Railfanning at Plymouth/Romulus/Wyandotte in the 1990s

[CSXBOY]

What was railfanning like in the 1990s? Was CSX busy? How many GTW trains were on the Shoreline sub? I know Conrail was busy, That NS line in Romulus was it always NS? Was it fun to railfan in the metro Detroit area in the 1990s? I know these days Plymouth on has 15 trains or so a day. CN in Wyandotte has 10-12 trains a day if you count the Flat Rock suib. NS has 25-30 trains a day on their line. I know that the NS Detroit district only has 20 trains a day and most of them run at night.

[GP30M4216]

I would think certainly one of the biggest changes to traffic routes into and out of Metro Detroit was the changeover of the CP Rail through trains from the CSX former C&O mainline to the NS former Wabash mainline. An average of 8-10 CP Rail trains rolled through Plymouth on the CSX in the 90s which were moved in 2006 to the NS via Romulus. This NS line was Wabash>N&W>NS, so yes, "it's always been NS." CSX had more manifest trains west and north of Plymouth during those times which have been lost due to industry closures and rerouting of traffic via other routes. I would think the NS Detroit Line has about the same number of trains as it did during Conrail years but am not sure....I never really got to that line in the 90s.

I think the biggest change has been the loss of colors leading trains from the 90s vs. today - Conrail Blue and the various predecessor roads of CSX in particular made for some good variety up front which you can't find today.

[MRC_Andrew]

I would think certainly one of the biggest changes to traffic routes into and out of Metro Detroit was the changeover of the CP Rail through trains from the CSX former C&O mainline to the NS former Wabash mainline. An average of 8-10 CP Rail trains rolled through Plymouth on the CSX in the 90s which were moved in 2006 to the NS via Romulus. This NS line was Wabash>N&W>NS, so yes, "it's always been NS." CSX had more manifest trains west and north of Plymouth during those times which have been lost due to industry closures and rerouting of traffic via other routes. I would think the NS Detroit Line has about the same number of trains as it did during Conrail years but am not sure....I never really got to that line in the 90s.

I think the biggest change has been the loss of colors leading trains from the 90s vs. today - Conrail Blue and the various predecessor roads of CSX in particular made for some good variety up front which you can't find today.

CSX also had coal trains for a power plant at West Olive (near Grand Rapids) which came up from the south. These trains regularly required pushers which in my observation were often added at John Hix Rd in Westland. The coal cars used were rectangular black rotary dump with yellow ends, and had CPOX reporting marks.

[jggilmore7]

What was railfanning like in the 1990s? Was CSX busy? How many GTW trains were on the Shoreline sub? I know Conrail was busy, That NS line in Romulus was it always NS? Was it fun to railfan in the metro Detroit area in the 1990s? I know these days Plymouth on has 15 trains or so a day. CN in Wyandotte has 10-12 trains a day if you count the Flat Rock suib. NS has 25-30 trains a day on their line. I know that the NS Detroit district only has 20 trains a day and most of them run at night.

What was is like? Easy, lots more trains in many places, except maybe the NS Detroit District and the Detroit Line. Lots more coal trains everywhere as well. Was it fun? Yes, because of better frequency and lots more variety. As they say, everything turns to she-ite...

--Plymouth, way more trains. Biggest loser in train terms since the '90s (even busier in the 70's).
--Carleton, more trains, including more on the CSX and esp. GTW/CN (Flat Rock hump closed in '98).
--Shoreline Sub went to 1 or 2 through freights for many years after the GTW takeover, but increased slightly during the 90's to 2-4 (nothing like the 16-20 trains a day or more historically though). Today you get maybe 4-6 on a good day.
--Delray, more trains. Boat Yard traffic to the carferries took a left turn at Delray and started going through the tunnel in '94 I believe.
--CR Detroit Line was 15-20 a day most of the '80s and '90s, then got a little busier under NS.
--Lincoln Secondary rebuilt under CSX and thus busier since the '90s.
--CN Holly Sub, more trains then, but the Mt. Clemens Sub is definitely busier now.
--Michigan Line a total waste for freight then, as it is now.
--AA from Milan (NS x-ing) south was much busier with NS and GTW (Diann) road trains.

This dude has some good stuff on his website that might interest you:

http://knorek.com/RR/SAA/SAAIndex.htm

Former Taylortuckian,
JG

[MSchwiebert]

Late GTW era on the former DT&I saw at least 6 trains a day south of Diann. There was a piggyback train in each direction, the NS run-through in each direction & the GT manifest in each direction. Add in whatever extras and grain to the A&B at Riga & to Metamora, it made for respectable railroading.

[hoborich]

So, what are the reasons for so many less trains, than back in the 60s? Are they just running longer trains and fewer of them. Has the economy declined that much? Is there a corresponding increase in truck traffic?

[M.D.Bentley]

So, what are the reasons for so many less trains, than back in the 60s? Are they just running longer trains and fewer of them. Has the economy declined that much? Is there a corresponding increase in truck traffic?

Staggers Act ( or 4R ). Trucks. Change in business practices.

[Eric Berger]

--Carleton, more trains, including more on the CSX and esp. GTW/CN (Flat Rock hump closed in '98).

--Lincoln Secondary rebuilt under CSX and thus busier since the '90s.

Agreed. The GTW/CN, I understand, is down to one CN in each direction, as well as an I&O run every couple of days. I've observed the northbound CN around mid to late morning, and the I&O usually midday. I understand the southbound CN is usually early morning.

As for the Lincoln Secondary, they started repairing it past Guardian Glass about mid-1997. Cleared the years of vegetation, replaced the Grafton Road crossing, replaced the turnout to the CSX about 500' north of Carleton. At first they ran several general freights through, but nowadays it seems that aside from the locals, they have two intermodals each way, as well as an occasional empty coal south. So, having said that, it's not as busy as when they first reopened it all the way.