West Michigan Railroad

From RailroadfanWiki
Jump to: navigation, search
West Michigan Railroad
WMI Logo.JPG
Overview
ARR Reporting Marks WMI
Parent Company Hamilton Hartford Group
Headquarters Hartford, MI
Termini Hartford, MI
Dates of Operation 2015 -
Predecessor West Michigan Railroad, Kalamazoo, Lakeshore, & Chicago Railroad,

CSX, Pere Marquette

Website Official Facebook Page
Map West Michigan Railroad Route Map

West Michigan Railroad Overview

The original West Michigan Railroad was formed in 1995 by Pioneer Railcorp after the bankruptcy of the tourist and freight line Kalamazoo, Lakeshore, and Chicago Railroad (which had purchased the line from CSX in 1987). Pioneer did not invest in the line and by 2008 all customers east of Hartford had stopped using rail service. Pioneer filed to abandon the line between Paw Paw and 56th Street in Lawrence in 2012, and in 2014 the tracks were removed.

The second incarnation of the West Michigan Railroad was formed in 2015 after the Hamilton Hartford Group purchased Pioneer Railcorp's West Michigan Railroad. The railroad uses locomotives from Great Lakes Locomotive (GLLX), and also stores many locomotives for GLLX. WMI currently operates about 4.23 miles between the CSX interchange in Hartford to 56th Street west of Lawrence. Since the takeover from Pioneer traffic on the line has grown exponentially. The railroad hopes to rebuild the line back to Paw Paw in the future. In 2019, the railroad partnered with a local business owner and opened a large transload facility on the east side of Hartford (at 59 1/2 Street). In 2022, the railroad received a $8.7 million grant from the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program which will fund the reconstruction of 5.6 miles of track from 56th St to Hill Drive, as well as completely rebuild the existing 4.23 miles of track. This investment will bring the railroad to about 10 miles in length and open the door to many potential customers.

Hamilton Hartford also operates the Hamilton Northwestern Railroad.

Trains are operated on an as needed basis, usually 2-3 times a week. WMI interchanges with CSX in Hartford.

West Michigan Frequencies

Frequency AAR Channel Notes
161.025 61 General Operations

West Michigan Railroad Locomotives

Number Model Year Built History Notes
GLLX 4 SW9 1951 Ex-LCTR 4/CO 5258. Stored operable.
GLLX 850 C420 1966 Ex-LNAL 850/IAIS 850/GBW 323/LHR 27. Stored OOS.
GLLX 921 GP18 1959 Ex-Twin Branch Coal 921/N&W 921 "Miss Scarlet." Operable.
GLLX 1017 T6 1969 Ex-CRGX 1017/NSS 1017. Stored OOS.
GLLX 1512 SW1200 1960 Ex-ABRX 1512/MAL 1512/CRLE 1512/GTW 1512. Operable.
GLLX 2480 CF7 1956 Ex-CTR 2480/WCLR 2480/ATSF 2480/ATSF 286L. Stored OOS.
GLLX 4428 GP9 1954 Ex-GTW 4428/GTW 1752. Operable. Was leased to SRI from 2019 to 2023.

Former West Michigan Railroad Locomotives

Number Model Year Built History Notes
WJ 100 NW2 1949 Ex-BN 425/SLSF 265. Former PREX power.

Transferred to La Harpe, IL in 2016. Scrapped 2022.

PREX 908 GP9 1959 Ex-MSO 908/MCTA 908/MNVA 298/MILW 298. Former PREX power.

Transferred to Grand Junction, TN in 2016.

GLLX 1397 MP15AC 1980 Ex-UPY 1397/UP 1397/MILW 442. Transferred to Hamilton Northwestern Railroad in August 2022.
GLLX 1416 MP15AC 1976 Ex-UPY 1416/UP 1416/SOO 1515/MILW 449. Transferred to Hamilton Northwestern Railroad in May 2022.

West Michigan Railroad Customers

Customer Location Company Description Type of Railcar Notes
Lineage Logistics Hartford Cold Storage Warehouse Refrigerated Boxcars Formerly Hanson Logistics.
Paw Paw River Transload Hartford Transload Facility Covered Hoppers/Boxcars/Gondolas/Tank Cars Handles a variety of commodities including animal feed, biofuels, limestone, plastic pellets, rubber chips and more.





Back to Michigan Shortlines

Back to Shortlines

Retrieved from "https://mail.railroadfan.com/wiki/index.php?title=West_Michigan_Railroad&oldid=58675"