Shortline Train Location Updates - May 2024

[Jim_c]

Grand Elk north through Byron Center approx 2:45pm. Looked like WAMX 4189 and definitely 4190, maybe 20ish cars.

Around 9:30PM they wee in Plainwell picking up the Otsego cars.

[~Z~]

Grand Elk north through Byron Center at 1:38pm. WAMX 4124, WAMX 4209, and 15 cars. Tank cars, boxcars, and covered hoppers.

[Jim_c]

Grand Elk must have either made a run up from Kalamazoo, or ran light from Grand Rapids. They were picking up the Otsego cars about 6:30 when we went to walk the dogs. I didn't see any other cars waiting on the main. I heard the usual horns when they crossed Broad Street and M-89 but I don't believe they ever went back north of M-89. No sign of them when re recrossed the tracks about 5 minutes later. Nothing on the EOT frequency.

[kd_1014]

GRE westbound through Ada at 11:08. Looked to be slowing to work Amway.

[~Z~]

Grand Elk north through Byron Center at 11:43am. WAMX 4124, WAMX 4209, and 19 cars.

[Raildudes dad]

Looking north from Ann St the last couple days - it looks like the sand transload has been removed except for the yellow structure for the hooking on a safety harness for working on on the top of hoppers.

[Talk]

MS south at Grand Haven 13:55. 2170 leading 2019 light power

[kd_1014]

Looking north from Ann St the last couple days - it looks like the sand transload has been removed except for the yellow structure for the hooking on a safety harness for working on on the top of hoppers.

Doesn’t surprise me. The last time there were sand hoppers there, they were in storage. I don’t think they’ve actually transloaded sand there for the last 5 years.

[Andy24]

Grand Elk north through Byron Center at 11:43am. WAMX 4124, WAMX 4209, and 19 cars.

I believe Grand Elk went south between 2-4pm. I didn’t hear any train horns from 4 to 9pm. Even went trackside at 6-7:30pm earlier today.

[Plannerdad]

CSX Y297 around 6:00pm pulled 14 hoppers and one ADMX tank south from the Ann St yard. Not many loads were left for GRE Friday. The ADMX tank looked new, assuming from Amway.

[Talk]

Hearing a brake test on the Radio at 08:35. Must be Michigan Shore, the crew reminiscing about MMRR 24

- they are gonna be lining the swing bridge early for them, no blocking Grand Haven!

Michigan Shore in Grand Haven 09:30

[AARR]

Did they ever get any sand traffic?

Looking north from Ann St the last couple days - it looks like the sand transload has been removed except for the yellow structure for the hooking on a safety harness for working on on the top of hoppers.

[Andy24]

Marquette Rail Z151-31 @ 10:44 copied an EC1 at CGE 3.6 Turner St with BPRR #3345 leader + 2/3 SD40s & ?? cars

[SD80MAC]

Did they ever get any sand traffic?

Looking north from Ann St the last couple days - it looks like the sand transload has been removed except for the yellow structure for the hooking on a safety harness for working on on the top of hoppers.

They were doing quite a lot of sand up there 2015-2017 or so.

[AARR]

Thank you. Is the sand being transloaded elsewhere or has it stopped?

Did they ever get any sand traffic?

Looking north from Ann St the last couple days - it looks like the sand transload has been removed except for the yellow structure for the hooking on a safety harness for working on on the top of hoppers.

They were doing quite a lot of sand up there 2015-2017 or so.

[SD80MAC]

I don't know if any sand is being shipped out of Michigan anymore for fracing. None on the GDLK anywhere that I'm aware of. MS still handles some sand occasionally (for casting?). I don't think MQT handles any anymore either. For a while around 2014-2015, CSX was handling so much sand from MS, MQT, and GDLK that there was talk of running unit sand trains!

[LansingRailFan]

13:30 - HESSER 702 inbound to Durand with 3414/3484

[Andy24]

Grand Elk 303 @ 3:11pm distance horns heard in Wyoming, MI, presumably NB

[J T]

Grand Elk 303 @ 3:11pm distance horns heard in Wyoming, MI, presumably NB

Sitting on my deck near 28th and Burlingame I can hear them too.

[LansingRailFan]

14:23 - HESSER 701 outbound from Durand over and out