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SD80MAC wrote:ABRX, same company that owns the F7 and the coach in Lansing. Don't know why you thought they were rusty as the switcher (ABRX 1512) was repainted barely 2 years ago. They've been moved to Detroit by some of the companies debtors.

I don't know. I didn't get a good look at them. It probably was just me.

The 1512 was looking a tad bit worn last I saw it even though it had been painted, DT&I 118 really needed some paint after is was sandblasted. The coach is CN "Green Bank", a former ACF? sleeper which interestingly has the exact same layout as the Erie "American" series sleeper. It was reported to have been sold to a gentleman out in Canada who has a very large private CN collection which I had read included 2 CN steamers, when his collection was mentioned on RYPN a few months back. Wonder if the sale fell thru? The F7A is not an Erie Lackawanna unit as it's paint suggests, but a B&LE unit, that carries its B&LE number. Good locomotive, just needs some work and it'd be a great addition to a museum. If only I had a million dollars....

TrainWatcher wrote:The 1512 was looking a tad bit worn last I saw it even though it had been painted, DT&I 118 really needed some paint after is was sandblasted. The coach is CN "Green Bank", a former ACF? sleeper which interestingly has the exact same layout as the Erie "American" series sleeper. It was reported to have been sold to a gentleman out in Canada who has a very large private CN collection which I had read included 2 CN steamers, when his collection was mentioned on RYPN a few months back. Wonder if the sale fell thru? The F7A is not an Erie Lackawanna unit as it's paint suggests, but a B&LE unit, that carries its B&LE number. Good locomotive, just needs some work and it'd be a great addition to a museum. If only I had a million dollars....

Oh that F7 needs ALOT of work, James. That thing leaked stupidly huge amounts of oil when we tried to start it up in Walled Lake for the last train on the MAL. Unless someone bought it and REALLY values it to make all the major repairs, it will be scrapped at some point down the road regardless of where it goes.

Question: how often does JAIL work the industries along the belt? I drove along the whole ROW of the old Lansing Manufacturers' railroad and the tracks were so rusty, it looked like they don't even get used.

ThatRailfanningKid wrote:Question: how often does JAIL work the industries along the belt? I drove along the whole ROW of the old Lansing Manufacturers' railroad and the tracks were so rusty, it looked like they don't even get used.

I think the only customers are Padnos and Alro just north of the yard. The yard is only used for storage FAIK and I don't think there's a lot there right now. A while back it was full of tank cars.

AARR wrote: I think the only customers are Padnos and Alro just north of the yard. The yard is only used for storage FAIK and I don't think there's a lot there right now. A while back it was full of tank cars.

Okay, I followed the belt on google maps and saw other customers, but I know not everyone ships by rail anymore. I drove by there a few weeks ago and saw a 50' CR box car above am underpass just south of Lansing-Sexton HS. Besides that the place looked dead.

ThatRailfanningKid wrote:

AARR wrote: I think the only customers are Padnos and Alro just north of the yard. The yard is only used for storage FAIK and I don't think there's a lot there right now. A while back it was full of tank cars.

Okay, I followed the belt on google maps and saw other customers, but I know not everyone ships by rail anymore. I drove by there a few weeks ago and saw a 50' CR box car above am underpass just south of Lansing-Sexton HS. Besides that the place looked dead.

20-30 years ago that yard was full of box cars and gondola's. There were several parts plants in the area and CR was constantly shuttling empties in and loads out. Plus loads would be staged until needed then assembled into complete trains with specific destinations. As recently as the late 1990's CR ran a dedicated autoparts train from Lansing to Toledo (or Elkhart) daily.

ThatRailfanningKid wrote:

AARR wrote: I think the only customers are Padnos and Alro just north of the yard. The yard is only used for storage FAIK and I don't think there's a lot there right now. A while back it was full of tank cars.

Okay, I followed the belt on google maps and saw other customers, but I know not everyone ships by rail anymore. I drove by there a few weeks ago and saw a 50' CR box car above am underpass just south of Lansing-Sexton HS. Besides that the place looked dead.

FWIW, I think that CR boxcar has been there pretty much as long as I have lived in Lansing (since 2004). The spur it sits on is very disused. Not sure it could be extracted without substantive effort.

Lol that doesn't surprise me. Conrail probably hasn't been in Lansing since the '90s either. So, I'm guessing JAIL doesn't go by there but maybe a few times a year? If that even?

ThatRailfanningKid wrote:Lol that doesn't surprise me. Conrail probably hasn't been in Lansing since the '90s either. So, I'm guessing JAIL doesn't go by there but maybe a few times a year? If that even?

CR was in Lansing until 1999 when NS took over. JAIL took over in November, 2010.

I vaguely remember seeing trains going through mason headed by two NS units and a Conrail unit, but those went very slow. I also remember seeing a long and really fast NS freight going by Clara's late at night. That was probably 2007-ish. Knowing what I do now, why would NS be pulling fast freights like that in Lansing?

That section the NS ran on is the CSX.

ThatRailfanningKid wrote:I vaguely remember seeing trains going through mason headed by two NS units and a Conrail unit, but those went very slow. I also remember seeing a long and really fast NS freight going by Clara's late at night. That was probably 2007-ish. Knowing what I do now, why would NS be pulling fast freights like that in Lansing?

If it was going "fast", you probably just saw a CSX freight with NS engines.

That would make more sense.

There were times when NS would use large six axle units especially to pull coiled steel from Jackson to Holt but there were other times when when they would run a trio of Conrail GP-15s.

Doesn't ADBF still pull coiled steel loads often? The last few times I've even seen the train, it's been pulling coiled steel, gondolas and KCS boxcars.

ThatRailfanningKid wrote:Doesn't ADBF still pull coiled steel loads often? The last few times I've even seen the train, it's been pulling coiled steel, gondolas and KCS boxcars.

The steel coil place in Holt is JAIL's largest customer last I heard averaging 7-12 inbound loads per day

That doesn't surprise me. What about MPC south of mason? Also, how long has it been since Kent and the other spurs on the west side of the ROW recieved loads by rail?

ThatRailfanningKid wrote:That doesn't surprise me. What about MPC south of mason? Also, how long has it been since Kent and the other spurs on the west side of the ROW recieved loads by rail?

MPC gets 4-5 cars a day from what I have heard (in other words I have not confirmed it). Keep an eye on the elevators in Leslie and the two in Mason. I hear JAIL is working to get something from them but we'll have to wait and see if it pans out.

the elevators would have to drop truck shipments and ship exclusively by rail to keep making money. But they'd be better off shipping by rail anyhow.