CSX around New Buffalo (Michigan Sub?)

[mrconductor55]

Hi Guys,

I don't post here too often. I was looking to shoot some stuff along the Pere Marquette in New Buffalo. I know Amtrak makes runs through there (PM and Blue Water I believe). Does CP still run through on occation as well. I'd love to see stuff running through at night to. Lots of neat props for night shots around NB.

Thanks,

Frank

[SD80MAC]

The CSX line through New Buffalo is part of the Grand Rapids sub. As far as trains, it's pretty much hit or miss. CP runs just one train through MI on CSX now, X500, which can show up at any time. CSX runs 2 road freights through New Buffalo, Chicago-Detroit Q326, and it's westbound counterpart Q327. Q326 runs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, while Q327 runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The kicker is that Q326 usually heads through New Buffalo in the very early morning hours, and Q327 late at night/also very early in the morning. Amtrak's Pere Marquette is schedueled to stop at NB at 10:02 am and the eastbound stops at 6 something pm IIRC. Aside from an isolated stone train or storage train to the New Buffalo yard, your chances of seeing something other than Amtrak aren't too great. The Amtrak line through New Buffalo is bussier, but again it's all Amtrak trains with one NS local that I'm not sure how often runs.

But I guess if you like night action, New Buffalo on the PM should be alright.

[mrconductor55]

NS local on the Amtrak MC line? Really? If someone could elaborate on that. I seem to remember seeing BNSF coal trains running on these tracks as well.


Thanks

[GTW6401]

The NS local runs out of Burns Harbor east onto the Amtrak line to serve various shippers along the line going towards Kalamazoo. This used to be done by the B-1-G local out of Kalamazoo until the Grand Elk acquisition earlier this year.

The BNSF coal trains do travel through New Buffalo on their way to the Consumers Energy plant in West Olive, Michigan. Your best bet to determine if they are running is to check the CSX updates section on this website.

[Mr. Tops]

As far as coal trains to/from the BNSF, you can usually catch atleast 1 load going up and one empty coming back down from West Olive per day. Stone trains aren't running anymore to GR; I believe Third Coast in Wyoming Yard closed up. They occasionally get K930's at their Lansing facility but those come up through Toledo - someone correct me if I am wrong.

NS runs B05 out of Burns Harbor up the MI line to service customers. That's all I know about that, though.

[Raildudes dad]

Stone trains aren't running anymore to GR; I believe Third Coast in Wyoming Yard closed up. They occasionally get K930's at their Lansing facility but those come up through Toledo - someone correct me if I am wrong.

Third Coast is now Conrad Yelvington. CY was always the money behind 3rd Coast as far as I could determine. Big piles of stone still there last night (more thna rearlier this year). I'm guessing no trains because demand for stone isn't very high - economy

[GP30M4216]

That NS B05 jobs could be anywhere from just a couple cars up to at least two dozen depending on the work that needs to be done along the line. I believe this is a daylight run both ways but maybe Signmasters can chime in to verify.

I think the CSX stuff, what little of it there is, has been covered. While there aren't ever "A lot" of trains running on the GR Sub, the portion right at New Buffalo sees the fewest. Which is really too bad considering the historic railroading relics located there, and the town's railroad history.

[SD80MAC]

D'oh, don't know how I forgot to mention the BNSF coal trains on CSX through New Buffalo.

[mrconductor55]

Thanks guys,

Yeah, I saw the Chi-DT train today, and AMTK 370 1.5 hours late. I'll definitly have to look into tht B05 job. What kind of power is usually found, Gp38-2's and the like?

[SD80MAC]

Thanks guys,

Yeah, I saw the Chi-DT train today, and AMTK 370 1.5 hours late. I'll definitly have to look into tht B05 job. What kind of power is usually found, Gp38-2's and the like?

Because the Amtrak Michigan corridor uses specialized ITCS cab signals, power for NS trains is almost always one or two ex Conrail GP40-2's equipped with ITCS.

[mrconductor55]

Cool man, I guess that means they haul ass. I caught some Westbound Amtrak train on there tonight @ NB. I wasn't expecting it, as I had no clue that anything ran that late on that line.

[Mr. Tops]

They can only goes as fast as the freight cars in their consist will let them. Most freight cars are rated for 60mph, a lot are only rated for 50mph, and some are only rated for 40mph. Intermodal and multilevels are rated to 70mph. You have maximum authorized TRACK speed, and then you have maximum authorized TRAIN speed. Although track speed may be 60 for freights, if you have just ONE car in your consist that is rated for 50mph, that is your maximum authorized speed. Now, if your maximum authorized train speed is 50mph, and the maximum authorized track speed is only 40mph, that will take precedence over train speed.

[mrconductor55]

ah, oh and btw I can hear something is rolling east through Union Pier right now