CN Orion Branch Back Open Plus New Customer

[AARR]

Cheaper by truck is just sad, beer weights a lot, you would think rail should kill road transport cost wise.

I agree...the big advantage for rail is price yet CN priced the business so they wouldn't get it. My concern is this is one of those decisions made by someone in a pent house who is insulated from reality of their decisions. I think that's what happened to most of the grain traffic in MI...just speculation on my part.

[OaklandCountyCustoms]

Today at 3:30 train crossed the grade at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets heading north. I was at the mall but heard it pass, due to the size of the hill couldn't see if it was traveling light or with cars. I know this forum has said there are no cars being stored at the yard and the tracks have been ripped from powers...that happened last fall. Does anyone know what or why traffic is going into Orion? I live by the line, I know GM isn't getting anything that i know of. Only active shippers are the scrap yard south of collier and the new lumber unloading site before the PO&N heads north. The mini yard at GM near Walton Rd. sits empty and has the space to do a reversing move/run around for the scrap gondolas (and it closer), i cant see them going all the way to the Orion Yard just to do a run around. anybody know?
Now that i think of it...the circus is in town later this week...has the circus train already arrived?

[conrailmike]

Today at 3:30 train crossed the grade at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets heading north. I was at the mall but heard it pass, due to the size of the hill couldn't see if it was traveling light or with cars. I know this forum has said there are no cars being stored at the yard and the tracks have been ripped from powers...that happened last fall. Does anyone know what or why traffic is going into Orion? I live by the line, I know GM isn't getting anything that i know of. Only active shippers are the scrap yard south of collier and the new lumber unloading site before the PO&N heads north. The mini yard at GM near Walton Rd. sits empty and has the space to do a reversing move/run around for the scrap gondolas (and it closer), i cant see them going all the way to the Orion Yard just to do a run around. anybody know?
Now that i think of it...the circus is in town later this week...has the circus train already arrived?

It could be just cars being stored, the whole yard wasn't ripped out so there might be a few cars being stored up there now.

[GTWChris]

Today at 3:30 train crossed the grade at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets heading north. I was at the mall but heard it pass, due to the size of the hill couldn't see if it was traveling light or with cars. I know this forum has said there are no cars being stored at the yard and the tracks have been ripped from powers...that happened last fall. Does anyone know what or why traffic is going into Orion? I live by the line, I know GM isn't getting anything that i know of. Only active shippers are the scrap yard south of collier and the new lumber unloading site before the PO&N heads north. The mini yard at GM near Walton Rd. sits empty and has the space to do a reversing move/run around for the scrap gondolas (and it closer), i cant see them going all the way to the Orion Yard just to do a run around. anybody know?
Now that i think of it...the circus is in town later this week...has the circus train already arrived?

It could be just cars being stored, the whole yard wasn't ripped out so there might be a few cars being stored up there now.

950 runs up to Orion to run around their train and backs the cars to the scrap yard at Collier, I have no idea why but that is what they do. The only idea as to why is that the yard at Walton was not large enough to run around all the cars that they had to put in at Collier. I know that it is a common now to run to Orion to run around their train.

[OaklandCountyCustoms]

very interesting indeed. I will say though, its nice that they are using the line....could this be a measure to keep the rail from rusting? I made a drive up there yesterday night and made a few observations.
1. The CN yard in orion has a for sale sign near the gate, not sure how long its been there, but a sign says "FDIC Owned, no trespassing." trees leaves are gone, could tell from SIlverbell that there were no stored cars in yard...what, 4 tracks remain? lame...was a beautiful yard.
2. The track has definitely had some work done to it all the way up to GM, looks like they put new ballast down...the marks are still present from spreading it. This is optimistic for me, why would they spend the money if they didn't plan on servicing GM Orion?
3. Powers switch was removed but the tracks remain, could easily put in a switch again...doubt it tho.
I love that line...really wish it went farther north still.

Chris

[GTWChris]

The projected numbers for Orion are 100,000 vehicles. If 70% go by rail in racks holding 18 cars per rack the possible rail cars are 3,900 or about 15 per weekday.

Would Orion get any parts delivered by rail or is that all by truck these days? I remember a while back someone said that GM or Ford no longer got parts delivered by rail.

[conrailmike]

Would Orion get any parts delivered by rail or is that all by truck these days? I remember a while back someone said that GM or Ford no longer got parts delivered by rail.

Most, if not all of the plants have parts delivered by truck now. Orion stopped getting parts by rail back in the mid-90's. It's too bad because I when I was working it would've been neat to see them come in. The rails used to run all the way through the plant from north to south.

[conrailmike]

They started calling back all team members by seniority this week, team leaders and critical jobs have already been back working for about a month now. Everyone is supposed to be called back by June 1st and full production for two shifts is supposed to start in July. It would be nice if CN would get this business back.

[AARR]

They started calling back all team members by seniority this week. Everyone is supposed to be called back by June 1st and full production for two shifts is supposed to start in July. It would be nice if CN would get this business back.

It'll be nice when you get called back . I'm not holding my breath CN will get any business from Orion. Now that auto plants are willing to drive their vehicles to reload centers CN seems to be on short end of successful bids.

[bnsfben]

I don't know if GM Orion Plant will receive auto racks again. Although, I do have to say, CN has maintained that Orion branch past Orion yard. If they were just using Orion Yard to run around, wouldn't they have tore up or abandoned the portion from Orion yard to the Orion Plant??

All I know, is that I really HOPE that CN fully services the GM Orion Plant.