Delray,

[GTW6401]

176 runs from Oakwood to Sterling.

Why does it run? They bring traffic from NS to Conrail and FCA Chrysler. Lots of auto plants and industrial customers on the east side of town.

River Rouge is a Conrail yard.

[NickThatRailfan]

176 runs from Oakwood to Sterling.

Why does it run? They bring traffic from NS to Conrail and FCA Chrysler. Lots of auto plants and industrial customers on the east side of town.

River Rouge is a Conrail yard.

Thanks

[ConrailDetr​oit]

Ah, okay I take it the yard jobs and the CP transfers make up for the trains that dont go through there? Also another question why does NS 176 even have a purpose of running if it only runs a short distance between River Rouge and Sterling Heights?

Conrail transfer jobs RR-42 that runs cars from River Rouge to Livernois and back and LV-40 that runs Livernois cars to CSX at Rougemere and back. Both work overnight.

176 takes cars from Oakwood to Conrail on the east side.

[RoyalKingoftheRails]

Admin edit: added Nick's new topic to this existing one:

So I have heard about Delray Junction being a hotspot in Michigan I know theres about 40 trains a day but is there anywhere to park and is it a safe area to get out? Anyways this is what I have come up with train wise
CSX I150
CSX I151
CSX L302
CSX L303
NS 12E
NS 237
NS 255
NS 256
NS 272
NS 273
NS 414
NS 415
NS 41M
NS 422
NS 423
NS 424
NS 425
NS 48E
NS 49E
NS 858
NS 878
NS 879
NS 881
NS 883
NS B49
NS 176
NS 121
NS 26G
NS 31M
CPKC 130
CPKC 131
CPKC 230
CPKC 231
CPKC 137
CPKC 234
CPKC 528
CPKC 529
CPKC 02H
CN A450-61
CN E231-31
CN E271-21
CN E280-91
CN E296-71
CN L507-61
CN L508-61
CN M371-61
CN M384-61
CN M385-31
CN Q116-91
CN M382-61
CN S756-81

Let me give you a better list for trains that run through Delray, because half the trains you have listed don't even go through there. If anyone notices I missed some trains, feel free to add them.

--Starting with CN. Pretty much every CN Holly Sub/Mount Clemens Sub train runs through Delray.

CN Daily Runs:
E251
Q116
L507
L508
M382
M383
M384
M385
--(8 Trains)

CN As Needed Runs:
M356
E260 (Depending where it's routed to)
E270 (Depending where it's routed to, same as E260)
E280
E271
S756
E296
X491

--Moving onto CSX. CSX has their name all over the railroad crossings, yet they run the least amount of trains in the Delray area.

CSX Daily Runs:
I131
I132
I150
I151
Every now and then, CSX manifests will pull up to the crossings whenever they need to switch tracks or work around Rougemere Yard
--(At least 4 trains)

--Norfolk Southern

NS Daily Runs:
31M
11N
10N
121
176
272
273
A few NS locals run through as well (not sure what the symbols are and how often they run. One symbol I have heard of is LV-40)
--(At least 7 Trains)

NS As Needed Runs:
Northbound Empty Autoracks to Sterling (Symbol varies)

--Canadian Pacific Kansas City Southern

CPKC Daily Runs:
137
230
231
734
H97
H98
(6 Trains)

CP As Needed Runs:
528
529
O2H (Holiday Train)

--Summing it all up, at least 25 trains a day. Another good place to go in this area is River Rouge/Ecorse/Wyandotte as NS runs a handful of trains through there that come and go from Oakwood Yard.

[Chip]

^dont forget the Conrail local that runs to Trenton and Wyandotte

[RoyalKingoftheRails]

^dont forget the Conrail local that runs to Trenton and Wyandotte

Trenton 3? Does that go through Delray?

[Chip]

^dont forget the Conrail local that runs to Trenton and Wyandotte

Trenton 3? Does that go through Delray?

I don’t see why it wouldn’t but I don’t know enough about CSA operations to confirm that. I’m just making an educated guess based on where it originates.

[ConrailDetr​oit]

The closest Trenton 3 gets to Delray is when they have cars for St Marys Cement.

[GP30M4216]

Do Coke trains still come off Zug Island onto the Boat Yard Line? In the past these have been handled by both CSX and NS; I’m not sure who does what at this moment or if either of them have the traffic. Coke could also go south over the DCRR to the CN.

Csx local y194 and the NS local for the Boat Yard Line also did not make the list. Both are 100% more likely to run than CPKC 02H approximately 250 days/year.

[AARR]

CN is (or was) getting two coke trains.
1. A shuttle to Rouge Steel (hard to believe CN would take something this short a distance)
2. Another one that went to a mill in IN or East Chicago.

Do Coke trains still come off Zug Island onto the Boat Yard Line? In the past these have been handled by both CSX and NS; I’m not sure who does what at this moment or if either of them have the traffic. Coke could also go south over the DCRR to the CN.

[ConrailDetr​oit]

Coke on the Boat Line has currently dried up.

Previously, CSX and NS would move coke loads to and from Zug Island, and empties out.

[GP30M4216]

CN is (or was) getting two coke trains.
1. A shuttle to Rouge Steel (hard to believe CN would take something this short a distance)
2. Another one that went to a mill in IN or East Chicago.

Do Coke trains still come off Zug Island onto the Boat Yard Line? In the past these have been handled by both CSX and NS; I’m not sure who does what at this moment or if either of them have the traffic. Coke could also go south over the DCRR to the CN.

Thank you! My thoughts:

2. Dollars to donuts the coke heading for Indiana is bound for the USS Gary Works via the ex EJ&E, which shut down its Coke battery around 2016. Another USS battery In Pennsylvania is also being incrementally wound down, so Detroit’s Coke battery on Zug continues to have a strong customer in USS.
1. Does the Rouge-bound coke go down the River Sub to FN, cross west toward Flat Rock, and then turn north up the arch line to reach the Cliffs plant that way? Like it takes a 30 mile trip each way to go 2 miles?

[AARR]

I think it does

1. Does the Rouge-bound coke go down the River Sub to FN, cross west toward Flat Rock, and then turn north up the arch line to reach the Cliffs plant that way? Like it takes a 30 mile trip each way to go 2 miles?

[Chip]

CN is (or was) getting two coke trains.
1. A shuttle to Rouge Steel (hard to believe CN would take something this short a distance)
2. Another one that went to a mill in IN or East Chicago.

Do Coke trains still come off Zug Island onto the Boat Yard Line? In the past these have been handled by both CSX and NS; I’m not sure who does what at this moment or if either of them have the traffic. Coke could also go south over the DCRR to the CN.

Thank you! My thoughts:

2. Dollars to donuts the coke heading for Indiana is bound for the USS Gary Works via the ex EJ&E, which shut down its Coke battery around 2016. Another USS battery In Pennsylvania is also being incrementally wound down, so Detroit’s Coke battery on Zug continues to have a strong customer in USS.
1. Does the Rouge-bound coke go down the River Sub to FN, cross west toward Flat Rock, and then turn north up the arch line to reach the Cliffs plant that way? Like it takes a 30 mile trip each way to go 2 miles?

I haven’t seen a coke train in Flat Rock in at least 6 months, probably more.

[LansingRailFan]

I think it does

1. Does the Rouge-bound coke go down the River Sub to FN, cross west toward Flat Rock, and then turn north up the arch line to reach the Cliffs plant that way? Like it takes a 30 mile trip each way to go 2 miles?

yes they do.

there hasn't been any recent coke trains to gary from rouge

there have been inbound blocks of coke cars periodically from gary that come in on a492 and then south on L508

[AARR]

Dearborn Steel changes origins and routes periodically it seems.

They used to get coke from Mingo Jct. then W&LE to CSX (Willard) or CN (Toledo). NS had it for a while.

It’s difficult for a railfan to keep track of unless they have connections

I haven’t seen a coke train in Flat Rock in at least 6 months, probably more.

[Chip]

Dearborn Steel changes origins and routes periodically it seems.

They used to get coke from Mingo Jct. then W&LE to CSX (Willard) or CN (Toledo). NS had it for a while.

It’s difficult for a railfan to keep track of unless they have connections

I haven’t seen a coke train in Flat Rock in at least 6 months, probably more.

I’ll usually see them parked in Flat Rock Yard. They normally park them on the southwest side of the yard next to where they park the auto racks along Vreeland Rd. I drive by there every morning on my way to work.

The last one I saw was heading north through Woodhaven on the Dearborn line sometime late spring or early summer. It struck me as memorable because it was the first time I could remember ever seeing 6 axle power on that line. Usually it’s a pair of ex-GTW geeps.

[David Collins]

Dearborn Steel changes origins and routes periodically it seems.

They used to get coke from Mingo Jct. then W&LE to CSX (Willard) or CN (Toledo). NS had it for a while.

It’s difficult for a railfan to keep track of unless they have connections

I haven’t seen a coke train in Flat Rock in at least 6 months, probably more.

I’ll usually see them parked in Flat Rock Yard. They normally park them on the southwest side of the yard next to where they park the auto racks along Vreeland Rd. I drive by there every morning on my way to work.

The last one I saw was heading north through Woodhaven on the Dearborn line sometime late spring or early summer. It struck me as memorable because it was the first time I could remember ever seeing 6 axle power on that line. Usually it’s a pair of ex-GTW geeps.

Managed to catch that coke train for ya Chip down in Wyandotte today, it runs daily if I remember correctly.

[jggilmore7]

there hasn't been any recent coke trains to gary from rouge

there have been inbound blocks of coke cars periodically from gary that come in on a492 and then south on L508

Just to clarify, there is no coke that comes specifically from USS Gary since that is a different company than Rouge owner Cliffs. Besides the fact that the coke works at Gary have been closed for about 10 years and also were demolished about 2 years ago. What you see from that direction is from the DTE Vantage coke plant at Burns Harbor right next to the Cliffs steel mill. The coke plant there supplies Burns Harbor mainly but can send coke to the Rouge or any other BF location for Cliffs or anybody else since they act like a merchant facility after they took over the coke operation at Burns Harbor. DTE's coke battery on the Zug supplies the Rouge and other custormers, which they list on their website. No doubt, due to several factors the Rouge can also get coke from other locations if needed, since Cliffs themselves doesn't produce enough coke on their own to fully supply all their BF locations. Specific movements are somewhat predictable but always fluid, changeable at any time or even any day based upon needs...

JG