Alma & Mid Michigan (A&MI)
Posted: Sat May 07, 2022 9:50 am
In the late 1980's Mid Michigan Railroad (MMRR) abandoned its line west of Elwell due to lack of traffic. The line was acquired by Alma & Mid Michigan (A&MI) from a connection with MMRR at Elwell (milepost 42.3) to Edmore (milepost 56.6) and from Deaner Rd. NE (milepost 50.4) to Remus (milepost 66.9) for a total of about 31 miles. In 2007, they acquired the rest of the line Elwell line from milepost 42.3 to a junction with GLC at milepost 38.1 adding another 4.2 miles to their ownership. From the junction with GLC they have trackage rights to MMRR and GLC’s Wright Siding (both about a mile).
A single GP9was acquired at the start up:
Owner: Alma & Mid-Michigan
Model: EMD GP9 Built As: CO 5967 (GP9)
Serial Number: 20876
Order No: 5413
Frame Number: 5413-30 Built: 9/1955
Notes: Purchased from Chessie System
Other locos with this serial: AMI 5967(GP9) CHESSIE 5967(GP9) CO 5967(GP9)
Initially they serviced a small elevator in Vestaburg, Hitachi Magnets in Edmore (two to three cars of clay per week), PCA in Edmore (six to nine cars per week), a small fertilizer dealer south of Edmore (12-15 cars per year), a corn oil customer at Millbrook Rd. (11-15 cars per year) and Leprino Foods cheese plant in Remus (about two to four cars per week). All customers were switched about once a week, except PCA, which was switched three to five times per week.
In 1997 Cargill built a grain elevator on the line south of Edmore. Several sidings were added to accommodate up to 65 car unit trains. Cargill was expected to ship between 900-1,200 cars annually. A GP9 was added to the roster to handle up to 50 car blocks. Anything over that and engines would have to be leased (usually from TSBY) to help.
Owner: Alma & Mid-Michigan
Model: EMD GP9 Built As: CO 6099 (GP9)
Serial Number: 22100
Order No: 5473
Frame Number: 5473-11 Built: 7/1956
Notes: Ex-CO
Other locos with this serial: AMI 6099(GP9) HESR 100(GP9) CO 6099(GP9)
Around 2000 Hitachi reduced production. The impact was a reduction of around 100 cars a year of clay. Hitachi closed permanently in 2005. PCA began sourcing out most of its raw materials from its plant in Manistee which was trucked to Edmore. This reduced PCA's inbound traffic to around two to four cars per week. Shortly after PCA made changes, the small elevator in Vestaburg (now owned by United Agri Products) closed the elevator part of the business and the fertilizer side switched to trucks as did the small elevator south of Edmore. Service was reduced to twice a week and an extra was called whenever Cargill shipped anything over 50 cars.
In 2007 the bean plant in Elwell closed and MMRR abandoned that line west of Alma. A&MI recruited a new occupant for the bean plant so they acquired the line and secured trackage rights on GLC into Alma where they interchange with GLC (who had acquired TSBY) and MMRR. Shortly after, Heritage Bean (who had two other plants but one did not have rail service and the other was in cramped quarters in Ithaca) consolidated its operations to Elwell. Shipping one to two boxcars of bagged edible organic beans per week.
Cargill expanded for the first time in 2007 (the first of several) and was shipping over 1,700 cars a year when business was good. A GP38 was added to the roster to assist pull the 65 car unit grain trains from Cargill.
Owner: Alma & Mid-Michigan
Model: EMD GP38 Built As: CO 3880 (GP38)
Serial Number: 33711
Order No: 7060
Frame Number: 7060-81 Built: 11/1967
Notes: ex-CSX 2080, nee-CO 3880
Other locos with this serial: AMI 2080(GP38) CSX 2080(GP38) CO 3880(GP38)
Business has been relatively steady since 2007 other than Cargill increasing its capacity and shipments.
• Heritage Bean continues to get weekly service shipping one to two boxcars a week of edible beans.
• The corn oil transload was moved to Edmore. It receives a carload about every four-weeks.
• PCA receives at least two and sometimes a third box car each week. All cardboard from Manistee is trucked in. The cardboard they receive by rail comes from a PCA plant down south.
• Cargill has expanded over the years and now ships up to 2,000 cars annually in small blocks to 85 (NS), 90 (CSX) and 110 (CN) units. The three engines can handle the longest unit grain trains at slow speeds. Anything over that and A&MI has to short-term lease from usually GLC.
• Leprino Foods cheese plant in Remus continues to receive one to three cars a week of feedstock. They also ship out one to two cars per week of bulk cheese to a cheese distributor in New York.
Interchange is in Alma with both GLC and MMRR. Short blocks of interchange traffic are usually set-out/picked-up from the connecting tracks between GLC and MMRR. Larger blocks of cars (unit grain) is usually interchanged with GLC at their Wright Rd. siding or MMRR at their Alma Yard.
Service is typically weekly with PCA getting a second switch one to three times per month. Large unit grain for Cargill is handled separately from the other freight operations.
Other prospects are limited at this time but A&MI is always looking.
The overall business is adequate but does not meet the minimum 100 cars per mile per year requirement. Employees perform multiple duties to keep costs down. Grants and subsidies are necessary to maintain the track. The Alma to Edmore section was Rebuilt to handle 286,000 pound cars. The Branch from Edmore to Remus remains at 263,000 pounds. It is an effecient arrangement for now.
A single GP9was acquired at the start up:
Owner: Alma & Mid-Michigan
Model: EMD GP9 Built As: CO 5967 (GP9)
Serial Number: 20876
Order No: 5413
Frame Number: 5413-30 Built: 9/1955
Notes: Purchased from Chessie System
Other locos with this serial: AMI 5967(GP9) CHESSIE 5967(GP9) CO 5967(GP9)
Initially they serviced a small elevator in Vestaburg, Hitachi Magnets in Edmore (two to three cars of clay per week), PCA in Edmore (six to nine cars per week), a small fertilizer dealer south of Edmore (12-15 cars per year), a corn oil customer at Millbrook Rd. (11-15 cars per year) and Leprino Foods cheese plant in Remus (about two to four cars per week). All customers were switched about once a week, except PCA, which was switched three to five times per week.
In 1997 Cargill built a grain elevator on the line south of Edmore. Several sidings were added to accommodate up to 65 car unit trains. Cargill was expected to ship between 900-1,200 cars annually. A GP9 was added to the roster to handle up to 50 car blocks. Anything over that and engines would have to be leased (usually from TSBY) to help.
Owner: Alma & Mid-Michigan
Model: EMD GP9 Built As: CO 6099 (GP9)
Serial Number: 22100
Order No: 5473
Frame Number: 5473-11 Built: 7/1956
Notes: Ex-CO
Other locos with this serial: AMI 6099(GP9) HESR 100(GP9) CO 6099(GP9)
Around 2000 Hitachi reduced production. The impact was a reduction of around 100 cars a year of clay. Hitachi closed permanently in 2005. PCA began sourcing out most of its raw materials from its plant in Manistee which was trucked to Edmore. This reduced PCA's inbound traffic to around two to four cars per week. Shortly after PCA made changes, the small elevator in Vestaburg (now owned by United Agri Products) closed the elevator part of the business and the fertilizer side switched to trucks as did the small elevator south of Edmore. Service was reduced to twice a week and an extra was called whenever Cargill shipped anything over 50 cars.
In 2007 the bean plant in Elwell closed and MMRR abandoned that line west of Alma. A&MI recruited a new occupant for the bean plant so they acquired the line and secured trackage rights on GLC into Alma where they interchange with GLC (who had acquired TSBY) and MMRR. Shortly after, Heritage Bean (who had two other plants but one did not have rail service and the other was in cramped quarters in Ithaca) consolidated its operations to Elwell. Shipping one to two boxcars of bagged edible organic beans per week.
Cargill expanded for the first time in 2007 (the first of several) and was shipping over 1,700 cars a year when business was good. A GP38 was added to the roster to assist pull the 65 car unit grain trains from Cargill.
Owner: Alma & Mid-Michigan
Model: EMD GP38 Built As: CO 3880 (GP38)
Serial Number: 33711
Order No: 7060
Frame Number: 7060-81 Built: 11/1967
Notes: ex-CSX 2080, nee-CO 3880
Other locos with this serial: AMI 2080(GP38) CSX 2080(GP38) CO 3880(GP38)
Business has been relatively steady since 2007 other than Cargill increasing its capacity and shipments.
• Heritage Bean continues to get weekly service shipping one to two boxcars a week of edible beans.
• The corn oil transload was moved to Edmore. It receives a carload about every four-weeks.
• PCA receives at least two and sometimes a third box car each week. All cardboard from Manistee is trucked in. The cardboard they receive by rail comes from a PCA plant down south.
• Cargill has expanded over the years and now ships up to 2,000 cars annually in small blocks to 85 (NS), 90 (CSX) and 110 (CN) units. The three engines can handle the longest unit grain trains at slow speeds. Anything over that and A&MI has to short-term lease from usually GLC.
• Leprino Foods cheese plant in Remus continues to receive one to three cars a week of feedstock. They also ship out one to two cars per week of bulk cheese to a cheese distributor in New York.
Interchange is in Alma with both GLC and MMRR. Short blocks of interchange traffic are usually set-out/picked-up from the connecting tracks between GLC and MMRR. Larger blocks of cars (unit grain) is usually interchanged with GLC at their Wright Rd. siding or MMRR at their Alma Yard.
Service is typically weekly with PCA getting a second switch one to three times per month. Large unit grain for Cargill is handled separately from the other freight operations.
Other prospects are limited at this time but A&MI is always looking.
The overall business is adequate but does not meet the minimum 100 cars per mile per year requirement. Employees perform multiple duties to keep costs down. Grants and subsidies are necessary to maintain the track. The Alma to Edmore section was Rebuilt to handle 286,000 pound cars. The Branch from Edmore to Remus remains at 263,000 pounds. It is an effecient arrangement for now.