Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

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NS3322
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Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by NS3322 »

I have a few questions about the old GTW shops in BC:

What year were the shops closed (and what was the reason behind it)?
When were the GP9's rebuilt into GP9R's?
And, who currently owns the property?

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trnwatcher
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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by trnwatcher »

Might be GT fans that have better dates but here's what I remember.
Shops closed late 90's. CN moved everything to Homewood Il.
GP9s rebuilt in the 70s.
CN probably unless they sold off that part of the property.
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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by Steve B »

The GP9Rs were actually produced from 1989 to 1993. See: gtw.railfan.net/GP9Rs.html

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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by PatAzo »

NS3322 wrote:What year were the shops closed (and what was the reason behind it)?
The late 90's sounds right. The GP9r's were among the last of the heavy work done in Battle Creek. My recollection is running repairs stayed open a little longer. The Battle Creek shop like many other locomotive shops was the victim of fewer locomotive with higher reliability.

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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by bctrainfan »

The current owner of the shops is Diamond Equipment, they deal in used factory machines like large presses and similar equipment. I was told that some companies store some of these machines for possible future use, others are sold or scrapped. Some of this is really big equipment, and some really heavy haul oversize trucks can be seen there occasionally. They do not use rail service, and there are no rail connections to the building any more.

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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by bctrainfan »

The current owner of the shops is Diamond Equipment, they deal in used factory machines like large presses and similar equipment. I was told that some companies store some of these machines for possible future use, others are sold or scrapped. Some of this is really big equipment, and some really heavy haul oversize trucks can be seen there occasionally. They do not use rail service, and there are no rail connections to the building any more.

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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by GTW »

The Battle Creek Shops closed on August 1, 1999 and the running repair remained open till about 2002 with limited work such as fueling and sanding of the engines. I believe the shops are leased to Diamond Equipment. It would be interesting to know for sure if the property was sold.

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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by dave989 »

At one time Kelloggs was thought to be buying the property but now I don't know.

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R.E.A.P.E.R.
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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by R.E.A.P.E.R. »

It was definitely sold. Just a quick look through the county's land records and...

Property Address
409 W JAMESON AVE
BATTLE CREEK, MI, 49017-6605

Owner Address
DIAMOND STORAGE SOLUTIONS LLC

Land Information
Acreage:11.266

Sales Information
Sale Date: 03-15-2012
Sale Price: $281,650
Grantor: GRAND TRUNK WESTERN RR
Grantee: DIAMOND STORAGE SOLUTIONS LLC
Terms of Sale: 12 QCD/OTHER
Liber/Page: 3693/0827

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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by GTW »

That is interesting to know thanks for looking that up.

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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by bctrainfan »

Rumor was Kellogg's was interested in the property for expansion. Last thing I heard was more than a year ago, and that they were still interested in the area north of their facility including the area of the former CargoFlo facility (maybe was where the roundhouse was before that?) in the area now used for MOW stuff. Totally 3rd hand or more though, for what its worth.

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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by Todd Cline »

I used to hang out there all the time in the summer during the break in the school year. I was about 13 at the time. I would ride my old Schwinn Stingray-Banana Seat bike about 4 miles from my house to the shops.. Usually on the weekend, that way the "Officials" weren't around. I made friends with all the guys there, and I had pretty much "Free-Run" of the place. This was the late 1970's-Early 1980's, So I don't want to mention any names, But, I did run some engines there.. Also ran engines in the yard. Actually did some kicking of cars. Too bad kids these days have NO access to the "Railroad Life" To see if it is something they want to explore. . It's a really BAD job unless you are willing to dedicate your life to it. It will ruin a marriage, maybe take 20 years off of your life, due to the lack of regular sleep, but , The pay is GREAT! You can buy all kinds of toys.. Trouble is., you don't have the time to play with them.. Not until you are retired, by then the clock is ticking its last few strokes...

Todd.

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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by Todd Cline »

bctrainfan wrote:Rumor was Kellogg's was interested in the property for expansion. Last thing I heard was more than a year ago, and that they were still interested in the area north of their facility including the area of the former CargoFlo facility (maybe was where the roundhouse was before that?) in the area now used for MOW stuff. Totally 3rd hand or more though, for what its worth.

You can forget about Kelloggs expansion.. In the past few years Kelloggs has demolished 99% of the plant here in Battle Creek. Yes, their "Home" They even ripped-up the parking lot next to the plant. Most of their production has been moved to Mexico. FYI, If you want to purchase American-Made Cereal, buy the store brands. That IS still made in Battle Creek MI, but manufactured by Ralston, Right across the street from the Battle Creek Amtrak depot. You buy Kelloggs, Chances are it is from Mexico Yeah.. Sad right? When I was a kid, Kelloggs employed over 2000 people in Battle Creek. All good paying union jobs. Now, less than 200, and paid peanuts. With absolutely NO future prospects... How is that making America great again? Really, Tell me, I want to know..

Todd

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NS3322
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Re: Battle Creek GTW Locomotive Shops

Unread post by NS3322 »

Todd Cline wrote:FYI, If you want to purchase American-Made Cereal, buy the store brands. That IS still made in Battle Creek MI, but manufactured by Ralston, Right across the street from the Battle Creek Amtrak depot. You buy Kelloggs, Chances are it is from Mexico Yeah.. Sad right? When I was a kid, Kelloggs employed over 2000 people in Battle Creek. All good paying union jobs. Now, less than 200, and paid peanuts. With absolutely NO future prospects... How is that making America great again? Really, Tell me, I want to know..
Ralston no longer owns the cereal plant in Battle Creek. It was purchased by TreeHouse Foods maybe 1-2 years ago. They unfortunately plan on shutting down the plant in the future, however there are rumors they may delay or cancel the shutdown. But these are rumors. Even if you include Post, not a lot of cereal is made in Battle Creek anymore...

No one eats cereal anymore. (No one= millennials).

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