Heading up to Bay City/Saginaw area Monday or Tuesday...

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LJK004
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 4:59 am
Location: Just off the Mt. Clemens Subdivision, MI

Heading up to Bay City/Saginaw area Monday or Tuesday...

Unread post by LJK004 »

...with hopes of catching some shortline action. The goal is to check out the Lake State and perhaps Great Lakes Central while I'm up there. I'm from Metro Detroit, so I know very little about the area other than I have access to Google Maps and a Garmin in the ride, so any info would be great.

My plan is to catch the Saginaw-Bay City Turn but from there I'm not really sure. Does anyone have a ballpark time that they start Saginaw and get to Bay City, so that I can get up there early enough not to miss the action? What time do they return to Bay City from Saginaw? What route do they take? I'm looking at Google Maps and it seems there is tracks on both sides of the river, who owns/uses what in the area? I know they dont run on a schedule, and exact times are not possible, but a couple/few hour window would be great.

Based on posts around here in the train locations thread, it seems like GLC goes through Mt Pleasant in the early afternoon, so I'll probably try to end up there around 2-4ish. Again, not really sure of much, just hoping, so any help would be awesome.

Do either of these railways have a kinda set schedule, if so, any information would be appreciated?

Lastly, any cool photo locations in the area and or any spots I should avoid?

Thanks in advance,
John

MiRailProductions
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Posts: 337
Joined: Mon May 22, 2017 6:19 pm
Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Re: Heading up to Bay City/Saginaw area Monday or Tuesday...

Unread post by MiRailProductions »

LJK004 wrote:...with hopes of catching some shortline action. The goal is to check out the Lake State and perhaps Great Lakes Central while I'm up there. I'm from Metro Detroit, so I know very little about the area other than I have access to Google Maps and a Garmin in the ride, so any info would be great.

My plan is to catch the Saginaw-Bay City Turn but from there I'm not really sure. Does anyone have a ballpark time that they start Saginaw and get to Bay City, so that I can get up there early enough not to miss the action? What time do they return to Bay City from Saginaw? What route do they take? I'm looking at Google Maps and it seems there is tracks on both sides of the river, who owns/uses what in the area? I know they dont run on a schedule, and exact times are not possible, but a couple/few hour window would be great.

Based on posts around here in the train locations thread, it seems like GLC goes through Mt Pleasant in the early afternoon, so I'll probably try to end up there around 2-4ish. Again, not really sure of much, just hoping, so any help would be awesome.

Do either of these railways have a kinda set schedule, if so, any information would be appreciated?

Lastly, any cool photo locations in the area and or any spots I should avoid?

Thanks in advance,
John
GLC, based on its recent operations, will most likely be through Mt. Pleasant on Monday. North between 11:00am and 2:00pm, and south between 2:00pm and 4:30pm, depending on how long it takes to switch customers along the line and how long the interchange at Clare will take. For the Bay City-Saginaw trains, I know that HESR will run a train south from Bay City at around 7-8am, reaching Saginaw from 8-10am. HESR or LSRC could run a grain extra train or two, as it is the season to do so. My advice is to get as close to the HESR or LSRC railyards in Bay City and/or Saginaw as possible, without trespassing of course, to get an idea of what could be running that day. As for LSRC, I'm not entirely sure what their schedule is between Bay City and Saginaw, but I know daily traffic occurs between both towns.
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GTW6401
how bout no
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Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 4:07 pm

Re: Heading up to Bay City/Saginaw area Monday or Tuesday...

Unread post by GTW6401 »

The LSRC train from Saginaw to Bay City usually departs mid-morning. M-13 runs parallel to the tracks from Saginaw up to Bay City, and you'll see the train off in the distance from the road. It was pulling into Bay City's south end at 10:15am last time I was up there in early November. They will often stop to work at Gavilon Grain on South Farragut Street if they have cars for them.

The next move is usually shoving across the river to LSRC's yard on Wilder Road once they get up to Essexville. which is located in the area along Woodside Avenue.

They pickup and setout there then return across the river, and will then head to Omnisource, which is also located on Woodside Avenue at Madison Street in downtown Bay City. The length of time in Bay City/Essexville will depend on the amount of work involved before returning to Saginaw.

HESR is pretty reliable with their departure times out of Wenona Yard. The yard is located on M-13 at M-247. Its easiest to exit from I-75 at Wilder Road, then head over to Euclid Avenue (M-13) and the rail yard is just north of there.

702 and 740 have been out the yard by 10am most days. Defoe Park and Veterans Memorial Park are major landmarks to assist in finding the HESR trackage in Bay City. What I usually do is follow the HESR down to Salzburg Avenue (M-13/M-84) then cross over the river and wait for LSRC to arrive from Saginaw. It was a quick wait last time I was up there.

The other LSRC train comes south from Pinconning thru Wenona Yard usually after 702 has departed. LSRC and HESR use the same trackage between Wheeler Road and Hart Street in Bay City, which is where LSRC branches off and heads toward the former D&M Yard.

Its a 45 minute drive between Bay City and Mount Pleasant. I used to drive it all the time when I was in school at Central Michigan. Its all 55 mph running on M-20 west of Midland. The more scenic spots in Mt. Pleasant are near Broadway Street or Island Park where the line crosses the Chippewa River, but somewhere like Shepherd is more rural.

csx801
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Posts: 630
Joined: Mon Oct 26, 2009 4:44 pm

Re: Heading up to Bay City/Saginaw area Monday or Tuesday...

Unread post by csx801 »

If you want to see Great Lakes Central Action, I highly recommend chasing to Clare. You will catch both Cadillac and Owosso turns meeting to swap trains and to switch local industries in the Clare area. I suggest waiting in Shepherd or Mount Pleasant and chasing north only because this time of year meeting times and locations can differ depending on work needed at Sheperd, Mt. Pleasant, and Clare. They are usually through Mount Pleasant between 12:00 and 1300.

LJK004
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 4:59 am
Location: Just off the Mt. Clemens Subdivision, MI

Re: Heading up to Bay City/Saginaw area Monday or Tuesday...

Unread post by LJK004 »

Awesome information!!!! Thanks for all the responses. I think I’m gonna head out early tomorrow (Monday) morning. Anybody know where/when the best time to catch the LSRC switchers would be? I’ve never actually seen a switcher in action before.

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