Ensle Yard

[AARR]

Will this new schedule improve service for local customers?

[AARR]

It looks like they are adding a yard crew again in Lansing rather than have the road crew perform all their own switching. That alone, in theory, should improve the raod crews ability to get out and switch customers.

[TrainWatcher]

Ok, so my question is what do they service out in South Lyon unless that is to just run around their train?

[MP73point4]

D707 will run as a turn Lansing to Wyoming. Daylight. Mon/Fri.
D708 will run as a Lansing, South Lyon, Grand Ledge turn. Daylight. Mon/Fri.
Y302 will be the nite yard switcher serving the folks around the Capitol City. Sunday thru Thursday.
Starting April 28th.

So D708 is going to go to South Lyon and back, then out to Grand Ledge while D707 will go through Grand Ledge without doing any work? Is this to balance the work available?
And the switch job "serving folks around the Capital city", there isn't much local business left in Lansing is there? Yelvington next to the yard, Ashland Chemical (?) and the stone place where Boichot Concrete used to be (if they even get anything) on Turner at the east end of the yard, the MSU power plant, and that would be about all I can think of. Maybe they'll be primarily sorting cuts for the locals?

[AARR]

e have new managment that is pro-active and customer oriented here in Michigan and as for me and many of the ground people we welcome a NEW DAY and we think things will be MUCH BETTER for all of us AGAIN.

Sounds like Hunter was running your railroad too

[SD80MAC]

I thought there was already a night time yard job in Ensel?

[BL2-1843]

Lets see, not a day to soon to start all of this. Lets start off with only this week. D707 brings to Ensel the switcher for Peaker on Sunday. D708 never leaves the yard on Monday because they can not get a conductor. Tuesday, despite a 0800 or 0900 call time (never can remember which) they don't get to Fowlerville to start their four hour plus hour daily switching at Ashai Kasei Plastics (Thermofil) until 16:00, with switcher in tow, but have no time to switch anybody but Ashei Kasei. They can find no recrew for 708, so were instructed to leave the entire train at Fowlerville, taxi back to Ensel, and retaxi back out to Thermofil on Wednesday to continue their work eastward. Taxi did not arrive back to Fowlerville with said crew until 14:00 hours on Wednesday.

Arrangements supposidly made with a trainmaster or road forman of engines to pilot D708 to Peaker with said crew to deliver the locomotive there today, but with the train now tardy again, a recrew was supposed to be called for 20:00 to take the train eastward from Fowlerville. However, the RN now has informed the crew they can't find a recrew, and because they need their power back in Ensel, they were now instructed to bring the ENTIRE TRAIN back to Ensel. Because of the speed restriction with the D.I.T. locomotive, they will have to leave it at Thermofil in order to make it back in time (so they say). Meanwhile, come Thursday, if they even get out of Ensel at all, and another 4-6 hour switch back at you know where, it may be weeks before they get that switcher to Peaker, let alone get east of Fowlerville. Once again, Ogihara and GLC may get only one switch per week, but as I was told earlier, they may be scheduled to only go there once a week.

There has been no Ensel yard job for quite some time now but D708 on some days spends as much time being the Ensel yard switcher as they do switching industries east of Ensel. Coupling that to the fact on most Tuesdays and Thursdays, D708 is a Thermofil turn, its a wonder other industries has not gone to trucks long ago.

[NoviRailfan]

It was mentioned on another board that Lowe's was being serviced by D708 - Where abouts?

[GP30M4216]

Does CSX do any kind of interchange in Lansing with the JAIL? Or do they briefly share the mainline but no cars between the two roads?

[Jetlink]

It was mentioned on another board that Lowe's was being serviced by D708 - Where abouts?

Most likely the Lowes distribution warehouse in Grand Ledge. I think D707 has been handling them since they switched to days and began running as the local west of Ensel back in February.

[Racer]

Except for adding Y302, I don't really understand how this helps with getting cars out to the customers faster. D707 still has to go to Grand Rapids to get the cars, just reversed starting/ ending points. Unless I'm misunderstanding something, the D707 change does not help. Bring back 326/327 to work Ensel and then it could help, but that's just my 2 cents whether it is right or not.

[kevinm]

now out of Lansing ,though no one told Calumet City