424: Railfanning Holland, Michigan

[Saturnalia]

Ep. 424: Railfanning Holland, MI - Amtrak P371 & CSX Freights

Holland, Michigan is located on the Lake Michigan Coastline, and has been a key hub for CSX, as it was for her predecessors.

Spend a day in the town and get a taste of the action. We'll see Amtrak's Daily #371 and a variety of CSX freights.

First, we see a slightly late Amtrak #371 pull into the nicely refurbished station in downtown Holland. The train continues the tradition of passenger rail service here, stopping at the same station as her pre-Amtrak cousins, also running under the same "Pere Marquette" banner.

We skip across the street to a fresh snow pile to watch as the 371 departs for Bangor, St. Joseph, and onto Chicago.

Following behind #371 was road-switcher D700 from Wyoming Yard near Grand Rapids. The lengthy train is for Holland's secluded Waverly Yard, with much of the cut going to G&W's Michigan Shore operation northward towards Muskegon.

After leaving their cut in the yard, D700 grabs two boxcars for Coloma, and sets sail westward through the Hope College Campus, blowing for the numerous crossings with her now-rare RS5T.

After assembling their train in Waverly, we see Y121, the 1st Trick Yard job/local head down the Hamilton Branch. Once a mainline to Allegan, the line now terminates in its namesake village of Hamilton. They swing around the curve away from the Grand Rapids Sub mainline, crossing the busy 8th Street intersection. Today's train has bulkhead flats for Lumberman's, and a tank for Sherwin Williams.

After several hours of silence, the rails awaken as a turned D700 heads back east into Waverly Yard, with two new boxcars from Coloma. They head into the yard to make their pickup with which to return to Wyoming Yard.

While 700 works the yard, western coal train D803 heads south by the depot. D803 is a manned helper crew, who after taking this train to Wells will proceed to man a loaded train back towards Holland. The empties would later become E950 for BNSF Cicero Yard in Chicago.

Soon after D803 cleared, we head east to neighboring Zeeland, to watch the refreshed D700 head east. Y121 had also returned to the yard, and swapped power with D700, a disappointment after anticipating an RS5T salute.

Continuing east, we terminate our day in Grandville, as D700 lurches onto the #1 main at Grandville, just moments away from their home base at Wyoming Yard.

#1: Amtrak #371 Pere Marquette
Consist:
- AMTK 90368 [NPCU]
- 3 cars [Superliners]
- AMTK 29 [P42DC]
Location/Time:
- CSX GR Sub, Holland, MI, 8th St xing/Holland Amtrak Station, on 1-19-15 at 8:45 EST

#2: CSX D700 (4 parts)
Consist, Part 1:
- CSX 6353 [GP40-2]
- 37 cars [Mixed – Waverly Setoff]
Consist, Part 2:
- CSX 6353 [GP40-2]
- 2 Boxes [For Coloma or Hartford]
Consist, Part 3:
- CSX 6353 [GP40-2]
- 2 Boxes [From Coloma or Hartford]
Consist, Parts 4 & 5:
- CSX 6040 [GP40-2]
- 31 cars [Mixed – Waverly Pickup]
- 2 cars [From Coloma or Hartford]
Location/Time:
- Pt 1: CSX GR Sub, Holland, MI, Lakewood Blvd xing, on 1-19-15 at 9:30 EST *WB to Yard*
- Pt 2: 8th St xing, at 10:50 EST *WB from Yard*
- Pt 3: 8th St xing, at 15:55 EST *EB to Yard*
- Pt 4: Zeeland, MI, Centennial St xing, at 17:25 EST
- Pt 5: Grandville, MI, Ottawa St xing, at 17:55 EST
*Part 1, train is inbound for Wyoming with Waverly Setoff; Part 2, after setoff and grabbing two cars, train departs westward; Part 3, train returns to Waverly and heads for the yard; Part 4-5, after grabbing Waverly Pickup, heads to GR along with the two cars from the west*

#3: CSX Y121 SB Hamilton Branch
Consist:
- CSX 6040 [GP40-2]
- 2 Bulkhead Flats for Lumberman’s
- 1 tank for Sherwin Williams
Location/Time:
- CSX Hamilton Branch, Holland, MI, 8th St xing, on 1-19-15 at 12:31 EST

#4: CSX D803 (E950) WB
Consist:
- BNSF 9074 [SD70ACe]
- BNSF 9839 [SD70MAC]
- 130 cars [Empty Coal gons]
Location/Time:
- CSX GR Sub, Holland, MI, 8th St xing/Amtrak Station, on 1-19-15 at 16:45 EST

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