Soo/CP On CSX In Michigan, Revisited

[BL2-1843]

SOO/CP ON CSX IN MICHIGAN, REVISITED, 1985-2010

Having lived trackside in Howell, Michigan, and at the same location for 44 years, I have logged in every train that has passed including train numbers, all locomotive numbers in the consist, times by, and back in the days when cabooses were still being used, cab numbers as well. In these 44 years, I have accumulated a vast amount of information of trains that operated here, even before the days Chessie System ran in the 1972-1986 period up to the current times.

Still, despite having the information, I never ever, sat down and made a count of all Soo/CP trains that I had sighted and logged during the period of 1985-2010 that they were in operation here on the Plymouth sub. That is until last weekend, when it took me three full days to note the exact amount of sightings I saw of Soo Line and Canadian Pacific trains. How easily one can forget just how many trains they ran, let alone see the totals in black and white for the first time.

For anyone young enough, that did not personally live through and be able to see this entire 25 year period, I am putting together this updated story of the Soo/CP era of trains in Michigan on Chessie/CSX. It does seem possible that it will be four years already come September that the last CP train, X500 left us for good, nor that it has been nearly eight years since Soo/CP took 98% of the business away from CSX, and moved it to NS, for for numerous, and like it or not, very good reasons.

In 1980, when CSX formed to merge the Seaboard System and Chessie System into one railroad, it took them until 1986 before the two railroads were operationally merged together. At that time, a CSX paint scheme was formed for locomotives, (one of many over the years) as well as a unified number system for them.

Just prior this, in 1985, Chessie and Soo/CP management got together to agree on a 30 year contract for Soo/CP to operate trains on CSX/Chessie through Michigan from Chicago to Detroit. I have had since the beginning, and still do today, a copy of said contract. The only opt out for this contract was after the fulfillment of the first 25 years, which either party could opt out of the agreement.

On August 8, 1985, the first Soo/CP trains began running on CSX/Chessie through Michigan as trains 500 & 501. This train ran in each direction, seven days a week. In 1987, a second train was added, a container train running five days a week from Soo Line Bensenville to Toronto/Montreal. Just prior to the stroke of midnight of the start up, now CSX, decided they would run these trains via Garrett/Toledo instead of via Grand Rapids. I was not to happy about this. However, by 1988 they routed them to the Grand Rapids routing.

Also about the same time, on 7/1/87, CSX changed the train numbers from the 500 series to the 200 series. While all Soo/CP trains had their own train numbers while running on their own lines, a CSX number was initiated while running in Michigan. Trains 500-501 was now called 200-201 and the new container trains became 202-203.

On March 1, 1990, CSX began putting prefix letters on at the beginning of train numbers for all trains, CSX or CP, and the CP trains now carried the R-200 series. By the end of that month, a third set of trains was putting on as on 3/21/90 trains R504 & 505 began to operate. Even two trains in each direction round trip seven days a week and one five day a week round trip train would produce almost 200 trains per month, if you saw them all.

On 6/25/93, a fourth set of trains was put on with the addition, on most days, of trains R206/207. By this time, many second section trains began operating as “S” Trains as well. By 1995, train numbers were changed again from the R200 series to the Z500 series albeit lasting only a short time. This began on 2/16/95.

When this happened, new trains Z511-512 to Kansas City began operating and all second section trains began running with their own train number. Second Section trains of 500-503 were now known as Z530-533. In addition, more new trains Z534 & 537 began operating on 6/7/95, and second section trains of Z505 began running daily as train Z535. Also during this 1995 period, the former R206-207 trains were changed to Z270/271 trains, yet months later occasional trains began to show up with the train numbers of Z506/507 again but no relation to the first set.. Z514 train also began to run semi regular on 5/12/95. Also, Soo/CP started to run occasional grain trains on CSX in the Z900 series.

On 1/1/96, the final change in train numbers occurred, when the short lived Z500 series became the X500 series on CSX, which, existed right up until the end. From 1996 up until August 2005, when Soo/CP began to take their business away from CSX and to NS, a hodgepodge array of train numbers periodically showed up over the years such as X520,521,540,542,, plus any reroute trains always showed up in the X545-548 group. The only exception to this was the regular daily running of Trains X544 on 1/15/96 and X747 which started on 1/24/96, both auto rack trains, X517 on 9/1/96, and X536 by mid 1998..

It was a sad day indeed for fans on CSX in Michigan to learn that our Soo/CP trains were going to disappear and be run on NS. What was our loss was going to be NS fans gain. One by one starting in August 2005, we lost all of our foreign line traffic to NS by the end of the year except for one eastbound Train X500. What was upsetting was the fact Soo/CP could not have gone back to square one (so to speak) and Run trains 500-501 for the final years like they started out with in 1985, but chose to run just the one eastbound train.

And why did they last until 2010, nearly four years after the rest of them left in 2005? Its all because of that 30 year contract initiated back in 1985, which would not allow for a total opt out until after the first 25 years of the contract. When that date occurred, even X500 was gone at the blink of an eye, as Soo/CP never even said goodbye when they finally totally left.

Sow how many trains did they run on CSX in 25 years? Not retiring until 1999, owning a camp lot in Portage Indiana where we spent one week of every June, July and August for 15 years, all three of my boys living out of state (many different states) since they left the roost, where we often time visited them for a week or two at a time, many trips to Florida in the winter for 2 plus weeks stays, yet I could still amass between 200-250 sightings PER MONTH of Soo/CP trains seen on the Plymouth Sub in Howell Michigan when I was here for a full month.

Not only was the loss of most our Soo/CP traffic in 2005 tragic, but CSX also began to cut off trains of their own one after the other since this as well. While West Olive Western Coal saves the west end, here on the Plymouth Sub, In February 2014, only 78 trains period, were sited here in Howell, and even many of those were reroute trains that didn’t belong here due to the severe winter we have had. 78 trains a month compared to 200-250 Soo CP, plus MANY CSX trains (back in those days, and by comparison to today)

While I have on file, the total amount of Soo/CP trains per month for each of the 25 years that they ran here, here below is the total amount of trains I logged in each year from 1985-2010.

1985= 183, 1986= 367, 1987= 362, 1988= 525, 1989= 704, 1990= 889, 1991= 968
1992= 1096, 1993= 1779, 1994= 1914, 1995= 2127, 1996= 2413, 1997= 2101,
1998= 2242, 1999= 1985, 2000= 2246, 2001= 2005, 2002= 2140, 2003= 2174,
2004= 2141, 2005= 1740, 2006= 238, 2007= 214, 2008= 238, 2009= 210, 2010= 166

End Of Story, Long gone, but never forgotten. So much fun while it lasted.

[cbehr91]

Thus begins our quarterly thread on this topic...

[AARR]

Perhaps some of the newer members haven't seen this and will like it.

[Racer]

What a wonderful, yet saddening post!

Although I was child, I remember my grandma taking me on Fridays after school and all day Saturdays by the diamond in Plymouth during the late 1990s and the CP trains were always a guaranteed catch (Saw more CP than CSX trains on some days). We would sometimes go over to Irvin Street to catch X500 and Q336 meet like clock work. I remember when I would sometimes stay at my mom's workplace after school which was next to the CSX on the east-side of the diamond next to the Saginaw Wye. Back then the switch towards the turntable/ roundhouse was still in place for car repairs and storing Sperry Rail Service's geometry cars, but was removed in 1996. I would sit next to the fence with my clipboard, pen, and a cheap Kodak camera to shoot wild power on those trains like X500s with the SOO SD60s, CEFX SD90MACs, CP SD40-2s, ex-KCS units, and even MRL SD45s trailing on an X503, an X747 with 5 GP9s, High-Hood SD40-2s, brand new AC4400CWs back when the multi-flag scheme was nice, and other neat stuff. I knew there were many CP trains back then, but I didn't know there was that many!

Additionally, I saw it was common sight (And most likely one of the reasons why they left CSX) to see CP trains "dead" on the single track main at Beck Road, 5 Mile Road, South Lyon, Eckles on the Detroit Sub, and Sheldon Road where the trains were often cut to clear grade crossings. A lot of people in Plymouth complained about them according to my parents.

I was disappointed when most of the CP trains left in summer of 2005, but was glad that X500 stayed, at the time, hoping CP was keeping it on CSX for future prospects such as the detours around Christmas of 2007? and summer of 2008 with X740 and X741. Unfortunately, we all know that didn't happen when X500 was canned in 2010. I miss X500 the most because regularly seeing that train was always possible thanks to my Grandma taking me railfanning before I got my driver's license, sadly, she passed away from a terminal illness shortly after X500 left. Now the trains and my grandmother are just memories.

Ever since CP left, CSX decided to cut back Q326/Q327 adding more cutting pains to the Plymouth Sub and further showing the spiraling operation decline that CSX in Michigan has had ever since the early 2000s. At this rate, who knows what the future holds for this line in CSX's fold, but it is certainly clear CP will never return or buy the line in the distant future, hopefully CSX and it's connecting shortlines will generate additional local traffic and hopefully warrant Q326/Q327 to return to their original form. It's sad that our only hope is those 2 trains being extended again.

Thank you for posting this, BL2.

[Saturnalia]

Thanks for the write-up!

[J T]

S
While I have on file, the total amount of Soo/CP trains per month for each of the 25 years that they ran here, here below is the total amount of trains I logged in each year from 1985-2010.

1985= 183, 1986= 367, 1987= 362, 1988= 525, 1989= 704, 1990= 889, 1991= 968
1992= 1096, 1993= 1779, 1994= 1914, 1995= 2127, 1996= 2413, 1997= 2101,
1998= 2242, 1999= 1985, 2000= 2246, 2001= 2005, 2002= 2140, 2003= 2174,
2004= 2141, 2005= 1740, 2006= 238, 2007= 214, 2008= 238, 2009= 210, 2010= 166

End Of Story, Long gone, but never forgotten. So much fun while it lasted.

What about all the trains that passed while you were at work, out of town, vacationing, visting relatives, shopping, etc.? How many would you estimate slipped by when you weren't home?

[Tom Train]

Thanks for the memories BL2-1843. At least now you can sleep at night.
I still have all my log books from when I lived in GRR. I learned to keep log books from you, only not quite as detailed.

[BL2-1843]

What about all the trains that passed while you were at work, out of town, vacationing, visting relatives, shopping, etc.? How many would you estimate slipped by when you weren't home?

In my daily logs, I saw as many as 12 SooCP trains in one 24 hour period at the peak of operation, and many times, had at least ten, including several times when there were ten Soo/CP trains in a row without any CSX mix inbetween. Even at eight trains a day, thats 240 in a 30 day month, and 2,880 in a year, surpassing my highestearly total by 400 some trains. Even at 10 ten trains a day, thats 300 trains in a 30 day month, so I saw far more than I missed.

I was sent a personal email message on my story asking about locomotive counts. To start with Soo Line assigned SD40-2 units 6615-6623 to these trains, and CP assigned SD40 units 5500-5529, later adding Soo Line 5510-6614 and CP units 5530-5560 to the mix. Later, most anything and everything ran including all of CPs four and six axel Alco's.

Checking my monthly and yearly records, as an example, in May 2000, I sighted 151 CP locomotives, 14 STLH, and 43 Soo Line units. On yearly reports, during the year 2003, I sighted 772 CP units, 7 STLH, and 83 Soo Line, all right here in Howell. And, I have doucumented every individual number as well.

[DLM]

I use to love to take Chicago Dr. from Holland to Grandville starting in the 1960's. You were guaranteed to see one or more trains on every trip. This lasted until the CP trains started to go away. And now it is just a sad trip down memory lane. Rarely do I see a train. The PM/C&O/Chessie/CSX is just a mere fraction of what it use to be. Thanks for the data Bob.

[TrainWatcher]

Thanks for all that Bob, glad someone has information like that as someday modeler's or what not might need to access that. I know of a few guys trying to go some CSX Michigan Ops and have asked about CP/Soo Line ops.

[jrgerber]

It was the CP trains combined with CN that made Trowbridge a great place for train fans. It wasn't usual to have three trains waiting at the diamond. I certainly miss the Soo White SD 60s with the lights on the hood, the Red Barns, the SD90s and all the other power that appeared on the CP, I miss the Alcos by about a year which breaks my heart. I do railfan a lot in Waterloo but I usually only see about 3-4 CP trains in an 8 hour period.

Still if the economy heats up and there's a capacity constraint on the Water Level line I'm sure NS will have no qualms about asking CP to make other arrangements.

[Pete Mayor]

Williamston 1996

[pudgy]

Friday/Saturday nights hanging out at the Depot in Holland with the railfans with 5-10 trains in a few hours. Some great nights out there. How about the new locomotive deliveries that routinely traveled the head-end of X501 over the years? That was as much fun as catching the trains to begin with. When the UP flag units began rolling out of London, ON, it was the name of the game to catch X501 to see what they had on the train. I caught it sitting on the west end of Wyoming with a lone AC4400 but 7 SD70-2Ms. New CSX power also came this way to Barr in Chicago. Great memories. And I'm only 28!!

[GAP]

Before 1985 this CP traffic was routed across the U.P., running on the Soo Line between Minneapolis and Sault Ste Marie, then back on the CP to Sudbury. I lived in Sault Ste Marie from 1976-1984 and remember 100+ car trains with piggyback and containers that just passed thru on their journey east or west. So it's just change. Someday in the far future it will probably leave the NS and go so other way. Then some other railfan in some other location will get to see it.

[AARR]

Williamston 1996

Is this picture from Williamston? If yes what industry is the CSX engine on?

[MP73point4]

Williamston 1996

Is this picture from Williamston? If yes what industry is the CSX engine on?

It is not in Williamston. It is Webberville at the lead into the huge Anderson's elevator off M52. Both trains are headed east.

[Pete Mayor]

Oops. Not sure why I labeled it Williamston.