West Dayton Business Expanding

[midland sub]

Good to hear Appleton Papers is still producing something.

AARR I'm not around the plant much anymore. I can't recall ever seeing any inbound coal for them in the past twenty years. Not saying they didn't receive coal during that time.

[railohio]

I was told by a plant manager that Plastipak in Jackson Center is Dayton Power & Light's second largest user, behind the AFB.

[midland sub]

Wright Patt has two seperate power plants on each of the sections of the base that they get coal still by truck. I would hate to think how much power they use in a day at the base....

Anyone know if the industries off of the old B&O Wellston Sub spur @ Springfield St still get cars? Looks like one of the warehouses does in the views at Bing. Plus at one point there was a plastic pellet customer there, but the silo and unloading equipment looks to be gone. I know CSX does a lot of business at the scrap yard there.

[GenXRailMedia]

Yes, the Transcon Express facility - near Springfield Street not far from the old Wellston - still gets a smattering of cars weekly. Someone else mentioned Franklin Iron and Metal which does a healthy business loading scrap in gons.

Cargill is in fact the largest rail customer in Dayton, averaging 20-25 cars inbound and outbound daily. It is easily one of the largest rail customers in Western Ohio.

I'm not sure what to make of this "tour" of Cargill that someone mentioned earlier...

Cargill and Malt Products are both in the food ingredient and liquid sweetener business. Cargill ships a handful of cars a week across town to "Malt" but I don't know enough about their expansion to know how this will affect their overall rail traffic flow.

The Needmore Yard jobs typically go to East Dayton to at least Franklin on Mon-Wed-Fri. and west to the D&U (Malt, GM Warehouse, etc.) on Tue-Thur-Sat. on first shift at least.

[midland sub]

Do they still have the plastic pellet silo and unloading equipment? The different views at Bing and Google sometimes show it, sometimes don't.

Interesting stuff about Cargill. Who would think they would be building a casino/race track across from it. Where the heck are people going to park?

I have some older patients in my Beavercreek office and it's neat to talk with them about the old Dayton. Really a shame what has happened to the Gem City.

[937TrainFan]

Yes, the Transcon Express facility - near Springfield Street not far from the old Wellston - still gets a smattering of cars weekly. Someone else mentioned Franklin Iron and Metal which does a healthy business loading scrap in gons.

Cargill is in fact the largest rail customer in Dayton, averaging 20-25 cars inbound and outbound daily. It is easily one of the largest rail customers in Western Ohio.

I'm not sure what to make of this "tour" of Cargill that someone mentioned earlier...

Cargill and Malt Products are both in the food ingredient and liquid sweetener business. Cargill ships a handful of cars a week across town to "Malt" but I don't know enough about their expansion to know how this will affect their overall rail traffic flow.

The Needmore Yard jobs typically go to East Dayton to at least Franklin on Mon-Wed-Fri. and west to the D&U (Malt, GM Warehouse, etc.) on Tue-Thur-Sat. on first shift at least.

Thanks for the info GenX. I'll try and periodically head down to Malt and check their expansion over the summer. Would you happen to have an photos or video of CSX running down the old D&U? Your youtube stuff is great. Subscribed.

[warder]

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=18889&p=186054&hil ... io#p186054
came across this.

[GenXRailMedia]

Thanks for the info GenX. I'll try and periodically head down to Malt and check their expansion over the summer. Would you happen to have an photos or video of CSX running down the old D&U? Your youtube stuff is great. Subscribed.

Thanks, and I have a handful of photos but no video of anything on the D&U. I need to get out there more.

[bn13814]

Just on a final update on Malt Products, here is a quote from the city of Dayton's "Bizbites" newsletter:

"Malt Products Corporation will expand its facility near Dayton's Northwest Industrial Park and build a state-of-the-art, 70,000-sq.-ft. malt extract plant, adding 30 or more jobs to its existing local workforce of 35. The company's $26 million investment will double its domestic production capacity of sweeteners used in the baking industry. The City of Dayton is supporting the company's growth through a $400,000 grant provided by the Montgomery County ED/GE program."

More production = more shipments. All in all good news for business.

According to the Dayton Daily News:

The expansion will involve building a brew house and a dry blending plant and expanding rail access to the facility, he said. Grain will be brought in via rail, unloaded and used to produce malt extract.

I take it to mean Malt Products will be receiving covered hoppers of barley from the upper Midwest?

DPJ

[midland sub]

Saw the Chessie System caboose over by Franklin Iron. They had maybe thirty plus gons loaded with scrap. Lot's of neat old gons too.
The old Wellston Spur across Springfield St hasn't been ulsed in a long time. Heavy coat of rust and the grade crossings full of mud. They've pulled up the west end of track. The silo is still in place for plastic pellets.

[937TrainFan]

The Barley sounds about right. Real interesting to hear because I thought they would just expand what they already have. Now it seems their basically introducing entirely new business to the area. Did the paper say anything about where it's going to be built DPJ? There is an old warehouse just north of Malt that seems like a good place to build.

[bn13814]

The Barley sounds about right. Real interesting to hear because I thought they would just expand what they already have. Now it seems their basically introducing entirely new business to the area. Did the paper say anything about where it's going to be built DPJ? There is an old warehouse just north of Malt that seems like a good place to build.

This article from Progressive Railroading http://www.progressiverailroading.com/m ... cts--35475 notes, "Malt Products plans to build a 600-foot spur north of two existing spurs."

[bn13814]

A little update from the Dayton Daily News on Malt Products' expansion. Not much new information though.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/bus ... 5-n/nXbct/

Malt Products Corp. in Dayton expects to create 30 full-time jobs, generating $1.5 million in new annual payroll and retaining $1.76 million in current payroll in an expansion at the company’s Wolf Creek Pike plant.

Malt Products makes natural sweeteners. The $26 million expansion means building a new plant to brew the company’s malt extract that will go to the baking industry as an ingredient for bread, bagel and bun products. The expansion will involve building a brew house and a dry blending plant and expanding rail access. Grain will be brought in via rail, unloaded and used to produce malt extract, the company has said.

[937TrainFan]

Thanks for the update bn. This means the first grain cars over the branch since 92 (I think), when the last train out of Arcanum went through. Hopefully this expansion puts the line on a daily schedule, I would like to finally catch it in action.

[midland sub]

I really think Dayton has a great rail history, but there's just doesn't seem to be much online to reference it. For example I really don't know much about the B&O on the D&U to Greenville. Feel free to share!

[jallenp7]

1992 sounds about right, the grain elevator was on the old P&E served by NYC and PC west of town.

I the Sampling of the Penn Central Book, there is a picture of a PC train switching the elevator, with a statement about the PC really did not want the elevator to be located on the line but rather on the Bee Line a bite north.

The track seemed to be in ok shape through Trotwood but I had heard that it was in really bad shape once it went from the old Richmond to Dayton PRR line to the B&O line at Dodson.

Not sure what other custormers were on the line, I know Dayton Tire was located along the line.

When was line cut back to Arcanum? I did go to Union City at one time.

[937TrainFan]

1992 sounds about right, the grain elevator was on the old P&E served by NYC and PC west of town.

I the Sampling of the Penn Central Book, there is a picture of a PC train switching the elevator, with a statement about the PC really did not want the elevator to be located on the line but rather on the Bee Line a bite north.

The track seemed to be in ok shape through Trotwood but I had heard that it was in really bad shape once it went from the old Richmond to Dayton PRR line to the B&O line at Dodson.

Not sure what other custormers were on the line, I know Dayton Tire was located along the line.

When was line cut back to Arcanum? I did go to Union City at one time.

I think I saw when the line from Arcanum to Union City was abandoned in the PC book you mentioned, but its been a while since I took a glance at it. My best guess was the late 80's, but for some reason I have a hunch that it was 84.

The PRR line from Dodson west to Richmond sure was in pretty bad shape. At one time I think the only train on the line was the Amtrak National Limited, taking the similar route to the Pennsylvania's 'Spirit of St. Louis' train.

Here is a video of the National Limited Passing through brookville in 1979 (last year of service) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq8W7bnyTdA

There is a book called 'B&O Rails Across the Heartland: Toledo to Cincinnati' which mentions a brief segment on both the D&U branch and the CH&D branch of west Dayton.

[bn13814]

Thanks for the update bn. This means the first grain cars over the branch since 92 (I think), when the last train out of Arcanum went through. Hopefully this expansion puts the line on a daily schedule, I would like to finally catch it in action.

You're welcome. I live in the Peoria (IL) area, but I get to Dayton maybe once a year, and when by myself, I check out the area's railroads and industries.

I was the customer service agent for Pioneer Railcorp's Kendallville Terminal Railway (KTR) in 2000-2002. One time, in 2001 IIRC, our main customer, the Kraft Foods/Favorite Brands marshmallow plant, rejected a corn syrup load so the shipper (Cerestar USA; now Cargill's Hammond IN plant) re-billed the car to Malt Products in Dayton. KTR only interchanges with Norfolk Southern, and I don't remember where CSXT received the car (possibly Chicago, if that makes any sense).

I can imagine barley for Malt Products will come from Minnesota and/or North Dakota, so BNSF, Canadian Pacific/SOO/DM&E and/or leaser equipment is likely.

[937TrainFan]

Very interesting story bn. I am familiar with the Hammond Cargill you mentioned as well.

I'm glad you decided to take interest in Dayton's railroads, as the online data-base for Dayton history is ---as midland sub put it--- a little short. It's important to just get this stuff out there, as there are probably many people "googling" modern Dayton (and probably western OH) and not finding much.

I promise to take pictures of all the new updates, and I will make sure I know where those barley cars are coming from!

[bn13814]

I'm glad you decided to take interest in Dayton's railroads, as the online data-base for Dayton history is ---as midland sub put it--- a little short. It's important to just get this stuff out there, as there are probably many people "googling" modern Dayton (and probably western OH) and not finding much.

I definitely have an interest. Books like Jerry Taylor's A Sampling of Penn Central have helped quite a bit, but I suspect Dayton's rail history is not emphasized as much because one could see the same railroads in Cincinnati and Columbus. One exception was the Erie/EL Marion - Dayton Branch. Because of that, I bought a copy of Morning Sun's Erie Lackawanna In Color, Vol. 1: The West End by Larry DeYoung.

But I also take an interest in Dayton's specific rail infrafructure, rail-served industries and yards. Past and present. Any news about industry expansion or new industry is definitely of interest. I'm also a freight traffic geek. Give me a railroad industry directory, a trainlist or an operating data table and I can spend a long time reading through them.