Napoleon, Defiance and Western: The Definitive Thread

[MagnumForce]

Because I hate waxing nostalgic I think it is time to start a new thread about beginnings. I am very optimistic about things on the old MAW.

2 days into the Pioneer era and we already have 100 yards of the Main heading west across the diamond and 100 yards of the interchange track leveled, the dips taken out and new ties added. They are even working on a Saturday under the protection of blue flags and derails, things that never happened on the MAW.

Here is today's take.


work by Brent Kneebush, on Flickr


men at work by Brent Kneebush, on Flickr


maw roster by Brent Kneebush, on Flickr


snowy maw by Brent Kneebush, on Flickr


omnisource by Brent Kneebush, on Flickr

[Huelsy'sTrainBlog]

I was going to post about this! So they are going to call it Michigan Southern?

[JoJames]

Any idea who the contractor is doing the work?

[Notch 8]

Here is the filing.

http://www.stb.dot.gov/filings/all.nsf/ ... enDocument.

The same people that did the day to day operations are staying with Pioneer and was told they are starting out with 5000 ties with more to come. hopefully the derails will slow down. On Wednesday there were 3 different sites with cars on the ground. Jewell, Cecil and Defiance and it was just business as usual. There had been 5 different companies that looked at the MAW and Pioneer was the winner/loser just depends on how one looks at this..

[MagnumForce]

Any idea who the contractor is doing the work?

The trucks had no logos on them.

[telus6429]

Whats the power to be used for the railroad....

[MagnumForce]

PREX 1603 and 1607 or 1608

[Saturnalia]

Here is the filing.

http://www.stb.dot.gov/filings/all.nsf/ ... enDocument.

The same people that did the day to day operations are staying with Pioneer and was told they are starting out with 5000 ties with more to come. hopefully the derails will slow down. On Wednesday there were 3 different sites with cars on the ground. Jewell, Cecil and Defiance and it was just business as usual. There had been 5 different companies that looked at the MAW and Pioneer was the winner/loser just depends on how one looks at this..

Great to see they're making an investment! I wasn't sure based on them pulling power BEFORE replacing it, but it seems they've gotten off to a great start track-wise.

[Notch 8]

The improvements that I have seen made so far on Pioneer Properties have been made with Pioineers own crew. The KTR was redone with Pioneer personal as well as the work that was done on the old GR&I that is still in at Sturgis MI, 3-4 weeks ago there were 4-5 Pioneer Employee's repairing track in White Pigeon MI, I told them to get good at it as they willl need the practice for the recent acquisition of the MAW. See if the trucks have Alabama plates ? In 2 days they have done more work then the MAW did in 10 years...

Mike

[AC60CW]

Getting the track level is one thing. Lets see if it stays that way. The bed (or lack there of) is a big question also.

[MagnumForce]

Great to see they're making an investment! I wasn't sure based on them pulling power BEFORE replacing it, but it seems they've gotten off to a great start track-wise.

The Power does not belong to Pioneer, seems easy to figure that one out so it is not as if they pulled it. Also this is the slow period of time for any factory. On top of that with the work they are doing now they cannot interchange anything anyway. And the new power should be here any day.

[AARR]

It was good to see a track crew looking professional. IIRC some pictures of the MAW track crew where posted a while back and they were dressed rather casually.

[60Tonner]

Getting the track level is one thing. Lets see if it stays that way. The bed (or lack there of) is a big question also.

Don't forget this was the Great Black Swamp and nothing stays above ground and level for long. As a Buckeye taxpayer I am tired of putting more taxpayer money into it. Scrap out the middle and use the ends to get to where the businesses are.

60Tonner

[StupidFlee​t]

Getting the track level is one thing. Lets see if it stays that way. The bed (or lack there of) is a big question also.

Don't forget this was the Great Black Swamp and nothing stays above ground and level for long. As a Buckeye taxpayer I am tired of putting more taxpayer money into it. Scrap out the middle and use the ends to get to where the businesses are.

60Tonner

Do you even live in Ohio?

[Y@]

Getting the track level is one thing. Lets see if it stays that way. The bed (or lack there of) is a big question also.

Don't forget this was the Great Black Swamp and nothing stays above ground and level for long. As a Buckeye taxpayer I am tired of putting more taxpayer money into it. Scrap out the middle and use the ends to get to where the businesses are.

60Tonner

No.

[AC60CW]

It was good to see a track crew looking professional. IIRC some pictures of the MAW track crew where posted a while back and they were dressed rather casually.

What they would so is hire some temps for a week or so. Have one person that knew a little about what to do over see the work. That person would act as the supervisor and the rest would do most of the the labor. That's what I saw most of the time.

[cbehr91]

Do you even live in Ohio?

They said they were a Buckeye taxpayer. Twice.

[bdconrail29]

Getting the track level is one thing. Lets see if it stays that way. The bed (or lack there of) is a big question also.

Don't forget this was the Great Black Swamp and nothing stays above ground and level for long. As a Buckeye taxpayer I am tired of putting more taxpayer money into it. Scrap out the middle and use the ends to get to where the businesses are.

60Tonner

You're right, just like the Chicago Line. It sinks all the time in that dang Black Swamp! I'm sure it has nothing to do with MAW's lack of maintenance; it was that dang Black Swamp again.

[MagnumForce]

Fwiw the Chicago Line was not built on the Black Swamp, the Garrett sub was though and even they have issues with diamonds sinking into oblivion. Another thing to remember is that the fifth district was built very early, around 1850 and ceased to be anything more than a secondary line with the completion of the Toledo- Montpelier and Montpelier-New Haven lines around 1895. It has been maintained as a secondary route ever since then and the roadbed was never deep and well built. The last real Maintainence done on the line was by the Wabash or very early NW. They can add all the ties in the world, but something has to be done about the same roadbed.

[bdconrail29]

Fwiw the Chicago Line was not built on the Black Swamp, the Garrett sub was though and even they have issues with diamonds sinking into oblivion. Another thing to remember is that the fifth district was built very early, around 1850 and ceased to be anything more than a secondary line with the completion of the Toledo- Montpelier and Montpelier-New Haven lines around 1895. It has been maintained as a secondary route ever since then and the roadbed was never deep and well built. The last real Maintainence done on the line was by the Wabash or very early NW. They can add all the ties in the world, but something has to be done about the same roadbed.

The Chicago Line most certainly ran thru the Black Swamp. Ever heard of Ottawa County?