W9J and lots of freights in Kalamazoo

[GP30M4216]

Wow - A crazy day on the railroad meant a whole bunch of daylight freight action around Kalamazoo today.

According to what I heard on the scanner and some chatter in the shoutbox, 38J and 39J were each called at their respective yards at 4AM. An unusual W9J (39J extra) was called at Jackson at 7:45AM (depart Jackson around 11:30). Amtrak 365 came through Kalamazoo at 10:30AM, while Amtrak 351 was right behind them at 10:45AM. Meanwhile, 38J has the signals at Three Rivers to go into the siding to wait at CP-Park around 11:20. They go into emergency near the siding but it is not a serious problem.

A late running Amtrak 350 allowed the Dearborn Dispatcher to run 39J behind the westbound Amtraks and onto the doubletrack beginning at CP-Comstock. They arrived at Botsford yard at 11:30 on #1 track, and held back near the Pumphouse Switch because they had to double their yard pickup at Kalamazoo. Their pickup cars were on yard tracks 5 and 6, and they also had to setoff four cars from Jackson on yard track 1 - unusual. 39J had NS D9-40CW #8980 and D9-40C #8860 elephant style for power. Also at 11:30, B-0-K had fired up their engines and collected their train at the west end of the yard: CR 3070, two AOK 50' high-cubes, a TBOX 60' high-cube, and a RBOX standard 50' boxcar, plus the NS 3068.

At 11:50, Amtrak 350 rolled through West Botsford on #2 track with 39J holding on Main #1 and B-0-K holding on the yard lead. 350 had:
NPCU 90219 Phase III
1 Amfleet Cafe Phase V
3 Horizon Coaches (one in Ph IV, the others in Ph V)
P42DC Genesis 34

With Amtrak clear, B-0-K received permission to come out of the yard, cross from 2 to 1 at View, then back into the North Pass to work LC Howard. They did this move around 11:55AM. At the same time, 39J uncoupled their setout cars from their train and moved up to W. Botsford to back into the yard when B-0-K had completed their move. B-0-K cleared W. Botsford by a few minutes past noon, and then 39J made their move into the yard, safely tucked away at 12:20. Their 4 setout cars included two Thiele tankcars, and two standard NS 50' boxcars. Not sure why they were coming from the east unless they were part of a returning highballed 38J which did not setout at Kalamazoo recently. At this time, I heard that this W9J was on it's way at a "hot train which cannot be delayed," so the View crossover switches must be returned to normal for whenever they get here. At 12:15, CN 921 gets permission to operate from Kilgore to PJ to do work at Cytec. They had the GTW GP38-2 #4902 today.

At 12:20PM, with 39J in the yard and the crew getting their paperwork, B-0-K has completed their switching at LC Howard and would like to run south on the Upjohn Industrial. They get their Form D from the Dearborn Dispatcher at 12:27, crossover at Harris, and proceed south. At LC Howard, their dropped off the standard RBOX boxcar and picked up a standard 50' AOK boxcar. They make their move by BO at 12:30ish with the newly picked up car at the headend with CR 3070. Shortly after, at 12:35PM, B-1-G calls BO from "out west" looking for a route through the interlocking and into the yard. BO tells them he is an "equal opportunity delayer" and won't be able to give them a route for a while thanks to 39J making their pickup and having to keep a track free for the approaching priority W9J. At the same time, 39J receives permission to double their train and get one trainlength on #2 track with permission to recerse in the interlocking as necessary to make their pickup.

I have to take a Spanish mid-term at this point, so I don't know what happens in the next hour.

Following class, I wander back over to the yard, just in time to catch W9J! 39J has completed their pickup and their train has been reassembled on the #1 track with the power waiting at West Botsford. The #2 track is open and this is what W9J comes through on, not stopping at the yard but continuing straight through toward BO. They are at BO at 1:58PM, and I caught them at Gibson. W9J:

CR 3062 GP40-2
35 NS 471xxx series 60' high cube boxcars
I have no idea why these were so important because they seemed to be empty. They wasted no time getting out of town.

39J would be getting the blocks right behind them so eventually 38J could come north. They got their Form D from the Dearborn Disp and permission on the BO Secondary around 2:10PM. At 2:20, B-0-K calls up BO and asks for permission to come north from Gibson to go back to the yard. BO tells them they have to wait for 39J and to hold at Gibson. I run over to see them before 39J comes south. Heading north:

NS 3068
2 50' standard boxcars
2 high cubes
3 50' standard boxcars, including he AOK one from North Pass/LC Howard
CR 3070

With B-0-K clear of the PJ Switch, BO gives CN921 permission to operate from Gib-Milepost 3 to switch at LC Howard. W9J clears the Kal Block around 2:25, and 39J gets their Form D to start going south. I catch them near the Vine St. semaphore.
NS 8980 D9-40CW
NS 8860 D9-40C
96 cars
- - - including 33 from Kalamazoo. The last car was an 8 axle QTTX well flatcar, number 130749. I counted 11 tankcars of Ethanol, the rest of the train was mostly a mix of covered hoppers, coils, and boxcars, with a few tanks and gons thrown in.

39J cleared Gibson at 12:45, and that allowed the B-0-K to go north back to the yard, which they did at 12:50. I had to do other things again (can't spend the whole day railfanning, sadly), but by that point this was the situation:

38J chillin in the siding at Three Rivers
W9J on their way south from Kalamazoo
39J one block behind them going south
B-0-K on their way back up to Botsford Yard
B-1-G still holding west of town waiting for a route into the yard
CN921 working at LC Howard

[Scooterb]

Wonder if this was a hot train for Detroit? maybe because of the CN strike?
There was an eastbound W8J last evening maybe the loaded train?

[GP30M4216]

Could be Scott - I did hear someone mention a W8J in the last day or so. This W9J was westbound to Elkhart. I didn't think of the CN strike but it could be. Whatever it was, it was to expedited across Michigan and the towerman at BO did his job to get them through town quickly, holding other trains in the process. We shall have to see if any more come through...

[signmasters]

What a great report GP30M4216.

[Scooterb]

Per ........ on the other board.
That W9J may have been a large group or cars stored at Lansing that were used in dedicated auto parts service for GM. Since GM is no more in Lansing as far as NS is concerned, they were probably deadheading those cars someplace else to be re-assigned. At least that's my theory, since I've I've been off work with a broken foot now for about a month, I know we were storing a bunch of those cars in Lansing. I'll check the scanner at Jackson sometime and see if that's was they were.

I just checked the scanner on the Lansing Secondary at Jackson and that train did indeed come out of Lansing this morning going by the scanner somewhere between 6 and 6:30am. 3062 and 35 cars.

So why was this such a hot train?

[Hogger1225]

The cars were needed elsewhere. Empties can be just as hot as the loads, after all, how do you think the loads become that way? See how important dinner is when empty stomachs are ignored?

[Scooterb]

Speaking of Lunch..................

Thanks for the info.