GDLK Operations

Anything pertaining to railfanning in Michigan.
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Saturnalia
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by Saturnalia »

PatAzo wrote:
Saturnalia wrote:Adding to the hilarity here, I'm assuming the switch just south of BO on the GDLK-only trackage is still controlled by Amtrak since it was BO's Job previously? It's the hand-throw at Gibson.
A better assumption is the GDLK (K&O) dispatcher in Wichita. GDLK never talks to Amtrak about the hand thrown switches to the south, just wanting to go between BO and Gerhart or cross the main line.
They used to...
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Super Chief
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by Super Chief »

There's no more radio-telephone patch to Watco Dispatch. All signals and switch movements between Elkhart and Park are cell phone generated. Radios have been very quiet since BO was silenced. Yes Watco has been running that segment for quite some time now from Kansas. Dearborn has not been involved since that time on that segment. Actually whats left in Dearborn? Used to be Kankakee, Chicago East, Chicago West, Toledo West and the Michigan Line dispatchers? Since Amtrak is dispatched from Chicago I don't have first hand knowledge of Dearborn?

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justalurker66
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Re: GDLK Operations

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Super Chief wrote:There's no more radio-telephone patch to Watco Dispatch. All signals and switch movements between Elkhart and Park are cell phone generated. Radios have been very quiet since BO was silenced.
Are you scanning Amtrak's channel?
Super Chief wrote:Yes Watco has been running that segment for quite some time now from Kansas. Dearborn has not been involved since that time on that segment.
Since when? Can you be less vague?
Super Chief wrote:Actually whats left in Dearborn? Used to be Kankakee, Chicago East, Chicago West, Toledo West and the Michigan Line dispatchers? Since Amtrak is dispatched from Chicago I don't have first hand knowledge of Dearborn?
You make it sound like the Dearborn office is virtually abandoned. It isn't. Only Amtrak's portion of the line is dispatched from Chicago. There is still plenty going on in Dearborn (including dispatch on the Detroit-Montpelier and Montpelier-Butler lines).

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by PatAzo »

justalurker66 wrote:
Super Chief wrote:There's no more radio-telephone patch to Watco Dispatch. All signals and switch movements between Elkhart and Park are cell phone generated. Radios have been very quiet since BO was silenced.
Are you scanning Amtrak's channel?
justalurker66 wrote:
Super Chief wrote:Yes Watco has been running that segment for quite some time now from Kansas. Dearborn has not been involved since that time on that segment.
Since when? Can you be less vague?
Watco took over their own dispatching maybe two years ago+/-. BO handled the track in Kalamazoo. The K&O dispatcher in Wichita handled everything else. From Park to Elkhart you used to hear trains crews calling their dispatcher via the radio-telephone. Outside of Park to Elkhart it was rare to hear GDLK talk to the dispatcher on the radio. Most of their communication with their dispatcher is by telephone.
Last edited by PatAzo on Tue Jan 10, 2017 6:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

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justalurker66
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by justalurker66 »

PatAzo wrote:Watco took over their own dispatching maybe two years ago+/-. BO handled the track in Kalamazoo. The K&O dispatcher in Wichita handled everything else. From Park to Elkhart you used to hear trains crews calling their dispatcher via the radio-telephone. Outside of Park to Elkhart it was rare to hear GDLK talk to the dispatcher on the radio. Most of their communication is by telephone.
Thank you for narrowing down the time frame.

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Re: GDLK Operations

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The GDLK call's Desk 10 at Schoolcraft to cross the former GTW on Channel #2 160.530 every time. They call signals from CP Park south to Elkhart as I hear them every day. They talk when they are working in Three Rivers. The Conductor follows the train in a truck. There is a HBD at MP 25.8 and tells you everything except when the Toilet needs cleaning. Can't think of anything else... over and out..

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by NSSD70ACe »

GDLK 302 just cleared Kilgore Road in Kalamazoo. However, somewhere near I-94 the engineer started blowing the horn at short, regular intervals. I remember reading that such a procedure is used in an emergency. Is that the case?
:roll:

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Super Chief
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Re: GDLK Operations

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Its reported the Elk had 2-7200 cubic foot hoppers with end doors on the consis t yesterday. Built by Curry Rail Services in Altoona Pa. Dec. 2016. Reported for cottonseed service. Any idea who would need them?

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Re: GDLK Operations

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Maybe that is what my friend saw a month or so back when he reported "wood chip hoppers" at the log loading place in White Pigeon.

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by NSSD60M »

NSSD70ACe wrote:GDLK 302 just cleared Kilgore Road in Kalamazoo. However, somewhere near I-94 the engineer started blowing the horn at short, regular intervals. I remember reading that such a procedure is used in an emergency. Is that the case?
Usually horn usage like that is when approaching a work zone, either railroad MOW crews or other utility or public service workers. Perhaps there was work on the I94 bridge going on with workers at ground level? Short taps of the horn, alerting the ground workers to the train's presence is way more respectful than climbing on the horn and blasting their ears out the way a lot of the young bucks like to do behind the throttle.
Could have been as simple as deer on the rail as well.

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by GP30M4216 »

Was nice to count 9 boxcars on the siding and at the dock at USG in Otsego yesterday. Single-customer branchlines always make me a little nervous so it's great to see a strong business there. Is the Otsego branch switched by the Kzoo-GR road train or does a local do it?

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AARR
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Re: GDLK Operations

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I've heard they ship 8-10 cars a week.
GP30M4216 wrote:Was nice to count 9 boxcars on the siding and at the dock at USG in Otsego yesterday. Single-customer branchlines always make me a little nervous so it's great to see a strong business there. Is the Otsego branch switched by the Kzoo-GR road train or does a local do it?
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by Super Chief »

Last reported 303 the road train switched it. As an after thought did the new customer in Wayland with the loop track ever produce a unit train last year. Every time I drove by there the GTW unit and the LSR switcher were just sitting on it never saw any cars.

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by AARR »

If that's the liquid fertilizer place then yes they received several unit trains of nitrogen solution.
Super Chief wrote:Last reported 303 the road train switched it. As an after thought did the new customer in Wayland with the loop track ever produce a unit train last year. Every time I drove by there the GTW unit and the LSR switcher were just sitting on it never saw any cars.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

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Saturnalia
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Re: GDLK Operations

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AARR wrote:If that's the liquid fertilizer place then yes they received several unit trains of nitrogen solution.
Super Chief wrote:Last reported 303 the road train switched it. As an after thought did the new customer in Wayland with the loop track ever produce a unit train last year. Every time I drove by there the GTW unit and the LSR switcher were just sitting on it never saw any cars.
It's really a grain elevator, which hasn't shipped grain yet for whatever reason. Dual-purpose facility, like how Webberville gets Potash on CSX.
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by Mike H »

Saturnalia wrote:
AARR wrote:If that's the liquid fertilizer place then yes they received several unit trains of nitrogen solution.
Super Chief wrote:Last reported 303 the road train switched it. As an after thought did the new customer in Wayland with the loop track ever produce a unit train last year. Every time I drove by there the GTW unit and the LSR switcher were just sitting on it never saw any cars.
It's really a grain elevator, which hasn't shipped grain yet for whatever reason. Dual-purpose facility, like how Webberville gets Potash on CSX.
Both CHS in Wayland & Green Valley in Moline are strictly fertilizer terminals. Neither facility handles grain & they do not have any equipment necessary to handle grain. CHS graded the subgrade for a second loop track in the event they ever decide to build an elevator in the middle of the loop, but at this time I'm told there are no current plans to build the elevator.

CHS did get at least one unit of liquid nitrogen that came in on CSX which I saw spotted, but if there were any others I didn't see them.

Mike H

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Re: GDLK Operations

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Mike H wrote: Both CHS in Wayland & Green Valley in Moline are strictly fertilizer terminals. Neither facility handles grain & they do not have any equipment necessary to handle grain. CHS graded the subgrade for a second loop track in the event they ever decide to build an elevator in the middle of the loop, but at this time I'm told there are no current plans to build the elevator.

CHS did get at least one unit of liquid nitrogen that came in on CSX which I saw spotted, but if there were any others I didn't see them.
That is contrary to everything I've ever heard about the Wayland facility, and would certainly explain that pesky lack of grain trains! :lol:
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by Mike H »

Haha yeah, that does explain it. I work with both facilities & toured them at various points throughout the construction process. Both are state of the art facilities & are not being used to capacity yet, but definitely no grain at those terminals.

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by Super Chief »

Wilbur Ellis and Co-Alliance down here are already getting anhydrous ammonia tankers and both had a few covered hoppers at their facilities last week. The covered hoppers must be new business as Johansens (Wilbur-Ellis ) never had them since the siding was put in.

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by Mike H »

No one on the GDLK gets anhydrous ammonia. What you are seeing is liquid nitrogen, also known as UAN. Co-Alliance used to get a lot of cars, but when Wilbur Ellis pulled out they hardly got any cars. Helena was at Johanson Farms, but just before the end of the year Wilbur Ellis surprised everyone bought their way in. The hoppers are not a new thing to either facility, they just don't get them very often. Johanson definitely gets a lot more then Co-Alliance, but they get them at various points throughout the year. Johanson had a ton of Mosaic hoppers come in right after they built the spur, most were new cars & looked really nice from the road.

Mike H

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