CSX GRE MQT Train Location Update 7-2-08

[Raildudes dad]

Looks quiet at the GRE. CSX picked up the outbound and left 2 hoppers. No NS pickup or delivery. The usual Amtrak.

[~Z~]

Girl at work took Amtrak out to Montana on Thursday(me jealous)...went Amtrak Holland to Chicago, then had to take a bus from Chicago to St Paul due to flooding issues, then Amtrak St Paul to Montana.
On the way back, they thought she'd be able to go straight through, but again, had to take a bus from St Paul to Chicago...bus missed the connecting Amtrak P370 to Holland, so she arrived at 2am this morning.

Q32602 - GRAND RAPIDS MI CG 1 07-02-2008 08:30
Q32702 - set to leave Detroit at 2pm
Q33402 - ERIE MI CCA125 07-02-2008 08:46
Q33502 - WILLIAMSTON MI CH 73 07-02-2008 09:12
CP X50001 - 75TH STREET TCS IL DC 24 07-02-2008 07:27
N90330 - WEST OLIVE MI CGC 33 07-01-2008 21:10
N91030 - WEST OLIVE MI CGC 33 07-02-2008 03:50
E94902 - not moving yet
D70001 - GRAND RAPIDS MI CG 1 07-02-2008 03:35
W05530 - NEVILLE ISLAND PA PLE 6 07-02-2008 08:09 (running out of Toledo southbound)
W07823 - TOLEDO DOCK OH CDA120 07-02-2008 00:50(arrived)
D70802 and D70902 - set to move out of Lansing a little after noon.
Amtrak P37102 - GROSS MI CG 62 07-02-2008 09:17

[SteveHiuzenga]

That sucks about having to take the bus all that way. We took Amtrak to Minnestoa in April and it was a great trip. It's really not that expensive if you book early enough...it was only $400 round trip for three of us.

But we got into Union Station on the way back 20 minutes after 370 was scheduled to leave. Do you think they would hold the train for the 14 of us on the Empire Builder that needed to go Holland or Grand Rapids? No, they rented three vans for all of us.

I realize they are probably judged for on time performance and there would be hell to pay for having a train leave 20 minutes late even if you could explain how much this would have saved in van rental, driver pay, gas, etc.

[Tlout]

Y121 at Windquest - had 6 cars and caboose. CSXT 2520.

Y121 heading for Ottawa Beach with 2 UP cars. 12:18 PM.

[trnwatcher]

RN has code failure west of Grandville. Trees on track at CG7.2 and 7.5 due to storms this afternoon. Signal maintainer is working on code line but track dept. has to come out and remove trees.

[RailCanon]

East End update, courtesy of Mike Tabone:
Westbound Grain Train meeting Q326 at Brighton right now. D709 will be following this train back to Lansing upon clearance of Howell.
There is also a West Olive coal train waiting in Plymouth for the line ahead to clear.

[pfs]

That sucks about having to take the bus all that way. We took Amtrak to Minnestoa in April and it was a great trip. It's really not that expensive if you book early enough...it was only $400 round trip for three of us.

But we got into Union Station on the way back 20 minutes after 370 was scheduled to leave. Do you think they would hold the train for the 14 of us on the Empire Builder that needed to go Holland or Grand Rapids? No, they rented three vans for all of us.

I realize they are probably judged for on time performance and there would be hell to pay for having a train leave 20 minutes late even if you could explain how much this would have saved in van rental, driver pay, gas, etc.

However, the arilines will hold planes for 30 + minutes for X amount of passengers connecting. I have had it happen to me more than once. Not to say that Amtrak is on time but there is a double standard compared to air travel.

I have been stranded twice in NYC by American Airlines in the last year, its not cheap to stay overnight there. Next time I go there I may drive to Toledo and take the Lake Shore Limited, 14 or 15 hours on the train sounds much more enjoyable than being treated like a criminal in airports.

Sorry to hijack the thread.

[trnwatcher]

Code line failure is from 3 code line poles down at CG 5.3? Ivanrest CSX repair crews are at work replacing these poles.
Tree was down at CG7.5 in Jenison not 7.2 as I reported earlier.

[nsted1582]

CSX 1 westbound 5:00PM AT LANSING
CSX 1 eastbound 5:30PM AT LANSING