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On October 26, I had the chance to head up to the north end of the Marquette at Ludington and Manistee. I make it to Baldwin several times a summer each year, but rarely west of there to explore the former Ludington and Manistee Subdivisons.

My first stop was Manistee, where at first light I awaited the arrival of the northbound train with inbound cars from Walhalla. It was a beautiful overcast morning. My first stop was at the Insta Launch Campground. You could never get in there in the summer, but in the fall, the few campers around didn't look twice as my car idled in the lot. This is a photo that's more about subject and composure than lighting. It's a neat view of the truss bridge over the Manistee River right where it empties out into Manistee Lake. They arrived around 8:55.

I got caught by them crossing US-31 (the first crossing), but it gave me a good chance to view their entire consist. They brought 37 cars north on this run - about 15 boxcars, about the same number of covered hoppers, and the remainder tank cars. Power is sequentially numbered GP38-2s #2041 and #2042.

I was able to get ahead of them before the second US-31 crossing and was able to set up near the old M&NE depot site near River and Jones Streets. With no sun, the swing bridge shot wasn't even worth it, but I kind of like this position better anyways. This view gives a great perspective into how hilly the line is in this area. There's a 5 mph speed limit over the bridge, but then a steep grade up to street level. I love the Italianate commercial buildings built of the locally-sourced brick in this area near the old Iron Works.
As the tail end of the train approached, the view south along the shore of the lake allows for a short view into Manistee Yard at a distance. Here, the power rolls through the yard while the last few cars pass me by.

They moseyed into the yard while I explored along the west shore of Manistee Lake a bit. MQT 3391 was parked outside of the roundhouse. Morton Salt, Tondu, and PCA were all scoped out. There were numerous boxcars staged all over the PCA sidings. I refreshed myself with a telephoto view of the RR trestle over the river near Stronach.

The Ludington job was on duty and my next plan was to catch them on their roundtrip to Walhalla. This was only 5 days after the derailment at Brohman, which completely tied up the main line to Grand Rapids. Therefore, there had been no northbound traffic for several days. But cars previously staged at Walhalla were ready to come west. MMRR GP38-2 #2057 was the assigned power from the yard, which made a lite run eastbound to Walhalla. I beat them to the wye area and took a few survey photos of the mainline from Walhalla Road crossing. There's a lot of RR history still here: older GRS crossing protection, code line poles still up, the bump out in the track for the WB signal, that killer high mount switch stand. It looks like the manual crossing control is no longer in service. There were cars parked on several of the yard tracks and at the east end of the siding far in the distance....maybe that red board is only temporary? I'm not sure how MQT regularly switches this yard. Does CSX block their cars for then? If not, does MQT sort Ludington and Manistee-bound traffic here, or in Baldwin? How is the east siding used? Questions!

MQT GP38-2 #2040 had been tied down at the west end of Walhalla Yard, and the crew hooked the two engines up to gather their westbound train. I caught them at Reek Road, again at Scottville, and then again at South Meyers Road just east of Ludington, at the end of the Yard Limits. The sun was popping out now and starting to warm the day. They brought 14 cars to Ludington, a mix of hoppers and tankcars. The crew dropped the inbound train on one of the yard tracks, ran their power to the west end on one of the few non-stub tracks, and then went back to the east end via an open track. At the west end, there's a moment to capture the power with the former Pere Marquette Fairbanks Morse coal tower. I grabbed an additional view of the coal tower with some emerging fall colors:

The crew grabbed lunch before starting their afternoon work. Planning to run to Occidental, they spent well over an hour sorting cars to get everything lined up for their run down the old Dow spur. This gave me time to drive around and explore the wye area, Sixth Street crossing, and hike up onto the recently overhauled PM Hwy overpass to grab some photos of the power switching. The new chain link on the bridge doesn't help photographers with real camera lenses but I managed to do OK between the links. This view gives a good overall view of the yard. It's amazing how much traffic is generated by just a couple industries here. With the Oxy-bound consist together, they headed east out of the yard and then shoved around the wye toward the plant. I caught them at the PM Hwy crossing, beside the newly-expanded Cal-Chlor plant and siding, on the right in this photo. I'd estimate about a dozen covered hoppers were staged around the various Cal-Chlor spur tracks. The inbound Oxy train is passing over the crossing at left, with the conductor riding the platform. I believe, in CSX days, this move necessitated the use of the C&O/Chessie caboose they kept in Ludington, 903158, but MQT doesn't use that caboose for this purpose. The last shot here is of the power drifting downhill toward Oxy, which is at Pere Marquette Lake elevation - another steep grade! They brought 25 cars into the plant. I think the traffic light in days gone by was controlled by Dow and indicated if the gate ahead was open - or maybe it had something to do with crossing protection control?

It didn't take long for them to do their Oxy work - about 30 minutes later, I could hear their twin EMD prime movers revving up to carry the loads out of the plant. They brought 15 loads out, and really made some noise heading up to PM Hwy. All of these geeps still have their horns mounted on the front of the cab - nice to see in this era of midhood mounted hornsets, but I'm not sure how much the crew appreciates it. The mechanical bells at the crossing set the scene off nicely. I had to cut my day off here. It was fun to get to explore this territory I haven't been able to visit much since the twilight of CSX. GP38-2s still seem to be quite at home here. Thanks to the crews for the friendly waves and thumbs ups from the cab!

Thanks for a very detailed report, GP30M.

I think someone said Oxy receives loads and distributes from this plant.

Thanks for posting! Always enjoy seeing photos of some of my old territory. Walhalla looks so different to me now devoid of the power switch motors and absolute signals! Used to be a good amount of block swapping set offs/pick ups there among 6 different trains.

CSX and MQT do not block trains for each other. MQT takes everything north to Baldwin typically, where the Bald Eagle job is usually the one to break the train down into Ludington, Manistee and GR Sub Local cuts. The GR Sub Local traffic is the tacked on the front of the next southbound train to be setout at industry, typically White Cloud, Grant, Sparta or Comstock Park.

I wonder what will occur first
a) The end of the world
or
b) Those concrete coaling towers that dot the countryside falling down

DaveO wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 06, 2021 10:38 am

I wonder what will occur first
a) The end of the world
or
b) Those concrete coaling towers that dot the countryside falling down

DaveO wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 06, 2021 10:38 am

I wonder what will occur first
a) The end of the world
or
b) Those concrete coaling towers that dot the countryside falling down

Simultaneous

DaveO wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 06, 2021 10:38 am

I wonder what will occur first
a) The end of the world
or
b) Those concrete coaling towers that dot the countryside falling down

Interestingly enough I read a Randall Munroe book that addressed basically that topic.Seems as I recall it he figures they would be the among the last man made structures to ruin if left completely abandoned.

Saturnalia wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 06, 2021 8:54 am

CSX and MQT do not block trains for each other. MQT takes everything north to Baldwin typically, where the Bald Eagle job is usually the one to break the train down into Ludington, Manistee and GR Sub Local cuts. The GR Sub Local traffic is the tacked on the front of the next southbound train to be setout at industry, typically White Cloud, Grant, Sparta or Comstock Park.

Does the Bald Eagle run cars from Baldwin to Walhalla and back?

Or does the Marquette Meteor run cars from Manistee to Baldwin and back while setting out and picking up the Ludington cars in Walhalla?

Seems BNSF went to tear down the coaling tower in Marcelline, MO.
They apparently have to come back with bigger equipment.

Tell me more about this derailment in Brohman. I'm very familiar with that area as my cousin has 40 acres just outside of town there and I would go hunting there for years until some family drama happened. Never once did I ever see or hear any trains while I was up there.

ConrailDetr​oit wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 07, 2021 7:36 pm

Saturnalia wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 06, 2021 8:54 am

CSX and MQT do not block trains for each other. MQT takes everything north to Baldwin typically, where the Bald Eagle job is usually the one to break the train down into Ludington, Manistee and GR Sub Local cuts. The GR Sub Local traffic is the tacked on the front of the next southbound train to be setout at industry, typically White Cloud, Grant, Sparta or Comstock Park.

Does the Bald Eagle run cars from Baldwin to Walhalla and back?

Or does the Marquette Meteor run cars from Manistee to Baldwin and back while setting out and picking up the Ludington cars in Walhalla?

When we started it, the crew use to switch the train in Baldwin and head to Ludington and back dropping off cars at Walhalla for the Meteor. The Meteor recrewed the Manistee yard job and did a Walhalla turn. Things changed like always and the Eagle turned into a dedicated switching crew at Baldwin. The Meteor started running to Baldwin picking up and setting out at Walhalla. The Ludington yard job started running to Walhalla with their day.

When Sargent started shipping heavy in 2014 (combined with the polar votex and all customers increased shipping), a night time Ludington crew was added (Blazer) to deliver outbound cars to Walhalla or Baldwin. This job, with the Meteor, did work at Walhalla and brought over some monster trains to Baldwin or even advanced tonnage to Kopje or White Cloud- while the Z151 was interchanging at night. They still did a combination of this when I left in 2018, but things seemed to be on the decline and today the Eagle or Blazer do not run.

When I started in 2008 prior to adding the Meteor/Blazer/Eagle, the Z151 started in Baldwin and interchanged with CSX, then attempted to make back to Baldwin. They worked the industries along the way and most times died at White Cloud. Seemed to always be due to switching shortwork on the south end, CSX not letting us in at Turner street, due to Amtrak, or stalling on the hills up north with too much tonnage.

The Turn recrewed the Z151, switched the train to Manistee/Ludington/Shortwork at Baldwin. We took the Ludington and Manistee cars to Walhalla and dropped the Ludington block at Walhalla RD. We then went to Manistee, spotting lime to Martin Marietta. Lime came from the z151's train or staged in the East pass at Walhalla. At Manistee, the Turn power swapped as needed and southbound picked out cars from Martin Marietta to be weighed at the scale in Ludington. At Walhalla again, Manistee outbound cars got left north of US 10 and we picked up the Ludington block and scooted West. We dropped the inbound and picked up the outbound cars, weighed the MM cars and shot back to Walhalla. At Walhalla, we set off the MM cars for storage, picked up the Manistee outbound (on the rear for Avery) and back to Baldwin we went.

All the jobs pretty much worked 12 hour days, even when the Meteor/Blazer/Eagle were added. Just always was a ton of work to do.

Thank you for the detailed information!

i995impalass wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 16, 2021 6:35 am

When we started it, the crew use to switch the train in Baldwin and head to Ludington and back dropping off cars at Walhalla for the Meteor.....

I thought I'd share a few more shots from this trip which I took on my other camera. Fall colors were a little later than normal here but there were a few emerging to be found for photography!
MMRR 2057 eastbound making tracks down the Ludington Subdivision mainline at the Poplar Road crossing between Custer and Walhalla, where they will pickup westbound cars.
The sky cleared for their westbound move, harsh lighting to be sure, but I couldn't pass up a shot with those fiery maples in the distance! They returned to Ludington with 14 cars.
2057 and 2040 kick cars as viewed from the Pere Marquette Highway bridge over the east end of the yard.