Michigan Rail Business news

Anything pertaining to railfanning in Michigan.
arty flowers
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by arty flowers »

GM Investing in its Hamtramck and Brownstown Twp plants.

https://www.areadevelopment.com/newsIte ... kcYbLaGMRo

arty flowers
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by arty flowers »

This company would like access to rail too. Dakkota Integrated.

https://www.areadevelopment.com/newsIte ... igan.shtml

arty flowers
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by arty flowers »

This company would like access to rail too. Dakkota Integrated.

https://www.areadevelopment.com/newsIte ... igan.shtml

arty flowers
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

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A sawmill is locating on the grounds of a former GP particleboard plant.

https://www.petoskeynews.com/gaylord/fe ... duovwJesCM

arty flowers
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

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Coming to Bay City, a probable customer for the LSRC.

https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay- ... etzrBmBTe8

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AARR
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by AARR »

A few of the old spurs might still be in place but it seems this is a small operation
arty flowers wrote:A sawmill is locating on the grounds of a former GP particleboard plant.

https://www.petoskeynews.com/gaylord/fe ... duovwJesCM
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AARR
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by AARR »

They were transloading a few tank cars on Lapeer Industrial. Recently they moved their transload to a new transload spur in Millington on HESR.
arty flowers wrote:Coming to Bay City, a probable customer for the LSRC.

https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay- ... etzrBmBTe8
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

penn central
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by penn central »

penn central wrote:In Saginaw on the Lake States at the new Rifkin Scrap Iron and Metal location I noticed tonight two loaded gondolas of scrap good news. I have to go threw my pics but the last time they shipped anything i think was the spring of 2015, Once i find the pics i took right after the old Rifkin Spur was abandoned ill know for sure.
In the latest LSRC newsletter it says they shipped out there first loads in December from the new location and they hope to grow the business (nice).

arty flowers
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by arty flowers »

The borders of Port Huron/Sarnia and Windsor/Detroit rank 2 and 3 in value of goods shipped. 14 billion in total but the Canada United states tallies 8 billion dollars in goods shipped.

https://www.progressiverailroading.com/ ... 328qu2Hc8E

arty flowers
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by arty flowers »

Per a source. for those of you in the Grand Rapids or those visiting Wyoming Yard from out of town. Tonight marks the eve of traffic from out west in Burley Idaho. Tonight CSX is bringing in a reefer in their train consisting of frozen butter and it is destined for a business right there at the edge of yard called Michigan Natural Storage. Im told that MNS will see 50 shipments a year of these reefers with the butter.

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SD80MAC
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

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arty flowers wrote:Per a source. for those of you in the Grand Rapids or those visiting Wyoming Yard from out of town. Tonight marks the eve of traffic from out west in Burley Idaho. Tonight CSX is bringing in a reefer in their train consisting of frozen butter and it is destined for a business right there at the edge of yard called Michigan Natural Storage. Im told that MNS will see 50 shipments a year of these reefers with the butter.
It’s supposed to come up to GR vía Grand Elk, then over to CSX for placement at Michigan Natural.
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1TrackMind
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

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arty flowers wrote:Per a source. for those of you in the Grand Rapids or those visiting Wyoming Yard from out of town. Tonight marks the eve of traffic from out west in Burley Idaho. Tonight CSX is bringing in a reefer in their train consisting of frozen butter and it is destined for a business right there at the edge of yard called Michigan Natural Storage. Im told that MNS will see 50 shipments a year of these reefers with the butter.
The weird thing is it came up the GDLK from NS.

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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by Mike H »

1TrackMind wrote:
arty flowers wrote:Per a source. for those of you in the Grand Rapids or those visiting Wyoming Yard from out of town. Tonight marks the eve of traffic from out west in Burley Idaho. Tonight CSX is bringing in a reefer in their train consisting of frozen butter and it is destined for a business right there at the edge of yard called Michigan Natural Storage. Im told that MNS will see 50 shipments a year of these reefers with the butter.
The weird thing is it came up the GDLK from NS.
What's weird about it? MNS is open to reciprocal switching & the Eastern Idaho is also a Watco property so it makes perfect sense that they would try to encourage the traffic to move over a sister road. I'm sure their backup plan was to route it over CSX if the NS-GDLK+destination switch was too high, but obviously it wasn't. I hear NS has been pricing very aggressive via the Chicago-Elkhart corridor so I can't say I'm overly surprised to see the traffic move this way.

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1TrackMind
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by 1TrackMind »

Mike H wrote:
1TrackMind wrote:
arty flowers wrote:Per a source. for those of you in the Grand Rapids or those visiting Wyoming Yard from out of town. Tonight marks the eve of traffic from out west in Burley Idaho. Tonight CSX is bringing in a reefer in their train consisting of frozen butter and it is destined for a business right there at the edge of yard called Michigan Natural Storage. Im told that MNS will see 50 shipments a year of these reefers with the butter.
The weird thing is it came up the GDLK from NS.
What's weird about it? MNS is open to reciprocal switching & the Eastern Idaho is also a Watco property so it makes perfect sense that they would try to encourage the traffic to move over a sister road. I'm sure their backup plan was to route it over CSX if the NS-GDLK+destination switch was too high, but obviously it wasn't. I hear NS has been pricing very aggressive via the Chicago-Elkhart corridor so I can't say I'm overly surprised to see the traffic move this way.

Mike H
GDLK didn't provide the switch. They interchanged it to the CSX. Generally speaking customers tried to minimize the number of railroads they have to go through, thats whats weird about it. They added in the GDLK instead of going from Chicago to GR via the CSX.

chapmaja
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by chapmaja »

My guess is that the routing from the Eastern Idaho to UP to Chicago (NS), to Elkhart (GDLK) to CSX to the destination was likely less than what CSX was willing to accept for a UP to Chicago to CSX to Grand Rapids. This may have something to do with the origin and an intermediate carrier being WATCO roads.

There may also be another intermediate carrier involved (BRC or IHB) in Chicago if the traffic goes via CSX from Chicago that may be avoided going UP to NS in Chicago.

I don't know all the interchanges in and around the Chicago area to know what the routing might be.

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Saturnalia
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by Saturnalia »

chapmaja wrote:My guess is that the routing from the Eastern Idaho to UP to Chicago (NS), to Elkhart (GDLK) to CSX to the destination was likely less than what CSX was willing to accept for a UP to Chicago to CSX to Grand Rapids. This may have something to do with the origin and an intermediate carrier being WATCO roads.

There may also be another intermediate carrier involved (BRC or IHB) in Chicago if the traffic goes via CSX from Chicago that may be avoided going UP to NS in Chicago.

I don't know all the interchanges in and around the Chicago area to know what the routing might be.
I'm not sure, but I think the CSX and UP interchange most manifest stuff via the BRC. NS and UP swap direct North Platte to Elkhart trains so that may be easier.

Ultimately the rates determine which way it goes...usually
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Mike H
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by Mike H »

1TrackMind wrote:
Mike H wrote:
1TrackMind wrote:
The weird thing is it came up the GDLK from NS.
What's weird about it? MNS is open to reciprocal switching & the Eastern Idaho is also a Watco property so it makes perfect sense that they would try to encourage the traffic to move over a sister road. I'm sure their backup plan was to route it over CSX if the NS-GDLK+destination switch was too high, but obviously it wasn't. I hear NS has been pricing very aggressive via the Chicago-Elkhart corridor so I can't say I'm overly surprised to see the traffic move this way.

Mike H
GDLK didn't provide the switch. They interchanged it to the CSX. Generally speaking customers tried to minimize the number of railroads they have to go through, thats whats weird about it. They added in the GDLK instead of going from Chicago to GR via the CSX.
I never said GDLK provided the switch, you obviously either didn't read what I said or didn't understand it. I'm not sure what knowledge you are using about customers trying to minimize the number of roads that they use, but it sounds like you are making some assumptions. More roads doesn't always mean higher rates. Sometimes more roads means lower rates, especially when those roads know they normally would not be included in the "typical" route. Heck, most times the customers don't pick the route or necessarily even know the route until the railroad tells them what the route is going to be. In this case it's very simple, the origin Watco road wanted to push the traffic over their sister Watco road which was better for the company & in the end the customer probably got a better rate on the GDLK route (assuming both options were presented) since like I said before, MNS is open to reciprocal switching.

Mike H

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Ben Higdon
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by Ben Higdon »

Wasn't the track Michigan National Storage is on (Godfrey Mill Spur?) jointly operated by C&O and Conrail?
Wonder if Conrail ever accessed it via the C&O after the Plaster Mill Track was abandoned. Could Grand Elk be entitled to serve customers on that spur, and have an arrangement with CSX to do the actual delivery/pickup?

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Doktor No
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

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Conrail handed over all the trackage to CSX some years ago. One of the plaster creek bridges right behind MNS was failing and Conrail wanted nothing to do with it so they handed everything over. Late 90's early 2000's IIRC.
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Raildudes dad
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Re: Michigan Rail Business news

Unread post by Raildudes dad »

I would think the Eastern Idaho is driving the routing. The lumber traffic I monitor from western Canada switched from CN-NS-GDLK to CN-CSX after the 1st of the year. One of the mills captive to NS questioned a significant rate increase. I checked the routing and assured the customer it wasn't on the receiver RR end.
If you google High Desert Dairy, the aerial photo of the plant looks similar to the Continental Dairy in Coopersville. Product lines are similar. Continental makes butter too. Coal to Newcastle? High Desert offers kosher etc but I can't image this area going thru a car load a week. Are you sure it was frozen, not refrigerated? High Desert says their butter is 38 degrees, off site freezing is available.

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