MIGN Layout - Cadillac Industries

[MIGN-Bill]

Anyone have any good ideas for Industries to model in Cadillac - 1970-1980 era?? Pics of your suggestions would be helpful.

I am working on the Cadillac area of my layout (North Yard and the enginehouse) and have an additional 2'X22' of space available for spurs and industries. So far the Cadillac AAR building and the Mitchel Corp building will be included.

(I am working on a track plan to post in the near future).

Thanks

[astrovanman1989]

ship blocks of ice from the lake didnt the aa rr do that also last spring on a 1225 group trip i saw a telaphone pole factory by cadilac

[AARR]

There was an active foundry, several small lumber yards/truss builders, grain elevator... I'll give this some more attention and post others if I come up with them.

I thought Mitchell Corp was actually next to AA's Selma Yard. Or maybe that was Kysor

[MIGN-Bill]

I don't recall the telephone pole plant in Cadillac - do you remember roughly where? I have seen pics of poles up by Manton.

[MIGN-Bill]

Don - Yes the Mitchel Corp was by Selma yard, but I am willing to move it.

I also have am considering the Potash Building (current era), the coke loading facility, St. John Table Co, CMI Cast Parts and Lake Country Distributing buildings (I think that was in Cadillac). I have a few pics for all of these - but if anyone else has pics, it would help make the models better.

[astrovanman1989]

I don't recall the telephone pole plant in Cadillac - do you remember roughly where? I have seen pics of poles up by Manton.

it is in mcbain

[Racer]

Is there any photos you can share with us Bill?

[KVERBERK]

here is a picture of the potash transload. Kinda blocked by the train. I will see what else I can find of current structures in Cadillac.

http://railroadfan.com/gallery/displayi ... =856&pos=9

[MIGN-Bill]

Mr Racer: I have never taken any pics, but I will pull out the digital camera and see what I can come up with. My structures are glorified mock-ups at this point - trying to fill in the layout - but if your interested I will post where I am at - it may take a week or so with until I get it done. Maybe it will also inspire me to improve the scenery a bit.

Mr Kverberk: Thanks for the potash pic - my old pic does not have the structure on the left - nice close up view. Does this facility get used often (I do not hear it discussed much on the forums)??

[AARR]

Mr Kverberk: Thanks for the potash pic - my old pic does not have the structure on the left - nice close up view. Does this facility get used often (I do not hear it discussed much on the forums)??

Long story, but the short story is it was used for only a year or two (97 and 98). The company that used it to transload potash went to truck and left TSBY with the bill. Plus, there was trouble with dust blowing to a nearby parking lot and covering the vehicles with potash dust that TSBY had to flip the bill for. TSBY wanted to build the transload in Clare but the salt company insisted on Cadillac. It's one of those gambles that every good business person has to take once in a while that didn't pan out.

[AARR]

I don't recall the telephone pole plant in Cadillac - do you remember roughly where? I have seen pics of poles up by Manton.

it is in mcbain

Receives inbound poles for a company in Reed City and ships out outbound poles coated with a preservative

[AARR]

CMI

In the 70's they received casting coke and scrap metal. With some modelers license you could have sand delivered by rail from the pits in Yuma. I don't think they shipped anything out by rail but you could create steel loads.

[KC]

I've been told by a old MIGN hand that they once brought in reefers of frozen french fries and unload up near North Yard, trucked to the large frozen warehouse just north of Boon Rd/Cadillac.

Also you could load out X-MAS trees, inbound propane at North Yard, there used to be the Western Concrete cement place, located on the belt line, not sure if they shipped inbound cement or outbound carloads of cement blocks.

Looking thru some notes I have, there is listed "a wholesale paper company that took inbound loads, sometimes from the Ann Arbor interchange."

You might want to have a track or two at North Yard for cars that would continue on north in a local. Stage them in the yard, send a local out and bring back the southbound cars to be made up into the next southbound freight.
Items you could add would be inbound oilfield pipe. Most went up near Kalkaska. Some gons, pack of straws and little paint and your in business. Boxcars of Oil Field Drilling Mud, Bulkhead and flats for lumber along with boxcars. Have the local bring down scrap metal from the Gulf and Western plant at Mancelona, switch into the foundry and put the MTY's back in north yard to go again.

If I didn't already have a theme for my railroad, MIGN would be my next choice.
Lets see some pics of your efforts,


Kelly

[MIGN-Bill]

Don - Thanks for the history and traffic information.
Atrovanman - I wasn't aware of the McBain facility - I think I found it on Mapquest. It looks like an interesting facility.
Kelly - My layout starts in Cadillac (staging is south) and heads north (the Chief is the end of the line). I will post a track plan soon with some operational information and then post some pics as well.

Thanks for all the input, it has been helpful.

[MIGN-Todd]

Mr Kverberk: Thanks for the potash pic - my old pic does not have the structure on the left - nice close up view. Does this facility get used often (I do not hear it discussed much on the forums)??

Long story, but the short story is it was used for only a year or two (97 and 98). The company that used it to transload potash went to truck and left TSBY with the bill. Plus, there was trouble with dust blowing to a nearby parking lot and covering the vehicles with potash dust that TSBY had to flip the bill for. TSBY wanted to build the transload in Clare but the salt company insisted on Cadillac. It's one of those gambles that every good business person has to take once in a while that didn't pan out.

Is there some other use for this facility? It really sucks that TSBy got shafted after it was built so other than Potash could some other materiel be handled in such a structure? It seems that they would either sell it for lack of use or convert it to something that would possibly generate revenue for the line. Not really the best location either for it.

[AARR]

Is there some other use for this facility? It really sucks that TSBy got shafted after it was built so other than Potash could some other materiel be handled in such a structure? It seems that they would either sell it for lack of use or convert it to something that would possibly generate revenue for the line. Not really the best location either for it.

In addition to potash TSBY was hoping to load salt from the same pit where the potash was coming from. but we know how that story ends.

I know TSBY has tried. I'm sure GLC tries too. But too date I'm not aware of any success in getting new customers.

[Raildudes dad]

[
In addition to potash TSBY was hoping to load salt from the same pit where the potash was coming from. but we know how that story ends. .

It's not a pit. It's an injection method of mining. Hot water is pumped underground into the salt & potash formation (2 lbs of salt for every ib of potash), the solution returns to the surface and is evaporated under pressure into a solid material which is then granulated. Bagged salt and bulk potash, all shipped by truck was the product mix on a tour I took a number of years ago.

[AARR]

(2 lbs of salt for every ib of potash)

At the start of operation in 1997 they were anticipating 72,000 tons of potash. I don't know what it is today.

[MIGN-Bill]

Layout Progress Update:

Progress has been slowed due to more finishing of layout room (wall work, cove lighting and lots of paint). During this time I have been expanding the freight car fleet with strategic purchases through Ebay and have been filling in the Cadillac Industrial area (about 25 feet between North Yard and the back drop – it varies from 12” to 30”). So far the industries included are from South to North:

Beer Distributor (use to be Lake Country Distribution).
Brick Freight House with covered loading platform
Kellog Building Supply (relocated from Traverse City)
St. John Table Company
Mitchell Corporation
Warehouse building (next to Mitchell Corporation)
Cadillac AAR Building

I added a single spur with passing track to serve all the industries.
I will post pics of the progress and the revised trackplan over the next few days.
Thanks for all the input and pics – it was very informative.
Bill

[MIGN-Bill]

Here is the track plan for Cadillac showing the industries between the backdrop and North Yard - temporary track is in place to check operation - so far so good - pics coming soon.

http://railroadfan.com/gallery/displayi ... .jpg[/img]
Overall Track Plan: http://railroadfan.com/gallery/displayi ... 1409&pos=7