The new grand elk railroad

[conrail7695]

For throughts that keep up with the Grand Elk RR running from Elkhart "NS" yard to Kalamazoo..on the Kalamazoo branch..got some new stuff happening...frist off as of right now it is 12:36 and sitting here in my basement listen to my scanner..ARR channel 15 160.335 " Grand Elks channel" and the old dector at m.p.72.5 pops on and sez it's thing..402 axels no defects...not whats strange is from throughs of u that know what I am talking about this is an NS dector and for the last few years it have not been working properly for a wile now...but the dector cleared it self with out addressing who it belonge too...LASTLY past few weeks have saw a lot of m.o.w work on the grand elk rr and the work has ended for now and all of the m.o.w. machinery moved back north the the yard in k-zoo..shortly after this all happend saw a lot of suites walking up and down the line with hard hats and so on for like three days.


Mabey the Elk has full ownership of this line now??? one more thing the trains that do come threw never anounce there postions, control points or signals any more?..Just wondering of this has anything with the state of michigan DOT buying these lines in michigaN THE LAST FEW WEEKS??

[railroadchoad]

Don't you just hate homonymns?

[JANGAJONGA]

wait, what?

[Hogger1225]

Quite the spelling and grammar display in that first post........

[GTW]

Grand Elk #501 clear "CP Cowling" south on the Kalamazoo Branch at 11:06 am

[conrail7695]

Great.. u guys are spelling professors...great job!!! but I would like to see posts that mean somthing to the questions I asked not my down falls of not haveing " SPELLCHECK" in my computer to make u feel better about my post. PLEASE keep on topic or awsener my question if u can.

[Y@]

I cannot answer what I do not understand.

Seriously people, learn to freakin' type.

[SD80MAC]

Great.. u guys are spelling professors...great job!!! but I would like to see posts that mean somthing to the questions I asked not my down falls of not haveing " SPELLCHECK" in my computer to make u feel better about my post. PLEASE keep on topic or awsener my question if u can.

Basically we can't understand what exactly it is you're asking. Perhaps you could re-word it?

Are you wondering if Grand Elk has bought the line outright from NS now? Not likely. As for the detector now saying Grand Elk, they probably re-programmed it during all the work they were doing down there. Just because it now says Grand Elk, doesn't mean the line still isn't leased from NS.

As for the Michigan Line sale, the state and Amtrak bought everything from Kalamazoo east to somewhere near Wayne.

[CAT345C]

Great.. u guys are spelling professors...great job!!! but I would like to see posts that mean somthing to the questions I asked not my down falls of not haveing " SPELLCHECK" in my computer to make u feel better about my post. PLEASE keep on topic or awsener my question if u can.

Basically we can't understand what exactly it is you're asking. Perhaps you could re-word it?

Are you wondering if Grand Elk has bought the line outright from NS now? Not likely. As for the detector now saying Grand Elk, they probably re-programmed it during all the work they were doing down there. Just because it now says Grand Elk, doesn't mean the line still isn't leased from NS.

As for the Michigan Line sale, the state and Amtrak bought everything from Kalamazoo east to somewhere near Wayne.

Some 8 years into the MQT lease the detector in Bailey no longer says CSX in the transmission.

[conrail7695]

well thats the thing..grand elk does not run channel 46-46 no more..have not heard them call NS detroit of kankakee in a week or so for a form-d or permission to run the line. The dector is not saying who it belongs to like the NS or other class one roads do..just axel count and clear.

[KC]

[quote="CAT345C
Some 8 years into the MQT lease the detector in Bailey no longer says CSX in the transmission.[/quote]

CAT345C .....Heard it yesterday and didn't notice they said CSX, maybe its been changed too?
Kelly

[That Guy]

Ok, heres the scoop on the Elk. They do not own the line. It's still leased for 99 years. But, per the lease Watco had to take over dispatching the line at a certain point and that point has arrived. Also they had to take over all the CTC. Sooooo for the last 2-3 months they have bee cutting over the CTC to the Watco dispatch center in Wichita, KS. All dispatching of the line, controlled switches, CTC, etc will be controlled from Kansas starting after the first of the year.

[J T]

[Saturnalia]

I know his spelling & grammar is really bad, but cut him some slack.

From a thread a few months ago:

Sorry guys but my "caps botton" does not work some time...thanks for throughs of u that understand... and one more thing ,I try to spell the best I can with what I have left. Just to understand I took two blows to my head and has rattled me A bit wile serving in Iraq. Hard to do basic tasks and use my memroy....mike

[Racer]

Ok, heres the scoop on the Elk. They do not own the line. It's still leased for 99 years. But, per the lease Watco had to take over dispatching the line at a certain point and that point has arrived. Also they had to take over all the CTC. Sooooo for the last 2-3 months they have bee cutting over the CTC to the Watco dispatch center in Wichita, KS. All dispatching of the line, controlled switches, CTC, etc will be controlled from Kansas starting after the first of the year.

Does this affect the BO Tower in Kalamazoo or will BO still govern Grand Elk and Amtrak trains?

[railroadchoad]

Sorry for the snarky comment, Conrail. I just get so tired of people who have no excuse other than carelessness junking-up the internet with their poor grammar, spelling and punctuation. You on the other hand have as good as an excuse as anyone. You seem to have plenty left upstairs. Your analytical skills are not gone as you know well enough to know what you don't know as evidenced by the good questions you asked about the Grand Elk. That tells me that you have plenty going on. Keep asking questions. The day I stop asking questions is the day they put me in the ground. The more I learn the more I understand how much I don't know!

Conrail, it would also appear that you served our country in Iraq where you received your injuries. There are few, if any, on this board who have sacrificed in such a way and for that I am grateful. You have my gratitude and apologies.

[Raildudes dad]

I was told last week by a very reliable source that the Watco lease had 16 years left on it (with a renewable clause). That tells me it is a 20 year lease based on an early 2009 startup.

[NSSD60M]

I cannot answer what I do not understand.

Seriously people, learn to freakin' type.

Quite the spelling and grammar display in that first post........

Have to remember some of the kids on this site haven't grown out of the drama queen mentality yet, exemplified by the above statements. Trust me, if they knew anything about the Grand Elk, they'd have demonstarted so, instead of hiding behind a computer to be wise@sses. Some are easily entertained though.
At any rate, had a chat with my nephew regarding the changes noted along the GDLK. What That Guy explained is correct, Grand Elk will be gaining independence from the NS Dearborn/Kankakee line dispatcher, and relying upon their own, based in Kansas. However, prior to what you've been hearing recently, they were operating occasionally on AAR 15 (160.335) while the bases along the line, at least in White Pigeon and Elkhart, where set up for narrowband on AAR 46. This will allow for grain trains from the Andersens to still communicate with NS Chicago East dispatcher from around the vicinity of CP14, for instructions to proceed toward Elkhart, etc.
Not really sure if 302 was functioning as a grain train today or not, but I did hear them on channel 46 working around CP16 and the Andersens, as I was westbound on A29 this morning. I'd hear them often on AAR46 when I was anywhere from Waterloo to South Bend on the Chicago Line, but I suppose that won't be the case anymore with the change.

[conrail7695]

THANKS A LOT! IT MEANS SO MUCH..

Sorry for the snarky comment, Conrail. I just get so tired of people who have no excuse other than carelessness junking-up the internet with their poor grammar, spelling and punctuation. You on the other hand have as good as an excuse as anyone. You seem to have plenty left upstairs. Your analytical skills are not gone as you know well enough to know what you don't know as evidenced by the good questions you asked about the Grand Elk. That tells me that you have plenty going on. Keep asking questions. The day I stop asking questions is the day they put me in the ground. The more I learn the more I understand how much I don't know!

Conrail, it would also appear that you served our country in Iraq where you received your injuries. There are few, if any, on this board who have sacrificed in such a way and for that I am grateful. You have my gratitude and apologies.

[conrail7695]

Thanks for explaning the drama queen illness with some of the folks here..but one needs not to judge someone till u know the shoes that have been worn. Like the other comment were I thanked the other fellow for post of a comment I post from a diffrent thred about my service in iraq...THANKS AGINN!!!

WELL..thank ur nephew for me please..it conferms what I have been seeing in the last two weeks. The changes are in effect now and could just see more. But the dector at 25.7, and the radio channel has changed. Waiting to see what more will happend. NOW THE QUESTION IS WHAT WILL BE THE FATE FOR BO TOWER..WHO WILL RUN THE SHOW ? Not only is there two diamonds in kalamazoo but u also have 120 m.p.h rail west of the diamonds and 90 m.p.h. to the east..

I cannot answer what I do not understand.

Seriously people, learn to freakin' type.

Quite the spelling and grammar display in that first post........

Have to remember some of the kids on this site haven't grown out of the drama queen mentality yet, exemplified by the above statements. Trust me, if they knew anything about the Grand Elk, they'd have demonstarted so, instead of hiding behind a computer to be wise@sses. Some are easily entertained though.
At any rate, had a chat with my nephew regarding the changes noted along the GDLK. What That Guy explained is correct, Grand Elk will be gaining independence from the NS Dearborn/Kankakee line dispatcher, and relying upon their own, based in Kansas. However, prior to what you've been hearing recently, they were operating occasionally on AAR 15 (160.335) while the bases along the line, at least in White Pigeon and Elkhart, where set up for narrowband on AAR 46. This will allow for grain trains from the Andersens to still communicate with NS Chicago East dispatcher from around the vicinity of CP14, for instructions to proceed toward Elkhart, etc.
Not really sure if 302 was functioning as a grain train today or not, but I did hear them on channel 46 working around CP16 and the Andersens, as I was westbound on A29 this morning. I'd hear them often on AAR46 when I was anywhere from Waterloo to South Bend on the Chicago Line, but I suppose that won't be the case anymore with the change.