Maumee & Western 7-26-10

[railohio]

I caught the Maumee & Western shuffling around cars in Defiance on a morning last month:

[railohio]

Later that afternoon I caught a train westbound through Napoleon:

[redside20]

those pics are cool RO. especially the ones where the train traverses through what looks like a jumble of weeds. also nice pics of the local switching out Johns Manville

[AARR]

also nice pics of the local switching out Johns Manville

What does JM receive in covered hoppers?

[Shorthaul]

What does JM receive in covered hoppers?

If this is an insulation plant, I'm guessing silica sand, which is melted down to make fiberglass. If it's not sand, than it is probably limestone or soda ash, which are mixed with the silica to lower the melt temp. It could also be recycled glass, but I doubt that would be shipped by rail. If insulation is made here, I just spent a week at work installing their product, If they don't make insulation here, than I have no idea.

[AARR]

What does JM receive in covered hoppers?

If this is an insulation plant, I'm guessing silica sand, which is melted down to make fiberglass. If it's not sand, than it is probably limestone or soda ash, which are mixed with the silica to lower the melt temp. It could also be recycled glass, but I doubt that would be shipped by rail. If insulation is made here, I just spent a week at work installing their product, If they don't make insulation here, than I have no idea.

Good info...thanks shorthaul

[MSchwiebert]

I would concur with the thought that its either/or soda ash or silica sand. The plant in the pictures (it's one of three JM plants in Defiance) does something glass related, I'm not sure if they spin the glass fibers that the other two facilities use or if they go from raw materials to finished product at each plant individualy. This plant also gets "raw glass" in - it's transported in large collapsable wood barrels. The unusual thing about that material is that it's in the form of marbles about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter.

[TC John]

It looks lik eI only ever see an engineer in the cab. DO they run 1-man crews, with a brakeman/conductor just meeting them where they need to throw switches/switch industries in a vehicle?

[railohio]

Conductor has a truck. It's visible in the fourth photo.

[MagnumForce]

The conductor literally follows the train from crossing to crossing with a truck filled with all your re-railing needs.This was ther turck up until about a year ago. They would throw three guys in this 87 Ranger, one of them the conductor, and coax rails into place etc as the train goes by, it is such a jacked up operation.





Here are a few more shots, the first two are taken at the "yard" here in town which is just beyond the Mansville plant.


The third is taken on the west side of FC, the crossing with the CSX Garrett Sub, which is used for Car storage only between Defiance and Cecil.


The Fourth Shot is taken in Napoleon right as the MAW enters town.

[AARR]

Nice pictures Brent. Although I'm biased toward pictures with industries in them I like the one of the engine on the bridge.

[Shorthaul]

Nice pictures Brent. Although I'm biased toward pictures with industries in them I like the one of the engine on the bridge.

Judging by the condition of the rest of their infrastructure, I would be quite frightened to be that close to that bridge, although it might be the one thing that is required to be kept up to a rational state of repair. Would it really be too much for the MAW to rent a tamper for a few days? Although with the condition of what they call "ballast", the tamper might make it worse, not to mention break joints and cause other problems when it is lining. It would probably move the rails, but not the ties. Scary for a revenue freight railroad.

[AARR]

Nice pictures Brent. Although I'm biased toward pictures with industries in them I like the one of the engine on the bridge.

Judging by the condition of the rest of their infrastructure, I would be quite frightened to be that close to that bridge, although it might be the one thing that is required to be kept up to a rational state of repair.

I was thinking the same thing that the bridge might be the safest track on their 50 mile system

[StupidFlee​t]

They would throw three guys in this 87 Ranger, one of them the conductor, and coax rails into place etc as the train goes by, it is such a jacked up operation.

They were using a mid-90s Ranger (same color) on Wednesday.

[CSX_CO]

Would it really be too much for the MAW to rent a tamper for a few days? Although with the condition of what they call "ballast", the tamper might make it worse, not to mention break joints and cause other problems when it is lining. It would probably move the rails, but not the ties. Scary for a revenue freight railroad.

Well, the ballast has little to do with anything other than drainage and making sure the ties stay where they need to be. If anything, a tamper would destroy any structural support the rotting ties currently give the track. If the ties are no good, it does more damage then just leaving it lay. They'd be better off buying new ties, and just getting a weed spraying outfit in. Not that they can afford either. That outfit looks like one major derailment away from being out of business.

They need a sign at FC where the diamonds go 'up and over' the B&O that says "Highest point on the MAW".

Practice Safe CSX

[Y@]

Well, the ballast has little to do with anything other than drainage and making sure the ties stay where they need to be. If anything, a tamper would destroy any structural support the rotting ties currently give the track. If the ties are no good, it does more damage then just leaving it lay. They'd be better off buying new ties, and just getting a weed spraying outfit in. Not that they can afford either. That outfit looks like one major derailment away from being out of business.

They need a sign at FC where the diamonds go 'up and over' the B&O that says "Highest point on the MAW".

Practice Safe CSX

They keep buying used ties from CSX (I don't even know if they buy them...CSX might just give them to them!) and placing those in.

The spot that I've been noticing lately is the "sag" west of County Road 16, a couple miles outside Napoleon. They derail there almost every time they run into Napoleon.

[Shorthaul]

They'd be better off buying new ties, and just getting a weed spraying outfit in. Not that they can afford either.
Practice Safe CSX

The SMRS (Southern Michigan Railroad) has a weed sprayer mounted on a speeder cart, and operates on zero freight revenue, so it's hard to believe that these guys can't afford a weed sprayer. The issue is that the whole track structure starts sinking into the ground due to a lack of ballast, and if there are no weeds on embankments, than the dirt washes away in the rain and the track sinks more. Another problem on the SMRS is that the line was built without tie plates, so the rail is cutting through the ties. I can't imagine how this line (the MAW) is going to survive for more than a decade without MAJOR investment.

[CSX_CO]

They'd be better off buying new ties, and just getting a weed spraying outfit in. Not that they can afford either.
Practice Safe CSX

The SMRS (Southern Michigan Railroad) has a weed sprayer mounted on a speeder cart, and operates on zero freight revenue, so it's hard to believe that these guys can't afford a weed sprayer. The issue is that the whole track structure starts sinking into the ground due to a lack of ballast, and if there are no weeds on embankments, than the dirt washes away in the rain and the track sinks more. Another problem on the SMRS is that the line was built without tie plates, so the rail is cutting through the ties. I can't imagine how this line (the MAW) is going to survive for more than a decade without MAJOR investment.

Take a look at the right of ways of old, under steam locomotives. Absolutely no weeds, brush, or undergrowth along the sides of the ROW. The cinders out of the locomotives used to choke out any foilage that happened along the sides of the ROW. You don't see issues with dirt washing away there.

Besides, that dirt is on the apron of the track, and unless you get an extreme washout, isn't undermining the track structure itself. You can have 4 ft of ballast under a track, and still get hydraulic action that results in mud working its way up through the track structure. This is why the most modern ROW's (even road crossing projects) are built over a layer of asphalt, to act as a barrier to mud coming up through the track structure, then putting several feet of ballast over it. The old way was 'mud mats' laid under the track structure, but those deteriorate over time. Asphalt is a more long term solution. Rock doesn't go away. Ties deteriorate long before the rock does. Adding a new tie every 10 ft (yard track) would probably go miles to improving their performance and put a stop to most of their derailments.

Herbicide isn't cheap, and the stuff needed to kill the weeds for a season is even more expensive, and potent. Plus, unless you want to take an entire summer to spray weeds with a 'hand cart', its much more economical to rent out a firm who specializes in the task. They have hi-rail truck mounted sprayers that can shoot three tracks at once. One pass with one of these on the MAW and they could be done in a day. I'm not saying they need the train sprayer that makes its way over CSX every summer, but there are better ways then Billy Jo Bob and a hand cart for a line of any length.

The problem with the MAW is priorities. They don't have any. They'd rather fight legal battles that contradict their stance, then make improvements to their railroad.

Practice Safe CSX

[Shorthaul]

Thanks for this information CSX_CO. I wasn't aware of how common the HMA (Hot Mix Asphalt) underlayment was, I assumed it was a geotextile or geogrid in most situations, and the HMA was only for the worst of soils.

[CSX_CO]

Thanks for this information CSX_CO. I wasn't aware of how common the HMA (Hot Mix Asphalt) underlayment was, I assumed it was a geotextile or geogrid in most situations, and the HMA was only for the worst of soils.

When BNSF laid the 2nd main on their transcon, much (if not all) was underlaid with asphalt. This served two purposes. One was that it created an access road for all the pre-track laying work (signals, engineering, etc) and the second being it served as a barrier to the mud problem.

Most crossing replacements now see a the old track and rock removed, a layer of asphalt laid down, rock, track panel, then crossing itself. This is so the associated drainage problems around crossings don't necessarily result in mud spots on either side of it.

Practice Safe CSX