Ohio Northern Railroad (OHNR)
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 5:22 am
When the Grand Trunk Western (owned by Canadian National) put the former DT&I mainline from Diann, Michigan to Springfield, Ohio up for sale in 1996, the Ohio Valley Transportation Services company came up with the winning bid and began operating the line as the Ohio Northern RR in 1997. Trackage rights were immediately established with CN from Diann (southeast of Dundee) to Flat Rock Yard outside Detroit, as well as with Conrail and CSX Transportation to access Cincinnati via Conrail's line between Springfield and the Cincinnati suburb of Bond Hill where rights began over CSX to Queensgate Yard.
From Diann, the former DT&I runs south via Metamora, Delta, Malinta and Hamler to XN Junction on the south side of Leipsic. From there, the OHNR has trackage rights over the CSX Toledo Subdivision for roughly 20 miles to DT&I Junction on the north side of Lima where the DT&I splits off. South of DT&I Junction is Ford Park Yard where the OHNR bases their operations. Continuing down the mainline, the OHNR crosses and connects with Norfolk Southern at "Morris" and then the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad at "Sugar Street." Exiting Lima, the line continues through Uniopolis, St. Johns, Jackson Center, Maplewood, Quincy, Rosewood, St. Paris, Thackery and Tremont City to Maitland Junction on the north side of Springfield. At Maitland, the OHNR meets the Indiana & Ohio Central (IOCR) system. The OHNR has trackage rights through Springfield to the IOCR yard on the southeast side of town where the two railroads interchange. The OHNR also has rights between Maitland and Cold Springs west of town to reach the connection with Norfolk Southern to Cincinnati. In all, the OHNR owns and operates roughly 140 miles of track, and has roughly 100 miles of trackage rights between CN, CSXT, IOCR, and NS.
When the OHNR began operations in February 1997, it became the second railroad to operate under ownership of the OVTS Company. With nowhere to transfer power from, the OHNR turned to CSX and North American Locomotive Services Inc. (NALX) to provide power until they could get their own fleet together. From February to November, the OHNR leased three C30-7's, four SD40-2's, and seven GP40's from CSX, along with four SD45's and ten GP39-2's from NALX. Through the fall of 1997, engines began to show up on the OHNR dressed in a simple but classy paint scheme, similar to the New York Central's "cigar band" scheme. Engines were painted black with white striping and light gray trim. The 14 engines leased from CSX were all returned by the end of November, and the OHNR had an agreement with NALX to purchase the ten GP39-2's along with other engines already purchased from them. By the end of 1998, the OHNR rostered a fleet of four and six axle EMD's that were all dressed in company paint.
Traffic has always been steady across the OHNR. One of the important pieces of the system is the automotive traffic moving between Detroit and Cincinnati. Included in that traffic are finished autos moving south from Detroit, auto parts moving north from Cincinnati to Toledo (via the Ann Arbor RR) and Detroit, and engine blocks shipping north and south from the Ford Engine Plant in Lima. Grain and agricultural products also represent a good portion of traffic on the OHNR, including two elevators that load unit grain trains: The Andersons at Metamora, and Sunrise Cooperative at Uniopolis. Various other industries receive rail service across the system, and below is a list of customers and interchanges from north to south on the system. All customers have been online since the startup unless otherwise noted.
Diann
Ann Arbor RR Interchange (Serviced two times per week)
Riga
Adrian & Blissfield Interchange (Serviced as needed)
Metamora
The Andersons Grain Elevator
-90 car unit trains as needed
-15 and 30 car blocks as needed
Delta
Bunge North America (Opening 2017)
-Will load unit grain trains
Fulton County Processing (Opened 2002)
-Served five days per week
-Loads coils for shipping
NorthStar Steel
-Served five days per week
-Gets inbound loads of pig iron and scrap metal
-Ships coils to Fulton County for finishing
Malinta
Henry County Industrial Transload (Opened 2014)
-Served as needed
-Ships outbound loads of Campbells Soup products trucked from the Napoleon plant
Hamler
CSX Interchange (Serviced as needed, grain trains only)
Leipsic
Keffer Fertilizer (Opened 2010)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of potash and liquid fertilizer
Patrick Products (Opened 2000)
-Serviced twice a week
-Receives inbound loads of plastic granules
Ottawa Loop
MidWest Paper Products (Opened 2010)
-Serviced two to three times per week
-Receives inbound loads of scrap paper, ships outbound loads of finished/rolled paper
Silgan Plastics (Opened 2008)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of plastic granules
Steel Technologies (Opened 2003)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of rolled steel for coating and ships outbound loads of rolled steel for export
Verhoff Alfalfa
-Serviced as needed
-Receives loads of alfalfa for milling
Whirlpool Corporation (Opened 2010)
-Serviced twice per week
-Receives inbound loads of raw materials for production
Lima
CF&E Interchange (Serviced four to six times per week via a CF&E interchange job in and out of Ford Park)
-Cars for CSX interchange move via CF&E
NS Interchange (Serviced three to four times per week via OHNR yard job)
-Cars for Husky Energy Refinery move via NS
Ford Engine Plant
-Serviced six days a week
-Ships outbound loads of engine blocks
Guardian Ethanol (Opened 2011)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of corn, ships outbound loads of ethanol
Luckey Trucking (Opened 2009)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of plastic granules
Nickles Bakery
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of flour and assorted grains for processing
OmniSource Scrap
-Serviced as needed
-Ships outbound loads of scrap metal
Troyer Trucking (Opened 2011)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of various bulk materials
Uniopolis
Sunrise Cooperative
-Loads unit grain trains as needed
Jackson Center
Bambauer Fertilizer and Seed (Opened 2014)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of potash and liquid fertilizer
Plastipak Packaging
-Serviced three times per week
-Receives inbound loads of plastic granules
Thackery
Heritage Cooperative
-Serviced as needed
-Loads grain in blocks of 15 and 30 cars
Springfield
IOCR Interchange (Serviced five days per week via turn job from Lima)
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One can see that the OHNR is kept busy by these customers. As previously mentioned, operations are based in Lima. While the railroad can be less busy on weekends, traffic moves over the road seven days a week. While operations are based in Lima, the railroad also bases two jobs out of Delta. Below is a list of the jobs working out of Lima and Delta as of January 1, 2017.
OHNR Train Listing
Lima Switcher 1 (LSW-1) - OD at 0600 Monday through Friday
Responsible for yard switching duties and servicing customers in the Ottawa Loop when needed.
Lima Switcher 2 (LSW-2) - OD at 1800 Sunday through Thursday
Responsible for yard switching duties and servicing customers in Lima and south to Jackson Center when needed.
Lima North Local (LNL) - OD at 2300 Sunday through Thursday
Nightly turn job to Delta. Works Leipsic customers when needed.
Lima South Local (LSL) - OD at 0700 Monday through Friday
Daily turn job to Springfield for IOCR interchange traffic.
Delta Switcher 1 (DSW-1) - OD at 0600 Monday through Friday
Responsible for switching cars, servicing Metamora and Malinta as needed, and Flat Rock turn twice a week.
Delta Switcher 2 (DSW-2) - OD at 1800 Sunday through Friday
Responsible for servicing Delta customers and switching cars for outbound LNL.
Flat Rock to Cincinnati Road Freight (100 Train) - Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday
Carries auto traffic and mixed freight from Detroit to Cincinnati. These trains operate with a five person rotation based from Lima. One crew covers the southbound trip from Flat Rock to Lima one day, and back to Flat Rock the next.
Cincinnati to Flat Rock Road Freight (101 Train) - Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Carries auto traffic and mixed freight from Cincinnati to Detroit. These trains operate with a five person rotation based from Lima. One crew covers the southbound trip from Lima to Cincinnati one day, and back to Lima the next.
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The busy railroad rosters an all-EMD fleet of four and six axle locomotives to move freight over the system. Below is a roster of active locomotives as of 1/1/17.
EMD GP39-2 2100 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2101 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2102 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2103 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2104 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2105 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2106 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2107 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2108 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2109 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP38-2 2160 - On roster since 5/2000
EMD GP38-2 2161 - On roster since 5/2000
EMD GP38-2 2162 - On roster since 5/2000
EMD GP38-2 2163 - On roster since 5/2000
EMD GP38-2 2164 - On roster since 5/2000
EMD GP38-2 2165 - On roster since 5/2000
EMD SD40-2 3340 - On roster since 1/1998
EMD SD40-2 3341 - On roster since 1/1998
EMD SD40-2 3342 - On roster since 1/1998
EMD SD40-2 3343 - On roster since 1/1998
EMD SD40-2 3344 - On roster since 2/1998
EMD SD40-2 3345 - On roster since 2/1998
EMD SD40-2 3510 - On roster since 3/2000
EMD SD40-2 3511 - On roster since 3/2000
EMD SD40-2 3584 - On roster since 5/2001
EMD SD40-2 3590 - On roster since 6/2001
EMD SD45R 5000 - On roster since 1/2002 (Rebuilt SD45)
EMD SD45R 5005 - On roster since 1/2002 (Rebuilt SD45)
EMD SD40-2R 5150 - On roster since 5/2002 (Rebuilt SD45-2)
EMD SD40-2R 5151 - On roster since 5/2002 (Rebuilt SD45-2)
EMD SD40-2 7000 - On roster since 6/2004
EMD SD40-2 7001 - On roster since 6/2004
EMD SD40-2 7002 - On roster since 6/2004
EMD SD40-2 7003 - On roster since 6/2004
EMD SD40-2 7004 - On roster since 6/2004
EMD GP60 7660 - On roster since 5/2010
EMD GP60 7662 - On roster since 5/1010
EMD GP60 7664 - On roster since 5/2010
From Diann, the former DT&I runs south via Metamora, Delta, Malinta and Hamler to XN Junction on the south side of Leipsic. From there, the OHNR has trackage rights over the CSX Toledo Subdivision for roughly 20 miles to DT&I Junction on the north side of Lima where the DT&I splits off. South of DT&I Junction is Ford Park Yard where the OHNR bases their operations. Continuing down the mainline, the OHNR crosses and connects with Norfolk Southern at "Morris" and then the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad at "Sugar Street." Exiting Lima, the line continues through Uniopolis, St. Johns, Jackson Center, Maplewood, Quincy, Rosewood, St. Paris, Thackery and Tremont City to Maitland Junction on the north side of Springfield. At Maitland, the OHNR meets the Indiana & Ohio Central (IOCR) system. The OHNR has trackage rights through Springfield to the IOCR yard on the southeast side of town where the two railroads interchange. The OHNR also has rights between Maitland and Cold Springs west of town to reach the connection with Norfolk Southern to Cincinnati. In all, the OHNR owns and operates roughly 140 miles of track, and has roughly 100 miles of trackage rights between CN, CSXT, IOCR, and NS.
When the OHNR began operations in February 1997, it became the second railroad to operate under ownership of the OVTS Company. With nowhere to transfer power from, the OHNR turned to CSX and North American Locomotive Services Inc. (NALX) to provide power until they could get their own fleet together. From February to November, the OHNR leased three C30-7's, four SD40-2's, and seven GP40's from CSX, along with four SD45's and ten GP39-2's from NALX. Through the fall of 1997, engines began to show up on the OHNR dressed in a simple but classy paint scheme, similar to the New York Central's "cigar band" scheme. Engines were painted black with white striping and light gray trim. The 14 engines leased from CSX were all returned by the end of November, and the OHNR had an agreement with NALX to purchase the ten GP39-2's along with other engines already purchased from them. By the end of 1998, the OHNR rostered a fleet of four and six axle EMD's that were all dressed in company paint.
Traffic has always been steady across the OHNR. One of the important pieces of the system is the automotive traffic moving between Detroit and Cincinnati. Included in that traffic are finished autos moving south from Detroit, auto parts moving north from Cincinnati to Toledo (via the Ann Arbor RR) and Detroit, and engine blocks shipping north and south from the Ford Engine Plant in Lima. Grain and agricultural products also represent a good portion of traffic on the OHNR, including two elevators that load unit grain trains: The Andersons at Metamora, and Sunrise Cooperative at Uniopolis. Various other industries receive rail service across the system, and below is a list of customers and interchanges from north to south on the system. All customers have been online since the startup unless otherwise noted.
Diann
Ann Arbor RR Interchange (Serviced two times per week)
Riga
Adrian & Blissfield Interchange (Serviced as needed)
Metamora
The Andersons Grain Elevator
-90 car unit trains as needed
-15 and 30 car blocks as needed
Delta
Bunge North America (Opening 2017)
-Will load unit grain trains
Fulton County Processing (Opened 2002)
-Served five days per week
-Loads coils for shipping
NorthStar Steel
-Served five days per week
-Gets inbound loads of pig iron and scrap metal
-Ships coils to Fulton County for finishing
Malinta
Henry County Industrial Transload (Opened 2014)
-Served as needed
-Ships outbound loads of Campbells Soup products trucked from the Napoleon plant
Hamler
CSX Interchange (Serviced as needed, grain trains only)
Leipsic
Keffer Fertilizer (Opened 2010)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of potash and liquid fertilizer
Patrick Products (Opened 2000)
-Serviced twice a week
-Receives inbound loads of plastic granules
Ottawa Loop
MidWest Paper Products (Opened 2010)
-Serviced two to three times per week
-Receives inbound loads of scrap paper, ships outbound loads of finished/rolled paper
Silgan Plastics (Opened 2008)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of plastic granules
Steel Technologies (Opened 2003)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of rolled steel for coating and ships outbound loads of rolled steel for export
Verhoff Alfalfa
-Serviced as needed
-Receives loads of alfalfa for milling
Whirlpool Corporation (Opened 2010)
-Serviced twice per week
-Receives inbound loads of raw materials for production
Lima
CF&E Interchange (Serviced four to six times per week via a CF&E interchange job in and out of Ford Park)
-Cars for CSX interchange move via CF&E
NS Interchange (Serviced three to four times per week via OHNR yard job)
-Cars for Husky Energy Refinery move via NS
Ford Engine Plant
-Serviced six days a week
-Ships outbound loads of engine blocks
Guardian Ethanol (Opened 2011)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of corn, ships outbound loads of ethanol
Luckey Trucking (Opened 2009)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of plastic granules
Nickles Bakery
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of flour and assorted grains for processing
OmniSource Scrap
-Serviced as needed
-Ships outbound loads of scrap metal
Troyer Trucking (Opened 2011)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of various bulk materials
Uniopolis
Sunrise Cooperative
-Loads unit grain trains as needed
Jackson Center
Bambauer Fertilizer and Seed (Opened 2014)
-Serviced as needed
-Receives inbound loads of potash and liquid fertilizer
Plastipak Packaging
-Serviced three times per week
-Receives inbound loads of plastic granules
Thackery
Heritage Cooperative
-Serviced as needed
-Loads grain in blocks of 15 and 30 cars
Springfield
IOCR Interchange (Serviced five days per week via turn job from Lima)
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One can see that the OHNR is kept busy by these customers. As previously mentioned, operations are based in Lima. While the railroad can be less busy on weekends, traffic moves over the road seven days a week. While operations are based in Lima, the railroad also bases two jobs out of Delta. Below is a list of the jobs working out of Lima and Delta as of January 1, 2017.
OHNR Train Listing
Lima Switcher 1 (LSW-1) - OD at 0600 Monday through Friday
Responsible for yard switching duties and servicing customers in the Ottawa Loop when needed.
Lima Switcher 2 (LSW-2) - OD at 1800 Sunday through Thursday
Responsible for yard switching duties and servicing customers in Lima and south to Jackson Center when needed.
Lima North Local (LNL) - OD at 2300 Sunday through Thursday
Nightly turn job to Delta. Works Leipsic customers when needed.
Lima South Local (LSL) - OD at 0700 Monday through Friday
Daily turn job to Springfield for IOCR interchange traffic.
Delta Switcher 1 (DSW-1) - OD at 0600 Monday through Friday
Responsible for switching cars, servicing Metamora and Malinta as needed, and Flat Rock turn twice a week.
Delta Switcher 2 (DSW-2) - OD at 1800 Sunday through Friday
Responsible for servicing Delta customers and switching cars for outbound LNL.
Flat Rock to Cincinnati Road Freight (100 Train) - Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday
Carries auto traffic and mixed freight from Detroit to Cincinnati. These trains operate with a five person rotation based from Lima. One crew covers the southbound trip from Flat Rock to Lima one day, and back to Flat Rock the next.
Cincinnati to Flat Rock Road Freight (101 Train) - Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Carries auto traffic and mixed freight from Cincinnati to Detroit. These trains operate with a five person rotation based from Lima. One crew covers the southbound trip from Lima to Cincinnati one day, and back to Lima the next.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The busy railroad rosters an all-EMD fleet of four and six axle locomotives to move freight over the system. Below is a roster of active locomotives as of 1/1/17.
EMD GP39-2 2100 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2101 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2102 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2103 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2104 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2105 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2106 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2107 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2108 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP39-2 2109 - On roster since 2/1997
EMD GP38-2 2160 - On roster since 5/2000
EMD GP38-2 2161 - On roster since 5/2000
EMD GP38-2 2162 - On roster since 5/2000
EMD GP38-2 2163 - On roster since 5/2000
EMD GP38-2 2164 - On roster since 5/2000
EMD GP38-2 2165 - On roster since 5/2000
EMD SD40-2 3340 - On roster since 1/1998
EMD SD40-2 3341 - On roster since 1/1998
EMD SD40-2 3342 - On roster since 1/1998
EMD SD40-2 3343 - On roster since 1/1998
EMD SD40-2 3344 - On roster since 2/1998
EMD SD40-2 3345 - On roster since 2/1998
EMD SD40-2 3510 - On roster since 3/2000
EMD SD40-2 3511 - On roster since 3/2000
EMD SD40-2 3584 - On roster since 5/2001
EMD SD40-2 3590 - On roster since 6/2001
EMD SD45R 5000 - On roster since 1/2002 (Rebuilt SD45)
EMD SD45R 5005 - On roster since 1/2002 (Rebuilt SD45)
EMD SD40-2R 5150 - On roster since 5/2002 (Rebuilt SD45-2)
EMD SD40-2R 5151 - On roster since 5/2002 (Rebuilt SD45-2)
EMD SD40-2 7000 - On roster since 6/2004
EMD SD40-2 7001 - On roster since 6/2004
EMD SD40-2 7002 - On roster since 6/2004
EMD SD40-2 7003 - On roster since 6/2004
EMD SD40-2 7004 - On roster since 6/2004
EMD GP60 7660 - On roster since 5/2010
EMD GP60 7662 - On roster since 5/1010
EMD GP60 7664 - On roster since 5/2010