CSX MI Train Location Update 8-27-09

[conrailmike]

loaded western coal clearing South Clyde at 21:21.... too dark to see any numbers with the usual BNSF power...2nd unit is green and cream paint scheme

[Typhoon]

Zack, The CP has a contract for 1000 cars a month through GRR for another couple of years.
The new "pissing match" between CSX CHI mgt and CP Calgary is once the grand is reached, the cars run NS routing to Winsdor.

I think the CPR wants out of the GRR route and are making things "difficult" to negotiate a buyout of the remaining contract.

JMHO, YMMV and all of that...

Not sure where you get your information from, but this is not even close to being correct. As for yesterdays train, the CP stole the power for it when it arrived at Bennsenville, and could not make the AM curfew on the ZD sub. Goes in line with my theory that the only people who even try to run the train is the CSX ops center. The train gets boned at Bennsenville, on the BRC, and the NS. The CP lets the train sit at Rougemere for hours on end, they just don't seem to be in a hurry with it.

[TrainWatcher]

Well when its 10 cars, who else does?

[Mr. Tops]

Well when its 10 cars, who else does?

?? So because it's a 10 car train means it's not important anymore? And if you have a 125 car coal train and a 10 car UPS train, the coal train is more important because he has more cars? James, the length of a train really has nothing to do with its priority.

[CSX_CO]

[quote="Don Simon]Interesting. So the yard is sort of used as commodities storage. Almost like chemicals and plastic are stored in rail cars and sit in yards until the customer calls for them. I would have thought the cars are delivered to GM as they arrive in Defiance and GM stock piles the coke/sand on their property and release the cars back to the railroad immediately.

How is it determined how many cars are loaded in Muskegon and when they are released to be taken to Defiance?[/quote]

I can answer things on the Muskegon end, but it may just be however many cars they have on hand, and how fast they can fill them up is how fast they get sent back out. Things vary day by day to affect the loading and unloading process. I know there is the 'salt pile' in Crawfordsville that will get 10 or 11 cars in a day. Some days they get them all unloaded, some days, only a 3-4 get unloaded. All depends on how stubborn the salt is coming out.

I'm sure GM Pays CSX quite well for storing their cars in Defiance Yard. The cost must be such that its more cost effective to pay CSX then build a large enough yard on GM property to save those costs.

Practice Safe CSX

[anumber1]

Typhoon...

I have lived the life of running the CSX/CPR jobs for well over a decade. The info I have is from people that actually still listen to the CSX/CP conference call every morning.

As of just a few weeks ago they had decided to run the trains via Garrett since they always have to be recrewed on the GR sub anyway. There was a lot of pleading by GRR supporters (CSX/UTU) and we have the trains back for now. It's precarious and that is no lie. I understand that Bensenville stole the power. It's not like X500 runs through to Toronto anymore, It terminates in Windsor. If it sits for days, that is just how it goes. CSX does the same to their "short haul" traffic.

Living the life and chatting about it online are two very different things. Lemmie know if you "live the life".

[CSX_CO]

Typhoon...

Lemmie know if you "live the life".

I hope Typhoon sees this, cause this could get good!

Practice Safe CSX

[AARR]

but it may just be however many cars they have on hand, and how fast they can fill them up is how fast they get sent back out.

Ok, I can follow that. There's so many cars in the pool and they get loaded when they arrive (and there's room to load them) then their emptied when needed in Defiance then returned to Muskegon. Thanks CSX-CO. Operations and logostics are my favorite aspect of railroading.