Great Lakes Central Updates January 2024

[AANscaleRunner]

Hearing them leave Cadillac towards Clare at 1100.

[LansingRailFan]

14:22 - "OSTN" SB at Durand with 382/383

[GLC@ZLT]

08:33 ONTN 383,382 North out of Owosso lite engines

09:17 ONTN 382;383 South into Owosso with 92 cars. 1 tankcar, 26 hoppers, 12 tankcars, and 53 hoppers

13:17 ONTN 393,391 North out of Owosso with 47 cars. 8 hoppers, 1 tankcar, 1 hopper, 1 empty centerbeam, 2 gondolas, 1 loaded centerbeam, 1 empty centerbeam, 1 tankcar, 2 empty centerbeams, 2 NS gondolas, 1 hopper, 1 tankcar, 2 empty centerbeams, 11 CSX gondolas, and 12 tankcars

14:20 OSTN 382,383 South through Durand with 82 cars. 46 hoppers, 3 tankcars, 11 hoppers, 1 tankcar, 16 hoppers, and 5 tankcars

[GLC@ZLT]

OSTN-2 382,383 Southbound 18:10 at Lakeland

[AARR]

09:17 ONTN 382;383 South into Owosso with 92 cars. 1 tankcar, 26 hoppers, 12 tankcars, and 53 hoppers

13:17 ONTN 393,391 North out of Owosso with 47 cars. 8 hoppers, 1 tankcar, 1 hopper, 1 empty centerbeam, 2 gondolas, 1 loaded centerbeam, 1 empty centerbeam, 1 tankcar, 2 empty centerbeams, 2 NS gondolas, 1 hopper, 1 tankcar, 2 empty centerbeams, 11 CSX gondolas, and 12 tankcars

14:20 OSTN 382,383 South through Durand with 82 cars. 46 hoppers, 3 tankcars, 11 hoppers, 1 tankcar, 16 hoppers, and 5 tankcars

I am impressed you can count the different car types while also counting the number of cars.

[GLC@ZLT]

09:17 ONTN 382;383 South into Owosso with 92 cars. 1 tankcar, 26 hoppers, 12 tankcars, and 53 hoppers

13:17 ONTN 393,391 North out of Owosso with 47 cars. 8 hoppers, 1 tankcar, 1 hopper, 1 empty centerbeam, 2 gondolas, 1 loaded centerbeam, 1 empty centerbeam, 1 tankcar, 2 empty centerbeams, 2 NS gondolas, 1 hopper, 1 tankcar, 2 empty centerbeams, 11 CSX gondolas, and 12 tankcars

14:20 OSTN 382,383 South through Durand with 82 cars. 46 hoppers, 3 tankcars, 11 hoppers, 1 tankcar, 16 hoppers, and 5 tankcars

I am impressed you can count the different car types while also counting the number of cars.

I use both my fingers and toes but no I watch the owosso camera and durand camera to see if they are coming down past me. Easy to rewind and pause to write stuff down.

OSTN-2 383,382 Northbound 21:26 past Lakeland with a friendly wave and some extra horns

[LansingRailFan]

09:30 - 391/393 SB into Owosso - don't have time to count cars like ZLT but it's a good sized train.

yesterday at 08:35 am, 383/382 ran north to ZFS and that's where they picked up that 92 cars - the 53 hoppers might be for CN for a unit train perhaps.

[AANscaleRunner]

Hearing northbound out of Cadillac at 1000. Cars for both Petoskey and TC in the yard, so a 50-50 shot at Walton.

[GLC@ZLT]

09:30 - 391/393 SB into Owosso - don't have time to count cars like ZLT but it's a good sized train.

yesterday at 08:35 am, 383/382 ran north to ZFS and that's where they picked up that 92 cars - the 53 hoppers might be for CN for a unit train perhaps.

112 cars on the 9:30 this morning. 6 hoppers, 31 tank cars, 2 loaded centerbeams, 15 NS gondolas, 4 hoppers, 1 CSX gondola, 1 loaded centerbeam, 4 empty pole cars, 1 loaded centerbeam, 9 tank cars, 3 hoppers, 13 tank cars, 12 CSX gondolas, 8 NS gondolas, and I believe the last 2 were CSX gondolas. They had the crossing at Washington street blocked for 38 minutes today

[GLC@ZLT]

OSTN-3 391,393 Southbound in Durand 13:45 with 83 cars. Looks like they dropped off 3 hoppers and 26 tank cars from the beginning of the consist from my last post otherwise it is the same

[AANscaleRunner]

Hearing northbound out of Cadillac at 1000. Cars for both Petoskey and TC in the yard, so a 50-50 shot at Walton.

Petoskey

[KC8RBK]

Nb working the Ithaca bean plant 1900

[GLC@ZLT]

Nb working the Ithaca bean plant 1900

383,385,382 Northbound out of owosso at 17:21 with 96 cars. 1 hopper, 1 tank car, 90 hoppers, and 4 tank cars

[LansingRailFan]

OSTN-3 391,393 Southbound in Durand 13:45 with 83 cars. Looks like they dropped off 3 hoppers and 26 tank cars from the beginning of the consist from my last post otherwise it is the same

393/391 went light this morning north out of Owosso to grab this train around 8:30

09:30 - back sb into Owosso

13:45 - sb out of Durand after setting off 29.

Say od at 08:00. That’s 5h 45m to get across CN. Then we still have Ann Pere and Osmer to work and then Ann Pere to work on the way back and then work in Durand on the NB as well.

AARR/chapmaja - please take note of this timing in regards to the workload of an “OSTN” type job. This is why they switched to crew-based symbols because they’ll recrew this train at least once more before they get back to Durand.

[chapmaja]

OSTN-3 391,393 Southbound in Durand 13:45 with 83 cars. Looks like they dropped off 3 hoppers and 26 tank cars from the beginning of the consist from my last post otherwise it is the same

AARR/chapmaja - please take note of this timing in regards to the workload of an “OSTN” type job. This is why they switched to crew-based symbols because they’ll recrew this train at least once more before they get back to Durand.

Makes sense. For a railfan through OSTN, ONTN, CSTN and CNTN make more sense as it gives us an idea where the train is at and where it is heading. From an operational standpoint the OWO-X makes more sense for the reasons you mentioned.

If you tell me there that OWO-1 is on duty, all that would be telling me is a crew from Owosso is somewhere between Osmer and Clare.

[LansingRailFan]

OSTN-3 391,393 Southbound in Durand 13:45 with 83 cars. Looks like they dropped off 3 hoppers and 26 tank cars from the beginning of the consist from my last post otherwise it is the same

AARR/chapmaja - please take note of this timing in regards to the workload of an “OSTN” type job. This is why they switched to crew-based symbols because they’ll recrew this train at least once more before they get back to Durand.

Makes sense. For a railfan through OSTN, ONTN, CSTN and CNTN make more sense as it gives us an idea where the train is at and where it is heading. From an operational standpoint the OWO-X makes more sense for the reasons you mentioned.

If you tell me there that OWO-1 is on duty, all that would be telling me is a crew from Owosso is somewhere between Osmer and Clare.

100% agree. I throw it in quotes now but yes, it works.

[GLC@ZLT]

Last night/early this morning

OSTN-3 393,391 Northbound 22:16 past Lakeland (sounded like a short train but I was already laying down so i didn't see it) at 20:49 i got a message that it was leaving Osmer and generally takes about 30 mins to get to me so maybe a crew change between?

ONTN-4 382,385,383 Southbound 00:39 into Owosso with 100 hoppers

OSTN-4 393,391 Northbound 03:35 through Durand with 51 cars. 1 hopper, 1 tankcar, 1 loaded pole car, 2 tankcars, 11 hoppers, 1 empty centerbeam, 2 loaded pole cars, 3 hoppers, 1 tankcar, 2 open hoppers(tall gondola??), 10 hoppers, 2 tankcars, 1 hopper, 1 gondola, 7 hoppers, 1 CSX gondola, 3 hoppers, and 1 empty centerbeam

[AANscaleRunner]

Hearing them leave Cadillac for Clare at 1250.

[LansingRailFan]

SB “OSTN” with 385/383 at Pitt Jct

NB “ONTN will have 393/382/391

[GLC@ZLT]

OSTN-4 385,383 Southbound 15:48 at Lakeland with I believe 38 cars, 18 hoppers(3 Union Pacific) and 20 tank cars.