Detroit Produce Terminal

[hoborich]

The economy shouldn't have any bearing on reefers, and reefer traffic. People are still eating.

[JDavis21835]

The economy shouldn't have any bearing on reefers, and reefer traffic. People are still eating.

True to an extent. People will buy basics. But on a more limited basis. People are holding on to cash, so while they may be buying produce, they are not buying as much, or they are limiting to cheaper items.

[GP30M4216]

Has the CSX Boat Yard Local (Y122) moved to another shift or less than daily? I look for them at work and on my way there and back and haven't seem them around recently during their usual time east of Delray. I don't get down there every day, or always at the same time, so I may just be missing them. Has anyone else seen them lately?

[M.D.Bentley]

I've heard them on the radio this past week. But saw them last at West Detroit shoving off their train into Livernois yard on 7/8/09. With things being slow they might be making less trip to the Belt.

[GP30M4216]

Drove past Rougemere this morning around 8AM and noted a single ARMN 57' mechanical reefer typical of the ones which go to the Produce Terminal from Ferney Street.

After work, I drove by the Produce Terminal and noted a single reefer on the Fort St. siding (south siding still empty), and presumed that Y122 had switched the Boat Yard line during the day and the car I saw in the yard had been set out. However, passing back by Rougemere at around 7PM, I noted the car I had seen at the yard in the morning to still be there, in the mix with a train which looked ready for the Boat Yard (one FPTX gon, ARMN 767218 reefer, a CSX boxcar (going I don't know where), and about 5 tankcars for the transload at 15th Street. Maybe tomorrow (Friday), the one currently at the Produce Term, will be picked up and the one currently at Rougemere will be setoff. t's fun to surmise, anyhow.

[GP30M4216]

Welllllllll after several months of driving by the Produce Terminal a couple times per week and seeing nothing but empty sidings often strewn with trash, today yielded a pleasant surprise. Mackinac Mac informed me and also took photos of CSXT 1302, symbol Y122, working two cars for Detroit Produce Terminal today. ARMN 769026 and ARMN 765167 were set off around 1:00PM today.

http://railroadfan.com/gallery/albums/u ... MIN_UP.JPG
http://railroadfan.com/gallery/albums/u ... locals.JPG

I'm not sure if the business for the Terminal is mostly seasonal, based more on the economy, or just why sometimes they have lots of other cars and other times they have none for weeks on end. Maybe that's inaccurate, since I don't drive by the Terminal on a daily basis nor do I have Y122 switching lists, but I haven't seen anything here since July. It's nice the business seems to be back

[hoborich]

I can't understand how the railroads are able to do this. Produce items do not last a week in my home refrigerator, and it must take about as long to ship them by rail. It would seem that any produce that arrives by rail will be very near the end of its shelf life and hence useless for sale to the public.

Hmmm. A week enroute, and less than a week in your frig. Think about it.

[GTW6401]

There hasn't been any reefers on the DCON for a while now. They are storing gondolas at the southern end of the line.

[AARR]

There hasn't been any reefers on the DCON for a while now. They are storing gondolas at the southern end of the line.

There's also quite a few gondola's and tank cars in the little yard at the northern end by the scrap yard.

[OaklandCountyCustoms]

Was down in the Milwalkee jct/dequindre cut today. Nice to see they have both of the little switcher units and SW unit in service...or atleast parked there again. I cant remember for certain, but i dont remember an industry getting tank cars before. if there wasnt, there definitely is one now. one indistrial siding on the east side had quite a few. looked like a newer industry...been awhile since i was down there. While on it, also saw one of the CSX genset loco's in the yard off I-75 on the tracks that go to Detroit Produce...dont think it was doing any switching there today though.

Chris

[GP30M4216]

Spied a pair of ARMN 57' reefers on the Fort Street building dock track today around lunchtime. I don't get down here much these days but am glad to see the produce business continue on the Boat Yard Line here.

[AARR]

Spied a pair of ARMN 57' reefers on the Fort Street building dock track today around lunchtime. I don't get down here much these days but am glad to see the produce business continue on the Boat Yard Line here.

It has been a long time since I have seen refrigerated box cars in the Lettuce Yard. I will have to find that Fort St. dock track so I can check it out once in a while.

[GP30M4216]

I haven't seen them actually use the Garden Yard for storage of reefers in a long long time. It's mostly interchange cars for the DCRR, scrap cars from Hog Brothers, and container cars waiting to go into the tracks at the terminal there. You have to follow the directions in the very first post in this thread to see into the dock tracks....and you have to go when the area between the sidings and Green Street isn't full of trucks....so later in the day on weekdays (after about 3:30pm) or on the weekend. The nice thing is, Green is wide and there't much traffic, so you can go real slow to get a look.

[GP30M4216]

A brief recent report on the Detroit Produce Terminal and Y122, the CSX Boat Yard switcher:

Mon, May 9 - 1 reefer on the Fort Street track
Tue, May 11 - 2 reefers on the Fort Street track
Thu, May 12 - 2 reefers on the Fort Street track

Y122 brought out 5 tankcars and 9 gondolas from Rougemere on May 12. I believe the tankcars are for the Delray Connecting interchange, and the gons go to Hog Brothers Scrap right near Delray. They returned to Rougemere a few hours later with a single tankcar and about 7-8 gondolas. No reefers on the job today.

[CharlieX90]

A brief recent report on the Detroit Produce Terminal and Y122, the CSX Boat Yard switcher:

Mon, May 9 - 1 reefer on the Jefferson Avenue track
Tue, May 11 - 2 reefers on the Jefferson Avenue track
Thu, May 12 - 2 reefers on the Jefferson Avenue track

Y122 brought out 5 tankcars and 9 gondolas from Rougemere on May 12. I believe the tankcars are for the Delray Connecting interchange, and the gons go to Hog Brothers Scrap right near Delray. They returned to Rougemere a few hours later with a single tankcar and about 7-8 gondolas. No reefers on the job today.

I noted a "Chilled Express" reffer at Rougemere yesterday.