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Has anyone heard the latest with Wexford Sand in Yuma?

Is it still shutdown permanently?

What will be the future of the GLC branch to Yuma I wonder. Probably not a good future since that was the only customer on the line. Too bad for sure.

David Lang

Still shut down last I heard. Maybe they use the branch for storage? Guess they make as much profit on the tank car business into and around Cadillac as they did with the sand cars with less wear and tear on the track.

The mining equipment/machinery has been dismantled and removed from the site for the most part. I went by there a couple weeks ago when there was a line of trucks all loaded and in line to leave the plant. The sand silos were still there though. Coincidently, GLC showed up with about 33 sand cars (various reporting marks SHPX, FURX, GACX, NAHX). They pushed them onto the loading track, but just for storage (there were about 20 more on the main). There are about 30+ commuter cars on the very end of the line, and then a couple cuts totaling about 35 cars further up the line (Boon) in a siding, all TSBY/GLC cars (been there for at least a couple years).

Other than that, the rest of the line is clear of cars. When I was down there, GLC crews were removing the crossing gate protection at the M-115 crossing near 13th Street (Cadillac West).

There have been numerous talks about a landfill in the Yuma-Mesick area, but they get killed as fast as they crop up. The one interest a few years ago wanted to re-install several miles of rail from the current end of the line. My guess is, its never going to happen.

trainjunkie47 wrote:There have been numerous talks about a landfill in the Yuma-Mesick area, but they get killed as fast as they crop up. The one interest a few years ago wanted to re-install several miles of rail from the current end of the line. My guess is, its never going to happen.

Relaying to Mesick, huh? That's a nice dream! I too doubt it'd ever happen, but stranger business ideas have happened...

Since the mid 1990's there is occasional talk about trash burning plants or dump sites going in between Yuma and Thompsonville. And there is always talk about it coming in by rail (although one proposal had it coming over into Elberta by barge).

Passenger cars at Yuma, The 3:10 to Yuma !

https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalra ... ateposted/

How often do trains go the Wexford sand in Yuma?

TC railman wrote:How often do trains go the Wexford sand in Yuma?

I'd say as needed. Seems to be several days a week. Best advise- watch the GLC train updates thread- AANscalerunner is wonderful about updating most every day.

TC Man wrote:

TC railman wrote:How often do trains go the Wexford sand in Yuma?

I'd say as needed. Seems to be several days a week. Best advise- watch the GLC train updates thread- AANscalerunner is wonderful about updating most every day.

Ok! Thanks for letting me know!

This question is from the other board.

Posted by Gary on 3/7/2022, 12:05 pm
Are there any sand trains coming out of Yuma? Or is the pit/mine shut down again?

Several years ago the pit reopened and shipped quite a few sand cars for Halliburton over a period of several months. But then as fast as it opened it closed again and haven't run any sand since.

They completely dismantled all of the equipment there, as far as I know. Won't ever be sand mined there again without a major, major investment.

I believe the last loads of sand left Yuma on July 3, 2018 looking back at my videos/written records.

Seems now would be an opportune time to reopen it!
January 24 article: https://www.ttnews.com/articles/oil-exp ... -inflation
"Even something as mundane as the sand Halliburton blasts into wells to help fracture oil-soaked rocks is getting harder to source, CEO Jeff Miller said during a conference call with analysts."

“This is a fantastic set of conditions for Halliburton,” Miller said. “Our current completion tool order book has more than doubled from a year ago, signaling strong growth and profitability again in 2022.”

One big problem with places like Yuma, is that many more types of sand can be used for fracking, than was previously thought. Many specialty sand companies have gone out of business, as more types of sand are found to be suitable for fracking. Brady, Texas used to ship thousands of carloads of frack sand all over the US. Now, more local sand sources are being used, and virtually all of the sand operations near Brady have closed, which has lead to the closing of the Central Texas RR that ran into Brady. I do not know the details, but various sands can now be crushed and screened for use as frack sand. So, places like Yuma, that lived on the oil industry, are no longer needed nearly as much.
Jeff

Is foundry sand still mined and used anywhere?

Is the Yuma branch MDOT owned, or GLC owned?

Being that it’s part of the former AA mainline, I assume the state owns it.

AARR wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 08, 2022 7:14 pm

Is foundry sand still mined and used anywhere?

nugant