Michigan Air-Line Crossing Signal Question

[GrandFunkRR]

Hello everybody. I’ve lurked here for a few months and this is my first posting. I enjoy reading all of your interesting posts and I especially enjoy the photos.

Yesterday evening, I was in Walled Lake to see what was going on at the Michigan Air-Line Railway. I understand that they’ve stopped delivering freight to American Plastic Toys and that the line will be abandoned and turned into a rail trail. Anyways, I saw some activity at the yard in Walled Lake. I saw the SW1200 parked by the engine house and what appeared to be one of the F-units idling behind the engine house.

Later, I ended up driving down Ladd Road and noticed that the railroad crossing signals had been removed and replaced with stop signs on wooden posts. I found this strange, as I’ve never seen this before, especially on a railroad line that is still somewhat active (as in, I’m guessing that the locomotives will probably be sold and driven to the Wixom CSX interchange sometime in the future). I’m just curious if this is common practice.

I’m sure going to miss the MAL, as I grew up in Wixom and have many fond memories watching the activity at the CSX interchange as well as the dinner train going by. Thanks in advance.

[Ypsi]

as for the crossings could they have moved them/ sold them?

[SD80MAC]

The MAL no longer owns the line. The signs being put up are just temporary, as there will be one last run at some point to get the remaining equipment off the railroad before the rails are pulled.

[Ribbon Rail]

The MAL no longer owns the line. The signs being put up are just temporary, as there will be one last run at some point to get the remaining equipment off the railroad before the rails are pulled.

Any idea where the locomotives will go? Surely they’ve found a home for them, unless they’re going to cut them up on-site?

[SD80MAC]

They won't be cut up, unsure where they're heading currently though.

[Racer]

The railroad west of Walled Lake is still going to see movement just to get the equipment off the lot. Pontiac Trail, M-5, and possibly Wixom Road are the only crossing signals still left on the line. Decker Road to Haggerty Road has seen it's last train.

Change to the MAL is coming very soon....faster than you may think.

[GrandFunkRR]

The railroad west of Walled Lake is still going to see movement just to get the equipment off the lot. Pontiac Trail, M-5, and possibly Wixom Road are the only crossing signals still left on the line. Decker Road to Haggerty Road has seen it's last train.

Change to the MAL is coming very soon....faster than you may think.

I believe it. On Wednesday, it looked to me like they were possibly performing maintenance to the equipment and readying it to move, especially since the F-unit was idling.

[TrainWatcher]

The railroad west of Walled Lake is still going to see movement just to get the equipment off the lot. Pontiac Trail, M-5, and possibly Wixom Road are the only crossing signals still left on the line. Decker Road to Haggerty Road has seen it's last train.

Change to the MAL is coming very soon....faster than you may think.

I believe it. On Wednesday, it looked to me like they were possibly performing maintenance to the equipment and readying it to move, especially since the F-unit was idling.

Prolly undergoing an inspection. She's been up for sale on Sterling Rail for a few months or so. Also the SW1200 is up for lease: http://www.sterlingrail.com/classifieds ... hp?id=3997

[Norm]

What can I say about a shortline that has only a couple of customers in only a few miles of trackage? They were doomed from the start. The dinner train couldn't produce enough revenue to keep them going nor could only two customers provide them with enough revenue to make a profit.

GTW didn't abandon this line without good reason. It wasn't profitable for them and wouldn't make a profit for a shortline.

[DTIDave]

Hey GrandFunk,
thanks for sharing your report with us and welcome to posting on the board.

I've only been to the former Coe Rail a few times and never since it "became" the MAL, so I'm not sure of the signals you speak of. However, if the line has been abandoned (or pending abandonment), maybe the owners got a waiver from the FRA to downgrade the crossing protection to save money. When a crossing signal system is up, it's supposed to be inspected once every 30 days. That costs money, whether you do it in-house or contract it out, you still have to pay someone to DO it. If they removed the signals and went with simple stop signs, they still fulfill their protection obligation and remove an unneeded cost to them since they may only use that stretch of line for the scrap equipment to roll down. Once they remove up to the crossing, they'll probably remove the stop signs too. Sad to see another line gone, but with the eastern end all built up, I can't imagine it could ever be anything than a stub from now on anyway...

[Old Hogger]

The railroad west of Walled Lake is still going to see movement just to get the equipment off the lot. Pontiac Trail, M-5, and possibly Wixom Road are the only crossing signals still left on the line. Decker Road to Haggerty Road has seen it's last train.

Change to the MAL is coming very soon....faster than you may think.

I believe it. On Wednesday, it looked to me like they were possibly performing maintenance to the equipment and readying it to move, especially since the F-unit was idling.

Prolly undergoing an inspection. She's been up for sale on Sterling Rail for a few months or so. Also the SW1200 is up for lease: http://www.sterlingrail.com/classifieds ... hp?id=3997

Good looking engineer in the second SW photo on the Sterling site.

The crossing at Ladd Road has had nothing except a stop sign for as long as I can remember (2008). Never any signals there.

[Ribbon Rail]

Sad to see another line gone, but with the eastern end all built up, I can't imagine it could ever be anything than a stub from now on anyway...

I’m surprised the old West Michigan shortline isn’t up for the same fate already!

[atrainguy60]

I'm surprised the old West Michigan shortline isn't up for the same fate already!

Me too.

[TrainWatcher]

I'm surprised the old West Michigan shortline isn't up for the same fate already!

Me too.

Who says WMI isn't?

And Old Hogger, I agree and that photo looks vaguely familiar.... not sure where I have seen it before...

[GrandFunkRR]

The crossing at Ladd Road has had nothing except a stop sign for as long as I can remember (2008). Never any signals there.

That's interesting. I'm quite sure the Michigan Manual on Uniform Traffic Control requires a "Railroad Crossing" crossbuck sign, not just a stop sign for this type of railroad crossing. As a matter of fact, this is the only railroad crossing I've ever seen without a crossbuck sign.

[CAT345C]

Look at that he used the photos I sent him

[Norm]

IIRC, both Ladd Rd. and Maple Rd. had crossbucks and signals till a few years back. Wouldn't the lack of both require the train to stop and flag the crossing?

Some crossing in rural areas where trains are infrequent require that.

[NoviRailfan]

"GTW didn't abandon this line without good reason. It wasn't profitable for them and wouldn't make a profit for a shortline.'

True enough although if the section west of the Wixom interchange had remained in service, one wonders if they would have been able to generate some new businesses from the industrial areas that have sprung up over the past 15 years? There's a lot more industry around Wixom today (save for the Ford plant closing) then there was when the line started. The Walled Lake section of the line always suffered from limited opportunities for traffic. There simply isn't much industrial property in the area and as far as I can recall, only Haggerty Lumber and the plastic plant generated any amount of traffic.

[Racer]

"GTW didn't abandon this line without good reason. It wasn't profitable for them and wouldn't make a profit for a shortline.'

True enough although if the section west of the Wixom interchange had remained in service, one wonders if they would have been able to generate some new businesses from the industrial areas that have sprung up over the past 15 years? There's a lot more industry around Wixom today (save for the Ford plant closing) then there was when the line started. The Walled Lake section of the line always suffered from limited opportunities for traffic. There simply isn't much industrial property in the area and as far as I can recall, only Haggerty Lumber and the plastic plant generated any amount of traffic.

Let's not forget about the Walled Lake industrial park west of American Plastic Toys. That park has a few industries in there such as one that manufactures PVC pipes of some sort that could have done rail service if they paid to have a track put in there. Also, Walled Lake was a good location for trainsloading that MAL did numerous times for local businesses away from the tracks. If Wixom to South Lyon was still in tact, I'm sure that gravel pit (just west of Wixom) would still be a customer to them as it was back in the GTW days.

[conrailmike]

Let's not forget about the Walled Lake industrial park west of American Plastic Toys. That park has a few industries in there such as one that manufactures PVC pipes of some sort that could have done rail service if they paid to have a track put in there. Also, Walled Lake was a good location for trainsloading that MAL did numerous times for local businesses away from the tracks. If Wixom to South Lyon was still in tact, I'm sure that gravel pit (just west of Wixom) would still be a customer to them as it was back in the GTW days.

Those gravel pits are closed now Chris, I think there might be one open but the rest are now subdivisions or on their way to becoming subdivisions.