Today, I went through Kalamazoo via Amtrak back home from Chicago. I noticed from Niles to K-Zoo there was lots of Amtrak MOW cars and grain facilities. Then went into K-Zoo, and crossed over two diamonds. Then went past Botsford Yard with two NS Geeps still in Conrail paint. My questions are:
1. What lines cross the Amtrak in K-Zoo (I'd imagine one of them is the GR-Elkhart Line)?
2. How many and what trains run-a-day through/ around the Kalamazoo area?
and 3. Does the Amtrak Bluewater trains take this route to Chicago or continue via CN after Battlecreek?
Questions About Kalamazoo
Questions About Kalamazoo
"...and I was in the front and Matt grabbed and pulled my ears from behind me and made horsey sounds."
-
RailCanon
- BANHAMMERED
- Posts: 2327
- Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:26 am
- Location: East Lansing, MI
- Contact:
Check this thread:
viewtopic.php?t=1720
I'll attempt to directly answer your questions, though:
1. Both lines which cross the Michigan Line in Kalamazoo belong to NS. The line to west (closer to the Amtrak station) is the Kalamazoo Secondary which runs to Grand Rapids. The other line (next to BO Tower) is now just an industrial branch line (I think).
2. Amtrak runs eight trains per day through Kalamazoo (350-355, 364-365), while NS runs four through freights (36E/37E and 38J/39J) and several locals (B57, B0K, B1G, etc.) per day.
3. Both Bluewater trains, 364 and 365, use the Michigan Line (NS and Amtrak) between CP-Gord in Battle Creek and CP-482 in Porter, IN. There is currently no passenger service on the CN South Bend Subdivision west of Battle Creek.
viewtopic.php?t=1720
I'll attempt to directly answer your questions, though:
1. Both lines which cross the Michigan Line in Kalamazoo belong to NS. The line to west (closer to the Amtrak station) is the Kalamazoo Secondary which runs to Grand Rapids. The other line (next to BO Tower) is now just an industrial branch line (I think).
2. Amtrak runs eight trains per day through Kalamazoo (350-355, 364-365), while NS runs four through freights (36E/37E and 38J/39J) and several locals (B57, B0K, B1G, etc.) per day.
3. Both Bluewater trains, 364 and 365, use the Michigan Line (NS and Amtrak) between CP-Gord in Battle Creek and CP-482 in Porter, IN. There is currently no passenger service on the CN South Bend Subdivision west of Battle Creek.
-
GP30M4216
- Saver of all History
- Posts: 5003
- Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 10:35 pm
- Location: Feel the Zeel, MI
- Contact:
Yeah I need to update that B-57 change, Scooter. And B-1-G has changed some stuff around going west on the MC so I need to update that, too.
The track going north and south directly beside BO Tower is the BO Secondary. It extends from the Gibson Switch south of the tower up to and through North Yard. All old LS&MS trackage. The Kalamazoo Secondary is actually the old GR&I/PRR north of Gibson, which used to be a diamond between the PRR and LS&MS.
The track going north and south directly beside BO Tower is the BO Secondary. It extends from the Gibson Switch south of the tower up to and through North Yard. All old LS&MS trackage. The Kalamazoo Secondary is actually the old GR&I/PRR north of Gibson, which used to be a diamond between the PRR and LS&MS.
Seems like K-Zoo has more action that I thought. When we went through there, it was just our train (Amtrak 352), and looked like an NS crew messing around in Botsford Yard with one of the Conrail GP38s. In Battle Creek again was just our train, but there was a westbound CN train waiting for us to get-off the CN portion (Looked like M390).
"...and I was in the front and Matt grabbed and pulled my ears from behind me and made horsey sounds."
-
elliot98SS
- Railroadfan...fan
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sat Jul 12, 2008 6:47 pm
- Location: kalamazoo
- Contact:
Dont get fooled again
Oh don't be fooled, Kalamazoo is pretty lame for train watching lol It is a good place to get mugged, shot or hit up by a pan handler. Just south the CN line is much better. There is a diamond in Schoolcraft where the Nazi Southern and CN cross.
--Elliot
visit me on e bay, seller list wnovess99
visit me on e bay, seller list wnovess99
-
GP30M4216
- Saver of all History
- Posts: 5003
- Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 10:35 pm
- Location: Feel the Zeel, MI
- Contact:
Re: Questions About Kalamazoo
Actually, on any given weekday, you might have more luck seeing trains in Kalamazoo than down in Schoolcraft. I've sat for long stretches of the day (9am-3pm) and only seen 5 trains at Schoolcraft in some cases, whereas if you know where to look in Kalamazoo, you'd probably see more. It helps that you only need to monitor 4 channels on your scanner, NS Road, NS Yard, Amtrak AML, and CN. MOST trains pass by BO Tower, but not all.
Amtrak's 8 daily trains are predictable enough, just look at a schedule and call Julie. Be aware that trains arriving from the west may arrive into the station earlier than shown thanks to the speedy ITCS section which has not been reflected on the timetable.
In general, the Kalamazoo report I've written before and is linked here is generally correct. Most road trains come through at night or in the early morning, with 39J and 36E often coming through during daylight. 36E and 37E are often distressingly short. 37E has a block of loaded boxcars on the headend from pickup at Fisher Body at GR. 38J/39J often number over 100 cars, sometimes over 150. They ferry power back and forth between Wayne, Lansing, Jackson, Kzoo, and Elkhart for inspections and servicing.
NS locals pretty much follow the guide, many of them making daylight passages. CN's local is reliable but does not pass BO Tower. They usually have a GTW or former GTW loco, usually a GP38-2 or GP9R. They also use a GTW wide vision caboose for the shove move into town from Kilgore Yard. Sometimes the CN job only has a couple cars, other times quite a variety. Cytec, near Miller Road, is the largest CN customer on the line.
There is a great walking trail along the Kalamazoo River at the Mayor's Riverfront Park, across the river from Botsford Yard. Between now and late April, it's a great place to walk around and watch any switching that may be ongoing in the yard. They usually start around 8 or 9AM at the east end switching out the 38J setoff onto tracks for the various locals. This has traditionally been a switching job by B-1-G, but with them now running west at night rather than in the day, dunno if they still do the switching.
BO Tower is easy enough to wait by to see all the action. Just be aware of your surroundings, and do not tresspass. The towerman will keep their eye on you, just stay on public RoW and be respectful. The Amtrak station is a good place to watch Amtrak trains. True, Kalamazoo is no Fostoria, Delray, or Plymouth, but if you're willing to listen to a scanner, drive around town a little, and accept the fact that you might see the same engines often, it's a good place. It has retained more action than many other places around Michigan.
Check out this link to my Kalamazoo area photo gallery: http://railroadfan.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=189
Oh yes, there's plenty of action around Kalamazoo. We have party-central WMU after all.... although I'm not there hosting parties any longer
It's almost that season!!
Amtrak's 8 daily trains are predictable enough, just look at a schedule and call Julie. Be aware that trains arriving from the west may arrive into the station earlier than shown thanks to the speedy ITCS section which has not been reflected on the timetable.
In general, the Kalamazoo report I've written before and is linked here is generally correct. Most road trains come through at night or in the early morning, with 39J and 36E often coming through during daylight. 36E and 37E are often distressingly short. 37E has a block of loaded boxcars on the headend from pickup at Fisher Body at GR. 38J/39J often number over 100 cars, sometimes over 150. They ferry power back and forth between Wayne, Lansing, Jackson, Kzoo, and Elkhart for inspections and servicing.
NS locals pretty much follow the guide, many of them making daylight passages. CN's local is reliable but does not pass BO Tower. They usually have a GTW or former GTW loco, usually a GP38-2 or GP9R. They also use a GTW wide vision caboose for the shove move into town from Kilgore Yard. Sometimes the CN job only has a couple cars, other times quite a variety. Cytec, near Miller Road, is the largest CN customer on the line.
There is a great walking trail along the Kalamazoo River at the Mayor's Riverfront Park, across the river from Botsford Yard. Between now and late April, it's a great place to walk around and watch any switching that may be ongoing in the yard. They usually start around 8 or 9AM at the east end switching out the 38J setoff onto tracks for the various locals. This has traditionally been a switching job by B-1-G, but with them now running west at night rather than in the day, dunno if they still do the switching.
BO Tower is easy enough to wait by to see all the action. Just be aware of your surroundings, and do not tresspass. The towerman will keep their eye on you, just stay on public RoW and be respectful. The Amtrak station is a good place to watch Amtrak trains. True, Kalamazoo is no Fostoria, Delray, or Plymouth, but if you're willing to listen to a scanner, drive around town a little, and accept the fact that you might see the same engines often, it's a good place. It has retained more action than many other places around Michigan.
Check out this link to my Kalamazoo area photo gallery: http://railroadfan.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=189
Oh yes, there's plenty of action around Kalamazoo. We have party-central WMU after all.... although I'm not there hosting parties any longer
It's almost that season!!
-
GP30M4216
- Saver of all History
- Posts: 5003
- Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 10:35 pm
- Location: Feel the Zeel, MI
- Contact:
Re: Questions About Kalamazoo
OH, and I forgot! I expect if B-57 is now running from Jackson, the limits are probably East Jackson Yard to CP-Gord in Battle Creek. If the crew call time is the same, I think they worked Kzoo 7pm-7am.
I'm glad Jackson got another local, but bummed it's no longer out of Kzoo. Often, if the crew was short on time getting in, they would run the train into Botsford Yard North Pass to die, rather than crossover in reverse and back into the yard and die in the way of someone else. Then B-0-K would normally pull their train off the Pass and put it into the yard when their shift started in the late morning.
B-57 did NOT serve Knappen Milling in Augusta, so I presume that is still served by a local job like B-1-G out of Kalamazoo.
I'm glad Jackson got another local, but bummed it's no longer out of Kzoo. Often, if the crew was short on time getting in, they would run the train into Botsford Yard North Pass to die, rather than crossover in reverse and back into the yard and die in the way of someone else. Then B-0-K would normally pull their train off the Pass and put it into the yard when their shift started in the late morning.
B-57 did NOT serve Knappen Milling in Augusta, so I presume that is still served by a local job like B-1-G out of Kalamazoo.