Anyhow, now that I drive by this building regularly, I'm going to post back with the number of reefer cars I can see when I drive by. It's very hard to get a look in this facility, you have a very short window to look between the terminal building when traveling on Green, and that's if there aren't any semi's blocking the view (see photo below).
1/30 - 3 reefers on the Fort St. building siding (could not see south siding)
2/04 - 5 reefers on the Fort St. building siding (again could not see south siding)
2/13 - 3 reefers on the Fort St. building siding, south siding was empty
2/17 - 2 reefers on the Fort St. building siding, south siding empty again
2/20 - 1 lone reefer on the Fort building siding, south siding still empty
3/09 - No reefers at the terminal, but 4 reported at Rougemere (Thanks Mac)
3/10 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building side, south siding was empty
3/18 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building siding, south siding maintaining its emptyness
3/30 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building siding, south siding empty, 1 ARMN reefer at Rougemere
4/05 - 2 reefers on the Fort St. building siding, none on the south siding (nice to see more than 1 in a while!)
4/09 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building siding (could not see south siding)
4/21 - Both sidings empty
4/24 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building siding (again could not see the south siding)
5/13 - Both sidings empty, but Y122 at Rougemere had one reefer to be setoff sometime during the day
5/17 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building siding, south siding empty
5/29 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building siding, south siding empty
6/27 - 1 reefer at the end of the siding on the Fort St. side, south siding empty
7/10 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building siding, south siding empty
7/16 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building siding, could not see the south siding
7/23 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building siding, south siding empty (also ARMN 767218 at Rougemere)
11/11 - ARMN 769026 and ARMN 765167 were set off by Y122 around 1:00PM today.
11/23 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building siding, south siding empty, at least two ARMN reefers at Rougemere
11/25 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building siding, south siding empty
12/09 - 1 reefer on the Fort St. building siding, south siding empty
12/14 - 3 reefers on the Fort St. building siding, south siding empty, all three cars were at Rougemere in the AM and spotted by Y122
I'll continue to update this over the next few months and try to get a better view. In the past, I only remember seeing perhaps one or none lonely reefer car on these sidings, now recently it seems that there are more. It could be just seasonal, but I hope the rail business has picked up a little. The spur into the Terminal joins the Boat Yard line at the West End St. crossing, to the west of the terminal complex, at the Garden Yard (so named because it once was where all the fruit and veggie cars were marshaled before and after going to the Produce Terminal). Below are two photos from this operation:
First is a photo looking into the facility. You can see two UP reefers on the Fort Street building side this April 5, 2009 afternoon.
If you want to see how many reefer cars are being unloaded at the Detroit Produce Terminal, you have a look fast through the small viewing opportunity between the Fort Street building and the South building, from Green Street. Each building has a rail spur which runs between the two buildings roughly halfway down their length from the west end. Here, we can see two UPFE/ARMN mechanical reefers on the siding for the Fort Street Building. The South Building is to the left here, just out of view, but had no cars this April 5, 2009 afternoon. On some occasions, as many as 7-8 cars have been spotted here, during busy seasons.
Below is a photo of CSX Y122 at the West End crossing, having just picked up a single reefer this August 2008 day.
Two of this Genset's three motors are working to get Y122 underway again from the Detroit Produce Terminal switch, on the former Union Belt Boat Yard line at the West End St. crossing. CSX #1300 has the honors to switch the CSX industries on the line in an environmentally conscious way on this August 6th, 2008 afternoon. The reefer has just been pulled from the Terminal, the tankers from another online industry, and the hoppers are from the 15th St. transload facility at the end of the line.
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). A load not properly prepped before loading will be rejected when it gets here even as quick as a truck is. (Produce company would not accept a load of brown slimy lettuce - big $$$$$) He would have his drivers stick a thermometer well into the pallets to make sure the product was at the proper temperature as it was loaded.