C&M Running Freight

[ATTM4150]

Curious if the Coopersville and Marne is still running Freight to a Lumberyard in Walker? or did the GRE take it back? Also curious as to what was shipped by rail to/from Continental dairy in Coopersville. Saw they had a spur going into their building on Google maps.

thanks

[chapmaja]

My understanding is yes, the C&M is still running freight a few times per year. It appears, based on the short line location thread, that the GRE went west in mid-December to pick up and empty Centerbeam. Given the timing on the post, they likely would not have had time to run all the way to the customer and pick up the car and return, so it was likely dropped off at the interchange site for pickup.

[pudgy]

C&M runs the cars from a spur just a mile or so from the GRE bridge over Ann to Standard in Walker. Winter trends to be slow for building trusses as usually they have difficulty getting permits for cranes and the over size loading, plus the building sector usually slows in the winter from poor conditions to work in.

No traffic has ever gone from or to Continental Dairy. The building used to be a GM / Delphi facility and was required to have rail service due to strategic defense contract with the US Gov. Far as I know, no cars were ever shipped in to that facility.

C&M used to store equipment up inside the property for a few years after the plant shuttered, but removed everything a few years ago when the property was sold.

Supposedly, GM/Delphi was the reason the tracks were saved at all, as the GTW tried to remove the tracks, but stopped due to the Gov requirement to have active rail service to the facility.

[chapmaja]

How far west did the CMGN ownership go? I know they had the former PRR line to Muskegon, but I wasn't aware they ever owned this section of the line. When was the line from Coopersville to Grand Haven pulled up? I thought it was well before this.

[pudgy]

Not sure how far the ownership went. The RoW was clearly visible at least to Nunica in the 90s, long before consumers cleared it up.

[GRHC]

How far west did the CMGN ownership go? I know they had the former PRR line to Muskegon, but I wasn't aware they ever owned this section of the line. When was the line from Coopersville to Grand Haven pulled up? I thought it was well before this.

The sources that I have found report that the rails were pulled up from Coopersville to Grand Haven Michigan in 1977

https://www.michiganrailroads.com/evolu ... lower-1977

https://mdotjboss.state.mi.us/SpecProv/ ... a2de4f1875

[Erroneous Monk]

How far west did the CMGN ownership go? I know they had the former PRR line to Muskegon, but I wasn't aware they ever owned this section of the line. When was the line from Coopersville to Grand Haven pulled up? I thought it was well before this.

CMGN owned all GTW trackage west of Durand including what is now the Coopersville & Marne and GRE. According to my 1984 GTW timetable, trackage existed out to Coopersville with a branch at Penn Junction up to Muskegon.

[Steve B]

Supposedly, GM/Delphi was the reason the tracks were saved at all, as the Central Michigan that owned the line after GTW sold it tried to remove the tracks to salvage the material but were stopped due to the Gov requirement to have active rail service to the facility.

There would have been an abandonment petition (to the ICC at that time) if CMGN had tried to abandon to Coopersville. I've never seen evidence that there was. As far as the tracks inside the facility, it was up to GM to remove them. CMGN likely kept the Coopersville segment in because it was a decent sized factory, someone might have eventually needed service and it wasn't too many miles of track to maintain.

[Tim]

Posted by Raildudes dad on 12/19/2011, 5:54 pm, in reply to "Re: Question about MMRR/GRE-Coopersville&Marne RR"
The line became a branch line when the bridge in Spring Lake was removed. GTW started pulling the track from Spring Lake east in 1976. It was pulled about a half mile east of GM when GM pointed out their switch agreement. The rail was re-laid back to GM although they skipped the tie plates. To my knowledge they never received a car.
The Central Michigan got the branch when the bought the GTW trackage in MI. The C&M bought the Coopersville to Marne segment from CMGN in 1988 and started up in 1989, much to the dismay of the Walker City Engineer who had brokered a deal to purchase the trackage in Walker to tear it out. They purchased Marne to GR from the CMGN in 1996. If the C&M hadn't purchased these 14 miles, I'd have to say it would be gone by now.
Continental Dairy is supposed to make powered / dried milk products and it remains to be seen if they will ship anything by rail. All the milk will come in by truck from local mega dairy farms.

[GRHC]

There was a short stretch of track in Ferrysburg Michigan from what is now the CSX Fremont subdivision north of the swing bridge that remained intact until the 90s if I remember correctly. This line was taken over by the Chessie System and used to reach an industrial customer located in Ferrysburg and terminated just west of the GTW bridge in Spring Lake Michigan.

[AARR]

Continental Dairy's website says they ship some of their product to other countries but its probably packaged rather than bulk so it would be more economical to go by truck.

[SD80MAC]

There was a short stretch of track in Ferrysburg Michigan from what is now the CSX Fremont subdivision north of the swing bridge that remained intact until the 90s if I remember correctly. This line taken over by the Chessie System and was used to reach an industrial customer located in Ferrysburg and terminated just west of the GTW bridge in Spring Lake Michigan.

Johnston Boiler. They still have their spur on their property that they use to move boilers in and out of their building. Most of the track leading up to the current swing bridge is still there, buried in the weeds.

And for the record, the CPMY does freight much more than a few times a year. In the summer time it’s not uncommon for them to run 3 or 4 times a week.

[Steve B]

GTW started pulling the track from Spring Lake east in 1976. It was pulled about a half mile east of GM when GM pointed out their switch agreement. The rail was re-laid back to GM although they skipped the tie plates.

The Coopersville plant wasn't announced until June 1979 and groundbreaking was on 9/27/79. GTW by then presumably would have long since finished the track removal from Spring Lake that it started in 1976. It's more likely that the track was already gone past the future plant site and that GTW replaced some of it once construction was underway.

[GRHC]

Curious if the Coopersville and Marne is still running Freight to a Lumberyard in Walker? or did the GRE take it back? Also curious as to what was shipped by rail to/from Continental dairy in Coopersville. Saw they had a spur going into their building on Google maps.

thanks

It has been reported on railroadfan.com that the former/recently donated CPMY 7209 is handling the switching of the Standard facility in Walker Michigan.
https://railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic ... 2&start=20

Note: Grand Haven Michigan was home to the GTW car ferry operation until 1933 when it was relocated to Muskegon Michigan.

[SD80MAC]

Standard Lumber. Standale Lumber is in Grandville. And yes, that has caused routing issues in the past.

[GRHC]

Standard Lumber. Standale Lumber is in Grandville. And yes, that has caused routing issues in the past.

You are correct and I know that but in my defense I’m trying to watch football and post at the same time and did not catch my mistake.

Note: during the time out while the commercial was on I did correct my mistake.

[Erroneous Monk]

Note: Grand Haven Michigan was home to the GTW car ferry operation until 1933 when it was relocated to Muskegon Michigan.

Neat, is there any evidence of the dock left in GH?

Go Lions

[GRHC]

Note: Grand Haven Michigan was home to the GTW car ferry operation until 1933 when it was relocated to Muskegon Michigan.

Neat, is there any evidence of the dock left in GH?

Go Lions

No however the depot and the coal tipple still exist.

Note: The Grand Haven Michigan GTW railyard turntable and car ferry dock are still visible in aerial photos from 1955. Click on the link provided below to view.
https://www.historicaerials.com/viewer

[SD80MAC]

The dock was right where the Chinook Pier Mini Golf course is now. The docks were moved to Muskegon due to the Grand River in Grand Haven being very narrow and constantly filling with sediment. GTW procured trackage rights on the PRR from Penn Jct to Muskegon at the same time, as the Trunk’s original line to Muskegon (via Ashley, Middleton, Greenville etc) was far too lightly built to handle that amount of traffic.

[GRHC]

The dock was right where the Chinook Pier Mini Golf course is now. The docks were moved to Muskegon due to the Grand River in Grand Haven being very narrow and constantly filling with sediment. GTW procured trackage rights on the PRR from Penn Jct to Muskegon at the same time, as the Trunk’s original line to Muskegon (via Ashley, Middleton, Greenville etc) was far too lightly built to handle that amount of traffic.

I think this photo shows how problematic the Grand Haven harbor could be for the GTW.

Back to the question of the CMPY and it’s freight business. Were there any other shippers along the line and is there any potential for new freight business?