Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
-
- Railroadfan...fan
- Posts: 3086
- Joined: Mon May 09, 2022 7:01 pm
- Location: West Michigan
- Contact:
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
Guess this confirms the “signal suspension” talk that L303 had with the Dispatcher earlier this morning for the Sunfield signals mp CH111.0
Average railfan reporter on Grand Rapids Sub, Plymouth Sub, and Area Short Lines Railroads.
Follow my channel for more: https://www.youtube.com/@ATARP24
Follow my channel for more: https://www.youtube.com/@ATARP24
- SD80MAC
- Ingersoll's Mr. Michigan
- Posts: 10691
- Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:59 pm
- Location: Grand Rapids
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
It's been confirmed since the storms a couple of months ago.
"Remember, 4 mph is a couple, 5's a collision!"
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
New Verizon dish near EE South Lyon.
"Sparrow24 could be described as a mediocre railfan, as he is generally disinterested in horn types and couldn't tell you one locomotive from another."
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
I can't remember if I had mentioned that EE Brighton has a new dish as well, I observed this three weeks ago give or take. The WE does not.
In addition, I wonder if the intermediates near Grand Ledge were removed when they started TWCD as opposed to more recently.
- Doktor No
- Railroadfan...fan
- Posts: 1096
- Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2015 4:49 pm
- Location: Rockford, Michigan
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
That's so you can dial into Spectrum and watch TV while sitting waiting for a meet. Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!?
Curb Your Enthusiasm.
- MQT1223
- O Scale Railfanner
- Posts: 4183
- Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2014 1:46 pm
- Location: Grandville, Michigan
- Contact:
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
I would imagine so since they didn't get permission to deactivate them, only a suspension. The storms a few months ago just started the process prematurely it appears.
1223 OUT! President and Founder of the Buck Creek Central, the Rolling River Route! (2012-2017) President and Founder of the Lamberton Valley Railroad, The Tin Plate Road! Proudly railfanning with Asperger's since 1996.
- MQT1223
- O Scale Railfanner
- Posts: 4183
- Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2014 1:46 pm
- Location: Grandville, Michigan
- Contact:
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
So then you'd only have Lake Odessa and Trowbridge as your nearby sidings? Seems like you'd need something in between. Lengthen one or both... there needs to be at least one really big siding east and west of Ensel.
If you ask me, ripping out Sunfield was a mistake. A siding in the middle of no where that should've been lengthened and automated would've been of a great use. Do any of the sidings on the Plymouth Sub exceed 10,000 feet? The new CEO wants to bring more traffic up this way, and most trains today exceed that length regularly. So if you have a pair of trains at 11,000 or 12,000 feet you going to make them wait just to clear the entire railroad to move them?
1223 OUT! President and Founder of the Buck Creek Central, the Rolling River Route! (2012-2017) President and Founder of the Lamberton Valley Railroad, The Tin Plate Road! Proudly railfanning with Asperger's since 1996.
- SD80MAC
- Ingersoll's Mr. Michigan
- Posts: 10691
- Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:59 pm
- Location: Grand Rapids
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
You'll have Lake Odessa and the double track in Lansing (Ensel-North Lansing). Could still make a meet at Grand Ledge, power switches aren't required for that. The line is never going to be busy enough to where something is going to take a serious delay waiting for a train to traverse the 20 miles between Lake O and GL.
"Remember, 4 mph is a couple, 5's a collision!"
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
I say they double track the entire line and bring Cp back and re install the searchlights
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
The only 10,000' double track is between Plymouth and Beck Road, Ensel and Trowbridge are the next largest. Many of the sidings west of Ensel are less than 6,000'. In addition, the single track between WE Grand Ledge and EE Lake Odessa works out to 21.3 miles per the timetable. I am curious about where you heard that the new CEO wants to send more our way, I'm trying not to get my hopes up as there is always a rumor.
Meets typically occur east of Ensel and the local work west of there is done at night by L304. I suppose that could be the reason L303 and L302 go on duty at such different times, to keep traffic light west of Ensel. I wonder if the switch indicator is just for the elevator, Webberville has an interlocked switch with a dwarf facing the plant. Have we considered that they don't intend to re-signal the area? Given the light traffic and the current TWCD operations, I could see CSX deciding to run the area as dark territory from now on, though that idea conflicts with the theoretical construction work we are seeing.
I'll take this time to add that there IS a satellite dish at WE Brighton up on the hill instead of atop the bungalow, it was not in my pictures from October 24th so it must've been installed in the last week or so.
- Saturnalia
- Authority on Cat
- Posts: 15464
- Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2011 7:54 pm
- Location: Michigan City, IN
- Contact:
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
The new satellite dishes at the old CTC locations seem to suggest that they're retiring the codeline in favor of satellite communications with the backoffice, but potentially keeping the signal system itself the same. Theoretically it's just changing the method of communication, with some components re-routing the code and indication data accordingly. Makes sense given that the damage was largely to the wires, not to the signals themselves.
Ensel to Plymouth makes a lot more sense to not rip out, since it is actually CTC, making for easy meets among the trains that do run. Meanwhile, it has been nearly 20 years since Sunfield or Grand Ledge were used for routine meets, especially due to their limited length and lack of power switches, so the loss of the ABS is hardly an impact to operations. What's more, the track speed out that way doesn't require signals per the FRA, so no impact there either. Therefore, it would make more sense to potentially remove the signals entirely, if the FRA approves their request to do so - granted I do not know if they have done this or not.
Ensel to Plymouth makes a lot more sense to not rip out, since it is actually CTC, making for easy meets among the trains that do run. Meanwhile, it has been nearly 20 years since Sunfield or Grand Ledge were used for routine meets, especially due to their limited length and lack of power switches, so the loss of the ABS is hardly an impact to operations. What's more, the track speed out that way doesn't require signals per the FRA, so no impact there either. Therefore, it would make more sense to potentially remove the signals entirely, if the FRA approves their request to do so - granted I do not know if they have done this or not.
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
The only hang up for retiring the signals is that CsX tried to do that when PTC was the buzz word a few years ago. The FRA denied their request to remove an active system from operation. Now, with it being severely damaged and not feasible to repair, maybe another situation. However, if they were doing that, I don't Believe they would be systematically removing signals, they would petition to remove from service and turn the heads or bag them. The work going on in Grand Ledge certainly appears that something is going to include new signals. Conduit has been installed to appropriately where new signals will be east of the switch at the west end of the siding, so a switch relay for the ADM lead switch would be installed to protect the OS. We shall have to see what happens.
Just a Fat Guy
- LansingRailFan
- Pabst Peddler
- Posts: 11990
- Joined: Fri Nov 01, 2019 4:21 pm
- Location: Lansing
- Contact:
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
CP X-500pudgy wrote: ↑Mon Nov 06, 2023 12:51 pmThe only hang up for retiring the signals is that CsX tried to do that when PTC was the buzz word a few years ago. The FRA denied their request to remove an active system from operation. Now, with it being severely damaged and not feasible to repair, maybe another situation. However, if they were doing that, I don't Believe they would be systematically removing signals, they would petition to remove from service and turn the heads or bag them. The work going on in Grand Ledge certainly appears that something is going to include new signals. Conduit has been installed to appropriately where new signals will be east of the switch at the west end of the siding, so a switch relay for the ADM lead switch would be installed to protect the OS. We shall have to see what happens.
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
If CP comes back, we will need a lot more conductors in GR and they’ve only hired a handful in the last year or so, and half of those didn’t make it.LansingRailFan wrote: ↑Mon Nov 06, 2023 8:13 pmCP X-500pudgy wrote: ↑Mon Nov 06, 2023 12:51 pmThe only hang up for retiring the signals is that CsX tried to do that when PTC was the buzz word a few years ago. The FRA denied their request to remove an active system from operation. Now, with it being severely damaged and not feasible to repair, maybe another situation. However, if they were doing that, I don't Believe they would be systematically removing signals, they would petition to remove from service and turn the heads or bag them. The work going on in Grand Ledge certainly appears that something is going to include new signals. Conduit has been installed to appropriately where new signals will be east of the switch at the west end of the siding, so a switch relay for the ADM lead switch would be installed to protect the OS. We shall have to see what happens.
My opinions and statements are my own personal views and do not represent those of my employer or any other employee associated with my employer unless specifically stated as such.
- Jetlink
- Not a Railfan
- Posts: 3600
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:41 pm
- Location: 2.5 miles from CH 116.3
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
Acquaintance of mine from lake Odessa is currently trying to become a conductor. Waiting to get a date to head to Georgia according to his parents. I tried to warn them about the lifestyle but he wants to do it anyway.
interested in trains
Patiently waiting for LansingRailfan to antagonize me in his tagline
Patiently waiting for LansingRailfan to antagonize me in his tagline
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimthias/
GRHC - you know every night I can imagine he is in front of his computer screen sitting in his underwear swearing profusely and drinking Blatz beer combing the RailRoadFan website for grammatical errors.
GRHC - you know every night I can imagine he is in front of his computer screen sitting in his underwear swearing profusely and drinking Blatz beer combing the RailRoadFan website for grammatical errors.
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
We never even acknowledge that dwarf signal. Once we have permission to open up on the main line, that signal is meaningless to us. Sometimes it gives us a slow approach, sometimes it gives us stop, sometimes it never even comes to life.
My opinions and statements are my own personal views and do not represent those of my employer or any other employee associated with my employer unless specifically stated as such.
- SD80MAC
- Ingersoll's Mr. Michigan
- Posts: 10691
- Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:59 pm
- Location: Grand Rapids
Re: Plymouth & GR sub-div Work
Same with the dwarf at Ann Pere off of the interchange, basically just a block occupancy indicator.CSXT8390 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 14, 2023 7:49 amWe never even acknowledge that dwarf signal. Once we have permission to open up on the main line, that signal is meaningless to us. Sometimes it gives us a slow approach, sometimes it gives us stop, sometimes it never even comes to life.
"Remember, 4 mph is a couple, 5's a collision!"
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/
http://flickriver.com/photos/conrail680 ... teresting/