Michigan Southern Ops

[kd_1014]

Looking for any info of Michigan Southern RR operations. On duty times, days of week, power, customer, etc. Any information helps
Thanks

[~Z~]

Power and customers here at least: http://railroadfan.com/wiki/index.php/Michigan_Southern

[NS3322]

Your best bet is to start in White Pigeon and then check to see if they are at Atlantic Packaging in Sturgis. I believe Atlantic Packaging is the only Sturgis customer that gets switched every weekday. Pigeon River Materials/Elkhart Plastics in White Pigeon and Atlantic in Sturgis are currently the largest customers on the MSO.

As for the other customers:
Commodity Concepts - 2-3 times a week
Iceberg Molding - Few times a month?
Abbott Nutrition - 2-3 times a week
OmniSource - Likely nothing since they are closing in December.
Frank Miller & Sons - Few times a month?

[LansingRailFan]

Your best bet is to start in White Pigeon and then check to see if they are at Atlantic Packaging in Sturgis. I believe Atlantic Packaging is the only Sturgis customer that gets switched every weekday. Pigeon River Materials/Elkhart Plastics in White Pigeon and Atlantic in Sturgis are currently the largest customers on the MSO.

As for the other customers:
Commodity Concepts - 2-3 times a week
Iceberg Molding - Few times a month?
Abbott Nutrition - 2-3 times a week
OmniSource - Likely nothing since they are closing in December.
Frank Miller & Sons - Few times a month?

Supposedly. Pioneer rotates the crew around between:
Michigan Southern
Kendallville Terminal RR
Elkhart & Western

[MQT1223]

Your best bet is to start in White Pigeon and then check to see if they are at Atlantic Packaging in Sturgis. I believe Atlantic Packaging is the only Sturgis customer that gets switched every weekday. Pigeon River Materials/Elkhart Plastics in White Pigeon and Atlantic in Sturgis are currently the largest customers on the MSO.

As for the other customers:
Commodity Concepts - 2-3 times a week
Iceberg Molding - Few times a month?
Abbott Nutrition - 2-3 times a week
OmniSource - Likely nothing since they are closing in December.
Frank Miller & Sons - Few times a month?

Supposedly. Pioneer rotates the crew around between:
Michigan Southern
Kendallville Terminal RR
Elkhart & Western

They do rotate the crews. They go OD at White Pigeon around 7-8 am

[LansingRailFan]

Your best bet is to start in White Pigeon and then check to see if they are at Atlantic Packaging in Sturgis. I believe Atlantic Packaging is the only Sturgis customer that gets switched every weekday. Pigeon River Materials/Elkhart Plastics in White Pigeon and Atlantic in Sturgis are currently the largest customers on the MSO.

As for the other customers:
Commodity Concepts - 2-3 times a week
Iceberg Molding - Few times a month?
Abbott Nutrition - 2-3 times a week
OmniSource - Likely nothing since they are closing in December.
Frank Miller & Sons - Few times a month?

Supposedly. Pioneer rotates the crew around between:
Michigan Southern
Kendallville Terminal RR
Elkhart & Western

They do rotate the crews. They go OD at White Pigeon around 7-8 am

So do they finish whatever they have to do at the MSO and then drive to Kendallville or the E&WR?

[MQT1223]

Supposedly. Pioneer rotates the crew around between:
Michigan Southern
Kendallville Terminal RR
Elkhart & Western

They do rotate the crews. They go OD at White Pigeon around 7-8 am

So do they finish whatever they have to do at the MSO and then drive to Kendallville or the E&WR?

When me and a friend chased in 2020, they simply tied down the power in Sturgis and hopped in a company vehicle to work Kendallville. Then they came back up and ran back west to White Pigeon to put the power in the house. When I used to drive to Elkhart and surrounding areas for delivery work on the regular, the E&W from Elkhart ran right by one of my stops. They were ALWAYS running Tuesday and Thursday. Not once did they work a different day. The E&W out of Argos is a totally different set of crews.

[LansingRailFan]

They do rotate the crews. They go OD at White Pigeon around 7-8 am

So do they finish whatever they have to do at the MSO and then drive to Kendallville or the E&WR?

When me and a friend chased in 2020, they simply tied down the power in Sturgis and hopped in a company vehicle to work Kendallville. Then they came back up and ran back west to White Pigeon to put the power in the house. When I used to drive to Elkhart and surrounding areas for delivery work on the regular, the E&W from Elkhart ran right by one of my stops. They were ALWAYS running Tuesday and Thursday. Not once did they work a different day. The E&W out of Argos is a totally different set of crews.

Awesome. Thanks for the details!

[chapmaja]

They do rotate the crews. They go OD at White Pigeon around 7-8 am

So do they finish whatever they have to do at the MSO and then drive to Kendallville or the E&WR?

When me and a friend chased in 2020, they simply tied down the power in Sturgis and hopped in a company vehicle to work Kendallville. Then they came back up and ran back west to White Pigeon to put the power in the house. When I used to drive to Elkhart and surrounding areas for delivery work on the regular, the E&W from Elkhart ran right by one of my stops. They were ALWAYS running Tuesday and Thursday. Not once did they work a different day. The E&W out of Argos is a totally different set of crews.

Last Summer the E&W was running on Friday as i spent a few minutes talking to one of the crew as they were getting ready to begin their workday.

[MQT1223]

So do they finish whatever they have to do at the MSO and then drive to Kendallville or the E&WR?

When me and a friend chased in 2020, they simply tied down the power in Sturgis and hopped in a company vehicle to work Kendallville. Then they came back up and ran back west to White Pigeon to put the power in the house. When I used to drive to Elkhart and surrounding areas for delivery work on the regular, the E&W from Elkhart ran right by one of my stops. They were ALWAYS running Tuesday and Thursday. Not once did they work a different day. The E&W out of Argos is a totally different set of crews.

Last Summer the E&W was running on Friday as i spent a few minutes talking to one of the crew as they were getting ready to begin their workday.

Yeah they have a packaging customer right there in the NW quadrant of the diamond in Sturgis that now gets almost daily switching. They receive rolls of paper in those ex. SCL 60 foot boxcars.

[AARR]

Atlantic Packaging, formerly International Paper, has two spurs. One west of the diamond that is outside the building and has three docks (I don't believe this one is used). The other is north of the diamond and goes into the building. It can hold five 50' boxcars or four 60's. Last I heard they were getting six cars a week and required two switches per week but their business must have increased since then.

Yeah they have a packaging customer right there in the NW quadrant of the diamond in Sturgis that now gets almost daily switching. They receive rolls of paper in those ex. SCL 60 foot boxcars.

[GP30M4216]

I haven’t seen cars on the Old Road spur of the Atlantic Packaging plant (or predecessors) since 2007, although it’s not like I get down there regularly. Check out the photos on pages 1-2 here: https://railroadfan.com/gallery/thumbna ... n&type=AND

Those cars at that time were ancient and with interesting reporting marks making me wonder what kind of service they were in. Exploring the Discussion tab on the MSO wiki here on RRFan has some old trip reports. I would hazard a guess that the paper plant has long been the busiest single customer for the MSO. Great to hear these updates, tho!

[AARR]

I liked your photos and commentary on each one

I haven’t seen cars on the Old Road spur of the Atlantic Packaging plant (or predecessors) since 2007, although it’s not like I get down there regularly. Check out the photos on pages 1-2 here: https://railroadfan.com/gallery/thumbna ... n&type=AND

[MQT1223]

Atlantic Packaging, formerly International Paper, has two spurs. One west of the diamond that is outside the building and has three docks (I don't believe this one is used). The other is north of the diamond and goes into the building. It can hold five 50' boxcars or four 60's. Last I heard they were getting six cars a week and required two switches per week but their business must have increased since then.

Yeah they have a packaging customer right there in the NW quadrant of the diamond in Sturgis that now gets almost daily switching. They receive rolls of paper in those ex. SCL 60 foot boxcars.

Yeah the spurs used are on the GR&I side going towards Abbot Labs