CSX GRE Train Location Update 11-17-2007

Tlout · Unread post by **Tlout** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 10:18 am

Guess I'll get things started here today:
Amtrak P371 - had to stop short of the Holland Depot - had to wait for an eastbound train to get in the siding at east Saugatuck.
Went down to get a closer look - 1 Genesis engine #189, 4 Superliners AND the private observation car "Navy" on the tail end.
The blue neon light "Navy" on the back of the car looks great in low light.

A few minutes after Amtrak left, the gravel train came up from East Saugatuck with CSX 283 and 8722.

If anyone is interested, I can post some pics later.

Tlout · Unread post by **Tlout** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:39 am

Thought I just heard Q327 clear Holland Depot (west bound)??? Can anyone verify this?

Unread post by **~Z~** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 12:06 pm

Looks like you are very correct Tim, q327 didn't get into GR until 7:30 this morning, left Detroit at 1am.
On the way home last night, heard all sorts of issues with the code line... dispatcher said code line was in fail from Porter to Helper, and possibly all the way to Lamar.
I'm interested in seeing some pics Tim.

Q32617 - GRAND RAPIDS MI CG 1 11-17-2007 08:30
Q32716 - HOLLAND MI CG 25 11-17-2007 11:44
Q33417 - WALBRIDGE TOWER OH CTT 67 11-17-2007 11:46
Q33517 - GRAND RAPIDS MI CG 1 11-17-2007 10:45
CP X50016 - WELLS MI CG 42 11-17-2007 09:14 (dead there?)
N90316 - KIRK MI CG 71 11-17-2007 08:51
N90317 - at Chicago
N95615 - FLINT MI CC 35 11-17-2007 08:00
K91015 - GRAND RAPIDS MI CG 1 11-17-2007 10:45
E94915, E94916, E94917 - at West Olive
E94517 - called out of Flint
D80316 - PLASTER CREEK MI CGT 1 11-17-2007 11:30
D80117 - not on the move yet
Amtrak P37117 - PORTER IN CG 136 11-17-2007 11:35 (about an hour late getting there)

Unread post by **~Z~** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 12:24 pm

This is a further update that I'm lookin up for GLC392 as he's out and about today.
Q32117 - TOLEDO STANLEY OH QT 5 11-17-2007 07:45
Q32217 - called out of Toledo at 10pm
K38816 - hasn't left Detroit
K38917 - hasn't left Willard
Q13117 - at Detroit
Q13216 - DETROIT TV MI QQM 2 11-17-2007 09:45
Q15017 - WALBRIDGE OH CDA118 11-17-2007 11:40
Q15117 - BOUGHTONVILLE OH BG 198 11-17-2007 12:18
Q21617 - at Detroit
Q23117 - at Detroit
Q24517 - at Detroit
Q27216 - DETROIT MI CH 1 11-17-2007 11:20
Q28717 - at Toledo
Q29017 - WALBRIDGE OH CDA118 11-17-2007 10:10
Q30417 - CARLETON MI CC 105 11-17-2007 11:57
Q30517 - DETROIT STERLING YD MI QQS 21 11-17-2007 10:26
Q39216 - PLYMOUTH HI RAIL MI CC 81 11-17-2007 11:54
Q39917 - TOLEDO STANLEY OH QT 5 11-17-2007 09:15

Tlout · Unread post by **Tlout** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 1:24 pm

Just caught X500 west of Holland. CP AC4400CW #9632.
Nice to be able to get out a little today, even though I can't go far or be out too long.

Unread post by **cnw8835** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 1:39 pm

Tlout wrote:Just caught X500 west of Holland.

What was the power?

Tlout · Unread post by **Tlout** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 1:47 pm

cnw8835 wrote:
Tlout wrote:Just caught X500 west of Holland.
What was the power?

CP 9632 (AC4400CW) - just added this info to my earlier post, too.

J T · Unread post by **J T** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 3:11 pm

Tlout wrote:Just caught X500 west of Holland. CP AC4400CW #9632.
Nice to be able to get out a little today, even though I can't go far or be out too long.

Where'd you get 'em, Tim?

Always happy to see pictures.

Tlout · Unread post by **Tlout** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 4:26 pm

J T wrote:
Tlout wrote:Just caught X500 west of Holland. CP AC4400CW #9632.
Nice to be able to get out a little today, even though I can't go far or be out too long.
Where'd you get 'em, Tim?

Always happy to see pictures.

Mile post 29 (where I-196 goes over the tracks).

I'll try to get some pics up here - my monitor died, and I'm working with this old 14" CRT thing I have as a back-up - very hard to see...

J T · Unread post by **J T** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 4:29 pm

Ahh, 143rd St. I was sitting at that crossing several years ago waiting for P370 and some kids rode up on their bikes and started asking me questions. They thought I worked for the railroad and kept bugging me to show my ID to prove I didn't. haha When the train finally came, they all grabbed rocks and proceeded to chuck them at the train as it flew by. They all took off as soon as the train cleared. One of the rocks bounced back and almost hit my car.

Tlout · Unread post by **Tlout** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 4:44 pm

This morning I drove my car back by Waverly Yard where Amtrak was waiting before heading on into Holland. There is an old factory there that is closed, and to the side of it is a little "hobo jungle" where transients, kids, and gang members like to hang out. Went on back in there so I could try to get a better shot - you never know who or what you'll kick up. A couple minutes later J.R. Valderas (usually shooting for the Holland Sentinel) pulled up with a female photographer that he is showing the ropes of railfanning to. Kind of nice to have other people around when you are in "remote" areas.
I can't say how many times I have had to go out in my backyard and tell kids that the tracks aren't a good place to party - especially when I'm waiting to get a pic.

Unread post by **~Z~** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 6:27 pm

Hey Tim, saw that you uploaded some of the photos to the gallery...if you want to put them in your own folder instead of just using the "misc user gallery", here's some instructions... any questions, just let me know.

http://www.railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=919

Tlout · Unread post by **Tlout** » Sat Nov 17, 2007 6:32 pm

I posted some pics from this morning in the "guest" gallery. Search for Tim Loutzenhiser.
I could post them here if anyone prefers, I suppose...

EDIT 9:40 PM: Thanks for the link - I'll check it out and get those pics organized better.

J T · Unread post by **J T** » Sun Nov 18, 2007 9:28 am

Tlout wrote:This morning I drove my car back by Waverly Yard where Amtrak was waiting before heading on into Holland. There is an old factory there that is closed, and to the side of it is a little "hobo jungle" where transients, kids, and gang members like to hang out.

Actually, that factory is used. I went back there on the 29th of October to get this picture:

When I first drove back there, a worker came out of the building to take a look at me (saw me drive by through the open garage door). When he saw me, I was already standing outside my car with camera in hand. He didn't say anything and went back inside. A bit later when I was waiting for Z to show up, another guy came driving out of that building, closed the garage door and drove by me. When he passed me, I waved and he waved and smiled and continued on his way. So there must be SOMETHING going on inside there.

Pics look good, Tim. What lens are you using? I suspect you're "saving for the web" in photoshop (or similar program) due to the small file size and lack of EXIF data, so it's hard to tell.

amtrak1007 · Unread post by **amtrak1007** » Wed Nov 21, 2007 1:51 pm

Photos of the Marquette train start here.

http://railroadfan.com/gallery/displayi ... pos=-42709

Tlout · Unread post by **Tlout** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 5:11 pm

J T wrote:
Tlout wrote:This morning I drove my car back by Waverly Yard where Amtrak was waiting before heading on into Holland. There is an old factory there that is closed, and to the side of it is a little "hobo jungle" where transients, kids, and gang members like to hang out.
Actually, that factory is used. I went back there on the 29th of October to get this picture:

When I first drove back there, a worker came out of the building to take a look at me (saw me drive by through the open garage door). When he saw me, I was already standing outside my car with camera in hand. He didn't say anything and went back inside. A bit later when I was waiting for Z to show up, another guy came driving out of that building, closed the garage door and drove by me. When he passed me, I waved and he waved and smiled and continued on his way. So there must be SOMETHING going on inside there.

Pics look good, Tim. What lens are you using? I suspect you're "saving for the web" in photoshop (or similar program) due to the small file size and lack of EXIF data, so it's hard to tell.

I generally have the 18-55mm lens on that came with the camera (Rebel XTi) - sometimes I use my Canon EF 75-300mm. I use Paint Shop Pro or Microsoft Digital Image Suite (depends if I'm using my desktop or laptop) for image re-sizing.

Norm · Unread post by **Norm** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 5:59 pm

Tlout wrote:There is an old factory there that is closed, and to the side of it is a little "hobo jungle" where transients, kids, and gang members like to hang out.

Tim,

I encountered a similar situation here in Waterford a couple of years back. If you look on Google Earth, just west of the corner of Telegraph Rd. and Dixie Hwy. in Waterford, you will see the remnants of what was once the Pontiac Drive-in Theater. The entrance is blocked, so it was necessary to walk the several hundred yards to see the tracks. When I got to the back of the drive-in I noticed what appeared to be a"hobo camp" complete with a couple of wood fired cook stoves, what looked to be beds made from things that were readily available, and, to my shock, an empty pair of boots. Definitely made me wonder if I had happened into someplace I would not be welcomed. That kind of thing doesn't happen in your back yard. It happens in places where the discretionate do not go.

The bottom line is that even though I consider I can handle such situations, I felt uncomfortable. I found there was nothing to see but track, then beat a cautious retreat to my truck.

Not trying to put fear into anyone, just saying you should always be aware of your surroundings, and if it "don't feel right", get the heck out.

P.S. Trains will not kill you unless you are where you shouldn't be. Motorists are not so discriminating.

RailRoadFan.com

B1G - The Big Train

CSX GRE Train Location Update 11-17-2007

CSX GRE Train Location Update 11-17-2007