CSX changes in Plymouth

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JohnE
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CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by JohnE »

I keep seeing all of these articles about blocked crossings in Plymouth and Canton. I know East yard is more packed than I have seen it in years. So, what is going on in Plymouth? What trains are dropping or picking up blocks? Also, how is the double stack traffic moving? I know it comes and goes to the west via 384 and 385, but how does it get to the intermodal terminal in Detroit?

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SD80MAC
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by SD80MAC »

Q384, Q385, Q150 and Q151 all work Plymouth. I believe the intermodal moves either via 150/151 or D717 from Plymouth to Oak Yard depending on the circumstances.
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MiRailProductions
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by MiRailProductions »

All of this congestion and blockage could be solved if the manifest and intermodal traffic was all run-through, Detroit to Chicago. Hopefully, CSX will soon realize this and possibly extend Q326/327 or create two new trains.
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Doktor No
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by Doktor No »

MiRailProductions wrote:All of this congestion and blockage could be solved if the manifest and intermodal traffic was all run-through, Detroit to Chicago. Hopefully, CSX will soon realize this and possibly extend Q326/327 or create two new trains.
Pretty much sums it up. So simple yet so difficult to comprehend...
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NYCMan
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by NYCMan »

Aw, c'mon guys, do you really think that you know better and more than E. Hunter Harrison? As you sit there in your big over-stuffed chair sucking down a can of beer, you are all focused on one very small piece of the CSX network. E. Hunter Harrison is focused upon the "Big Picture". He knows what he is doing. That is why the CSX board of directors made EHH the CEO of CSX. Harrison has already explained to the STB that all of the snags that CSX is experiencing is because of employee sabotage.

MiRailProductions
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by MiRailProductions »

NYCMan wrote:Aw, c'mon guys, do you really think that you know better and more than E. Hunter Harrison? As you sit there in your big over-stuffed chair sucking down a can of beer, you are all focused on one very small piece of the CSX network. E. Hunter Harrison is focused upon the "Big Picture". He knows what he is doing. That is why the CSX board of directors made EHH the CEO of CSX. Harrison has already explained to the STB that all of the snags that CSX is experiencing is because of employee sabotage.
Okay. For one, I didn't say that I "knew more than EHH". I was making a simple suggestion. Additionally, I'm not of age to drink, as of yet.
"If you are ever chasing trains, you're bound to end up on a 2-lane, double-striped road with a slow poke in front of you." -Danny Harmon
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NYCMan
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by NYCMan »

Actually, my post was meant to suggest that EHH does not know as much as HE thinks he does. In 8 months, he has managed to take CSX, which had its share of problems pre-EHH, and really turn the place upside down and mess things up. What irks me most about the "man" is that he is unwilling to listen to anyone of experience at CSX. And, then, he has the cast-iron-you-know-whats to go before the STB and say how well things are working out and whatever problems that do exist are the fault of the employees. Lame, lame, lame, lame, lame! EHH does not care about the customers. EHH does not care about the employees.

Don't worry about not being old enough to drink. It ain't nothing special to do. And, if you can avoid taking up the habit, do avoid it; other than to enjoy an occasional fine wine. (There is scientific evidence that a glass of red wine each day is actually good for you.) Besides, EHH can out drink any collective dozen of us.

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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by Bulby »

NYCMan wrote:Harrison has already explained to the STB that all of the snags that CSX is experiencing is because of employee sabotage.

And if you believe that, you're drinking something much stronger than beer.
Apparently I work on GEs now...

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Saturnalia
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by Saturnalia »

I'm pretty sure that sarcasm went above your heads at 36,000 feet.
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Wabash1070
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by Wabash1070 »

What would make sense is to add a set of Intermodals from Chicago to Detroit that would give the yards in Grand Rapids and Plymouth a little bit more room, what would really help is hiring some more crews
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MiRailProductions
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by MiRailProductions »

Saturnalia wrote:I'm pretty sure that sarcasm went above your heads at 36,000 feet.
Oh, yep... and I just realized that. :oops:
"If you are ever chasing trains, you're bound to end up on a 2-lane, double-striped road with a slow poke in front of you." -Danny Harmon
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Typhoon
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by Typhoon »

NYCMan wrote: Harrison has already explained to the STB that all of the snags that CSX is experiencing is because of employee sabotage.

No he didn't.

You want to fix whats going on in Plymouth? Take the traffic that has no buisness going through Michigan, back out of Michigan. That would help a lot.

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Jetlink
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by Jetlink »

Typhoon wrote:
You want to fix whats going on in Plymouth? Take the traffic that has no buisness going through Michigan, back out of Michigan. That would help a lot.
I wondered why no one was saying that yet.
Last edited by Jetlink on Tue Nov 07, 2017 10:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BL2-1843
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by BL2-1843 »

Typhoon wrote:You want to fix whats going on in Plymouth? Take the traffic that has no buisness going through Michigan, back out of Michigan. That would help a lot.

As much as I like seeing the trains here, compared to nothing at all, that is the absolute truth. I just shake my head seeing what goes by here that has really no business going by here. On the other hand, there are dozens of other trains around the entire system where this could be said as well.

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Doktor No
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by Doktor No »

In my almost 40 years with various incarnations of CSX et al...we ALWAYS had traffic up here that didn't need to be up here. The DOWNTHERE didn't want it or couldn't handle it. We always had Toledoes and various points east out of Chitown and vic-a-versa. Switched out out, hauled it in thru freights.... we handled the so called overflow for EVER.
Again, been there done that.
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GTWTD3
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by GTWTD3 »

The one thing all of you fail to realize when talking about a Detroit to Chicago intermodal train, EHH hates train specific trains. He wants to run a train from A to B carrying everything. Not just intermodal. As much as it pains all of you, EHH wasn't brought in to bring more train counts. Or what you consider smart moves. He was brought in to make millions for a hedge fund, and that's it.
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barnstormer
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Re: CSX changes in Plymouth

Unread post by barnstormer »

GTWTD3 wrote:The one thing all of you fail to realize when talking about a Detroit to Chicago intermodal train, EHH hates train specific trains. He wants to run a train from A to B carrying everything. Not just intermodal. As much as it pains all of you, EHH wasn't brought in to bring more train counts. Or what you consider smart moves. He was brought in to make millions for a hedge fund, and that's it.
I think you actually meant to say, "commodity-specific trains", which is what the shippers are all up in arms against before the STB. The major chink-in-the-armor issue here is that they now receive their cars in segments, not all at one time, making their scheduling of loading/unloading personnel difficult. Grain shippers have still been getting their cars in whole unit trains, but other commodities (like loaded stone) have come in mixed freight on the head-end. I've also heard mumblings about the required change of some local/yard jobs to work at least one weekend day, where they previously didn't before, and that some customers are not happy being served on weekends, as they must now call in workers on overtime to cover the loading/unloading task then, instead of during the week, when they are already at work.

-barny

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