GDLK Operations

[Doktor No]

Guilty. He pulled over. Guess he realized that was a career ending mistake.

Too bad he didn't have the same protection the pilots that landed on the taxiway at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport last December 29 have.
Can't use the "black boxes" against them.

Unequal justice for all. The American way.

Back to trains again.

http://www.khq.com/story/37231236/elect ... al-airport Runway lights out of service, taxiway lights working. Should award them for saving fuel by cutting the taxi short..."Hey! Look! We're at the terminal already!"

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/01/26/ ... inspected/ And MORE! Interesting.

[justalurker66]

TV8 now showing dash cam FROM THE PLAINWELL BUS showing the lights flashing upon approach. Bus stops, opens door and gives a look, then proceeds across with the lights flashing. Plain as day in Plainwell.

Good. I'm glad that there was additional evidence - because it certainly was not provided by the "gee, I hope he doesn't get fired" railfan.

(The same sort of attitude as the fan who shares a picture or video of railroad workers asking "is he supposed to be getting on and off moving equipment" or showing a guy carrying his grip while getting off a stopped engine instead of dropping the grip so he could hold on with both hands or identifying employees with other rules violations. They type of people who make other people want everyone with a camera to go to Hell. Or some other Michigan town far from where they are.)

If it were me I probably would not have posted the pictures. Public shaming is not the goal of my photography. I certainly would not have done any interviews about the subject. There are more appropriate ways to report problems. Public shaming has become too popular.

Anyways ... back to trains.

[Super Chief]

501 passed thru Three Rivers at 12:40pm today with about 30 cars. This is the norm as of late for southbounds. IC 1029 was at Kilgore for switching duties this week.

[Plannerdad]

Grand Elk was switching the transload north of M-11 (28th Street) Friday around 3:00pm. Two locomotives (including the red and white WS I see in the yard) and a dozen or so short hoppers. I thought most of that moved north of Ann Street now?

[Raildudes dad]

They are shipping material from 2 different sources and "they" who ever they is want separate transloads.

[Saturnalia]

They are shipping material from 2 different sources and "they" who ever they is want separate transloads.

As I understood it, sand is sand but not all sand is like other sand. In such a case, having separate transloads makes it easier to keep the two different sand sources apart. It also means that the guys going to Ann St don't have to go through GR.

IIRC one shipper is Nugent from Muskegon, and the other is Sargent from Ludington. AFAIK Sargent loads NS-bound traffic at Ann St and Nugent loads NS-bound traffic at 28th St. CSX bound sand traffic from both sites operates via the MS or the MQT. Allows them the best rates, so I've heard. Competition probably isn't a bad thing and is 100% of the reason why STB gave GDLK the rights back up to Fuller.

[Super Chief]

I too didn't know there were subtle differences in sand. The closed mine in Harrietta is Wexford sand. Its a silica sand like foundry sand and if you go to their website they ship all over the world for horse jumping arenas. Must be from other mines as that one is closed. Wisconsin sand is harder so they have most of the frac sand business. It keeps the oil pores open must better so the gas can be pumped out. Yuma shipped a lot of sand to Ford in Rouge for their foundry. The Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania gets frac sand from east coast mines.

[redcrumbox]

Frac sands can come from just about anywhere silica sand is mined. Transportation costs are the leading factor and whoever can transport it for the cheapest price does. To simplify things, sands that are 100 mesh usually are used for NG and less than 100 mesh is used for crude. The deeper the well and crush resistance factor enter in to the equation too. Deeper wells need more PSI and a sand that will plug natural occurring fractures. Test have shown that lesser grades of 100 mesh perform well for these applications.

Nugent's website shows they make a custom 100 mesh sand. Sargent's website shows they make different blends of 100 mesh and lesser grades. The industry's premium sands are typically found in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Texas and Oklahoma also have sand mines but they are usually the lowest grade. Michigan sand is somewhere in between the two.

[Waddy]

Been noticing GDLK delivering cars of coke to MSO anyone know whose getting them?

[AARR]

GreatLakesRailfan posted a picture a while back of the coke translaod operation. I don't think we figured out where it comes from or who it goes to.

Been noticing GDLK delivering cars of coke to MSO anyone know whose getting them?

[Standard Railfan]

The only permitted coal burning facility in Sturgis is Abbott Labs. I suspect that is the destination of the "coke" loads interchanged between MSO & GDLK.

[AARR]

I didn't realize Abbot still burns coal. I remember back in the 1990's when Gordy was trying to get their coal business.

The only permitted coal burning facility in Sturgis is Abbott Labs. I suspect that is the destination of the "coke" loads interchanged between MSO & GDLK.

[Waddy]

Makes sense its only about one car a week maybe in big of IFRX hoppers.
(and yes it is coke not coal)

[Standard Railfan]

I checked the Michigan Air Emmissions data. It looks as though Abbott quit burning coal in 2011 through 2015. No newer data has yet been released.
Either Abbott restarted the boiler on coke (not likely) or the coke is headed elsewhere. Is there s foundry nearby?

[GreatLakesRailfan]

GreatLakesRailfan posted a picture a while back of the coke transload operation. I don't think we figured out where it comes from or who it goes to.

Been noticing GDLK delivering cars of coke to MSO anyone know whose getting them?

That was almost 3 years ago, after the spring meet. The transload was in White Pigeon, but I'm not able to link to the picture at the moment. I do recall the impression that the card we're being loaded, not unloaded though.

[redcrumbox]

I checked the Michigan Air Emmissions data. It looks as though Abbott quit burning coal in 2011 through 2015. No newer data has yet been released.
Either Abbott restarted the boiler on coke (not likely) or the coke is headed elsewhere. Is there s foundry nearby?

Believe it or not, there are exemptions on reporting to MAERS.

[Super Chief]

West end of Gearhart yard taking on water. Number 19 lead has water over it, they may have to hold out using it till the water subsides.

[NSSD70ACe]

From what I’m hearing at home, flooding in Kalamazoo is supposed to worsen this weekend. Grand Elk’s gonna have their hands full with the Kalamazoo River when it’s all over

[Super Chief]

Crews cannot get to Gearhart as both roads in are flooded. A train was left at Park as they were told to hold out. 2 trains night before last met in TR. One was a 503 and the 302 were both talked over the bridge in town as crews were apprehensive about crossing it. Who could blame them when water is over the cement abutments and flowing swiftly pass the iron gussets holding the bridge to the abutments. Only a foot clearence now and river peaks tonight.

[justalurker66]

The washout in Grand Rapids reminds crews that having rails under the train is not a guarantee. I do not blame them for feeling concerned.