GDLK Operations

[NSSD70ACe]

Just saw Grand Elk south bound thru Portage about 4 p.m. Friday (5-6) with 4125, 4189, and 4206 with 103 cars. All shorty sand hoppers at the front. Does that mean that this train started in Grand Rapids? Will it go all the way to Elkhart or just to the siding at Park? The siding from Park to Cowling was completely full last night about 6 o'clock with engines at both ends. When we returned about 9 all the engines were gone and most of the cars.

That explains why Gearhart was cleared out of power around 6 this evening. Watched one of the locals led by 3534 come back into town with 12 cars, mostly boxes. Other than that, it was only 4190, 4002, and another geep in the yard.

[ThreeRiversChris]

4125, 4189 & 4206 departed Three Rivers around 10:30-11:00 Friday night and returned Saturday am around 6:30 with 135 cars. They left the train at Park on the main. Sometime later in the day, 4125 was left behind to keep the air built up while 4206 & 4189 returned to Kazoo light power and headed south with another Elkhart turn around the same time Saturday night. I'm not sure what time they came back this morning, but the train had to be parked in the siding at Park. Both trains were there this noon time with a total of 248 cars inbound from Elkhart. One of them was finally taken to Kazoo around 4:30 this afternoon.

[GAP]

It's mind-boggling to think of that many cars inbound to Kalamazoo. Don't all cars go there first even if they are destined for Grand Rapids? I wonder what the capacity of Botsford (er, uh, I mean Gearhart) yard is. It usually looks "full" when I drive past it, so where to put that many more...?

[SD80MAC]

Well, all of the cars that come from NS and CN go to Botsford first. The ones from CSX obviously don't.

[PatAzo]

It's mind-boggling to think of that many cars inbound to Kalamazoo. Don't all cars go there first even if they are destined for Grand Rapids? I wonder what the capacity of Botsford (er, uh, I mean Gearhart) yard is. It usually looks "full" when I drive past it, so where to put that many more...?

With the exception of units trains headed to White Pidgeon, all the northbound cars go into Gerhart. NS doesn't block anything for Grand Elk, not even their own Battle Creek and Jackson cars. It all gets switched in Gerhart. Southbound they will run the 303 will skip Gerhart and head for Elkhart. If there are enough cars to warrant two trains there is no point in taking the Elkhart cars into Gerhart.

[Super Chief]

Noticed lately brand new Gary Railway Company enclosed steel coil cars coming up on the Elk. Kind of reminds me of the old Chicago Great Western logo. Do they go north or east of Geathart?

[NSSD70ACe]

Noticed lately brand new Gary Railway Company enclosed steel coil cars coming up on the Elk. Kind of reminds me of the old Chicago Great Western logo. Do they go north or east of Geathart?

I've seen them come south on locals from the north side of Kalamazoo. I'm not sure who up there gets them though.

[PatAzo]

Magic Steel in Grand Rapids takes coil cars.

[NSSD70ACe]

4209 has apparently broken down as of yesterday. From what I've heard, the crankcase is full of oil.

[Super Chief]

Three Rivers Chris and I know it did. Their was fuel in the oil. So they backed the SB up past Cowling and pulled 4206 out of the consist to pull the NB back to Kazoo and went with 2 units to Elkhart. Luckily all the cabs were on the right end so short hoods lead out of TR both ways. Took awhile but the crews did what they had to do.

[Super Chief]

Also to above post they had to leave 23 cars on the main so 2 units took 120 cars to Elkhart. 7030 & 4009 waited for all the above to happen. Once 303 headed north 501 took the siding behind it. They took the southbound road train to CP 95 to park it and went back to 501 to take it north. 7 Elk units in town at once.

[Super Chief]

7030 & 4002 SB @ 1:30 pm with 20 cars including 1 coal car with big anthracite nuggets in it and 6 bulkhead flats of lumber. That horn is a unique one.

[ThreeRiversChris]

The Elk came light power from Elkhart this afternoon with 2 NS units leading, and both running long hood forward. They tied on Elk power 4206 & 4124 to the train of 127 cars that's been in the siding at Park ALL week. The 2 NS units, -9 9584 & ES44AC 8084, then took off northbound for Kazoo light power.

[ThreeRiversChris]

The NS units went south through town this am headed for Elkhart right about 3:00. It sounded as if they were light power.
Then about 40 mins later, 501 headed back north with the 7030 leading.

[ThreeRiversChris]

The NS units did go light power south this am. They brought down a train of a good 120 cars, that is still on the main at CP Cowling with no power attached to it.

501 went south about 3:30 with one of the ex-CN GP's and 3534.

[ThreeRiversChris]

Grand Elk 303 came down mid Friday evening with 4189, 4209 & 4190 all running long hood forward w/ 122 cars. They tied down in the siding at Cowling for a few hours.

About ten till midnight a new crew came down and pulled out of the siding about 12:30am. After clearing N. Main, they then backed up to grab some cars that were on the main. After the connection was made, they had Cushman (which is right by Hoffman St.), Hoffman, the access road for Axle, and N. Main all blocked for about 20 mins. while they did the air test on the cars that were on the main.
About 1:30, the 3 units got the land barge rolling south with 208 cars bound for Elkhart. Amazingly the engineer did not even have to use much throttle at all. As they came through downtown and even the south end where it starts to go upgrade approaching M-86, they were rolling along about 15?mph with the units pretty much just idling along. I anticipated a big wind up to get that train moving, but that's what a lot of empties can do

I later caught them at CR-17 in Elkhart about 5:45am as they were heading for the yard.

[dave989]

Are capacity problems for the Grand Elk getting worse? I go by the yard
on US-131 in Grand Rapids every afternoon and today the place was stuffed.
I know 3531 is in there somewhere.

[BDG]

GDLK took a large train straight through KZoo to GR. Caught them first in Portage and was surprised when they didn't turn into Gearhart yard. 4206 & 4124 pulling.

EDIT: counted 81 cars after they switched the Otsego branch.

[NSSD70ACe]

Are capacity problems for the Grand Elk getting worse? I go by the yard
on US-131 in Grand Rapids every afternoon and today the place was stuffed.
I know 3531 is in there somewhere.

For all intents and purposes, yes, traffic on the Grand Elk is growing. Two trains from NS, plus the already large trains from NS in Elkhart, plus shortline/CSX traffic in GR, plus the apparently increasing interchange from CN, Gearhart just can't take it all. That coupled with the fact that GDLK is having an issue with 4209 that may or may not be solved yet and are still relatively short on power, they are definitely having issues. For the last few weeks, there have been a couple of NS geeps on the power tracks in Gearhart. I'm not sure if these are supposed to be available for the Elk to use or if they're power that's being ferried between Jackson/BC and the rest of the NS system via Elkhart. I've also seen NS power on one train headed south (whatever 302 is now), but that was only once. As for Hugart, last I knew there were a lot of storage cars up there, and I would guess that's what you're seeing in the yard. I'm not too familiar with how Grand Elk does things up there.


Long story short, the Elk is definitely having issues right now. Most can be fixed without too much hassle, maybe bring in another geep and a couple of SD40s in terms of the power issues, but another yard is more than likely needed to ease some of the congestion off of Gearhart. There was a thread around here somewhere about Watco execs being in the area to see about rehabbing the old Checker Motors yard on the north side of Kalamazoo, but I haven't heard anything since.


Hope that helps,

-NS

[dave989]

Hugart yard has been used for some storage but the
last few days it has filled to past capacity. Also your
missing SD-40-2 is sitting dead next to the engine house.
Sometimes they are doing work on dead units up here but
I don't know how extensive the repair work is. One thing
I do know is 3531 has the loudest horn I've ever herd!
When is goes to the north side of G.R. with transfer work
you know who it is by the tone and the decibel level.