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There's only one customer they will serve by reinstalling the diamond? Possibly a second if the can get the elevator to go back to rail service? The MAW track looks rough...

Don, there are several new buisnesses opening up along the MAW Right Of Way in the Industrial District that they will be able to serve, plus the Elevator in Antwerp, scrap metal from Cecil, and the NS interchange.

Thanks Y@. I must have misunderstood whatever it is I read.

Matt, read my post again I said the photos that Greg posted.....from Walkerton.

Dennis I know that, but according to the post about the diamonds before, and comments on the photos, those were supposed to be "fly over" diamonds, but there not.

OK, My comment had nothing to do with those. Mine was concerning fly overs to be installed at Durand being like the ones at Walkerton. Which has nothing to do with the ones at Defiance in original post
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=870062

Per a post on Trainorders, the MAW finally used the diamonds for the first time this Wednesday (--1/2/08--). The move involved shoving a large cut of 43 autoracks across the CSX line for storage. Sounds as though more are on the way.

So the crossing was reinstalled to store cars?

I realize what I posted above is not the case but in railroading would it surprise anyone if after all the costs of lawyers the segment accessed by the crossing turns out to be used to store cars rather than serve active customers

Wow... Now this is strange. I have no idea where they would be storing cars at, and I had no idea the track was even good enough to run cars as big as autoracks over it!

No Don no not at all,

Don Simon wrote:I realize what I posted above is not the case but in railroading would it surprise anyone if after all the costs of lawyers the segment accessed by the crossing turns out to be used to store cars rather than serve active customers

There is probably more money in storing cars then serving customers. You park the cars and leave them. You send a bill to TTX and you get paid. You make money by doing nothing.

Working a customer requires locomotives (all associated expenses), crews (and all associated expenses), and you only get a portion of the revenue from moving that car.

KBS makes a living storing cars on the various sidings on their railroad.

Of course, unless there is a siding west of the diamond (which I don't think there is), the main line they wanted back soooo badly is now effectively blocked again.

Practice Safe CSX

Y@ Heilman wrote:Wow... Now this is strange. I have no idea where they would be storing cars at, and I had no idea the track was even good enough to run cars as big as autoracks over it!

Probably storing them right on the main between crossings. That would be my guess. So much for their 'grand plans' of having a real main line right?

As long as you go slow enough you avoid a lot of problems. Autoracks are not that heavy so you don't have to really worry about the rail rolling over.

I'm surprised they made it around the connection off the CSX and onto the MAW! That always seemed like a tight fit there at FC.

Practice Safe CSX

An autorack is essentially a box of air. Even loaded they are light compared to other cars. I have seen on many occasions a train of 80-120 autoracks come thru Durand being pulled by only one engine. On one occasion it was pulled by a single SD-40-2.


Jim

I can understand how light autoracks really are, but remember, this is the original 65-pound rail rolled in 1915... Those weren't built for autoracks. But I guess it worked because I didn't hear anything of a crash.

Secondly, I'm going to try and find out tomorrow where they're being stored at for sure. I could see them storing them in the siding at Antwerp, and now that I think of it, even at the end of the line in Woodburn.

2-2-08

The MAW pulled all 40 autoracks out from storage Saturday, using ex-Santa Fe GP7u 5. They were interchanged to CSX almost immediatley. After GP38-2 2806 pulled them to the GM Plant Yard, they were dropped on track 3. I expect that Q508-03 or Q508-04 picked them up and took them back to Toledo.

I guess this means the demand is back, but what does it mean for the MAW? I'm almost sure there won't be anymore autoracks coming in to be placed in storage, but there could be other equipment.

I would have thought they had customers ready to go before going through the expense and headache of a law suit to reinstall the crossing. I guess in time we'll see their plan.