Cherry Growers in Grawn

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cfriedri
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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Unread post by cfriedri »

MQT1223 wrote:
Wed Aug 10, 2022 3:14 pm
NS3322 wrote:
Tue Aug 02, 2022 7:54 pm
Jim_c wrote:
Tue Aug 02, 2022 6:05 pm
Maybe they can talk GoGo Squeeze into at least getting inbound fruit, or fruit juice. They don't use corn syrup so no luck with tanks of that.
I believe some of the apples going to Materne (GoGo Squeez) in TC are transloaded on the West Michigan Railroad, per Trains Magazine.
They are, that’s what the ramp is for at the West Michigan Railroad.


I would like to know the cost savings involved with using twice as many trucks to haul the apples across the state (one boxcar is two truck loads) versus directly hauling cars up to GoGo to be unloaded? Especially with fuel prices today that cannot be much.

All they’d have to do at GoGo is rebuild the crossing in the plant because it’s paved over otherwise it’s basically good to go. All of the necessary infrastructure is still in place.

I wonder how much GLC has tried to bring this business back if at all.
GLC probably has a tariff in place for any cars going to and from TC given that it's a pretty considerable distance to travel for the low volume of cars. A transload on the Western Michigan is probably more economical than that.
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Steve B
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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Unread post by Steve B »

cfriedri wrote:
Wed Aug 10, 2022 6:41 pm
GLC probably has a tariff in place for any cars going to and from TC given that it's a pretty considerable distance to travel...
You mean a surcharge?

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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Unread post by GRHC »

One benefit of using the WMI to offload those apples is that they can reload those cars with frozen pork and send them right back out west.

Of course I’m remembering what was stated in the Trains magazine article. I do believe that they said those cars were being loaded right away with frozen pork.

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SD80MAC
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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

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GR H & C wrote:
Thu Aug 11, 2022 10:17 am
One benefit of using the WMI to offload those apples is that they can reload those cars with frozen pork and send them right back out west.

Of course I’m remembering what was stated in the Trains magazine article. I do believe that they said those cars were being loaded right away with frozen pork.
All of that traffic is no more.
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MQT1223
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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Unread post by MQT1223 »

Drove by GoGo today and saw them working on the dock where the spurs go Into the building. Not sure what’s going on with that.

When was the last time the propane place for rail? The trees south of GoGo are pretty large between the rails.
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AARR
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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Unread post by AARR »

I do not recall if the propane place (currently Amerigas, has had several other names) has ever received rail service since the line was abandoned to the south in 1983/84.
MQT1223 wrote:
Thu Aug 11, 2022 1:53 pm
When was the last time the propane place for rail? The trees south of GoGo are pretty large between the rails.
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NS3322
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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Unread post by NS3322 »

AARR wrote:
Thu Aug 11, 2022 2:37 pm
I do not recall if the propane place (currently Amerigas, has had several other names) has ever received rail service since the line was abandoned to the south in 1983/84.
MQT1223 wrote:
Thu Aug 11, 2022 1:53 pm
When was the last time the propane place for rail? The trees south of GoGo are pretty large between the rails.
They have used the line past GoGo to store the Metra cars in the past (2009 or so).
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TC Man
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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Unread post by TC Man »

After reading a post on another site, drove by Materne North America (aka Go Go Squeeze) at the former Cherry Growers plant in Grawn to notice that it's very evident that Materne has no plans to utilize rail services, period. The area where the 2 sidings lowered several feet to dock/floor level has all been filled in, so now the ground level is about 6 feet above track level. So I'd say it's finally safe to say that there is no reason to keep the tracks in to Grawn (that was really the only reason the State has kept them in. So unless someone starts up a tourist train to Grawn, get your pics now (anyone familiar with Grawn knows I'm being sarcastic- it's the poverty area of TC).

Also, on that same GLC railfan FB page, I'm calling BS on the person who said something had been through Boon towards Yuma. Heavy rust and packed flange ways- nothing has been through in a LONG time. The exception is just beyond Selma yard by the energy plant as there is a string of LP tank cars there with shiny wheels. Beyond that there's been no trains. Feel free to post this on that glc railfan FB page (I don't have FB).
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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Unread post by DaveO »

Right now there's no reason for the state to remove the tracks. The general area still has some industry and room for more.
That FB post was a farce with heritage units and a long unit train.

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NS3322
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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Unread post by NS3322 »

TC Man wrote:
Sat Aug 27, 2022 11:38 am
...so unless someone starts up a tourist train to Grawn
The railbike idea actually might work there, just saying. Not many places in the state that can host, and there is a ton of demand for that kind of attraction.

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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

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There is basically a zero chance Materne will ever use rail. As packaged, Go Go Squeeze will not ride well on a boxcar. Materne was also not willing to use intermodal. Last time I called on them, all the finished product was trucked to a warehouse in Grand Rapids. The trucks returned north with raw materials for production. Materne sources most of their apples from the TC area. If they have to go outside the TC area, they get them from controlled atmosphere (CA) storage warehouses in SW Michigan, Western NY, and Washington. As the apples are coming out of CA storage, they need to be placed into production ASAP. Rail is not an option. Cherry Growers only loaded frozen product or #10 cans on boxcars. The rest of their products did not ride well on a boxcar.

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AARR
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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Unread post by AARR »

Thank you for the good information, DLM.
DLM wrote:
Tue Aug 30, 2022 3:55 pm
There is basically a zero chance Materne will ever use rail. As packaged, Go Go Squeeze will not ride well on a boxcar.
So inbound raw materials from Western NY and Washington are trucked all the way from origin to destination? Are the raw materials from SW MI locally grown or are they shipped there?
If they have to go outside the TC area, they get them from controlled atmosphere (CA) storage warehouses in SW Michigan, Western NY, and Washington. As the apples are coming out of CA storage, they need to be placed into production ASAP. Rail is not an option. Cherry Growers only loaded frozen product or #10 cans on boxcars. The rest of their products did not ride well on a boxcar.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

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NS3322
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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Unread post by NS3322 »

DLM wrote:
Tue Aug 30, 2022 3:55 pm
Materne was also not willing to use intermodal
I thought we figured out they ship some finished product to be loaded on CSX in North Baltimore? Like Campbell's in Napoleon, Ohio does?

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Re: Cherry Growers in Grawn

Unread post by DLM »

Inbound packaging and raw food ingredients are trucked in. Apples are trucked in from Michigan along with NY and WA as needed. I have done apples on containers from Washington to Ludington to be made into sauce. We did it in the early spring to avoid hot or freezing weather. But intermodal service has gotten worse and load weight is always an issue on 53' containers.

Pulling containers round trip from North Baltimore for loading in Western Michigan would be expensive. But you do what you have to do to head south as the Chicago ramps to Florida are beyond capacity and OTR trucks to Florida are very expensive.

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