Progress of the Michigan Line M/W (Part 3)

[JohnE]

Here are some pictures of the double tracking in process between Dearborn and Wayne. Pictures were taken today, Friday, April 24. They aren't shown, but there are a lot of Amtrak trucks around the construction.




This is a picture looking west from Monroe in Dearborn. The ties are down in the distance.




This is looking east from Monroe St. in Dearborn. The Amtrak station is in the background. Note the "jog" in the rails until the second track is installed. The new crossing is stacked to the right.




This is looking west from Venoy in Wayne. The second track is down. I am not sure what the mesh is beneath the ballast.




This is looking east from Venoy. Rail is beside the ties, but not on them yet. The ties are delivered with the tie plates already installed.

[MQT1223]

Would the mesh be to add more stability to the roadbed?

[Ypsi]

I would guess drainage/ helping prevent plant growth.. But I would lean toward draniage

[Jetlink]

On many roadbeds over soft soils a fabric membrane is laid down to prevent the aggregate road materials from settling into the less stable soils beneath them. The gravel or other base is placed over the fabric. This in essence creates a barrier that both keeps the road base from settling and the muddy/loamy/clay soils beneath from rising into the road bed. Places where the road settles and makes those horrible humpty doos do not have this fabric membrane down. I know this because my road has fabric underneathit with signs saying "buried fabric no excavating" so contractors and others won't dig it up. I've talked to the road commission about it and that's how it was explained to me.

I would imagine it is a similar situation here. The mesh holes can be larger because the ballast stones are larger. They would keep the stones from settling into the mud as long as the holes in the mesh were smaller than the ballast stones. This would prevent mud pumps while still allowing water to drain through the mesh in more permeable soils.

Raildudes dad or Jo James could probably add more to this or tell me if I am way off the reservation but I would bet it is somewhere along those lines.

[Saturnalia]

Sometimes, new track (and roadbed) is laid on top of a thick layer of asphalt, I'm guessing for the same reason.

[GP-35]

The plastic mesh is called Geo Grid it is used to make a road bed more stable. This is diffrent for the materal that is laided down under crossing and wet areas. Meney of these new methods are used in road building and were adopted into the railroad industory.

[BL2-1843]

Sometimes, new track (and roadbed) is laid on top of a thick layer of asphalt, I'm guessing for the same reason.

Saw that when they were re-double tracking the "B&O, across northern Indiana in prep for taking over part of Conrail in the late 90s. Spent summers in that area from 1987-1999.

[GP-35]

Mr. MQT3001 is right about the asphalt being used on new railroad beds, this methed was used in the powder river basin coal lines. It is used in very high traffic areas, the reason it was used in the coal fields out west was coal dust blowing off loaded coal trains was contaminating the ballast to the point that the ballast was turning into mud and pumping bad, so when BN installed the third and forth main I recall the asphalt methed was used. It was a great sugsess when it came to running a ballast cleaning train it made the prosess much more better.

[GP30M4216]

It is so awesome to see those photos in west Dearborn and Wayne of the second main going back in. I grew up in Dearborn and I remember standing at that very crossing behind Jacobson's with my mom as a 4-5 year old around 1990 asking why they were removing the second track (which Conrail was doing at that time for the Michigan Line single-tracking project). She said there just weren't enough trains any more.

Having two tracks from Detroit all the way to Ypsi will eliminate many delays Amtrak's currently face from Ypsi to Dearborn, and allow NS trains to go to and from Wayne yard without needing to wait for hours for Amtrak to pass by. Fortunately, from Dearborn to Wayne there are no spurs diverging off the north side, so it's just straight rail installation all the way, no switches except at future crossover sites.

Keep the updates coming! This is exciting!

[Ypsi]

I think there may be situations where the freights might have to wait.. I don't have a great understanding of te contract between MDOT/Amtrak and NS, but apparently one track will be a "freight main" while the Amtraks will run directionally on both mains. The freight main would be the north main, or #1 track which is also the newly reinstalled main. From what I have heard, the idea is to save maintaince cost on two mains. Currently you would have 3 trains on one track, and about 6-10 on the other running in this fashion (assuming 2 locals and 2 road freights, plus 60T ect as needed). The 1 track at dearborn station (technically it's currently a "shoo fly" track around the disconnected 2 main) has removable blocks for high wides as well.

Regardless of how they run them, I am curious to see if freights will have to wait for amtraks to use the "freight main" or whatever it will be. If you have an Amtrak headed WB on the 1 track (freight main), it wouldny be out of the question for a freight train to have to wait quite a bit to get on the road.

[MQT1223]

I think there may be situations where the freights might have to wait.. I don't have a great understanding of te contract between MDOT/Amtrak and NS, but apparently one track will be a "freight main" while the Amtraks will run directionally on both mains. The freight main would be the north main, or #1 track which is also the newly reinstalled main. From what I have heard, the idea is to save maintaince cost on two mains. Currently you would have 3 trains on one track, and about 6-10 on the other running in this fashion (assuming 2 locals and 2 road freights, plus 60T ect as needed). The 1 track at dearborn station (technically it's currently a "shoo fly" track around the disconnected 2 main) has removable blocks for high wides as well.

Regardless of how they run them, I am curious to see if freights will have to wait for amtraks to use the "freight main" or whatever it will be. If you have an Amtrak headed WB on the 1 track (freight main), it wouldny be out of the question for a freight train to have to wait quite a bit to get on the road.

I thought an NS rule was to wait for all passenger trains regardless if its an Amtrak train or a steam excursion. Not an FRA thing but it's apparently an NS rule.

[Saturnalia]

Passenger trains go first because they're first priority as time-sensitive. There isn't a RULE sorta rule that I'm aware of. It just is, like it has always been. Plus, Amtrak gets to fine the host railroads for delays.

Many a case where NS screws over passenger trains on the Chicago line all the time...

[NSSD70ACe]

Morning all,

I can confirm that the North Pass is in place, however it has been shortened by a good 100-200 feet. Also, I have a signaling question:

Last night, in my attempt to see if anything interesting was in Gearhart Yard, I noticed the EB signal at CP West Botsford was showing solid yellow over red. I believe that means "approach". I also observed the westbound interlocking signal at the Harrison Street Crossover was showing "Clear". Naturally, I suspected Grand Elk and the last WB Amtrak were both approaching BO. I thought my suspicions were confirmed with a half-empty yard and no SD40s as well as the fact that the WSOR GP and another standard cab Geep were running. However, the signal at the connecting track at BO Tower was showing "stop" and there was no sign of 302 anywhere near town. Also, the EB interlocking signal west of the tower was showing "clear". I checked Amtrak's "track a train" and neither Amtrak train was remotely close to Kalamazoo at the time. Normally the signals would show stop unless a train was close. Can someone explain this phenomenon please?

Thanks!

[Saturnalia]

Since the signals are controlled, there is no set time for them to be lined. Perhaps the tower operator just wanted to line them up early, instead of right before train time as is custom to towers.

[CSX_CO]

Since the signals are controlled, there is no set time for them to be lined. Perhaps the tower operator just wanted to line them up early, instead of right before train time as is custom to towers.

Most railroad operating rule books have a rule that say signals are supposed to be held until a move is 'imminent'. I guess if there is only 2 trains all night, and they're some where out there, you could argue the move is 'imminent'. Normally you hold the signals to make sure you're not going to need to time them out and line someone else up.

[iandt]

Venoy Rd. crossing will be closed starting May 11 to place the second main. Don't know when Howe Rd. will be finished, they were still working yesterday. Rails have been placed on top of ties from 2nd St. in Wayne to just past Merriman Rd., but there is still plenty of grading to do.

[iandt]

Caught this ballast hopper parked at the 2nd St. end of the new main yesterday evening, cool to think they've been pushing this up and down the tracks with their little MOW vehicles. I wonder how it got on the track though, which is currently not connected to the active line at any point.



Looking east on the now double-tracked MI Line:



New track has been laid past the bridge over Middlebelt Rd., though how far I don't know, it's not yet to Inkster. Merriman Rd. is currently closed for crossing work, and Henry Ruff Rd. will be closed starting June 22. After that, with bridges over Middlebelt and Inkster, it's a straight shot to Beech-Daly Rd. and west downtown Dearborn.

[JStryker722]

Track is laid down past my crossing I take to get across the MI Line ( Gulley Rd ) almost past the Telegraph Rd overpass to the start of the sweeping S curve through the backside of downtown Dearborn.

[wagnew0923]

So when this track is all laid out the commuter line starts up right? Or atleast they start building stations? Or something happens right?

[Ypsi]

So when this track is all laid out the commuter line starts up right? Or atleast they start building stations? Or something happens right?

When the track is laid out they can stop doing stupid meets at wayne junction and cp ypsi. This will save time on the east end as the meets can take 20-30 minutes to complete in the current fashion. With this they will be able to meet on the fly on this end (specifically 355 and 352). There will also be a "designated freight main" which will be the north track/ one track. In theory less trains will run on the two track and it will wear out slower.