RailRoadFan.com

Per the Railfan Wiki page, the following are the current active locomotives

329 - Haven't seen reports of it being in use since early December. Is this just hiding, or has it gone down now? Lasr report I saw was Dec 1st, and photograpjic evidence was Nov 20th.
382, - Recently out of Owosso
383 - Recently out of Owosso
385 - Recently out of Caddilac
391 - Recently out of Owosso
393 - Recently out of Owosso
395 - Recently out of Owosso
396 - Recently out of Owosso
399 - Recently out of Caddilac

chapmaja wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 20, 2023 1:02 am

Per the Railfan Wiki page, the following are the current active locomotives

329 - Haven't seen reports of it being in use since early December. Is this just hiding, or has it gone down now? Lasr report I saw was Dec 1st, and photograpjic evidence was Nov 20th.

Hiding in the Owosso yard on 12/16, but not sure if it is OOS:
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=6244341

Today around 16:09 while listening to steel highways video at owosso they made a comment that they needed to run over to 329 to grab some computer cards as 382 was only loading to 400 amps???? I also have thought it’s weird we haven’t seen 329 in a bit

329 has been sitting with 386 which is also down for a few weeks now.

Is this RR ever going to fix their loco issues, or lease/buy something, as this seems to be a recurring problem with these guys??

joeyuboats wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:45 am

Is this RR ever going to fix their loco issues, or lease/buy something, as this seems to be a recurring problem with these guys??

They don’t seem to have a super high out of service rate to me, especially considering the age of some of their locomotives. Things break, so long as they have enough total capacity they’ll be fine.

Saturnalia wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 21, 2023 3:14 am

joeyuboats wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:45 am

Is this RR ever going to fix their loco issues, or lease/buy something, as this seems to be a recurring problem with these guys??

They don’t seem to have a super high out of service rate to me, especially considering the age of some of their locomotives. Things break, so long as they have enough total capacity they’ll be fine.

I think the total capacity is a concern, and is why they keep having issues. I think they are right at the capacity for locomotive power and as such are pushing the equipment they have right to the breaking point. Given the rumors of possible additional online traffic and the age of the equipment there are concerns from the outside about this railroads ability to successfully handle the traffic.

We have established they are or have been crew short on the operations side. This may mean they are having to use the power at capacity as well rather than having extra capacity in reserve which can further lead to issues.

chapmaja wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 22, 2023 11:49 am

Saturnalia wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 21, 2023 3:14 am

joeyuboats wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:45 am

Is this RR ever going to fix their loco issues, or lease/buy something, as this seems to be a recurring problem with these guys??

They don’t seem to have a super high out of service rate to me, especially considering the age of some of their locomotives. Things break, so long as they have enough total capacity they’ll be fine.

I think the total capacity is a concern, and is why they keep having issues. I think they are right at the capacity for locomotive power and as such are pushing the equipment they have right to the breaking point. Given the rumors of possible additional online traffic and the age of the equipment there are concerns from the outside about this railroads ability to successfully handle the traffic.

We have established they are or have been crew short on the operations side. This may mean they are having to use the power at capacity as well rather than having extra capacity in reserve which can further lead to issues.

They really do need to get some newer stuff… considering the bulk of their roster was built in the 1960’s how much longer can you realistically run equipment this old without a major rebuild and still do it feasibly? Why not get some of the Sd60’s or 70’s that seem to be plentiful these days and take some of the workload off those Geeps?

They got the SD35’s on the cheap let’s be honest… if they didn’t buy them those units would be getting cut up with the rest of them in Montana right now..

SD40-2or3s would be just fine, What they need is four more SD40s and to get rid of the upper management or get someone with business back ground to run the darn place and not some railfan foammer!!!

GP-35 wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 28, 2023 12:01 am

SD40-2or3s would be just fine, What they need is four more SD40s and to get rid of the upper management or get someone with business back ground to run the darn place and not some railfan foammer!!!

I don't believe any foamers are running the railroad.

Why dont you talk to the train crews sometime, they will tell you who's running the railroad!!! I dont talk out of my ass like some people!!!

GP-35 wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 31, 2023 10:55 pm

Why dont you talk to the train crews sometime, they will tell you who's running the railroad!!! I dont talk out of my ass like some people!!!

Is Mark still at the helm?

Also, GP35, you still have an unread message from me from October.

GP-35, are the ONTN and OSTN able to share a locomotive set or do they each need their own?

GP-35 wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 28, 2023 12:01 am

SD40-2or3s would be just fine, What they need is four more SD40s and to get rid of the upper management or get someone with business back ground to run the darn place and not some railfan foammer!!!

GP-35 wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 31, 2023 10:55 pm

Why dont you talk to the train crews sometime, they will tell you who's running the railroad!!! I dont talk out of my ass like some people!!!

Is that comment directed at me? Because if so I don't appreciate the hostility and I do not deserve it...

AARR wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 01, 2024 10:02 am

GP-35, are the ONTN and OSTN able to share a locomotive set or do they each need their own?

GP-35 wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 28, 2023 12:01 am

SD40-2or3s would be just fine, What they need is four more SD40s and to get rid of the upper management or get someone with business back ground to run the darn place and not some railfan foammer!!!

Not an expert, but I would guess they each need their own. Given the train lengths and I would guess tonnages they have been operating, as well as the schedule, would dictate them having to have their own. I will look at the train locations and Facebook group to see if they are generally using the same locomotives, or have different ones each direction.

AARR wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 01, 2024 10:02 am

GP-35, are the ONTN and OSTN able to share a locomotive set or do they each need their own?

GP-35 wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 28, 2023 12:01 am

SD40-2or3s would be just fine, What they need is four more SD40s and to get rid of the upper management or get someone with business back ground to run the darn place and not some railfan foammer!!!

They each need their own locomotive set. Keep in mind that these are not road trains per se but do all online switching of customers and blocking/switching in yards. There's no quick run down to Osmer for example as they have to switch/block everything down there. Same goes with the CSX pickup which is worked in Durand and then combined with the pickup from Osmer. With the time that each job takes, they need their own locomotive sets.

LansingRailFan wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 12:19 pm

They each need their own locomotive set.

Thank you for the detailed explanation, it’s appreciated.

If you don’t mind I have a follow up question. If the OSTN doesn’t get back to Owosso before the ONTN goes on duty, what cars will the ONTN take with them?

AARR wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 1:27 pm

LansingRailFan wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 12:19 pm

They each need their own locomotive set.

Thank you for the detailed explanation, it’s appreciated.

If you don’t mind I have a follow up question. If the OSTN doesn’t get back to Owosso before the ONTN goes on duty, what cars will the ONTN take with them?

In those instances I have seen them taxi down to where OSTN died and bring it back.

SD80MAC wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 1:51 pm

AARR wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 1:27 pm

LansingRailFan wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 02, 2024 12:19 pm

They each need their own locomotive set.

Thank you for the detailed explanation, it’s appreciated.

If you don’t mind I have a follow up question. If the OSTN doesn’t get back to Owosso before the ONTN goes on duty, what cars will the ONTN take with them?

In those instances I have seen them taxi down to where OSTN died and bring it back.

This is a big reason why they switched to crew-based signals from the old ostn/ontn - so each crew's job duties could be more specific.

let's say...

OWO-1 is OD at 8:00 am in Owosso. Build train in Owosso, add on cars in Durand and subtract anything for HESR, continue on south - make it as far as Osmer, switch out the pickup and die on hours. OWO-3 relieves them, finishes work at Osmer and heads north to csx to work there, then further north back to durand, set off cars for HESR and pickup anything from HESR/CN, build train for north and might die on hours before that's done. Tie down if so and OWO-1 relieves them.

OWO-2 went north and works along the way. OWO-4 would either relieve them or possibly use a third set of power out of Owosso for Middleton or Oakley work or potentially a Durand-ZFS shuttle.

a complete "ONTN" takes 3 crews to run from Owosso to Owosso and effectively interchange at all three points, switch, block, set off and pickup plus work the one lone customer Rhetech just north of Osmer.

LRF and SD80MAC, thank you for the detailed explanation. I appreciate it.