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Hey all,


I saw a report on heritageunits.com about a CN SD40-2 in GTW paint in a place called "Snow Yard" in Lansing. It was apparently coupled to a BNSF SD70ACe. Looking on Maps, I don't really see a yard on the CN ROW with the exception of the tiny yard at the GM Delta Township facility. Is this what the person is referring to?


Thanks,

-NS

Snow Yard (or what's left of it) would be a little ways east (Timetable Direction) from that Delta Yard, roughly between Millet Hwy and Mt. Hope Rd. Snow Rd ends about where the old yard office stands. Lansing Rd runs right alongside of the yard on the (timetable) south side of the tracks. If you're ever in the area you might be able to spot the old Starlite Drive-In theater location towards the (timetable) west end of the yard. You could see the trains go by while watching the movies there.

I see it now. The sad part is that I always passed that over as some sort of industry and not a CN yard...

Is Snow still in use? From the Google street view, there's quite a mix of traffic in the yard, but no power. The yard office definitely looks deserted as well.


Thanks for the help Hogger!

-NS

Yes, Snow yard is where the Lansing locals go on and off duty. Just west of Snow yard is Cory yard where the autoracks are loaded.

Where is the power kept for Snow? I see a couple of stub ended tracks that are sort of the same as Gearhart's, where the Elk keeps their power, but both in the street view and the map view I didn't see any power in either Snow or Cory.

Usually parked right next to the yard office.

SD80MAC wrote:Usually parked right next to the yard office.

That makes the most sense.

I need to come up here to railfan some time...definitely seems worth it.

Usually only one engine around as the 'yard' switcher...and lately it has been an older 6-axle

Hogger1225 wrote:Snow Yard (or what's left of it) would be a little ways east (Timetable Direction) from that Delta Yard, roughly between Millet Hwy and Mt. Hope Rd. Snow Rd ends about where the old yard office stands. Lansing Rd runs right alongside of the yard on the (timetable) south side of the tracks. If you're ever in the area you might be able to spot the old Starlite Drive-In theater location towards the (timetable) west end of the yard. You could see the trains go by while watching the movies there.

Wow...Starlite is a name I haven't heard in decades! Some cool photos of that drive-in on this website: http://water-winterwonderland.com/drive ... pe=1&id=60

I'm confused, are you guys talking about the obvious yard between Mt. Hope and Snow Road, or is there something between Snow Road and Millet? There is an obvious yard behind Universal Forest Products, and then I don't see anything else until Cory. Actually, it appears there might be a lead that starts down closer to Millet behind the Purina plant and then another on branches off closer to Snow, but then it looks like it blends into the large yard east of Snow, so I just assumed it was the same yard. Are these two different yards right next ot each other?

That old drive-in is a Freightliner dealer now. There is an old crane back in the brush between purina and where Snow Yard widens out that looks to be an interesting relic. I'm not much for trespassing or I'd have poked around it by now. 5936 is the unit that's been around for local power the last couple weeks. I saw it in Cory this afternoon.

Is Snow Yard the yard that is now used for staging the coal cars for the two plants in Lansing? From the looks of the Google maps sat view, there appear to be a large number of coal cars in the yard.

How does the transport of coal cars to the two plants work?

Does CN bring them to Snow, then a local takes them to the power plant, where the power plant switcher actually unloads them?

Also, on the west side of town there is the power plant near I96 and I69's southern interchange. I see the tracks into the power plant with empty hoppers on some tracks. Next to the tracks to the plant there is another siding coming off the mainline siding. It parallels the plants to the power plant for a short distance, then goes due north, before ending near Millet Highway. Where did this go?

chapmaja wrote:Also, on the west side of town there is the power plant near I96 and I69's southern interchange. I see the tracks into the power plant with empty hoppers on some tracks. Next to the tracks to the plant there is another siding coming off the mainline siding. It parallels the plants to the power plant for a short distance, then goes due north, before ending near Millet Highway. Where did this go?

It went to GM Lansing Engine, which is now a Ryder Logistics (auto supplier) plant.

What you said about the coal. CN to Snow then the local will shuttle them 20 or so loads at a time down town. Once there's enough empties in Snow CN will build a train there and send it back. Fuel for the plant on the west side of town comes right to that plant and the empty trains get built out of the same place. They have Delta siding for storage there if they need it. Trains for both plants come in as 712 and are put away where they're needed. Empty trains go back out as 711. I've only seen the plants share coal by rail a couple times. Usually if they get short on fuel down town and there aren't car loads available they will truck it from one plant to the other. The asphalt plant/storage facility along Creyts Rd is supposed to be getting a siding this year. I read on another thread the switch at the east end of Delta siding is already installed however google maps doesn't show the change yet.