GoGo Squeeze purchases old Cherry Growers building

[NS3322]

TC John posted on the michiganrailroads.com board, "Macherne North America, makers of GoGo Squeeze who leased a lot in the back of the Cherry Growers complex for years bought the entire complex. They have added a very large new pole building warehouse as well. Huge new GoGo Squeeze building sign lights up the night now where Cherry Growers sign was simply painted on the building. Looks quite busy, appears they greatly expanded there operations here. So I wonder- and chance for GLC to get them as a shipper or receiver?"

They cut the rail by Beacon Recycling, but that would not be hard to fix.

[1TrackMind]

I don't know looking at the product and how its made I don't see anything that would require rail. The only thing that might utilize rail would be inbound fresh fruits and veggies in reefers and maybe fruit/veggies squeezes out but that seems slim.

[chapmaja]

To me this seems like an IM dream company. Bring fruit inbound via IM trailer and you can load it with outbound product for transit to Chicago via truck. There is would be transferred to rail. I would love for the GLC to pick them up as a customer, but I just don't see it happening.

[DaveO]

To me this seems like an IM dream company. Bring fruit inbound via IM trailer and you can load it with outbound product for transit to Chicago via truck. There is would be transferred to rail. I would love for the GLC to pick them up as a customer, but I just don't see it happening.

If you look online at their product offerings, the major ingredient is apples. Sourced locally. They have another plant in Nampa, Idaho which is also an apple growing area.

[DLM]

Apples will be sourced locally unless Michigan has a bad crop. Then they will come from NY or WA.

I move apples from WA to Michigan when there is a bad crop here on 53' intermodal containers. But only between October and April when it is cold. Since the natural decomposition of apples generates heat, a reflective blanket is placed over the load during the cold months to keep them from freezing. The apples are then quickly used to make applesauce. Other types of fruit are more sensitive to heat or cold.

[TC Man]

Drove by GoGo Squeeze/Macherne yesterday. They very recently planted about a dozen young trees all over the former loading dock area where a couple years ago they buried the two sidings with a couple feet of fill/soil. So they definitely are never planning on even thinking about rail use. And if they ever sell the property years from now, those will be big mature trees taking over and chance for rail use.

So we tax payers will be paying for this line to stay in place solely for the girl who runs the rail bike outfit until that runs it's course. If only I was a former MDOT Rail Division intern!

[LansingRailFan]

Drove by GoGo Squeeze/Macherne yesterday. They very recently planted about a dozen young trees all over the former loading dock area where a couple years ago they buried the two sidings with a couple feet of fill/soil. So they definitely are never planning on even thinking about rail use. And if they ever sell the property years from now, those will be big mature trees taking over and chance for rail use.

So we tax payers will be paying for this line to stay in place solely for the girl who runs the rail bike outfit until that runs it's course. If only I was a former MDOT Rail Division intern!

lol is that how she got this gig

[1TrackMind]

Drove by GoGo Squeeze/Macherne yesterday. They very recently planted about a dozen young trees all over the former loading dock area where a couple years ago they buried the two sidings with a couple feet of fill/soil. So they definitely are never planning on even thinking about rail use. And if they ever sell the property years from now, those will be big mature trees taking over and chance for rail use.

So we tax payers will be paying for this line to stay in place solely for the girl who runs the rail bike outfit until that runs it's course. If only I was a former MDOT Rail Division intern!

Doubt those trees would stop somebody if they wanted rail service...

[GP-35]

Yes that's how she got the gig, and GLC paid to have the grass sprayed. She was complaining constantly about how the grass and tall weeds were hampering her little rail bikes. Must be nice to pocket all that money that she's making. I would like to know who's paying for the insurance? you can bet its not her!!!

[justalurker66]

So we tax payers will be paying for this line to stay in place solely for the girl who runs the rail bike outfit until that runs it's course.

How much is it costing the taxpayers? Is any of the infrastructure used by Wheels on Rails actually maintained?

[Steve B]

If it takes subsidizing her by cutting the grass to keep the line in place, fine. There are far more egregious giveaways of tax money.

[NS3322]

And all of you naysayers would also complain if it got abandoned and turned into a trail. lol

[TC Man]

And all of you naysayers would also complain if it got abandoned and turned into a trail. lol

I would not. In fact that's exactly what Blair Township is asking MDOT for. That track has no potential for freight service (if you don't live up here, you can't fully understand why- aside from GoGo, all properties along the route south of Cass Road are residential R2 or farm. And wetlands beyond GoGo (not to mention the track being indunaded with trees between the rails and ties).

[dalek ling]

And all of you naysayers would also complain if it got abandoned and turned into a trail. lol

I would not. In fact that's exactly what Blair Township is asking MDOT for. That track has no potential for freight service (if you don't live up here, you can't fully understand why- aside from GoGo, all properties along the route south of Cass Road are residential R2 or farm. And wetlands beyond GoGo (not to mention the track being indunaded with trees between the rails and ties).

As a advocate for more rail traffic to TC, I agree with TC man, that part of the railroad will never see business again, it’s a miracle that the bike lady is still around (I haven’t been up there, mostly staying around the mushroom capital of the world, so I don’t know if business is good or not.)

But for some good rumors that are circulating is that during or after the Manistee bridge is rebuild, Cadillac to Kalkaska is going to be raised to 40 mph, and GLC might try to seek more business up in TC and on the Elmira branch, so it seems GLC isn’t giving up on North Cadillac any time soon

[joeyuboats]

The one thing that Trav.City has alot in common with Ann Arbor---- both towns seem to have NO use for a RR, and could care less about it.

[TC Man]

The one thing that Trav.City has alot in common with Ann Arbor---- both towns seem to have NO use for a RR, and could care less about it.

You hit the nail on the head!!

And David, if GLC was serious about finding business in TC, they wou have it. A friend who had to do a routine inspection at Beacon very recently asked about rail vs truck shipping (Beacon has their own heavy haul trucks to ship to mills as well). Foreman says rail is useful and ideal for scrap, but commented that GLC just very recently seems to be doing their best to send them packing with inconsistent service (made it clear that they get to TC when they have time on their watch) and to add insult almost doubled their rate (he mentioned tarriff??). So they are considering trucking to their Grand Rapids facility for rail transload.

[chapmaja]

I seriously wonder if TC wouldn't be better served if the GLC stationed a single locomotive in TC and vanned a crew from Cadillac up to TC to run from TC to Walton Jct and back to TC. I don't know if the GLC is just that crew short or what. You would think, if they are power short they could lease a couple lower HP units to station in TC.

If that wouldn't work, is it time for the Walton Jct to TC line to be spun off to a different carrier to provide local service?

[joeyuboats]

Seems like, after all these years, that somebody in an official capacity would just say -- no more, we are not going all that way for just 2 customers . If you don't want rail--- then you deal with it ,and leave. The recent hype, and then loss of that new industry spur is a great example of that.

[Jim_c]

A few years ago I read an article in the TC newspaper about transit. I'm not sure where they are now, but at that time there was consideration of commuter rail as a future solution. That was a surprise to me that a community with the population of the TC metro area would consider that, then I drove into town on a weekday with lots of business traffic. It made a lot more sense. It seemed like the road infrastructure was overwhelmed. Yes, I know that was just one day, but I've heard elsewhere that there are concerns about that. Maybe that is one reason the state is reluctant to pull up any more track.

[David Collins]

A few years ago I read an article in the TC newspaper about transit. I'm not sure where they are now, but at that time there was consideration of commuter rail as a future solution.

Oh god... here we go again