AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

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Ypsi
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AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

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While searching for prototype photos of AA 7771 I stumbled to this shot of the unit sitting at Pittsfield junction

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1214034

It shows AA 7771 assigned to switch saline. I recall when they would leave one unit on the branch and have no train, but I don't know how the ops went back then. Now they will switch saline on the NB or SB run.. I was just wondering how the ops worked when they left a unit there. Was it leaving the unit to get the cars when they were ready, or because it was the time When the branch required switching multiple times a day?
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Re: AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

Unread post by ns8401 »

YpsiAmtrakBoy wrote:While searching for prototype photos of AA 7771 I stumbled to this shot of the unit sitting at Pittsfield junction

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1214034

It shows AA 7771 assigned to switch saline. I recall when they would leave one unit on the branch and have no train, but I don't know how the ops went back then. Now they will switch saline on the NB or SB run.. I was just wondering how the ops worked when they left a unit there. Was it leaving the unit to get the cars when they were ready, or because it was the time When the branch required switching multiple times a day?
I don't recall them assigning a unit to Saline. I do recall them taking the whole road train down there a few times and leaving the cars on the "main" west of the Ford switch.
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Re: AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

Unread post by jimnorthwood »

When I was in grad school at UM (1986 and 1987) I would drive over to Pittsfield Jct if I had time, and knew a train would be running to Saline. I don't recall any specific unit being assigned to Saline, but that doesn't mean anything, as there are plenty of other things that happened nearly 30 years ago that I don't recall. I DO remember that they always used a caboose for the long backup move from Pittsfield Jct to what was then Ford in Saline, which was really cool to watch.

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Re: AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

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The Ford plant used to get switched 2x per weekday so I don't know if assigning an engine to the Saline Branch was a regular job or just an occasional move to switch the Ford plant at a specific time when the road train was not able to do so.
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Re: AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

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More than likely, the Ford plant was switched twice a day, at shift change. Ford uses a just in time supply system. And emptys come out, and loads go in during a short window during shift change.
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Re: AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

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hoborich wrote:More than likely, the Ford plant was switched twice a day, at shift change. Ford uses a just in time supply system. And emptys come out, and loads go in during a short window during shift change.
Good point, hobo. IIRC the switch times were normally 3pm and 11pm on weekdays.
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Re: AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

Unread post by ns8401 »

AARR wrote:
hoborich wrote:More than likely, the Ford plant was switched twice a day, at shift change. Ford uses a just in time supply system. And emptys come out, and loads go in during a short window during shift change.
Good point, hobo. IIRC the switch times were normally 3pm and 11pm on weekdays.
That sounds about right.. About 10 years ago I would sometimes go down by the plant to watch them switch between 3 and 7.
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Re: AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

Unread post by GP30M4216 »

There's some good info on this thread from days of old: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=23293

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Re: AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

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ns8401 wrote:
AARR wrote:
hoborich wrote:More than likely, the Ford plant was switched twice a day, at shift change. Ford uses a just in time supply system. And emptys come out, and loads go in during a short window during shift change.
Good point, hobo. IIRC the switch times were normally 3pm and 11pm on weekdays.
That sounds about right.. About 10 years ago I would sometimes go down by the plant to watch them switch between 3 and 7.
Back in those days they would often switch the Ford plant very early Sunday morning too.
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Re: AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

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This question was posted at the other board. I can't post there but if someone would like to do so this thread would be helpful to him.
https://members4.boardhost.com/OtherMic ... 89560.html
Posted by Alex on 11/23/2021, 12:46 pm
Just curious,

What saved the Saline Branch, in history.

Currently no active customers, just storage and access to an industrial park. 20 years ago +/-, Visteon was an active customer.

But, prior to the Visteon plant as erected, what was the active customer that saved the line? Was there an active elevator in town for years? I can't imagine that the Visteon plant has been around since before the expressways were built.

The ex-NYC has largely been gone for 60+ years, predating bot the the US 23 and I 94 expressways.
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Re: AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

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Posted by NILE on 11/24/2021, 10:50 am, in reply to "Re: Saline Branch - What saved the line"
Currently, there is a short spur off the Saline branch at Industrial Rd. It is behind a company called Flatout INC. I think cars were stored there in the mid-90s, but I don't know what customer every used that spur.
A produce company, Crossett, used that track to unload an occasional refrigerated box car of potatoes or something like that. It seems they received rail service past the year 2000.
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Re: AA Pittsfield Junction Ops

Unread post by Henry F. Burger »

That track was installed at the request of Saline as industrial term track.

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