New member question re Grand Rapids

[cbehm200]

Good morning everyone.New member here and looking for some info as my son is very interested in trains and wanting to listen and watch them. We live in Caledonia and have a CSX crossing a few miles from our home but we cannot figure out when the trains will be traveling thru so we can go watch at the crossing "Whitneville and 52nd St". We have dusted off the old scanner and programmed in all the local CSX frequencies but have not heard much at all. Any suggestions on how to find out what times they will come thru and pointers on how to listen to them? We assume its the D707 run but I am very new to all this. Thanks everyone and if this is not allowed please remove the post.

[SD80MAC]

Right now the only "scheduled" trains that would go through Whitneyville would be Y106 and D707. Y106 usually runs Monday through Friday, going east in the morning out to Alto then back west a short while later. D707 runs to Grand Rapids from Lansing late at night, about 3 or 4 days a week. Keep in mind freight trains do not have a set time schedule and can run whenever.

Unfortunately now is not a good time to railfan CSX east of Grand Rapids. The two freight trains between Grand Rapids and Detroit were just cut last week and probably won't be coming back, at least not any time soon. If you want to see trains more reliably, I'd head to Grand Rapids and go to CSX's Wyoming yard. Judd Ave in Wyoming dead ends at the east end of the yard, and is a decent spot to sit and watch trains. Pretty much every CSX train in GR will pass by Judd at some point during the day.

Also, welcome!

[cbehm200]

Thank you SD80MAC! Is there a better time to go watching in Wyoming? Appreciate the information!

[SD80MAC]

If you went during second shift (which starts at 3 pm) you’d have more of a shot of seeing the east end yard job, Y290, switching from Judd St. You’d also see Y297 go by as they head for downtown Grand Rapids. Q326 seems to be getting in from Chicago after 3 lately as well. I’m not positive, but you might also see Grand Elk’s train from Hugart yard come over to CSX during 2nd shift as well.

[The_Duke_of_Ted]

It might be a bit of a drive for you, but if you're willing and able to make it, nearly every weekday between 9am and 10:30 or so Marquette Rail's Z151 runs south through the west side of GR switching customers as they go, over the old Pere Marquette Grand River Swing Bridge, through the wye, turns and interchanges at CSX's Wyoming Yard, then heads back north again via the same route about an hour or two later. I watch them go by from my apartment most mornings, and from what I've seen the consist is usually two SD40-2s, one to two GP38-2s, and several dozen assorted boxcars, hoppers, and tanks.

Good public vantage points might be:
- The strip mall north of the T-intersection at Leonard and Seward
- The parking lot at El Sombrero where an old Penn Central crossing tower still stands
- The parking lot of the Bridge Street Depot across Bridge Street from El Sombrero, which was an old railroad freight house serving the PM, PRR, and NYC
- GVSU's Seward Lot, the Winter Lot across from Secchia Hall, or the Watson Lot
- The parking lot at the corner of Front and Emperor, at the north end of the bridge
- The old Amtrak station at the corner of Market and Wealthy, between the south end of the bridge and the north point of the wye

[kd_1014]

If you went during second shift (which starts at 3 pm) you’d have more of a shot of seeing the east end yard job, Y290, switching from Judd St. You’d also see Y297 go by as they head for downtown Grand Rapids. Q326 seems to be getting in from Chicago after 3 lately as well. I’m not positive, but you might also see Grand Elk’s train from Hugart yard come over to CSX during 2nd shift as well.

Z739 has been running to Wyoming then up to Fuller around midnight or 1 am recently. Can hear them by the house near Fuller with their P3 or RS3K, which I would assume would be GDLK.

[cbehm200]

Thanks everyone for the info! Once we can travel again we are going to check out there suggestions. Again really appreciate the suggestions and info. Chris

[cbehm200]

It might be a bit of a drive for you, but if you're willing and able to make it, nearly every weekday between 9am and 10:30 or so Marquette Rail's Z151 runs south through the west side of GR switching customers as they go, over the old Pere Marquette Grand River Swing Bridge, through the wye, turns and interchanges at CSX's Wyoming Yard, then heads back north again via the same route about an hour or two later. I watch them go by from my apartment most mornings, and from what I've seen the consist is usually two SD40-2s, one to two GP38-2s, and several dozen assorted boxcars, hoppers, and tanks.

Good public vantage points might be:
- The strip mall north of the T-intersection at Leonard and Seward
- The parking lot at El Sombrero where an old Penn Central crossing tower still stands
- The parking lot of the Bridge Street Depot across Bridge Street from El Sombrero, which was an old railroad freight house serving the PM, PRR, and NYC
- GVSU's Seward Lot, the Winter Lot across from Secchia Hall, or the Watson Lot
- The parking lot at the corner of Front and Emperor, at the north end of the bridge
- The old Amtrak station at the corner of Market and Wealthy, between the south end of the bridge and the north point of the wye

Duke,

Thank you. Are they still running currently? Might take my son down tomorrow AM and see what we can see.

Thank you!

[SD80MAC]

Yes, Marquette Rail's Z151 has been running into Grand Rapids during the morning hours, usually between 8 and 10 am southbound, then northbound about an hour or so later.

[cbehm200]

Thank you.

[Mark F]

In the mean time he can train watch from home. Lots of free live streaming cameras out there such as:
Virtual Railfan https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOIkT9 ... vrsBjhNlag
Or Railstream.net