The *New and Improved* Maumee & Western

[Y@]

Yeah, so, here we are once again and I've redone the MAW. This time, I'm keeping the name (because I can't think of a better one) and keeping the same track profile, with some small twists and additions.

The MAW is a bridge route of sorts for traffic between Fort Wayne and Toledo. Ownership begins at Doyle (the location where the current MAW splits off from NS at New Haven) and runs to Jerome (the location where the NS takes over ownership west of Maumee), although the MAW trains use the trackage to the yard in Maumee. NS still handles the Andersons grain trains, and the current contract has the MAW switching the other industries around Maumee.

The way the line is operated is similar to what NS does on their Lima district between Arcadia and Lima, Ohio. Train L500 departs New Haven (04:30 call time) five days a week (Sunday through Thursday) and takes their train to Defiance. The cars for Defiance, Cecil and Antwerp are dropped at the west end of track two in the yard, and the "east" cars (as referred to by crews, for Liberty Center, Colton and Whitehouse) are dropped at the east end of track 2. Cars for Napoleon are dropped on track three, as this is usually the largest part of the cut. Cars for Okolona also fall under the Napoleon category, while Jewell cars are classified as Defiance. This information is applied to all cars in general, as Defiance is the center of operations.

Train L501 departs Maumee (12:00 call time) five days a week (Tuesday through Saturday) and takes their train to Defiance. Cars for the "west" are dropped at the west end of track one, while cars for the "east" are dropped at the east end of track one.

Train L502 departs Defiance (06:30 call time) five days a week (Monday through Friday) and takes their train to Maumee. All cars are dropped on track four in the yard. If track four is not enough, track five is also used.

Train L503 departs Defiance (14:40 call time) five days a week (Wednesday through Sunday) and takes their train to New Haven. All cars are dropped on track five in the yard.

Train C100 departs Maumee (no specific call time) as needed. This train is a unit coal train for Campbells in Napoleon. They usually run once or twice a week. The empties return to Maumee under the same symbol. The train comes from CSX, and will usually run with the CSX power all the way through.

Track Profile:

Maximum track speed is 40 mph, and the lowest posted track speed is 10 mph through the towns of Okolona and Jewell.

From west to east, here are the zones:

Doyle-West End Woodburn - 40 mph
Woodburn thru town - 25 mph
East End Woodburn-Ewing Road - 35 mph
Ewing Road S-Curve - 20 mph
East Ewing-West End Antwerp - 30 mph
Antwerp thru town - 25 mph
East End Antwerp-West End Cecil - 40 mph
Cecil thru town - 35 mph
Cecil-Lafarge branch - 15 mph
East End Cecil-Integrity - 40 mph
Integrity-West End FC (Defiance) - 30 mph
Defiance through town & yard limits - 15 mph
Webster-West End Jewell - 30 mph
Jewell thru town - 10 mph
East End Jewell-West End Okolona - 25 mph
Okolona thru town - 10 mph
East End Okolona-Jahns (West Napoleon) - 25 mph
Napoleon thru town - 20 mph
East End Napoleon-Liberty Diamond - 35 mph
Liberty Diamond thru Liberty Center - 20 mph
East End Liberty Center-West Colton - 40 mph
Colton thru town - 35 mph
East Colton-Polar (Neapolis) - 40 mph
Neapolis thru town - 25 mph
East End Neapolis-West End Whitehouse - 40 mph
Whitehouse through town - 35 mph
East End Whitehouse-Jerome - 40 mph

A locomotive roster and industry list are still to come.

[Y@]

Locomotive Roster:

CNUR GP7U 5 (Ex ATSF - Wears patched ATSF scheme)
MAW GP11 16 (Ex IC - Wears patched IC black scheme)
NALX GP40-3 5011 (Wears NALX gray scheme)
NALX GP40-3 5021 (Wears NALX gray scheme)
NALX GP40-3 5026 (Wears NALX black scheme)
NALX GP40-3 5029 (Wears NALX gray scheme)
NALX GP40-3 5034 (Wears NALX gray scheme)
MAW SD40-2 8110 (Ex UP, Exx MP - Wears MAW red/white stripe scheme)
MAW SD40-2 8111 (Ex UP, Exx MP - Wears patched UP scheme)
MAW SD40-2 8112 (Ex BNSF - Wears MAW red/white stripe scheme)
MAW SD40-2 8113 (Ex BNSF - Wears patched BNSF H1 scheme)
MAW SD40-2 8114 (Ex BNSF - Wears patched BNSF H1 scheme)
MAW SD40-2 8115 (Ex BNSF - Wears patched ATSF scheme)
MAW SD40-2 8116 (Ex CN, Exx IC - Wears MAW red/white stripe scheme)
MAW SD40-2 8117 (Ex CN, Exx WC - Wears WC maroon/gold scheme)
MAW SD40-3 8227 (Ex NREX - Wears MAW red/white stripe scheme)
MAW SD40-3 8228 (Ex NREX - Wears MAW red/white stripe scheme)
GUNR SD40-3 8678 (Ex UP - Wears GABR black/yellow scheme)
GUNR SD40-3 8682 (Ex UP - Wears GABR black/yellow scheme)
MAW GP38-2 8800 (Ex UP - Wears MAW red/white stripe scheme)
MAW GP38-2 8801 (Ex UP - Wears MAW red/white stripe scheme)

The GUNR units are from the Georgia Union Railroad based out of Albany, GA.

[AARR]

Love the details Y@

[Y@]

A new contract with The Campbell Soup Company will have them seeing rail service once again! An agreement was reached last Thursday to see a rail spur into the facility rebuilt. The work will begin later this week and service to the plant is scheduled to begin no later than September 10th, 2010. As of now, the plan is only finished product being shipped out. No inbound materials will be received.

In order for the spur to be put back in, track will need to be replaced from Union Street in Napoleon, south to the bridge across the river. Trackage within the plant will include three tracks where boxcars will be loaded. The main track into the plant will run through a building that was built over the old ROW, which is a storage unit for the plant.

[Y@]

A couple of the CITX SD9043MAC's that had been in storage are on their way to the MAW. They were up in St. Paul yesterday and were relettered for the MAW, engines 9110 and 9111. If we like how they pull we may get a couple more too. Currently a lease agreement only, no purchase.

[Y@]

Both the 9110 and the 9111 were interchanged to the MAW in Defiance from CSX this evening. Currently both engines are facing east. Plan is to have them on L502 on Monday morning, as it should be a pretty big train. Traffic for the Toledo area is really picking up.

[jwilliam33]

I just got around to reading this portion of the board. You'd better keep the New and Improved portion of your title in the actual name of the railroad as that's definately what's going to have to take place to get anywhere near 40mph n the real railroad!!! Great story!