GDLK/NS 2015 OPS

[bn13814]

New customer for Elk.CMS a warehousing logistics company bought the old Owens-Illinois plant in Constantine and the old Continental Can plant in Three Rivers. Both have sidings in fact they re-habbed the TR siding with new switch stand,ballast and ties. Rail is 105lb dated 1921. That siding hasn't been used in 20 years.

Both facilities or just Three Rivers? Good news for GDLK regardless!

[Super Chief]

Rail for both will be starting up shortly.

[ThreeRiversChris]

The 4206 & one of the WSOR units tied down in the hole at Park about 5:00 this evening. The train was very lengthy. Time will tell if the dog catcher crew comes to get it or they leave it till tomorrow.

[Super Chief]

As I was looking at the first carload of freight spotted by the Elk yesterday at noon by the 4th street signals in TR 302 came highballing into town with 120 cars. 4125 & 4190 pulling for all there worth as it was 4:30pm. The boxcar at the old CCC plant was the first in 30 years. The workers told me they literally pulled the rails out of the mud to get them above ground for the re-habbed siding. They also said CMS bought the old Lakeland paper on Prairie St. in Sturgis with its own siding to start service there for MSO. They have two trucking companies a trailer repair facility and 18 warehouses with 3 now having rail. TR, Sturgis and Constantine. Business is going to be picking up on the Elk for sure.302 did have more AMTK ballast cars today and lots of steel coil cars. Early morning and late afternoon seem to be the norm right now as track hi-railers seem to have the railroad for the day for maintenance.

[Super Chief]

D 700 northbound at Schoolcraft last night. Anyone with power or cars info as it was at 10:00pm?

[ThreeRiversChris]

I heard them come north yesterday afternoon. Those 2 EMD's were definitely pulling hard when they passed N. Main and Cowling. I didn't get the car count, but I see you did. I figured it was a long one just by how hard they were pulling.

Sometime late last night the NS 3285 showed up in the hole at Cowling with a decent sized train. Then this am about 7:50 or so, 302 came south with the 4206 & 4189. Not sure if they combined the two trains before continuing south or not.

302 just headed back north about 8:30 tonight.

[penn central]

Cought him at Elkhart station he had 125 cars northbound.

[ThreeRiversChris]

The Elk came south about mid afternoon today with the 4190 & 4125. Southbound with a stone train. I have not heard them come back yet.

[Super Chief]

Grand Elks Memorial Day train parked at CP Park had GDLK4125,WSOR4190 & NS3285 with a 100 car general merchandise train with a nice variety of cars AMTK ballast, log, covered hoppers, bulkhead flats, box, coal, sand, just a cool find in this day and age of same old unit trains.

[conrail7695]

I do know the new siding at CMS in Three rivers was used in 1997. I parked Sperry car 128# there Memorial day weekend . Then again in July 2006 with Sperry car 136#.

New customer for Elk.CMS a warehousing logistics company bought the old Owens-Illinois plant in Constantine and the old Continental Can plant in Three Rivers. Both have sidings in fact they re-habbed the TR siding with new switch stand,ballast and ties. Rail is 105lb dated 1921. That siding hasn't been used in 20 years.

Both facilities or just Three Rivers? Good news for GDLK regardless!

[Super Chief]

Holidays always found something unusual parked on it. One Memorial day Conrail put 2 CNW 6 axle on it. Elkhart must have been full that holiday. Much to my surprise to see those bright yellow units sitting there where only blue tread before.

[ThreeRiversChris]

I heard them crossing Hoffman St. headed north about 5:50 Sunday evening. Yep, 4125 was leading. I did see they had quite a few of those ballast cars for Amtrak again as you stated.

[Super Chief]

503 is southbound at Schoolcraft at 6:00pm. 4125 left CPPark right at 3:00pm today northbound. I had a hunch the holiday would end at 3 and sure enough a pickup truck pulls up they locked it up and high-balled north. This is the third day that I know of that they've run two trains back and forth from Elkhart. Usually this time of night for train number 2. With the light of day now you should be able to get those southbounds on this line you never got in the Conrail era. ELGR always had a 12 hour window and went thru at night. Maybe the same crew will get their truck later.

[Super Chief]

503 ran to CP Cowling with 4189,4206 & 3829 first section. First two units uncoupled and left 3829 to pump up the air and they headed back to Kazoo for second section of train. Combining both sections for the longest train ever on the Elk and head to Elkhart. Tomorrows 302 & 501 will leave real early in the morning and both will start their runs at C P Cowling in the morning. The advancing of all these trains gets them all south of Marcellus Rd. crossing which will be taken out of service the entire day for crossing replacement. The crews pickup trucks are already placed at Park and Cowling. Tomorrow late afternoon and evening should have the northbound parade.

[ThreeRiversChris]

I went over to Cowling this am about 6:00. The 3829 was still in the hole, but wasn't running anymore. No 2nd train anywhere around. They must have had a change of plans, OR they left before 6:00. I was awake at 5 and didn't hear anything till the time I left.

As of 7:42, nothing else has come south yet.

[NSSD70ACe]

I went over to Cowling this am about 6:00. The 3829 was still in the hole, but wasn't running anymore. No 2nd train anywhere around. They must have had a change of plans, OR they left before 6:00. I was awake at 5 and didn't hear anything till the time I left.

As of 7:42, nothing else has come south yet.

Grand Elk train rolled over the Kalamazoo/Portage border (Kilgore Road) just before 7 this morning. Another NB rolled through between 9-9:30.

[Super Chief]

302 & 501 were held up at the CN diamond got to T R at 8:30 with 2nd section. Combined the two with the same 3 units as yesterday for a total of 142 cars. Mike Kern was engineer and did a great job taking out the slack. Then reved her up over N. Main street and on to Elkhart. 501 showed up behind with 25 cars. Foreman Rupp asked for the railroad about 9:30 for the crossing replacment. I did not hear when the track warrant was lifted this evening? You should have seen the smile on Kern's face as he got the whole shootin match rollin. He gave a longer blast on the horn for the crossing.

[ThreeRiversChris]

302 came back north just before 4:00, and 501 was about 8:45 when it returned north.

[Super Chief]

I'd say 30% of the 142 cars were steel coil cars. Never thought that many would ever show up on the line again.

[NSSD70ACe]

Grand Elk is SB over Kilgore Road now. Can't get a good look at the consist through the trees from here so I'm not sure who it is. Sounded like a local, judging by the horn.