Shortline Updates May, 2021

Daily whereabouts of train locations along with sightings for heads ups to other railfans.
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SD80MAC
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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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CSX has had the King wheat since mid 2020 at least. King will periodically pit CSX and Watco/NS against each other for the best rate. If King does consume any local wheat, its all inbound via truck. Seems like it varies where they get their wheat from, as blocks of cars from UP, BNSF, CP and various private owners are all common sights.
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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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Jail NBD across MLK returning from the CN interchange at 11:36.

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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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SD80MAC wrote:
Tue May 25, 2021 10:40 am
CSX has had the King wheat since mid 2020 at least. King will periodically pit CSX and Watco/NS against each other for the best rate. If King does consume any local wheat, its all inbound via truck. Seems like it varies where they get their wheat from, as blocks of cars from UP, BNSF, CP and various private owners are all common sights.
King more than doubled their inbound storage capacity 2? years ago. They built a new distribution building on the Michigan Wire site - all truck. The wheat comes from a couple places in Iowa. Occasionally I'll trace a car or 2:) Corn and soybeans seem to have become the main local ag crops. I can remember years ago the wheat trucks would line up through the fairground buildings south to the river and then back north to the Hudson St drives on both side of the road. King couldn't unload them fast enough.
The shippers of the wheat maybe the ones getting the rates. I know with inbound lumber the mill owners like Canfor and West Fraser have more clout with the RR's since the freight is paid for by the mill (passed on obviously to the buyer).

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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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Grand elk north through Byron Center at 3:03pm.
Per wifey: 4009 ( "nice" honker) 4125 4189 and 22 cars? 3:03

4:23pm 4009 and 4125 return 17 things behind it. Lol.
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Jetlink
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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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We used to haul wheat to Lowell (king) by truck straight from the field when we grew it. Also shipped from the farm to Chelsea (jffy) and Augusta (knappen). It was all about the $$. whoever was willing to pay the most for it. Like RDD said though. Most local crops are Soy and corn now. Wheat is a dry weather crop. Michigan is just a little bit on the wet side for it. Wet wheat crops like to get fungus etc growing in them. Like vomitoxin. Local mills discount heavily to the sellers if a load tests positive. So most Michigan farmers have drifted away from growing wheat in large numbers of acres. So the mills that remain seem to get a lot of inbound wheat loads from drier climes.
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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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South Shore freight has an eastbound hopper train behind four GP38s holding ar Wilson/Burns Harbor currently. Not sure if they’re headed just over the hill to Bailey, or to Michigan City or wherever. A quartet of those Geeps leading long hood elephant style looks great!
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AARR
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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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Certainly Saturnalia will have pictures/video 8)
Saturnalia wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 9:28 am
South Shore freight has an eastbound hopper train behind four GP38s holding ar Wilson/Burns Harbor currently. Not sure if they’re headed just over the hill to Bailey, or to Michigan City or wherever. A quartet of those Geeps leading long hood elephant style looks great!
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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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AARR wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 9:42 am
Certainly Saturnalia will have pictures/video 8)
Saturnalia wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 9:28 am
South Shore freight has an eastbound hopper train behind four GP38s holding ar Wilson/Burns Harbor currently. Not sure if they’re headed just over the hill to Bailey, or to Michigan City or wherever. A quartet of those Geeps leading long hood elephant style looks great!
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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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Saturnalia wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 10:27 am
AARR wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 9:42 am
Certainly Saturnalia will have pictures/video 8)
Saturnalia wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 9:28 am
South Shore freight has an eastbound hopper train behind four GP38s holding ar Wilson/Burns Harbor currently. Not sure if they’re headed just over the hill to Bailey, or to Michigan City or wherever. A quartet of those Geeps leading long hood elephant style looks great!
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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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LansingRailFan wrote:
Tue May 25, 2021 9:29 am
JAIL given the clear to get into CSX trackage. Will have to throw switches by hand as dispatcher said he could not get them to move automatically.

ADBF track crew is at the Kalamazoo Street crossing with backhoes and all sorts of fun stuff.
Day Two of the ADBF track crew working on the switch at CSX/Kalamazoo Street in Lansing.

Oddly enough, there are no locomotives currently in Mason to be found.

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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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LansingRailFan wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 4:24 pm

Oddly enough, there are no locomotives currently in Mason to be found.

They could all be inside. The business car went south on Sunday night and they put 1751 in it's spot in the barn

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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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GRE was in Lowell today. Left around 20 hoppers. Looked like UP, but I might have forgot already!

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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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Dan Cluley wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 9:07 pm
LansingRailFan wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 4:24 pm

Oddly enough, there are no locomotives currently in Mason to be found.

They could all be inside. The business car went south on Sunday night and they put 1751 in it's spot in the barn
They are nestled in the barn.
But the biz car is still in Jackson.
I wonder if he's shipping it down to Adrian as he's got the Ohio Rail Experience DTI train coming on the 29th and 30th.

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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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GRE was in Lowell today. I will check on what they left when the weather improves!

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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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16:45, MQT northbound at White Cloud behind three SD40-2 units with 27 cars mixed.

EDIT, MQT back south passing Big Star Lake Road at 19:00. No visual. Sick horn at a distance.

Also, 2 empty centerbeam cars at the lumberyard on Fruit Ridge switched by CPMY.

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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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LansingRailFan wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 11:18 pm
Dan Cluley wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 9:07 pm
LansingRailFan wrote:
Wed May 26, 2021 4:24 pm

Oddly enough, there are no locomotives currently in Mason to be found.

They could all be inside. The business car went south on Sunday night and they put 1751 in it's spot in the barn
They are nestled in the barn.
But the biz car is still in Jackson.
I wonder if he's shipping it down to Adrian as he's got the Ohio Rail Experience DTI train coming on the 29th and 30th.
ADBF Business Car was taken from Jackson to Oakwood by NS last night/early this AM. Was taken to be interchanged with ADBF down south today.

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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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Grand elk north through Byron Center at 8:50pm. Wamx 4125, wamx 4124, and 25 cars.

Back south approx 10:30pm with two locos and 20-30 cars.
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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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ORE is between Hamler and Malinta NB.

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AARR
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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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Is this an IORY train? Is it the Lima North Local to Delta?
LansingRailFan wrote:
Sat May 29, 2021 9:56 am
ORE is between Hamler and Malinta NB.
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SD80MAC
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Re: Shortline Updates May, 2021

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AARR wrote:
Sat May 29, 2021 10:43 am
Is this an IORY train? Is it the Lima North Local to Delta?
LansingRailFan wrote:
Sat May 29, 2021 9:56 am
ORE is between Hamler and Malinta NB.
Ohio Rail Experience, passenger excursion that's running this weekend.
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