-16-2008 21:50
Q32117 - CARLETON MI CC 105 03-16-2008 21:47

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:00 am
by jukeman
Answer your email Zack

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:12 am
by mikekmac
Can someone point me to a message thread or other resource which would tell me the normal routing and schedule for some of these trains?

http://groups.msn.com/chessiechapter/pl ... rains.msnw

covers most of them, but there are a few exceptions: E949, D802, Q321 in this batch.

-Mike