Working on the MAL

Anything pertaining to railfanning in Michigan.
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Racer
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by Racer »

I understand what you are saying, but aside from the 350-400 cars, it is a shame that the main business of the Dinner Train ended after 25 years of operation.
Last edited by Racer on Wed Feb 06, 2013 2:41 pm, edited 4 times in total.
"...and I was in the front and Matt grabbed and pulled my ears from behind me and made horsey sounds."

CAT345C
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by CAT345C »

When did they haul that many cars?
Last edited by CAT345C on Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Raildudes dad
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by Raildudes dad »

APT did 350-400 cars / year?. That would be 7-8 / week. I'm pretty sure that Coe Rail made their money off all the cars with COE reporting marks.

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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by CAT345C »

Since this thread is called "Working on the MAL" here are a few photos that I took when I worked there from August 2010 through November 2010. I had a lot of fun times the few months I worked there.

Out on the line repairing a wash out between Maple and Beck roads
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33572_436134456429_5366122_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
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33898_436134601429_6817114_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
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61500_436134086429_5489022_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
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61825_436135361429_1220609_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
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60067_434370726429_3547908_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
Dismantling old equipment, some how I never got a flat tire
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64062_438474421429_2176909_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
Salvaging light fixtures and other items out of the kitchen car the night before it would a pile of scrap
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34707_437335941429_6106151_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
Serious cutters
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44893_437708136429_7833118_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr

This one was creeping, myself and another employee were taking the seats out of one of the green passenger cars at midnight one evening and we kept hearing weird noises. The interior compenets went to some place in texas to be resused.
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44696_425147601429_3145649_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
The next day when I got to work...
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46394_426343531429_1552358_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
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59464_426343321429_5332357_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
Cleaning up the scrapping site
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74444_445724536429_8007880_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr

Loading the old dinner train caboose that went to the PH&D
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61100_435828301429_2346268_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
Loading passenger wheels onto a truck to go to Chicago for turning.
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62020_431724461429_7605310_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr

The main part of Railmark was Track work and logisitcs. I was hired to work in the Track side. I traveled around the tri state area fixing track. Here is the truck and trailer departing on the Maiden voyage to South Bend.
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63226_438837026429_310521_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr

Tearing out cross out east of Haggerty on the first abandonment.
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74529_452117376429_5161662_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
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74550_452117276429_953234_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
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75383_451957011429_516612_n by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
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77049_452117491429_6232405_n (1) by Grand Rapids and Western, on Flickr
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Old Hogger
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by Old Hogger »

I could say a lot on this thread, but I'll bite my tongue and just post some photos (Chris - say no more)

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Racer
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by Racer »

Thanks for sharing the photos, Larry. It does bring back some nice memories. :) When was 1512 repainted?
"...and I was in the front and Matt grabbed and pulled my ears from behind me and made horsey sounds."

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Old Hogger
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Re: Working on the MAL

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1512 was repainted June/July 2011
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TrainWatcher
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by TrainWatcher »

We had some fun on those last few trips. I still have some photos to go thru, but i'll see what I can find in my archives from 2 years ago.

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Old Hogger
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by Old Hogger »

I managed to save one item before the line was scrapped. The MP48 sign was lying in the bushes for years between Pontiac Trail and Ladd Road. Now it is a fence post on one corner of my garden.

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Of course, if I had a few old crossties, I'd lay them in the grass like the line used to go through there. Would drive foamers crazy trying to figure out what line it was.

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AARR
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by AARR »

Raildudes dad wrote:APT did 350-400 cars / year?. That would be 7-8 / week. I'm pretty sure that Coe Rail made their money off all the cars with COE reporting marks.
Most APT ever did was 100-125 per year (2-3 per week) back in the 90's. It's hard to compete on plastic toys in America and their business has been dropping since (52 in 2010 or 11).

Coe's boom years is when they had the Home Quarters Distribution Center during the early to late 1990's. HQ was another Home Depot but went out of business shortly after they started. HQ picked a location on Coe for their lumber distribution center. I'm guessing they received They received around 16-24 cars a month.

Erb Lumber (at Haggerty Rd) received a couple cars a month.

So at its pinnacle Coe was probably around 350-400 cars a year of on line business.

I don't have official numbers, just a guesstimate from observation and a few conversations with Coe employees back in the 1990's.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

Robert MacDowell
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by Robert MacDowell »

I think the heart and soul of Coe Rail's business was the tourist train and the dinner train.
I know some people only see "freight" ... but passenger can make the difference in profitability.

Trouble is, passenger equipment is expensive to keep up, so you have to run... a lot. And Larry Coe sure did that. Once M-5 opened it became an even better location. (previously, getting to walled lake from the freeway was a hassle.) Just seemed like they ran fewer and fewer passenger trains, and that seemed like a deathknell to me.

GLLX3002
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by GLLX3002 »

Robert MacDowell wrote:I think the heart and soul of Coe Rail's business was the tourist train and the dinner train.
I know some people only see "freight" ... but passenger can make the difference in profitability.

Trouble is, passenger equipment is expensive to keep up, so you have to run... a lot. And Larry Coe sure did that. Once M-5 opened it became an even better location. (previously, getting to walled lake from the freeway was a hassle.) Just seemed like they ran fewer and fewer passenger trains, and that seemed like a deathknell to me.
And then when you run a lot you over sell the train and the population no longer wants to ride it. I never rode the COE trains, really never had any interest. That said I haven't rode the ADBF trains either, they are too expensive. Dinner/Tourist trains are a tricky business.
Not associated with GLLX in anyway or MQT or G&W. I just have a thing for the 02. OH BOY!

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AARR
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by AARR »

GLLX3002 wrote:And then when you run a lot you over sell the train and the population no longer wants to ride it. I never rode the COE trains, really never had any interest. That said I haven't rode the ADBF trains either, they are too expensive. Dinner/Tourist trains are a tricky business.
I rode Coe's dinner trains a few times during the 1990's. It was very enjoyable. Heard the experience wasn't so good in later years.

I hear ADBF's dinner train is doing well. I can't confirm if that is true or not. But the little bit of feedback from its customers is positive.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

GLLX3002
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by GLLX3002 »

AARR wrote:
GLLX3002 wrote:And then when you run a lot you over sell the train and the population no longer wants to ride it. I never rode the COE trains, really never had any interest. That said I haven't rode the ADBF trains either, they are too expensive. Dinner/Tourist trains are a tricky business.
I rode Coe's dinner trains a few times during the 1990's. It was very enjoyable. Heard the experience wasn't so good in later years.

I hear ADBF's dinner train is doing well. I can't confirm if that is true or not. But the little bit of feedback from its customers is positive.
I had heard the same thing, the above post was not supposed to be negative. Just a look at how some of these kinds of trains can be difficult to market to a wide range of customers.
Not associated with GLLX in anyway or MQT or G&W. I just have a thing for the 02. OH BOY!

CAT345C
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by CAT345C »

I had the food on the ADBF dinner train several times, while I was getting the left overs (crew ate after the paying customers) it was still fantastic. I can only imagine how good the the first course is. The entertainment on it is top notch as well. I never saw a frown when the people were deboarding at the end of the night. I'd recommend it.
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Notch 8
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by Notch 8 »

Wheather you like Mark or not the ADBF Dinner is a good time and I would recommend it, The Food, Entertainment, The Liquor ! and the Equipment, I need to take some friends up and do this again ! The last time I did this we had CV 4043 as part of the dinner train, now CV4043 wears a patch theat reads ADBF 4043..

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DTI973
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by DTI973 »

Great pictures here guys......lot's of old memories......so, how about a picture of Larry Coe at the throttle of #52 from July 1989.....enjoy!

Image
Brian Briggs
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Michael
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Re: Working on the MAL

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Nice shot of Larry. How cool having a railroad named after you even if it was short and short lived.

NoviRailfan
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by NoviRailfan »

How much track maintenance did the MAL get? I don't remember any stories of cars on the ground but the ballast looks pretty sparse in spots.

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DTI973
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Re: Working on the MAL

Unread post by DTI973 »

Michael,

I always thought it was a bit egotistical.....how many railroads are named after people? Not many....usually named by the places they go between or thru.

Speaking of dinner trains.....which I generally dislike....I liked the Coe Rail early on because it wasn't a dinner train.....just train rides. I liked riding in the old GT caboose he had. I've never enjoyed dinner trains as I'm riding because I want the train ride experience and not to be constantly entertained and distracted. If I want to ride in a passenger car I can ride Amtrak....I always thought it would be cool to drag a boxcar behind a dinner train and let us weirdoes have the 'hobo' experience.

I go to the S.R.I. mostly when they do the caboose trains. I enjoy the Little River RR as the have converted boxcars and at least one caboose on all their trains.

Now, I understand the dinner train as a business model since there aren't as many weirdoes like me as there are people wanting the dinner train/entertainment experience. I just know I didn't take the Star Clipper and it was because it held nothing special for me.

NoviRailfan.....I don't know how much maintenance was done but the speed limits had been lowered as the years went on.
Right after Larry took over I was wandering the track waiting for a chance to take some pictures of it when I looked down at a tie that had a 1933 date nail in it (yes, I have that nail).
Brian Briggs
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