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Not sure if this has already been covered, but my brother works at Pfizer in Portage and told me the power plant has been converted to natural gas. Conrail did good business with that coal, even moving in mini unit trains once in a blue moon.

There was a time they received 700-800 car loads a year. It would usually arrive at Pfizer in larger blocks. Get unloaded far behind the plant. Get reloaded into company-owned hopper cars (usually around 2 at a time) and pushed down the unloading spur to the power house dump
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Ben Higdon wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 22, 2021 6:44 am

Not sure if this has already been covered, but my brother works at Pfizer in Portage and told me the power plant has been converted to natural gas. Conrail did good business with that coal, even moving in mini unit trains once in a blue moon.

They still get coal in on occasion. Apparently when production is high the coal is used in conjunction with the natural gas. GDLK moved around 4-5 cuts of 25 cars for them last year.

1TrackMind wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:18 pm

There was a time they received 700-800 car loads a year. It would usually arrive at Pfizer in larger blocks. Get unloaded far behind the plant. Get reloaded into company-owned hopper cars (usually around 2 at a time) and pushed down the unloading spur to the power house dump
.

Ben Higdon wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 22, 2021 6:44 am

Not sure if this has already been covered, but my brother works at Pfizer in Portage and told me the power plant has been converted to natural gas. Conrail did good business with that coal, even moving in mini unit trains once in a blue moon.

They still get coal in on occasion. Apparently when production is high the coal is used in conjunction with the natural gas. GDLK moved around 4-5 cuts of 25 cars for them last year.

Why did they re-load it into company cars?

kd_1014 wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:50 pm

Why did they re-load it into company cars?

They unload the "unit trains" and send the cars back. Then they have a couple of their own cars they use to shuttle the coal from the pile to the furnace. They don't use much so if they left it in the NS cars they would have to pay to keep them there.

Chased a coal train from Gearhart to Pfizer last year.

Wondering what has happened to the GP-35's? I haven't seen one in G. R. recently.

dave989 wrote: ↑

Tue May 04, 2021 11:42 pm

Wondering what has happened to the GP-35's? I haven't seen one in G. R. recently.

Both are in the shop.

Hopefully they stay put. I see GT 5825 was on the Trout Lake turn to Newberry. Come June 1st I assume Watco engines will be up north.

From the other board: https://members4.boardhost.com/OtherMic ... 13062.html

Posted by GAP on 5/14/2021, 1:24 pm
Today was the first time I ever saw a GDLK stone train on the move. Northbound (loaded) thru Portage at 11:45 am. I missed the power but saw most of the train. Interesting that some aluminum cars were mixed in while most were steel.

Some additional good information:

Posted by GAP on 5/15/2021, 11:01 am, in reply to "Re: GDLK stone train"
The stone comes from a huge quarry in Indiana. It's affiliated with Balkema Excavating. They own the cars with RBEX reporting marks, about 80 in a train and I understand there is a second similar train that goes to South Bend.

Is the stone yard near White Pigeon/The Andersons still being used by Vulcan?

The Stone trains come up the Marion Branch from Peru, Ind. West Plains Mining is the name. It sits along the NS Huntington Dist. in Peru.

AARR wrote: ↑

Sun May 16, 2021 8:58 am

Is the stone yard near White Pigeon/The Andersons still being used by Vulcan?

Negative. Basically all offload equipment has been removed, with only the pit remaining.

Saw a NS/GDLK stone train come through Three Rivers with the usual all NS locomotive consist. This happened sometime around 12:30/1am on Tue May 18th.

In downtown Kalamazoo right now and Grand Elk just rolled through towards the yard. The second engine had the Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad name on it. I have noticed this engine before but wasn’t close enough to read the name. It’s another Watco owned railroad but just found it interesting to see it in Kalamazoo.

Dowagiac Train Dude wrote: ↑

Wed May 26, 2021 7:28 pm

In downtown Kalamazoo right now and Grand Elk just rolled through towards the yard. The second engine had the Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad name on it. I have noticed this engine before but wasn’t close enough to read the name. It’s another Watco owned railroad but just found it interesting to see it in Kalamazoo.

It was originally a Grand Elk unit from start up, got sent off for a rebuild and when released was reassigned to the D&EI. At that point it received the logo sticker, and some time later left that property to return to GDLK.

It was originally a Grand Elk unit from start up, got sent off for a rebuild and when released was reassigned to the D&EI. At that point it received the logo sticker, and some time later left that property to return to GDLK.
[/quote]

Thank you very much for the info. That’s pretty interesting, I wonder what made them bring it back up to the GDLK.

Dowagiac Train Dude wrote: ↑

Fri May 28, 2021 8:42 am

Thank you very much for the info. That’s pretty interesting, I wonder what made them bring it back up to the GDLK.

power shortage

Dowagiac Train Dude wrote: ↑

Fri May 28, 2021 8:42 am

It was originally a Grand Elk unit from start up, got sent off for a rebuild and when released was reassigned to the D&EI. At that point it received the logo sticker, and some time later left that property to return to GDLK.

Thank you very much for the info. That’s pretty interesting, I wonder what made them bring it back up to the GDLK.
[/quote]

You're welcome, Dowagiac.
Probably just current power needs on both the different lines, and closest availability is what directed 4002 back to GDLK.
Only about half of the original start up units still remain on GDLK. They used to have 2 more ex Canadian widecabs, the 4012 and 4020. 4020 had a Grand Elk logo, 4012 never did. Unsure where they are now.

That WAMX 4002 came back to GDLK on 12/5/19 per Super Chief on this very same thread:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=30512&p=424715&hilit=4002#p424715

OldBastard wrote: ↑

Fri May 28, 2021 3:10 pm

Dowagiac Train Dude wrote: ↑

Fri May 28, 2021 8:42 am

It was originally a Grand Elk unit from start up, got sent off for a rebuild and when released was reassigned to the D&EI. At that point it received the logo sticker, and some time later left that property to return to GDLK.

Thank you very much for the info. That’s pretty interesting, I wonder what made them bring it back up to the GDLK.

You're welcome, Dowagiac.
Probably just current power needs on both the different lines, and closest availability is what directed 4002 back to GDLK.
Only about half of the original start up units still remain on GDLK. They used to have 2 more ex Canadian widecabs, the 4012 and 4020. 4020 had a Grand Elk logo, 4012 never did. Unsure where they are now.
[/quote]
4012 ended up on the Timber Rock Railroad in Texas middle of the last decade. 4020 ended up on the WSOR.

Both units are listed on a current roster for the Kansas & Oklahoma (K&O) another WATCO property.

http://www.trainweb.org/rosters/KO.html

ns8401 wrote: ↑

Fri May 28, 2021 5:08 pm

OldBastard wrote: ↑

Fri May 28, 2021 3:10 pm

You're welcome, Dowagiac.
Probably just current power needs on both the different lines, and closest availability is what directed 4002 back to GDLK.
Only about half of the original start up units still remain on GDLK. They used to have 2 more ex Canadian widecabs, the 4012 and 4020. 4020 had a Grand Elk logo, 4012 never did. Unsure where they are now.

4012 ended up on the Timber Rock Railroad in Texas middle of the last decade. 4020 ended up on the WSOR.

Both units are listed on a current roster for the Kansas & Oklahoma (K&O) another WATCO property.

http://www.trainweb.org/rosters/KO.html

Dispositions of former Grand Elk locomotives: #4012 and #4020 are now at El Dorado Chemical (Watco Switching Contract).

The CLASS III Shortlines roster on TrainWeb is useful; but just make sure you look at the notes section...