GDLK Operations

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~Z~
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by ~Z~ »

Couple photos of the derailment. One that's tipped over was an empty steel coil car. Locomotive had all its wheels on the tracks.
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~Z~
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Re: GDLK Operations

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As of 7:20pm, both steel coil cars were back on the tracks. Steel cool loads were put on Magic Steel trucks and delivered. Tops for the coil cars put on and train moved from 36th St. RJ corman loading up their equipment.
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dave989
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Re: GDLK Operations

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Will GDLK run Saturday because of the derailment in Wyoming at 36th St.?

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justalurker66
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by justalurker66 »

How has GDLK done since Friday? Has losing the Elkhart connection Friday morning affected the GDLK? Or was the weekend a good time to be down?

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Re: GDLK Operations

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Trains have had different call times so one knows not when they're coming. Three Rivers has been a parking lot. GM siding had 4002 & 3534 with its train parked northbound in there last night. 4009 & 4017 have been a 2nd road train last few days with lengthy trains going north. 501 local was coming down late afternoons with lots of centerbeams for Bristol instead of mornings. Customers are receiving good service during 421 work. All of Elks power have been thru TR the last week. 2204 & 3534 are normally not seen. The crews have been working on daily road trains 7 days a week.

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justalurker66
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by justalurker66 »

Elkhart should be open soon for GDLK if it is not open already.

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by Super Chief »

Hope so the land barge that went south this morning would be at Mishawaka to back in to 426 if that maneuver was still required.

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justalurker66
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Re: GDLK Operations

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Super Chief wrote:Hope so the land barge that went south this morning would be at Mishawaka to back in to 426 if that maneuver was still required.
175 cars? Straight into the yard. And the return trip this evening came out the Early Bird following 3 to CP 421 then crossing through to the branch.

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by atrainguy60 »

Forgive me if this was already mentioned somewhere in the thread, but it's over 400 posts long so I thought I would just ask: how many trains a day is the Grand Elk running south of Kalamazoo currently, counting turns twice?

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MQT1223
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Re: GDLK Operations

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Has the speed limit from Hugart to M-6 been upped since the tie replacement project?

Also, I noticed last week when chasing a southbound run that the curve just north of Moline has the speed down to about 10 MPH, and once on the straightaway through town they quickly accelerated up to 25MPH, any reason for the slow order just north of Moline?
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by NSSD70ACe »

atrainguy60 wrote:Forgive me if this was already mentioned somewhere in the thread, but it's over 400 posts long so I thought I would just ask: how many trains a day is the Grand Elk running south of Kalamazoo currently, counting turns twice?

I believe 4. 302 and 501 (or what used to be 302 and 501). 105 works the CN interchange, Pfizer, and some chemical company whose name escapes me. I believe they work a junkyard too.

There is the occasional NS unit grain at Anderson's in White Pigeon.
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by NSSD60M »

Super Chief wrote:Trains have had different call times so one knows not when they're coming. Three Rivers has been a parking lot. GM siding had 4002 & 3534 with its train parked northbound in there last night. 4009 & 4017 have been a 2nd road train last few days with lengthy trains going north. 501 local was coming down late afternoons with lots of centerbeams for Bristol instead of mornings. Customers are receiving good service during 421 work. All of Elks power have been thru TR the last week. 2204 & 3534 are normally not seen. The crews have been working on daily road trains 7 days a week.
Pretty sure the 2204 was on the 501 for a good part of the summer each and every day.

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by Jim_c »

GDLK 4209 and 4125. Picked up 5 boxcars form the siding in Plainwell, and headed at about 16;25. On a Saturday, no less - a rarity for this section of the line.

5 box
11 tank
15 hopper
1 coiled steel
5 hopper
8 tank
2 hopper

47 total

Count might be off by one or two. Darn thing kept speeding up.

I'm not adept enough at recognizing what type hopper (grain, plastic pellet, etc) without closer inspection. All hoppers were of the covered variety.
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Waddy
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by Waddy »

Does the Grand Elk serve any customers on the branch that runs south east out of Hughart yard?

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by Raildudes dad »

I heard from a reliable source last week, it's out of service. Storage cars was the last use.

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by Waddy »

Raildudes dad wrote:I heard from a reliable source last week, it's out of service. Storage cars was the last use.
Ah ic well on a positive note Amerhart is adding a spur in Grand Rapids.

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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by AARR »

I believe one of the baking plants located along that branch receives their flour at a transload in Grand Rapids rather than directly to their plant. There are a few other businesses that are rail prospects (another bakery, drywall, lumber).
Waddy wrote:
Raildudes dad wrote:I heard from a reliable source last week, it's out of service. Storage cars was the last use.
Ah ic well on a positive note Amerhart is adding a spur in Grand Rapids.
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MQT1223
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by MQT1223 »

Waddy wrote:Does the Grand Elk serve any customers on the branch that runs south east out of Hughart yard?
The former NYC main to Jackson, or whats left of it, is now referred to as the Hastings Lead.

There were rumors of a customer coming online at the end of that trackage but apparently that didn't come to fruition.
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jimnorthwood
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by jimnorthwood »

I don't know anything about Grand Elk specifically, or railroad operations on the west side of the state in general. For those that do, I thought you might find this to be of interest:

https://www.stb.gov/decisions/readingro ... /46090.pdf

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justalurker66
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Re: GDLK Operations

Unread post by justalurker66 »

jimnorthwood wrote:I don't know anything about Grand Elk specifically, or railroad operations on the west side of the state in general. For those that do, I thought you might find this to be of interest:

https://www.stb.gov/decisions/readingro ... /46090.pdf
The Board denies Grand Elk Railroad’s (GDLK) petition for exemption in Docket No. FD 36127 and its petition for Board order in Docket No. FD 36127 (Sub-No. 1). However, the Board reopens Docket No. FD 35187 (Sub-No. 1), to authorize retroactively GDLK’s acquisition of trackage rights in Grand Rapids, Mich., as of January 30, 2009. The Board also directs CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT) to allow GDLK to provide service over CSXT’s line pending any subsequent determination of GDLK’s right to access the line.

CSXT is directed to allow GDLK to resume service over the CSXT Line beginning no later than December 4, 2017.

That is good news.

(See Watco filing with STB for Grand Rapids Trackage Rights for previous discussions.)

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