Columbus area musings

[redside20]

saw that midland sub came up to my neck of the woods yesterday. He reported that Columbus Auto Shredding now has a spur into their facility near Watkins Yd with gondolas in them. He also reported a warehouse with a new owner and they were using rail service. Yes midland sub i've always wondered about that warehouse whenever i went back there. For AARR, customers in that area are served by NS are Essroc Cement, Mittal Steel, Coca Cola, Sherwin Williams, and Georgia Pacific. There are a few more warehouses on the sw side of Watkins that both CSX and NS serve along with another cement facility. yes they keep that Ohio Central loco over by Leonard Ave. and the elevator out by Lilly Chapel has been very busy

[AARR]

For AARR, customers in that area are served by NS are Essroc Cement, Mittal Steel, Coca Cola, Sherwin Williams, and Georgia Pacific. There are a few more warehouses on the sw side of Watkins that both CSX and NS serve along with another cement facility. yes they keep that Ohio Central loco over by Leonard Ave. and the elevator out by Lilly Chapel has been very busy

Why does it seem railroads serve more customers in cities outside of MI

[Y@]

For AARR, customers in that area are served by NS are Essroc Cement, Mittal Steel, Coca Cola, Sherwin Williams, and Georgia Pacific. There are a few more warehouses on the sw side of Watkins that both CSX and NS serve along with another cement facility. yes they keep that Ohio Central loco over by Leonard Ave. and the elevator out by Lilly Chapel has been very busy

Why does it seem railroads serve more customers in cities outside of MI

Michigan is the economic wasteland! It's "out of the way" for railroads. Meanwhile, Ohio is right on the belt of just about every major East Coast to Chicago line, and we all know Chicago (or St. Louis) is the major gateway to the west

[MDH]

Michigan is the economic wasteland!

Then this must be Detroit!



(note the 'system requirements' for more amusement!)

So is this what school is like in Michigan?



Please note - all in good fun & joking, I'm not trying to re-start the Ohio-Michigan war! Last thing I need is a bunch of drunk rednecks from Temperance trying to storm north Toledo although I doubt they'd get past the strip bars by Northtown... Speaking of wastelands, the former Northtown mall even has a web site devoted to its decline & fall:

http://www.deadmalls.com/malls/northtow ... _mall.html

OK - that's enough off topic humor for now!

[midland sub]

I was really surprised by the Columbus Auto Shredders (CAS) spur off of the WV Secondary. CAS does some incredible business at the Alum Creek location, so I guess it's no real surprise. It was even better catching the NS track inspection train at Bannon!

What I call the New World Dr line for NS is sort of interesting. The line cuts back through the now closed Discovery Park intermodal (closed when Rickenbacker opened) facility. Redside was correct about the number of customers, though Sherman Williams no longer uses rail. The cold storage warehouse spur cuts through the Columbus Fair Auto Auction intake lot. Their spur is about 20 years old, but wasn't used for the past 10 years. The CFAA owns the spur and was in discussion with GM and Chrysler (plus my fleet stuff) about building an unloading ramp for autoracks. They got to the point of almost buying the old unloading equipment from CSX at Parsons, but then the economy went in the tank.. The cold warehouse was just recently bought by a new company who just recently started using rail again.

The Ohio Central always surprises me with something new. The loco fleet isn't quite as diverse and changing like it did under Jerry J's ownership. But where else can you find a SD40-2-C30-7-SD40T-2 in matching paint these days? Or how about a pair of Super 7 B23-7s in unpatched Conrail and CSX paint? Throw in the NS coal trains, and the Ohio Central can be a pretty interesting operation. But nobody really seems to pay attention to them.

I don't have much luck with the Camp Chase, but how can't you like their popsicle orange SW1500s? I just don't have the time to catch them during the week. One of these days I'll luck out and catch them heading to Lily Chapel on the old NYC.

[PAT.C]

WE MICHIGAN RAIL FANS WILL NOT TOLERATE THAT KIND OF TALK FROM A BUNCH OF LOOOOONIES RUNNING AROUND IN RED SHIRTS WITH "OHIO SH*T " PRINTED ON THEM.!!!!!!!!

LET'S INVADE OHIO !!!!!!!!!!!!

NEXT FRIDAY [THE 11TH ] IS D-DAY. WE WILL SNEAK IN FRI. EVE. AND INVADE FOSTORIA SATURDAY THE 12TH.

WE WILL POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP ON OHIO !!!!!!!!!!!

[MDH]

WE WILL POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP ON OHIO !!!!!!!!!!!

Hey now, hey now, just make sure it lands in the "eel house" at Deshler eh?

[CSX_CO]

Michigan is the economic wasteland! It's "out of the way" for railroads. Meanwhile, Ohio is right on the belt of just about every major East Coast to Chicago line, and we all know Chicago (or St. Louis) is the major gateway to the west

While you are right, I would hardly call Columbus on any major east-west railroad anymore. Traffic flow through there is noticably north-south (even if the railroads call it east west). The last major east-west railroad through Columbus would have been the PRR, which effectively ended under Conrail.

However, what it, and Indianapolis, has is the fact that is within 1 days drive to most of the east coasts and midwests major metropolitan hubs. Hence why Columbus, along with Indy, are major distribution centers for consumer goods.

Practice Safe CSX

[CSX_CO]

Michigan is the economic wasteland! It's "out of the way" for railroads. Meanwhile, Ohio is right on the belt of just about every major East Coast to Chicago line, and we all know Chicago (or St. Louis) is the major gateway to the west

While you are right, I would hardly call Columbus on any major east-west railroad anymore. Traffic flow through there is noticably north-south (even if the railroads call it east west). The last major east-west railroad through Columbus would have been the PRR, which effectively ended under Conrail.

Even CSX's freight traffic to Columbus from Chicago goes via Indianapolis first (Q643 to Indy for classification, then on Q310 to Columbus).

However, what it, and Indianapolis, has is the fact that is within 1 days drive to most of the east coasts and midwests major metropolitan hubs. Hence why Columbus, along with Indy, are major distribution centers for consumer goods. Doesn't hurt it lies right on I-70, with access to the west coast from it.

Practice Safe CSX

[TrainWatcher]

WE MICHIGAN RAIL FANS WILL NOT TOLERATE THAT KIND OF TALK FROM A BUNCH OF LOOOOONIES RUNNING AROUND IN RED SHIRTS WITH "OHIO SH*T " PRINTED ON THEM.!!!!!!!!

LET'S INVADE OHIO !!!!!!!!!!!!

NEXT FRIDAY [THE 11TH ] IS D-DAY. WE WILL SNEAK IN FRI. EVE. AND INVADE FOSTORIA SATURDAY THE 12TH.

WE WILL POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP ON OHIO !!!!!!!!!!!

The 101st Detroit Regiment is ready with their AK47's and Esclades

[MDH]

The 101st Detroit Regiment is ready with their AK47's and Esclades

So if one of these shows up it's time to run for cover?

[Steel Inferno]

Hey look at the 4x4 with the bicycle tires!

[JTNikon]

Nice wheels...I assume these wheels were made in Michigan I suppose...nice palm trees for Michigan ! Those trees must be in the "Upper Peninsula" of Michigan, we cant grow them here in Ohio !

[strugglin]

It was even better catching the NS track inspection train at Bannon!

The NS track inspection train was in Columbus today!? Any pictures? I would have loved to have seen it, I don't suppose its still at Watkins Yard?

[JTNikon]

where is it going tomorrow ? Any idea ? Working north to Marion and Bellevue or south or west to Dayton ?

[redside20]

midland sub...i went back by Watkins Road/New World Drive area and saw a bunch of tankers all about. do you know who the majority of customers they are for? Coca Cola? Georgia Pacific? The cold storage warehouse you were referring had "FST Logistics" on the side of it

[PowellWye]

Should be Coke I believe. Also where is the auto shredding place?

[midland sub]

The shorter tank cars are for Coca Cola and are usually staged on the track just outside their plant. A couple of years ago they usually were switched between 3 and 5 in the afternoon. The others are for Georgia Pacific and there's usually 8 to 10 staged just behind the GP property. I heard the auto auction will be selling the track to the cold storage warehouse.

The CAS spur is right at the Alum Creek Dr crossing. Great neighborhood.....

[redside20]

The shorter tank cars are for Coca Cola and are usually staged on the track just outside their plant. A couple of years ago they usually were switched between 3 and 5 in the afternoon. The others are for Georgia Pacific and there's usually 8 to 10 staged just behind the GP property. I heard the auto auction will be selling the track to the cold storage warehouse.

The CAS spur is right at the Alum Creek Dr crossing. Great neighborhood.....

hehehe...ah the Alum Creek Drive, Refugee Road area....half industrial wasteland, half ghetto, section 8 housing, and halfbreed of white trash mutants especially going north on Alum Creek Drive towards Livingston Ave. to keep it railroad related doesn't NS serve a few customers on the old western branch between Bannon and Parsons Ave

[strugglin]

to keep it railroad related doesn't NS serve a few customers on the old western branch between Bannon and Parsons Ave

That's correct, Redside. I don't know any of the names or how many companies, but I have personally seen them switching out at the siding north of the tracks just west of Lockbourne Road. There's also the signals right there where they hold the trains before they go through Bannon or into Watkins Yard. In fact, I found a pic taken 1/27/2010.