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Van Den Bosch Feed, formally the John A. Van Den Bosch Co., is a railroad-served business in Zeeland not too far from where I live. They mix and market several varieties of pet food, bird seed, animal feed, and related products. They're served by CSX's Y121 job, based in Holland Waverly Yard. You can learn more about Van Den Bosch at their website: https://vboschhome.com/about-us/

I never used to pay much attention to railroad customers. Let's just blame AARR for me getting interested in what cars go to what industries, and what commodities are shipped in or out. Since I've lived here, I started keeping track of the occasional covered hoppers which show up on the Van Den Bosch Feed siding. Even though I probably missed a few, it's not a busy customer. They only average just over a carload a month, which often they tend to come in groups or cycles and then no loads in for a few months at a time. But the cars they do receive are often interesting. Modern BNSF swoosh hoppers are frequent, but so are cascade green Burlington Northern cars, or former CNW green hoppers now with new reporting marks, former XTRA cars, and other unique fallen flags. You can hold a lot of seed in a hopper car! In this era of mega-elevators and unit trains, it's interesting to keep an eye on a smaller agricultural industry, still served by the railroad. I've summarized the cars I've seen by year in the list below, and will keep adding to it. It might be interesting for model railroaders out there. Thanks to GRH&C and others who chime in with Y121 reports which help to fill out my records. I hope this is interesting to others.

Here's a few photos. The list is below!
2024:
April 24: (1) NOKL 836140
March 7: (1) RCPE 181187 (ex-CNW)
March 1: (2) MWCX 463854, RCPE 181480 (ex-CNW)
February 16: (2) RCPE 848204, NOKL 821895
February 14: (2) BNSF 429803, BNSF 468431
February 2: (1) BN 463617 (gray)
January 1: (2) RCPE 847919, CFWR 76283 (ex-XTRA)

2023:
Total inbound = 16 (a more knowledgeable source indicates 22 for the year)
Total outbound = 2
January: (1) ?
March 9: (1) SMW 829128
March 10: (1) BNSF 487499
March 15: (1) BNSF 475582
March 20: (1) 8 axle depressed center flatcar outbound transformer load
March 29: (2) KRL 300300, 12-Axle depressed center flatcar outbound transformer load + KRL 8-Axle depressed center flat car
May 15: (1) BNSF 468829
June 2: (2) ATW 465142, NOKL 834798
June 16: (1) KYLE 848137
June 29: (2) FURX 839337, ATW 466673
July 6: (2) ATW 87220, CFWR 810079 (ex CNW)
Aug. 23: (1) BNSF 487760
Oct. 3 (1) BN 472112
Oct. 26. (2) ? ?

2022:
Total Inbound = 17
Total outbound = 1
Jan. 8 (1) QTTX 130739 depressed center flatcar outbound transformer load
Feb. 16 (3) NOKL 332360, BN 448101, NOKL 834475
Mar. 5 (2) RCPE x2
Mar. 28 (1) BNSF 474371
Apr. 20 (2) ? ?
Jul. 8 (1) BNSF 474904
Aug. 30 (1) BNSF 480431
Oct. 21 (1) NOKL 821751
Oct. 26 (2) BNSF 436165, BNSF 488068
Nov. 10 (3) ATW 88103, NOKL 819189, NOKL ?
Nov. 23 (1) NOKL

2021:
Total Inbound = 16
Jan. 4 (2) BNSF 436758, BNSF 462378
Jan. 8 (1) BNSF 487909
Jan. 26 (2) NOKL, AOK
Apr. 7 (1) DSRC 8022
Apr. 23 (1) CFWR 834497
Jun. 2 (1) BN 460604 Big Logo
Jun. 17 (1) BNSF 488628
Aug. 5 (1) CEFX
Sept. 19 (2) CEFX, BNSF
Oct. 1 (1) BN 471767
Oct. 19 (1) NOKL
Nov. 17 (1) BNSF 480562

2020:
Total Inbound = 15
Jan. 6 (1) DSRC
Jan. 15 (1) BNSF
Feb. 13 (1) DSRC
Feb. 22 (1) BNSF 479766
May 25 (1) NOKL 820634
Jul. 10 (1) BNSF 474201
Jul. 27 (1) BNSF 472827
Jul. 31 (1) BNSF 471618
Aug. 6 (1) BN 449311 Big Logo
Sept. 23 (1) XTRA
Nov. 16 (3) BNSF 476132, BNSF 483231, BN 468944
Dec. 2 (1) ?
Dec. 14 (1) BNSF 476122

2019:
Total Inbound = 12
Feb. 14 (3) NOKL, BN, BNSF 487518
May 8 (4) ?
Aug. 1 (1) BNSF
Sept. 14 (1) BNSF 498538
Oct. 30 (1) BNSF 497143
Nov. 9 (1) BNSF
Dec. 28 (1) BNSF 436209

2018:
Total Inbound = 16
Jan. 8 (5) AOK, NOKL, RCPE 181393, BN 471975, BN 448402 Big Logo
May 10 (1) ATW
May 31 (1) NDYX
Jul. 27 (1) ATW
Jul. 31 (1) BNSF
Aug. 15 (1) NDYX
Aug. 27 (1) NOKL
Sept. 4 (1) NOKL
Oct. 25 (1) BN 467002
Nov. 6 (1) ATW
Dec. 18 (2) BNSF x2

GP30M4216 wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 25, 2023 9:00 pm

Let's just blame AARR for me getting interested in what cars go to what industries, and what commodities are shipped in or out.

Thank you. This is one of my favorite parts of the hobby.

I also enjoy seeing what trains cars travel in from their origin to their destination.

I remember seeing Milwaukee Road 40 foot ribside box cars like the one in the stock photo below with loads of feed for the mill in the early to mid 70s.
CSX Engine #2785 spotting a covered hopper at the Van Den Bosch feedmill.
Note: The tan mats on the ground are for a transformer load to be shipped out.

I closed out 2023 noting 16 inbound loads to Van den Bosch Feed in zeeland, and appreciate GRHC noting that he counted 22, which is certainly more accurate because he lives even closer to the siding than I do! 2023 also saw two outbound transformer loads on 8- or 12-axle depressed center flatcars early in the year. The list at the top of this post is still being kept more or less up to date.

2024 started up right away with the first loads of the year arriving on January 1, including a classic former XTRA covered hopper and also an ex UP. I’ll try to keep an eye on it again this year. It’s fun in part because it’s unpredictable!

Thanks for the updates, GP30M. I remain pleasantly surprised that Class 1 railroads still service customers that require infrequent switching.

GP30M4216 wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 26, 2024 5:02 pm

2024 started up right away with the first loads of the year arriving on January 1, including a classic former XTRA covered hopper and also an ex UP. I’ll try to keep an eye on it again this year. It’s fun in part because it’s unpredictable!

GP30M4216 wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 26, 2024 5:02 pm

I closed out 2023 noting 16 inbound loads to Van den Bosch Feed in zeeland, and appreciate GRHC noting that he counted 22, which is certainly more accurate because he lives even closer to the siding than I do! 2023 also saw two outbound transformer loads on 8- or 12-axle depressed center flatcars early in the year. The list at the top of this post is still being kept more or less up to date.

Yes I did count 22 whereas you only counted 16 and that’s not because I live closer but it’s because you leave town for multiple days at a time multiple times per year. There were a number of times in 2023 where they would drop off a car and pick it up the next day or just two days later so if you were gone for a few days or a week you would miss it.
AARR in the Holland/Zeeland Michigan area we have four industries that ship 24 cars or less a year.

Holland Panel Products Holland Michigan
De Leeuw lumber Holland Michigan
Van Den Bosch feeds Zeeland Michigan
Plascore Corporation Zeeland Michigan

Thank you for the information. It's appreciated. I had estimated Holland Panel Products at 16-23 so I was in the ballpark.

GRHC wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 27, 2024 8:39 am

AARR in the Holland/Zeeland Michigan area we have four industries that ship 24 cars or less a year.

Holland Panel Products Holland Michigan
De Leeuw lumber Holland Michigan
Van Den Bosch feeds Zeeland Michigan
Plascore Corporation Zeeland Michigan

IIRC Holland Panel and Plascore are no longer active shippers with CSX.

SD80MAC wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 27, 2024 9:13 am

IIRC Holland Panel and Plascore are no longer active shippers with CSX.

I guess this would explain why there are no cars sitting on the Plascore siding in Zeeland Michigan.

Both shippers in 2023 that SD80MAC mentioned were active.

http://www.railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewto ... &start=980

http://www.railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewto ... &start=440

Zeeland lumber has reduced their rail shipments in the last few years. Zeeland lumber gets one or two cars per week down from between four and six carloads per week.
Y121 paid Zeeland Michigan a visit 3 to 4 times a week a couple of years ago now the most they come to town is twice per week and sometimes not at all.

SD80MAC wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 27, 2024 9:13 am

IIRC Holland Panel and Plascore are no longer active shippers with CSX.

My mind may have been playing tricks on me, but I’m pretty sure there was a covered hopper at Plastcore about a week ago. It was picked up by Thursday late afternoon. I’ll keep a closer eye on it. Cars tend to linger for weeks once spotted. Where they often used to have 1-2 cars constantly, now there are sometimes long gaps resulting in an empty siding.

GRHC’s other Zeeland industry observations are spot on. Z Lumber used to unload 6 cars a week, now some weeks they receive zero. I would guess De Leeuw Lumber in Holland does slightly more than 2 cars a month, but I don’t get o er that way consistently to know this for sure.

Plascore still is a shipper. its graham packing you ars thinking of,

rob wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 30, 2024 4:50 pm

Plascore still is a shipper. its graham packing you ars thinking of,

That's probably it.

I dont know why but i love this part of michigan and whoever the ancestors of the dutch that settled west michigan left their mark up and down that part of the state. here in ohio, we have celeryville near willard where unique ground conditions presented the most rich agricultural ground in the state. to this very day in celeryville, the families of the dutch colonists settled here.

I was able to go behind the scenes at Van Den Bosch courtesy of a friend at Ferris State (took a lot of planning) during first semester, and it is a neat little operation. I managed to get video (from the ground and air) of the 121 job doing their thang there, I hope to have the video out showing VDB’s operations (rail related and not) sometime in the next few months.

GP30M4216 wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 26, 2024 5:02 pm

2024 started up right away with the first loads of the year arriving on January 1, including a classic former XTRA covered hopper and also an ex UP. I’ll try to keep an eye on it again this year. It’s fun in part because it’s unpredictable!

As of 2/14/2024 i’ve got a count of 5 for the year how about you GP30M4216.

David Collins wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 07, 2024 9:58 am

I was able to go behind the scenes at Van Den Bosch courtesy of a friend at Ferris State (took a lot of planning) during first semester, and it is a neat little operation. I managed to get video (from the ground and air) of the 121 job doing their thang there, I hope to have the video out showing VDB’s operations (rail related and not) sometime in the next few months.

GRHC wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 14, 2024 12:58 pm

GP30M4216 wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 26, 2024 5:02 pm

2024 started up right away with the first loads of the year arriving on January 1, including a classic former XTRA covered hopper and also an ex UP. I’ll try to keep an eye on it again this year. It’s fun in part because it’s unpredictable!

As of 2/14/2024 i’ve got a count of 5 for the year how about you GP30M4216.

David, I'd love to see your video when you have it together. GRHC, we are in agreement thus far, 5 cars including the two delivered today.

SD80MAC wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 27, 2024 9:13 am

IIRC Holland Panel and Plascore are no longer active shippers with CSX.

Plascore received 1 covered hopper on 02/16/2024

Van Den Bosch feeds received 1 covered hopper on 03/20/2024 which brings the total to 11 for the year. Time to update your records GP30M4216