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Saw this video on YT. Anyone have any information as to what projects this rail is going for ??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzmGXBzJ9Gk

New rail for Alpena area

LansingRailFan:

Thank you.

A few years ago, LSRC received a federal grant to cover a. Portion of laying welded rail on the line to Grayling. I feel like there was a follow up grant to support similar welded rail work on the Huron Shore Route, but I can’t find an announcement of that with a 5 second google search.

I’d be curious to know where they are getting their rail from. Only a few mills in the States roll rail for CWR: Steelton Works, Steel Dynamics, and Evraz. Perhaps someone can get a closer look at this train at some point.

Doesn't necessarily have to be new rail. Could be relay rail - still good - much less expensive. CN used 115lb Sydney relay CWR for 40 miles of the Mount Clemens sub years ago rather than new rail. I'm told this will be replaced with 136lb rail in the not too distant future. For the amount of traffic on the Huron sub, seems like relay could be cost effective.

Man o' War

Cars are from the V and S Railway, a division of A&K Railroad Materials. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%26S_Railway

Doktor No wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:27 pm

Cars are from the V and S Railway, a division of A&K Railroad Materials. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%26S_Railway

The immeidate guess, and not with anything beyond a hunch, is that this is relay rail. A&K is a company which has been known to purchase then scrap railroad lines in the past (or attempt to at least), so it would not shock me if this rail came from a previous project they either worked on or from a scrapping project.

Isn't A& K one of their customers, at the end of the short branch just west of Gaylord??

Yes, the spur to their site was built around 2007. 600-750 cars per year were forecasted but they have not come close to those numbers AFAIK. Maybe about half that in a good year.

joeyuboats wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 22, 2023 7:07 pm

Isn't A& K one of their customers, at the end of the short branch just west of Gaylord??

Last I heard the plan for the Huron Sub was relay 115RE. Up from mostly 90# beat-to-death stick.

Basically everybody is going to either 115RE for modest tonnage or 136RE for heavy haul. Nobody wants anything but scraps here or there of anything else. Pretty much all other rail weights go to re-roll.

Joeyuboats, It is A&L Irin and Metal, a scrap co. Now also on that same line for a few years now is a LSRC trans load site that handles propane and lumber. Always five or so propane cars on site. The lumber is trucked from Potlatch in Gwinn, south of Marquette, and railed to Virginia or West Virginia,last I knew. Usually four or five centerbeams per week.

Its brand new rail, started laying just south of Twining and went south from there. Also sone 136# was laid through mt morris off the same train.

chapmaja wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 22, 2023 5:10 pm

Doktor No wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:27 pm

Cars are from the V and S Railway, a division of A&K Railroad Materials. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%26S_Railway

The immeidate guess, and not with anything beyond a hunch, is that this is relay rail. A&K is a company which has been known to purchase then scrap railroad lines in the past (or attempt to at least), so it would not shock me if this rail came from a previous project they either worked on or from a scrapping project.

It's brand new rail, started laying just south of Twining and went south from there. Also, some 136# was laid through Mt Morris, off the same train.

Thanks for the information and update.