CMS Fanning Report

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Y@
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CMS Fanning Report

Unread post by Y@ »

This is what the basic format of the fanning reports for your railroad's will be.

South Tontogany, Iowa (20 miles north of Des Moines)
3/4/09. 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

South Tontogany is where the 6 miles of 2-track main ends on the Kansas City Sub, running from K.C. to Minneapolis via Des Moines. The line sees around 30-35 trains per day.

First up, an ex BN SD40-2 leads a leased SD60 on a long southbound mixed bag.

8:14 a.m. SB 401
CMS SD40-2 6622, CEFX SD60 6001. 82 cars.

Right on 401's tail is 287, an autoparts train with a pair of "Big-Red's" for power..

8:30 a.m. SB 287
CMS SD60 8134, CMS SD60 8144. 53 cars.

After awhile, a northbound UPS train sprints through town with 3 "Big-Red's" and a lone GP38M.

9:03 a.m. NB 110
CMS SD60 8180, CMS SD60 8146, CMS SD60 8162, CMS GP38M 4437. 103 cars (long count).

After a lull, another northbound rolls through with a widecab "Big-Red" and another SD60 wearing the older white and blue scheme.

9:57 a.m. NB 400
CMS SD60M 8520, CMS SD60 8103. 67 cars.

After a short time, a southbound leaves main 2 and continues south with a Buffalo & Central New York EMD in the mix.

10:16 a.m. SB 441
CMS SD40-2 730, CMS SD60 8177, CMS SD40-2 6614, BCNY SD40-2 5918, CMS SD50 8555. 93 cars.

The mid-morning lull kicks in again and over an hour later another southbound passes through town, our final train.

11:34 a.m. SB 407
CMS SD40-2 6606, BNSF C44-9W 1022. 60 cars.
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SD80MAC
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Re: CMS Fanning Report

Unread post by SD80MAC »

A Day on the Pere Marquette Grand Rapids Sub.

Today (March 5, 2009) we'll be doing a dawn to dusk on PM's GR sub, part of PM's Grand Rapids-Toledo mainline, which sees about 8-9 trains aday. We'll be sitting at the west end of Malta siding in Lowell, MI. Lowell is where the Flat River Railroad's (FLRY, a subsidiary of the PM) ex C&O Greenville-Lowell line meets the GR sub. On this day a lot of trains, especially some not regularly schedueled moves, were plying the PM rails.

7:37 a.m. WB EEXCH05 PM SD70ACe 4302 108 cars
The first train to shatter the morning silence is westbound EEXCH-05, an empty coal train from the plant at Essexville bound for the BNSF in Chicago. Power is a pair of PM's big SD70ACe's, the first locomotives bought new by the railroad since the GP60's of 1992. They can typically be found in coal service just like this.

8:41 a.m. EB GRDR05 PM SD50-2 3016 95 cars
It's about an hour before another train shows up. It's eastbound GRDR-05, PM's daily Grand Rapids-Durand freight. Most of the cars will continue onto Toledo on the DRTL, while the rest will head north on PM's former Ann Arbor main or northeast to Bay City on the ex GTW. The trains 3 units, SD50-2 #3015, SD40M-2 #3000, and SD40-3 #3029, are working hard to keep the train moving along at the maximum aloud 50 mph. A 4th unit, PM's ex METRA F40C #3050, is dead in tow and will be set out at Owosso to be worked on at the shops.

10:02 a.m. EB LGRIO05 PM GP15-1 1504 23 cars
The Grand Rapids-Ionia turn job is the next train to show up behind former Conrail's GP15-1 #1504 and GP38-2 #2008. The train has already worked Amway back in Ada and now is pulling into the Malta siding at Lowell to drop of it's cars for the FLRY on the interchange track. While the local goes about it's work a horn is heard to the north, and before long the headlight of FLRY GP9 #2 appears in the distance. The local and the Flat River swap cars and the GP9 heads back north with mostly 89' boxes for Electrolux in Greenville and hoppers for King Milling on the other side of the river. The LGRIO, after putting the cars from FLRY on the rear, pulls up to the EAS at Malta as the dispatcher tells them something's coming.

11:09 a.m. WB ZTLGR05 PM GP60 3901 37 cars
PM's hot Toledo-Grand Rapids TOFC train, the ZTLGR, roars through Lowell behind a pair of PM's GP60's. PM began TOFC service between Chicago and Grand Rapids in 1992 and in 2001 added a second train between Toledo and Grand Rapids. The same power took the ZGRTL04 east last night and is now making good time to Grand Rapids, having left Toledo at 7 a.m. sharp. Once the trailer train is clear the local pulls out and heads to Ionia.

11:55 a.m. EB CCHMD PM SD70ACe 4305 112 cars
A loaded coal train bound for the new Midland,MI power plant begins a parade of eastbounds. An SD70ACe leads an ex SOO SD60 and a long train of shiny silver bethgons.

12:10 p.m. EB GGLTL05 PM GP15-1 1512 Light Power
Light power consisting of a pair of GP15-1's, a Quality Rail Leasing GP38-2 and one of PM's ex Alaska GP49's (with markers glowing) heads east. The train will hop off the GR sub in Ionia and head down the old line to Grand Ledge to power a grain train. It'll be slow going as the line between Ionia and Grand Ledge is only rated for 15 mph tops.

12:30 p.m. EB KCHEJ04 PM SD60 3911 100 cars
A loaded ore train from the Marquette, Ontanagon & Western howls through Lowell bound for the Iron Works in East Jordan, MI. The train will turn north at Owosso and makes it's way up the state. 4 units head this train, PM SD60 #3911, PM GP40M-3 #3051 and 2 MO&W SD70's running through with the train. East Jordan gets about one ore train a week, as it gets most of it's ore by boat. It also recieves a train of coke every once in a while, but those run east of Lowell.

1:47 p.m. WB LGRIO05 PM GP38-2 2008 17 cars
The local is done for the day and heads back through Lowell to Grand Rapids.

2:24 p.m. EB GNWTL PM SD40-2 3026 71 cars
A grain train from Newyago is heading back east with an SD40-2 leading an SD50-2 and a GP38-2 with 71 hoppers in tow.

3:05 p.m. WB GRDR05 PM SD40-3 #3029 76 cars
GRDR is making it's way back west after grabbing it's new train in Durand.

4:30 p.m. EB X360005 PM FP45-2 #3600 12 cars
PM's business train is being ferried to Toledo for a trip to Ann Arbor and back the next day. PM's 2 FP45-2's, 3600 and 3601, pull the trains stainless steel, blue and yellow cars.

6:22 p.m. EB KCHTL04 PM SD50-2 #3018 68 cars
The last train we'll see in daylight is eastbound KGATL, an empty coke train from the Gary Works in Gary, IN bound for the Wheeling & Lake Erie in Toledo, OH. PM and WE recently partnered up in moving the coke to Indiana bypassing CSX and NS almost completely.

After dark, we stick around for a couple more...

7:47 p.m. EB ZGRTL05 PM GP59 #3063 45 cars
The "Overighter" is hauling east as fast as the track will allow behind one of PM's 3 former EMD demonstrator GP59's and PM GP60 #3905.

10:06 p.m WB KTLMN PM SD40M-2 #3003 76 cars
The lime trai off CSX in Toledo is bound for Martin Marietta in Manistee behind an SD40M-2 and an SD40-3. The train will probably be pushed out of GR as far as Sparta by helper unit to get over the hill in Comstock Park.
Last edited by SD80MAC on Fri Mar 06, 2009 11:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Remember, 4 mph is a couple, 5's a collision!"
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AARR
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Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
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Re: CMS Fanning Report

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Hey guys, I like this. I never thought about describing a day of work on one of my paper railroads. When things slow down at the job I plan on joining you with my paper railroads! :D 8)
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

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Y@
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Re: CMS Fanning Report

Unread post by Y@ »

Jon and everyone else, just as a note: If you post a fanning report, post it in a seperate new post instead of as a reply to this one.
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SD80MAC
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Re: CMS Fanning Report

Unread post by SD80MAC »

I feel like that'll really clutter up the board more than Zack would like...
"Remember, 4 mph is a couple, 5's a collision!"
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Y@
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Re: CMS Fanning Report

Unread post by Y@ »

I suppose we could have a thread just for the fanning reports then.. If zack stickies it at the top with the other ones I asked.
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