Kalamazoo North Yard track layout

[GP30M4216]

I had some free time recently and sketched out the track layout for North Yard in Kalamazoo using aerial imagery. A shadow of its former self, for sure. This isn't to scale, but I thought others might find it interesting.

The aerial imagery dates to very early in the Graphics Packaging expansion, which is now complete. Has there been any change or increase in rail traffic as a result of the expansion? Or any change to the track layout? Most of the rail which still remains is former LS&MS and CK&S trackage.

[1TrackMind]

Expect to see some upgrades there later this year.

[SD80MAC]

I've often wondered if rehabbing this yard would be beneficial to the Grand Elk, eliminating the need for the 303 to back in and out of Gearhardt with their entire train.

[Dowagiac Train Dude]

I've often wondered if rehabbing this yard would be beneficial to the Grand Elk, eliminating the need for the 303 to back in and out of Gearhardt with their entire train.

I have always wondered why they don’t have switches that connect north to the Grand Elk main to Grand Rapids and to Graphics Packaging so the trains don’t have to back south through downtown to then go north. Is this because Amtrak doesn’t want switches to the north from their mainline?

[PatAzo]

A connection from the mainline to the LS&MS northward and then from the LS&MS to the GR&I would benefit the GDLK, Amtrak and the City. The GR&I from Gibson up to a point north of Patterson could be removed eliminating one diamond, perhaps a dozen grade crossing, 303's four movements across Kalamazoo & Michigan Ave every time they go to Grand Rapids. Assuming NS was on board and someone was willing to pay for the work. GDLK leases the track and while they have a maintenance responsibility, capital costs to acquire land and build track could be another matter. It was an opportunity lost for the city when MDOT rebuilt the mainline. That would have been the time to do it.

[1TrackMind]

It was attempted and had a serious plan to remove the GR&I main from G ave all the way to Gibson and then connect the CK&S to the main north of G ave. Trains like the 303 would only have to clear the switch for the CK&S then head north, as well as eliminating a second diamond and over a dozen crossings, but due to political issues and money the plans never went though (obviously).

[PatAzo]

It is a galringly obvious solution when Kalamazoo complains about trains. But getting the city, Mdot, Amtrak, Watco and NS all on the same page would be a challenge.

If GDLK ever runs over a Bells/Old Towne drunkard pedestrian with a 303 reverse move they will wish they had done it.

[justalurker66]

It was attempted and had a serious plan to remove the GR&I main from G ave all the way to Gibson and then connect the CK&S to the main north of G ave. Trains like the 303 would only have to clear the switch for the CK&S then head north, as well as eliminating a second diamond and over a dozen crossings, but due to political issues and money the plans never went though (obviously).

Anyone remember the 1980s in Kalamazoo? The city wanted to consolidate the rail crossings in town but the voters turned down the proposal. Is that the plan you are talking about?

I'd like to see improvements for northbound trains. I'm not sure anyone wants to pay for them.

[PatAzo]

Anyone remember the 1980s in Kalamazoo? The city wanted to consolidate the rail crossings in town but the voters turned down the proposal. Is that the plan you are talking about? I'd like to see improvements for northbound trains. I'm not sure anyone wants to pay for them.

The 1980's plan included consolidating the GR&I onto the LS&MS, easing the curve at BO and two long over passes. Voters were in favor a simpler plan when consolidation was first proposed. As they went the project got bigger and more costly and was rejected. had they done it the city would still have been paying off the bonds when NS moved the road trains off the Michigan Central. Even then a simpler solution was at hand. Ease the curve at BO to get above 10MPH and consolidate the GR&I onto the LS&MS. But (my opinion) the City Manager and his side kick had career ambitions and needed to puff up their resumes with big projects.

Today eliminating 303's reverse moves would eliminate 2/3 of the road train movements across Kalamazoo Ave and Michigan Ave. Going west from Gerhart put in a right hand cross over. At Walbridge St put a connection west to north onto the LS&MS. Take that up behind Graphic Packaging and get on the old GTW right of way which passes a literal stones throw from the GR&I at G Ave.

Artist rendition of the 1980's plan.

[Jim_c]

Today eliminating 303's reverse moves would eliminate 2/3 of the road train movements across Kalamazoo Ave and Michigan Ave. Going west from Gerhart put in a right hand cross over. At Walbridge St put a connection west to north onto the LS&MS. Take that up behind Graphic Packaging and get on the old GTW right of way which passes a literal stones throw from the GR&I at G Ave.

I believe the old GTW ROW is now part of the Ka;amazoo Valley River Trail. Your idea makes perfect sense although they may want to retain the segment that runs back toward Mosel in case they can entice any of the industries down there to go back to rail, or a rail-friendly company buys the facility. It might be better to do the connection south of Mosel. I imagine getting the old GTW roadbed back in to shape would be no less expensive that a connection south of Mosel. If I remember correctly, NS still actually owns the roadbed, so they would probably need to be on board as well. Does CN still control all or part of the CK&S ROW? That would add another wrinkle.

Another thing that comes to mind is that some of the medium- to long-range rail planners (Midwest Rail Plan for example) see Amtrak either switching the Pere Marquette to the GR&I or adding a second route that uses the GR&I. A connection from the GR&I to the AML would be much easier than from the CK&S to the AML. Whether or not any of these plans come to fruition is of course speculative. Given that FRA supported plan, I'm not sure the Surface Transportation Board would allow abandonment of any of the GR&I north of the AML.

[justalurker66]

Anyone remember the 1980s in Kalamazoo? The city wanted to consolidate the rail crossings in town but the voters turned down the proposal. Is that the plan you are talking about? I'd like to see improvements for northbound trains. I'm not sure anyone wants to pay for them.

The 1980's plan included consolidating the GR&I onto the LS&MS, easing the curve at BO and two long over passes. Voters were in favor a simpler plan when consolidation was first proposed. As they went the project got bigger and more costly and was rejected.

I don't remember the overpasses - but it has been 40 years. I vaguely remember the crossings to be eliminated being marked to help persuade people to vote yes (effectively "a yes vote would remove this crossing"). It was about the same time that the police and fire department were merged into the department of public safety. A way to get firemen who were normally waiting for the next fire out on streets patrolling as police officers. Apparently that scheme worked out.

The 1908s plan asked taxpayers for 7 million of a 27 million dollar plan. In today's dollars that would be $22 million of $88 million (inflation). But they'd probably pay $20 million for the feasibility studies and DES.

[PatAzo]

If you look at the GIS mapping for Kalamazoo county , they show CN having a right of way north across Mosel. You can also see a right of way that branches off northwest which is where the Kalamazoo Valley River Trail is. In the 80' the track was there with good size trees between the rails. It went north a short distance ending at what looked like a sand/gravel loading operation. There were a couple tracks, remains of a scale and deralic conveyor.

MDOT has shown the possibility of the Pere Marquette running on the GR&I for a long time. I always wondered if it was a contingency if things became problematic with CSX or they spun the line off to a shotline.

[Ben Higdon]

Your idea makes perfect sense although they may want to retain the segment that runs back toward Mosel in case they can entice any of the industries down there to go back to rail, or a rail-friendly company buys the facility.

That was actually in the 1980s plan. The GR&I was to be kept in place from the proposed connection to the GTW ROW southward to a point a few hundred yards south of Mosel Ave. They would've needed that stretch of track south of Mosel to serve Green Bay Packaging, and the TV Ramp which must've been shut down somewhere around that time. The GR&I from that point southward to south of Michigan Ave would have been removed, except for a short section accessed off the Michigan Line via the Fox Wye to serve Johnson Howard Lumber and Star Paper.

[1TrackMind]

It was attempted and had a serious plan to remove the GR&I main from G ave all the way to Gibson and then connect the CK&S to the main north of G ave. Trains like the 303 would only have to clear the switch for the CK&S then head north, as well as eliminating a second diamond and over a dozen crossings, but due to political issues and money the plans never went though (obviously).

Anyone remember the 1980s in Kalamazoo? The city wanted to consolidate the rail crossings in town but the voters turned down the proposal. Is that the plan you are talking about?

I'd like to see improvements for northbound trains. I'm not sure anyone wants to pay for them.

No this was recent. Like 2020/2021.

[justalurker66]

No this was recent. Like 2020/2021.

That one would be recent enough it should still exist on the interweb. Go a link?

[Saturnalia]

I always wondered if it was a contingency if things became problematic with CSX or they spun the line off to a shotline.

More like to avoid the Class One, than avoid a new shortline...since Grand Elk is a shortline, so that wouldn't make any sense. Neither would abandoning all of the customers in Holland and St. Joseph, but I guess that's the idea.

The whole Pere Marquette via Kalamazoo plan seems focused only on getting the train on 110mph track, regardless if it makes sense or not. You can't even get to the GDLK from the Grand Rapids station without a reverse move, and of course you can't do it in Kalamazoo either. Solving both would require massive reconfigurations of control points, which in today's PTC, and especially ITCS world, are stupid expensive - money much better spent on improvements to the existing services including track and rolling stock.

Rerouting the Pere Marquette has always been a solution in search of a problem.

[DaveO]

Yes, the idea was to get another train on the upgraded AML.
Moving the GR station would have been trivial back when it was proposed.
History has shown where that idea went.

[1TrackMind]

No this was recent. Like 2020/2021.

That one would be recent enough it should still exist on the interweb. Go a link?

It was never that far along. Plans and discussions was only done internally.

[GP30M4216]

Expect to see some upgrades there later this year.

Has any of this track work begun yet?

One tool I did not reference when I was sketching out my initial track layout was Bing Birdseye maps. You might have thought those disappeared a few years back, but they continue to be available and updated for urban locations. To find these, you have to switch the map from 'Road' to 'Aerial' and then right click the spot you want on the map and see if 'Birds Eye' is an available option (if not, it'll be shaded out).

"Flying" around North Yard on bird's eye, it looks like my track layout is pretty close to accurate. At the time of this imagery, numerous lines of empty centerbeam flatcars were being stored on a couple of the yard tracks there and also on the LS&MS "main" north of Mosel up to LC Howard/end of track. In fact, from one vantage point, you can see the maroon HLCX and a wide cab Geep 40-2 GDLK unit switching out Graphics: https://www.bing.com/maps?osid=4e5f16ff ... orm=S00027. The imagery was captured when the new plant was under construction. From the south viewing perspective, you can see the huge footings for the new mill machine within the skeleton of the plant.

Has anyone spied the North Yard job working recently? Graphics' Plant 6, on the east side of the track, used to get recycled paperboard bales in boxcars periodically. I'm just curious if this traffic continues, and will continue now that the new machine and facility is up and running. Hope so!

[1TrackMind]

traffic continues. And a couple yard tracks are back in service now.