B1G - The Big Train
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No, D708 is based out of Lansing as previously stated. Up until several years ago, D708 was the Lansing west local running to Alto and sometimes GR, while D709 was the Lansing east local. There have been several changes since then and now, but now D707 runs GR-Lansing and return, while D708 runs Lansing-as far east as required and return.M&LS wrote:I think that they got rid of the Lansing based job last year, I think now a local from Plymouth turns at Lansing and a local from Grand Rapids does the same and turns at Lansing.
I'm no expert on this line or operations... I'm just thinking back to what I (might have) heard.
) of switching so was webberville (though not every day). We also had to deal with twice the thru trains (remember the CP run thrus?)...on the other side there is some buisness gone...Peakers and century truss in So. Lyon import/export in brighton international paper in howell van gilders in fowlerville ...there were times we came east out of Ensel with over 2500 tons and 1 geep40.....would take us 30 minutes to get to trowbridge in the 8th notch 
No. Steve D708 goes as far East as the Ann Pere maybe a bit beyond that. They do not go anywhere near Plymouth.GTW6401 wrote:Lines are ex Pere Marquette and C&O.
Local D708 covers the line between Lansing and Plymouth, which is based out of Ensel Yard in Lansing.
There are also a few local jobs based in Plymouth - D716, D717 and D739 to name a few.
I believe one of the locals GTW mentioned works west as far as Ford Heater in Plymouth.TrainWatcher wrote:No. Steve D708 goes as far East as the Ann Pere maybe a bit beyond that. They do not go anywhere near Plymouth.GTW6401 wrote:Lines are ex Pere Marquette and C&O.
Local D708 covers the line between Lansing and Plymouth, which is based out of Ensel Yard in Lansing.
There are also a few local jobs based in Plymouth - D716, D717 and D739 to name a few.
Don, Y303 or Y107 are still the Ford Heater jobs. There are NO Westbound Locals out of Plymouth.AARR wrote:I believe one of the locals GTW mentioned works west as far as Ford Heater in Plymouth.TrainWatcher wrote:No. Steve D708 goes as far East as the Ann Pere maybe a bit beyond that. They do not go anywhere near Plymouth.GTW6401 wrote:Lines are ex Pere Marquette and C&O.
Local D708 covers the line between Lansing and Plymouth, which is based out of Ensel Yard in Lansing.
There are also a few local jobs based in Plymouth - D716, D717 and D739 to name a few.
I believe this business ended 5 or more years ago. It was a hard operation to railfan from public property and its even harder to see what remains of it now that rail traffic has stopped.Doktor No wrote:One of the locals out of Plymouth goes as far west as a recalimation site near DeHoCo...if I remember right. Havn't been that way in years.
Which one(s) handles PCA and Tower Frame plant? Does Tower still ship unit trains?TrainWatcher wrote:Your correct Dok, Thermofil is now Asaka Plactics.
Don, Y303 or Y107 are still the Ford Heater jobs. There are NO Westbound Locals out of Plymouth.
D717- Plymouth- Rougemere Local
D716- Plymouth- Dirty Dirt/Kelsey Hayes and South end of New Boston rarely
D738- Plymouth- Livonia-Middlebelt Yard Switcher/ BASF and Valassis Industrial too as well as Livonia's "3rd Rail".
D739- Plymouth- Wixom and occasionally to Milford and points north if needed
Y107- First Trick Yard Job. Ford Heater, Plastipak, Toys R Us Warehouse, and Victory Packaging as needed
Y202- Second Trick Yard Job. Plastipak as needed Newburgh Yard Switcher and Wayne Industries as needed
Y303- Third Trick Yard Job. Handles D717 as it comes back from Rougemere and builds trains for the locals and yard jobs to handle. Does run to Ford Heater as needed.
That is all D717 used to do is take a compleat train of frames from both the old CP train and from Tower for a total of usualy around 10 to 15 cars, and run through to CR North Yard, with out stoping. Then it would exchange loads for empties and head back to Plymouth.TrainWatcher wrote:PCA and Tower are usually handeled by any of the yard jobs. Tower doesn't send out unit trains to my knowledge its only 1-2 cars maybe 3 at a time, but thats on occasion. Traffic on D717 to Rougemere then I don't know.
That is what I was afraid of. Towers spurs were usually full (10-15 cars) now I only see a few at a time. And I see trucks with frames leaving the plant. A truck holds maybe 20 while a flat car holds 80-100. How does trucking get this business from railTrainWatcher wrote:PCA and Tower are usually handeled by any of the yard jobs. Tower doesn't send out unit trains to my knowledge its only 1-2 cars maybe 3 at a time, but thats on occasion. Traffic on D717 to Rougemere then I don't know.
Because it's FASTER.AARR wrote:That is what I was afraid of. Towers spurs were usually full (10-15 cars) now I only see a few at a time. And I see trucks with frames leaving the plant. A truck holds maybe 20 while a flat car holds 80-100. How does trucking get this business from railTrainWatcher wrote:PCA and Tower are usually handeled by any of the yard jobs. Tower doesn't send out unit trains to my knowledge its only 1-2 cars maybe 3 at a time, but thats on occasion. Traffic on D717 to Rougemere then I don't know.
Tower has (had?) two customers receiving its frames.SD80MAC wrote:Because it's FASTER.AARR wrote:That is what I was afraid of. Towers spurs were usually full (10-15 cars) now I only see a few at a time. And I see trucks with frames leaving the plant. A truck holds maybe 20 while a flat car holds 80-100. How does trucking get this business from railTrainWatcher wrote:PCA and Tower are usually handeled by any of the yard jobs. Tower doesn't send out unit trains to my knowledge its only 1-2 cars maybe 3 at a time, but thats on occasion. Traffic on D717 to Rougemere then I don't know.
It did not go directly to the plant as you say, it went to North Yard, where the CR took it to the plant. And if there was two diffrent destinations of frames from Tower, I would not know as it must have been split at North Yard.AARR wrote:Tower has (had?) two customers receiving its frames.
One was in Warren and they ran a dedicated train between the Towers frame plant in Plymouth directly to the plant in Warren. As someone pointed out in a previous post that train did not stop at yards.
The other csutomer is (was?) in Delaware where the railroads long haul and greater capacity should have beat out trucks hands-down.
Does anyone has any insights they can share?
If one of the destinations for Tower frames was indeed Delaware, I would expect that the customer was GM's Wilmington Assembly plant. I believe this plant was closed following the GM bankruptcy. I recall media reports that Fiskars was planning to build plug-in hybrid autos.Tower has (had?) two customers receiving its frames.
One was in Warren and they ran a dedicated train between the Towers frame plant in Plymouth directly to the plant in Warren. As someone pointed out in a previous post that train did not stop at yards.
The other csutomer is (was?) in Delaware where the railroads long haul and greater capacity should have beat out trucks hands-down.
Does anyone has any insights they can share?
Yes, it was Wilmington StdRF.Standard Railfan wrote:If one of the destinations for Tower frames was indeed Delaware, I would expect that the customer was GM's Wilmington Assembly plant. I believe this plant was closed following the GM bankruptcy. I recall media reports that Fiskars was planning to build plug-in hybrid autos.Tower has (had?) two customers receiving its frames.
One was in Warren and they ran a dedicated train between the Towers frame plant in Plymouth directly to the plant in Warren. As someone pointed out in a previous post that train did not stop at yards.
The other csutomer is (was?) in Delaware where the railroads long haul and greater capacity should have beat out trucks hands-down.
Does anyone has any insights they can share?