Progress of the Michigan Line M/W (Part 3)

[JStryker722]

So when this track is all laid out the commuter line starts up right? Or atleast they start building stations? Or something happens right?

Yes,once operational funding for Mi-Train is lined up.

[iandt]

This new section of double track, plus the new cut-off at Livernois when it's finished, should shave about 10 minutes off some trains, and in some cases an hour or more off of 355's trip. When the MITrain finally gets off the ground, that will be a spectacle, but until then we will be able to see the benefits of these improvements in normal Amtrak service.

Track is laid down past my crossing I take to get across the MI Line ( Gulley Rd ) almost past the Telegraph Rd overpass to the start of the sweeping S curve through the backside of downtown Dearborn.

I didn't even realize that track had been laid there until you said this! Went to Home Depot today and checked out the tracks behind it, and sure enough, track has been laid on both sides of Gulley. It's quite possible that track has actually been laid all the way from Middlebelt to Beech-Daly, that's what it looked like anyway. I'll have to do some snooping around in Inkster soon.

For now, here's a few photos from the Gulley crossing, starting with a shot looking east of a track machine on the new line... no ballast yet:


As it approaches the crossing, the track looses some ties and gets pretty warped:


Right now the crossing is ROUGH, can't wait till they fix it:


And, finally, looking west toward Beech-Daly:

[JStryker722]

This new section of double track, plus the new cut-off at Livernois when it's finished, should shave about 10 minutes off some trains, and in some cases an hour or more off of 355's trip. When the MITrain finally gets off the ground, that will be a spectacle, but until then we will be able to see the benefits of these improvements in normal Amtrak service.

Track is laid down past my crossing I take to get across the MI Line ( Gulley Rd ) almost past the Telegraph Rd overpass to the start of the sweeping S curve through the backside of downtown Dearborn.

I didn't even realize that track had been laid there until you said this! Went to Home Depot today and checked out the tracks behind it, and sure enough, track has been laid on both sides of Gulley. It's quite possible that track has actually been laid all the way from Middlebelt to Beech-Daly, that's what it looked like anyway. I'll have to do some snooping around in Inkster soon.

For now, here's a few photos from the Gulley crossing, starting with a shot looking east of a track machine on the new line... no ballast yet:


As it approaches the crossing, the track looses some ties and gets pretty warped:


Right now the crossing is ROUGH, can't wait till they fix it:


And, finally, looking west toward Beech-Daly:

That crossing is so bad,every time I go to work,you see people trying to dodge the worst of the roughness as the cross,almost at times looking like they gonna drive off the edge and get stuck.

[KenB]

Advisory: Upcoming road closures for high-speed rail updates. See email/web mesage for details.

Dear Dearborn Resident

Upcoming road closures for high-speed rail updates.

The high-speed rail project will reduce travel time between Detroit, Ann Arbor, and ultimately Chicago. As part of the project, the Michigan Department of Transportation has issued the schedule below for Dearborn road closures that will be necessary south of Michigan Avenue while the railroad crossings are updated to accommodate the faster traveling trains.



Gulley Road will be closed: July 20 to August 07, 2015

Mason Street will be closed: August 10 to August 21, 2015

Monroe Street will be closed: August 10 to August 21, 2015

Detours to Oakwood Boulevard will be posted for the Mason and Monroe street closures.

Thank you in advance for your patience while the necessary work is completed.

For full details, view this message on the web.



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Sent by Dearborn Police Department
16099 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126

[ConrailDetr​oit]

As of 6/19, the signals at CP Hill are being replaced by new Safetrans signals.

CP Hill Signal Replacement by tcamp7837, on Flickr

B34 - CP Hill by tcamp7837, on Flickr

[twropr]

I recently learned that back in Feb. speed from MP 142.5 to 143.1 (BO Tower in Kalamazoo) had been upgraded from 30 to 79 MPH, which cuts a minute from a Battle Creek-Kalamazoo trip. Has the 30 MPH been due to street crossings? What type of upgrade occurred to allow the speed to be raised?
As a precedent, I remember when there used to be street crossing restrictions thru Dowagiac that were lifted after the high speed track upgrades.
Andy

[Saturnalia]

I recently learned that back in Feb. speed from MP 142.5 to 143.1 (BO Tower in Kalamazoo) had been upgraded from 30 to 79 MPH, which cuts a minute from a Battle Creek-Kalamazoo trip. Has the 30 MPH been due to street crossings? What type of upgrade occurred to allow the speed to be raised?
As a precedent, I remember when there used to be street crossing restrictions thru Dowagiac that were lifted after the high speed track upgrades.
Andy

Educated guess is that the old crossings couldn't handle higher speeds with their timing. Now that ITCS handles everything, that isn't an issue.

[GP30M4216]

I recently learned that back in Feb. speed from MP 142.5 to 143.1 (BO Tower in Kalamazoo) had been upgraded from 30 to 79 MPH, which cuts a minute from a Battle Creek-Kalamazoo trip. Has the 30 MPH been due to street crossings?

That would be from about West Botsford to the BO Tower site. A few crossings in there, but the speed restriction may have been due to the curve or the single-direction signals within both of those interlocking plants, also the old hand-throw switches at View and Harris, now removed.

[NSSD70ACe]

I don't know why trains would be doing 79 in that area anyway. There's the diamonds, the crossings (one with a popular bar right next to it), and the curve. WWMT and the vultures around here would have a field day if trains started running faster than 30 in that area. I take it it's just for faster acceleration?

[ConrailMan5]

Safetrans up at MP23 ish. Also appears they are adding crossovers east of Sheldon road in canton MI, just before Wayne yard's west end.

[Ypsi]

Safetrans up at MP23 ish. Also appears they are adding crossovers east of Sheldon road in canton MI, just before Wayne yard's west end.

For now I'm calling this "CP Sheldon" (despite NS dropped the CP names and such) because the track panels are at Sheldon road, where they will also be re doing the crossings at soon. Here is the EB cross over signal accessed from a dirt road that leads up to them.

[GTW]

I was down by BO Tower yesterday and noticed a new radio tower that was recently put up. Could this be the replacement for BO Tower when it is finally out of service.


Thanks

[MiddleMI]

Anyone been to West Detroit to see how the connection track construction is going? I heard the state has done their part of the project (the bridge), but have the railroads laid the tracks yet?

[Ypsi]

The safetrans signals are taking over the Michigan line. MP 25 is in place as the exit to willow run yard and is a cantilever type. But it seems the signals haven't affected ypsi to Ann Arbor yet as this is the last area without replacements standing as far as I know. Townline, mort, 15, Wayne junction, 20, Ypsi 30, 32, 35, 37, 40 do not have replacements up yet AFAIK but this could have changed.

[GP30M4216]

Rumor has it a cantilever signal is now up with heads bagged in the Oakwood Blvd. area of Dearborn, leading one to believe a control point will be installed there and MORT may be removed.

[iandt]

Rumor has it a cantilever signal is now up with heads bagged in the Oakwood Blvd. area of Dearborn, leading one to believe a control point will be installed there and MORT may be removed.

I can confirm the rumor that a cantilever signal has been installed, I have passed it multiple times in the past week. I will upload pictures soon.

[AWF]

Rumor has it a cantilever signal is now up with heads bagged in the Oakwood Blvd. area of Dearborn, leading one to believe a control point will be installed there and MORT may be removed.

Its basically on the overpass above Oakwood.

[MiddleMI]

EDIT: Total brainfart. lol

[Ypsi]

This is all about the Michigan line, I would assume that oakwood is a street in Dearborn.

[wagnew0923]

Yes Oakwood is in Dearborn and it is the first major street West of the Station. Good spot for signals. I do hope frieght traffic picks up on the line. This is still fun too watch though.