Rare: CSX Ballast Train

[MQT3001]

Episode 107- CSX Ballast Train W082 in Grand Rapids, MI!

CSX Hertzog Ballast Train W082 arrives in Grand Rapids, Michigan from Toledo, Ohio. This train would be dumping ballast back east near Lake Odessa later that evening.

Consist:
- CSXT 8161 [SD40-2]
- CSXT 7574 [C40-8]
- 61 Cars [Ballast Loads]

Location/Time:
- Godfrey Ave Crossing [Grand Rapids, Michigan] on 6-11-12 at 16:01 EDT
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It reminds me of the other ballast train I caught. I caught this one while on my journey back into GR from Alpena, so it was pure luck. We were going over Leonard on US 131 and I saw it, so I dug my camera and tripod out of my bag and then caught them at Butterworth Street, actually dumping! Take a look:

Episode 52- CSX Ballast Train in Grand Rapids! Rare!!

Like the LSRC, the CSX was busy repairing and replacing track in Michigan in 2011. Here we see a southbound CSX ballast train near downtown Grand Rapids. This is former Pere Marquette trackage, which eventually ended up in CSX hands. 4 Miles north of here, after crossing the former Grand Trunk Railway, the line becomes Marquette Rail Property at Turner Street. After the ballast train, all ties were replaced, with the track crews moving on to the mainline between the Wyoming Yard and Porter Junction, in Chesterton Indiana.
CSX SD-40-2 No. 8156
CSX AC4400CW #546
63 Herzog Ballast Hoppers
1 Chessie System Caboose, No. 903101
Filmed in Grand Rapids, MI on 7-30-11
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Enjoy both, Rate & Subscribe if you are on Youtube!

[SD80MAC]

Grand Trunk Western Railway. The actual GT was somewhere out in Canada and the eastern US.

[MQT3001]

Grand Trunk Western Railway. The actual GT was somewhere out in Canada and the eastern US.

Someone mentioned that a week or two after I uploaded it, and I guess I never got around to fixing it. I'll go fix it now...thanks for the reminder

[Mr. Tops]

ballest trains r rare! I never seen one before!

[GP30M4216]

Nice video (the sun even managed to come out just in time for the lead loco going under the signal!!)! The ballast train is a rare catch, but the location of this makes it all the moreso - I don't think that cantilever signal, which is of a PM design and may date from the end of the PM era, has too much longer to go as the signal replacement project moves steadily eastward from Holland.

[CSX_CO]

ballest trains r rare! I never seen one before!

Ballast trains rock! Unless you're the one having to dump the thing.

God Bless Hertzog and their GPS dump train sets. No more 'walking speed', just go 17mph and keep it there. Dump 15 miles in an hour, and then be on your way with an empty train.

Practice Safe CSX

[J T]

ballest trains r rare! I never seen one before!

Even more rare is to catch one on a scarcely used branch line!

[MQT3001]

ballest trains r rare! I never seen one before!

Even more rare is to catch one on a scarcely used branch line!

Hamilton Branch?

[AARR]

ballest trains r rare! I never seen one before!

When I saw the threads title I wondered who would be first with the funny reply

[Mr. Tops]

ballest trains r rare! I never seen one before!

When I saw the threads title I wondered who would be first with the funny reply

Of course!

But in all seriousness, ballast trains do "rock" as CSX_CO says. Atleast for conductors; engineers stay pretty busy - they'll usually set a minimum reduction and drag it, but they're keeping busy with the throttle to keep the MofW guys happy with the speed. And don't STOP. The ballast piling up beneath the car will not make a very good case for staying it on the rails.

[CSX_CO]

The air dump mechanism uses up a lot of air. They usually have two locomotives for dumping just to keep up enough air to keep the thing moving. Had to try and dump a train with one. Not fun. Had to keep it in notch four just to maintain enough air pressure to keep the air from being used up, and setting the brakes. Long, hot, and unproductive day. I think we dumped maybe 3 miles total.

Practice Safe CSX

[Mr. Tops]

The past couple summers, UP had been working on a project at Sidney, IL where the roadbed in years past had been undercut to add more clearance under the NS. When they did this, they didn't do a very good job of allowing for drainage, so there have been many problems with flooding in that area. They have removed a lot of earth from both sides and dug a pretty deep drainage trench on the east side, which is now prone to caving in. Knee jerk reaction is to dump rip rap to hold up the bank.

We never really had any luck with any of the dump trains we got. We used them for the rip rap and also hauling the earth out of there when they were digging it out. Ran with one unit on both ends, so I'm not sure if that added to the issue of not having enough air to dump it. When they were able to figure out how to dump it, one of the cars dumped itself in the Villa Grove yard quite near to where the conductor was. Another day, one dumped itself in the siding at Block. Another time, they sent a rip rap train up from one of the mines, either Gads Hill or Iron Mountain, with NO dump hoses. Managers, local crew and work train crew were scouring the yard for hoses and even stopped a Z train to rob them of any extra hoses. Needless to say, that day, they got hosed.

[MQT3001]

Oh you guys are funny

[J T]

Hamilton Branch?

Yes. The crossing in the background is US 31 and I'm looking to the northwest.