Newaygo, White Cloud & Northern (NWC&N)

[David Collins]

First, I want to thank my girlfriend for hijacking my phone, seeing the website and asking what paper railroads are (true story, she thought they were model trains made of paper). This is her idea and concept but I added some realism to it.

The Newaygo, White Cloud & Northern (NWC&N) was started from an acquisition of the MQT/G&W line from White Cloud to Baldwin by a group of railroad workers who wanted the customers to be put first. The WC&N quickly gained customers and became an important artery for industries between Newaygo, White Cloud, Baldwin and Leroy. The NWC&N also established an interchange with the GLC in Leroy, just outside of Cadillac.

The NWC&N serves a woodchip facility in White Cloud, two warehouses in Baldwin, a refinery, a paper mill and lumber transload facility in Leroy.

A crew goes on duty in Newaygo between 0700 and 0800, runs north to Baldwin, switches the two warehouses (anywhere between 1-3 carloads per switch for both warehouses), then proceeds north to Leroy where it works the paper mill (3 cars per switch), refinery (3 cars per switch), lumber transload facility (one car) per switch and the GLC interchange (normally 5-15 cars). Then on the return trip back (since the woodchip hoppers go to CSX), they work the woodchip facility in White Cloud. These trains normally run anywhere between 14-30 cars per run mainly depending on how many cars GLC has to hand off to the NWC&N and vice versa.

The NWC&N would be considered as a railfans paradise with the diverse locomotive fleet they are known for:

NWC&N B40-8W #400 (nee BNSF 555, ATSF 555)
NWC&N B40-8W #401 (nee BNSF 557, ATSF 557)
NWC&N GP9 #663 (nee FEC #663)
CORP logistics #4022 (nee BN 2109, on lease to NWC&N from CORP logistics)
NWC&N SD40E #4100 (nee NS 6329, NS 6514)
NWC&N SD40E #4101 (nee NS 6333, NS 6515)

More to come soon!