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RailCanon · Unread post by **RailCanon** » Sat May 13, 2006 11:03 pm

Thanks for this update on CSX Doc.
I can't complain about X500 being so late these days, but I'm kinda missing seeing Q326 in the afternoon like I have been these past few months. Speaking of X500, yesterday's run (X500-12) is going by Sunfield as I type this, and we have a K908 stone train in Lansing as well.
Oh and what's this now now?! We have Q327-13 sitting at Trowbridge as I type this waiting for 500 to get through Lansing and the stone train to move out of the way. Anyone know why 327 is so late tonight?

Unread post by **Scooterb** » Sat May 13, 2006 11:24 pm

heard the other day Garret sub had 30+ trains dead or outlawed around Chi Town.

Unread post by **~Z~** » Sun May 14, 2006 4:50 pm

Doktor No wrote: Watco gets NS Yipsi west to Hellkart and Lansing and GRP. Probably this summer....sigh!
Doc

Watco? Can you tell us more about this? Is this just a buyout of the NS Michigan line? Thanks for the updates Doc, appreciate hearing them.

patrick · Unread post by **patrick** » Sun May 14, 2006 5:14 pm

with any luck.. if wtco is getting the line.. maybe CP will come back to csx.. or is that the wrong line?? I"M CONFUSED again!!

Unread post by **Scooterb** » Sun May 14, 2006 5:26 pm

Wrong line Patrick...... Michigan line runs Detroit-Wayne-Ann Arbor-Jackson-Battle Creek-Kalamazoo-Three Rivers Elkhart.

THe line CP runs on Detroit-Milan-Adrian-Montpliere-Butler-Elkhart.

Here is a good link
http://knorek.com/RR/SAA/SAAIndex.htm

patrick · Unread post by **patrick** » Sun May 14, 2006 5:38 pm

nifty.. so k-zoo is gonna lose the NS.. Isn't the propsed "watco" line.. the line amtrak runs on? That'll be interesting.. look for WAMX units..

Unread post by **Scooterb** » Sun May 14, 2006 5:42 pm

YUP sounds that way.... also rumblings of CP running the line time will tell. It looks like if WATCO gets it it will be same power over and over between them and AMTK

patrick · Unread post by **patrick** » Sun May 14, 2006 5:56 pm

BORING........

RailCanon · Unread post by **RailCanon** » Sun May 14, 2006 8:27 pm

Doktor No wrote: And one more thing of interest...the new signals get cut in from from East End Elmdale eastward thru Lake Odessa Monday the 15th. A temporary block of Clark and I think Elm is in place from Lake Oh to Elmdale for the time being.

No Clark block. Just Elm.
http://members.aol.com/jsundin357/x/csxdsl/plysdsl.html
Also, does anyone know that status of the two Intermediate signals next to the elevator in Clarksville? Are they being replaced?

Unread post by **Scooterb** » Sun May 14, 2006 8:42 pm

Thanks for the info as always Doc

Unread post by **Scooterb** » Sun May 14, 2006 8:54 pm

All you want to know about WATCO
http://www.watcocompanies.com/railroads.htm

Locos
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoList.aspx?id=WATX

GP30M4216 · Unread post by **GP30M4216** » Sun May 14, 2006 10:56 pm

Hi Doc
Thanks for your updates and insights into the murky crystal ball of railroading on CSX. I'm glad that GRP seems to be a bit busier and that you guys are doing a good job keeping the trains moving! I sympathize with your job out in the elements, as a deckhand on a tour boat around Detroit it has made me question my summer job decision more than once! Thanks again for your notes about the CP trains, I'm sure I'm not the only one curious about the changes that CP would want made for them to come back, but time is a good medium for finding out the answers. Any idea what the deal is with the many recent G010 grain trains going west from GRP to Chicago (Cicero I believe)? Last I knew, that was a symbol for a GR-Plymouth or return grain train, and I can't remember the last time so much grain has gone west out of Grand Rapids.

You are correct about the NS south of Grand Rapids and it's many areas of slllloooowwwww trackage. Below Kalamazoo it's quite a bit better. Thanks for keeping us up to date on the signal cuovers and temporary blocks east of town too. Take care and make sure to hold onto your umbrulla in that rain storm!

sd70accsxt700 · Mon May 15, 2006 11:07 am

There was at least two G010's that went to BNSF in Cicero, that I traced in the computer, one at the time I traced it, was at the BRC connection. Both were 65 car trains. One even had a BNSF H1 -9 on it. Cant rember the exact dates, but one I think was the G01001, and mabey G01006.

Unread post by **~Z~** » Mon May 15, 2006 12:40 pm

I saw one of the grain trains that headed west out of Wyoming Yard. Caught it out near Port Sheldon(MP10). It was G010-01 seen on 05/06/06.

Good to see something different running out in these lands.

MSchwiebert · Unread post by **MSchwiebert** » Mon May 15, 2006 2:09 pm

I'll have to keep a closer watch on the trains by the house

I thought that there was a 324 type train yesterday, as there was a northbound that came up in the morning with BNSF power - which 324 commonly has. I do know that for whatever reason the dwell times at Stanley had shot up over the last week, but things haven't gotten to the point where trains are tied down at Haskins (first siding south of Perrysburg) to wait space to get in. And as mentioned on the other board, there is a Q382 symbol assigned to a Chicago-Toledo (via Bates) train that according to bullsheet.com runs "as needed". How that shakes out with the Q324 running/not running and Q508 (which is apparently just a Garrett - Toledo run now) I do not know.
As for the CP trains during the CSX days, I never quite understood why the lower priority tranins were not operated via Toledo. I know that it took an extra crew (I never understood why a Detroit-Garrett pool couldn't have been set up to change this), but at least the trains could have been handled. As for current operations, I don't see those trains moving to the MC route. Throw in the single track, Amtrak etc. running times could not be better than operating via Butler. It would be interesting to know what the contractual agreement between NS & CP is, I think that there would be some intense penalities for CP to break the agreement.

Doktor No wrote: As for CSX traffic up here....It seems that we have Q324 that used to run Barr to Stanley mixed in with Q326 traffic. Looking into the CSX crystal ball I see NO 324 for this past week. While I cannot find anything in official
wording along that line we shall see how long this lasts. We'll take the work, just restore the extra boards to reflect the trains again!
And CP is NOT happy with their routing but will not even think about CSX again until there are some changes that may or may not be coming soon. They will and do run trains thru Thunder Bay OVER Lake Superior rather than run on our line...Strange but true..again according to a well connected source.
For todays trains out of Barr an S32615 with 70 some cars and Q335 out of Stanley with many Chicago cars again. Strange thing is many of these are off the Shared Assets in Detroit. DSSX salt is one major customer that is coming this way along with stuff into Sarnia and Port Huron.
More as it becomes available..
.

RailCanon · Unread post by **RailCanon** » Mon May 15, 2006 3:46 pm

Corcerning the G010 trains, let me just mention that they are running these trains loaded from the Elevator in Webberville. They run an empty train of cars up from Toledo, pull into the siding at Williamston, drop the empty train, run back to Webberville to pick up the loads, take the loads to Fowlerville and drop them there, run back to Williamston to get the empties, drop the emtpys at the Elevator, then back to Fowlerville to get the loads and finally head west to Chicago.

SD80MAC · Unread post by **SD80MAC** » Mon May 15, 2006 4:04 pm

Thanks for the update Doktor! I was wondering why I'd been seeing more trains lately.

About CP, I wonder what the changes they want CSX to make are? Higher speeds perhaps? Hmmm, as far as I know, the Pymouth and Grand Rapids subs are pretty much in the 45-60mph range when they're not going through towns. Both lines appear to be in good shape....... It's also kinda funny about this whole CP business, because when they left it didn't look like CSX was doing anything to get them to come back. Is there something bigger here? Does CSX have plans for this forgotten stretch of the old Pere Marquette? Only time will tell.........

Unread post by **Scooterb** » Mon May 15, 2006 4:51 pm

Could we speculate that maybe CSX would sell/lease the line to CP. benifitting both parties, CSX gets rid of the line/leases it.... CP gets there own line to Chicago????? Still would like them to get the Michigan line but with AMTK, It just doesnt seem to work..

GP30M4216 · Unread post by **GP30M4216** » Mon May 15, 2006 5:38 pm

Thanks for those added replied Doc. I appreciate them and enjoy the reading. Good to hear Q326 is still running long consists. Sure better than those 8 car Q326's I remember from not so long ago. You'd think that a GR-Holland turn would make sense, maybe I should call CSX customer service and ask the person on the phone to connect me with the CEO so i can tell him myself! ha!

Unread post by **~Z~** » Mon May 15, 2006 9:00 pm

GP30M4216 wrote:Good to hear Q326 is still running long consists. Sure better than those 8 car Q326's I remember from not so long ago.

I remember seeing Doktor pass a 4 car Q326 over near Godfrey... saw Q326 with 47 cars this morning go by...glad to see the traffic around Zeeland is picking up. Don't know if you've seen Doktor, but I work over in Zeeland, and watch CSX between my commute through GR to Zeeland, lunch breaks, and on my drive back each weekday, so I try to put updates on any sights or scanner chatter I hear... I'm one of those observers

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