Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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AARR
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Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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Pontiac & Western, est. 1984

They operate on the former GTW MAL to Jackson from MAL Jct. in Pontiac (MP 35.1) to Lakeland (Milepost 70.2) for 35.1 miles. The original line was from a connection with GTW at Orchard Lake (MP 39.3). They purchased it from Orchard Lake to Pontiac in 1999.

PONW acquired both venerable GTW RS1’s. They were the last two RS1’s built for a United States railroad:
Owner: Pontiac Western
Model: Alco RS1 Built As: GTW 1950 (RS1)
Serial Number: 82355
Order No: 21072
Frame Number: prime mover # 7062 Built: 11/1957
Notes: 2nd to last RS1 blt for USA customer
Other locos with this serial: PONW 1950(RS1) GTW 1950(RS1)
Image

Owner: Pontiac Western
Model: Alco RS1 Built As: GTW 1951 (RS1)
Serial Number: 82356
Order No: 21072
Frame Number: prime mover # 7064 Built: 11/1957
Notes: blt 11/1957, last RS1 for USA customer
Other locos with this serial: Other locos with this serial: PONW 1951(RS1) GTW 1951(RS1)
Image

1950 is painted in the original green and gold scheme while 1951 retains its blue and Morency orange scheme.

They interchange with CN (formerly GTW) at Pontiac, LSRC (formerly CSX and Chessie) at Wixom, CSX (formerly Chessie) at South Lyon and GLC (formerly TS&B) at Lakeland. .

Operations was typically two times a week.

Their engine house is in Walled Lake.

With several new customers this is what the list looks like:
Pontiac - AKZO: Receives four to seven cars a week of polymers and resin. They are switched two to three times per week.

Keego Harbor - Cadillac Brick: Receives one to two cars per week (some weeks nothing and other weeks three to four cars and requires two switches because it only unloads two cars at a time)

Walled Lake - (former Erb Lumber and Stock Building Supplies) Maverick Building Systems / Zeeland Lumber: Receives one to three cars per month of lumber

Walled Lake - ASA Builders Supply (operates both lumber sales and cabinet plant): Receives one to three cars per month of lumber and a carload of plywood every other month.

Walled Lake - American Plastic Toys: When service first started, they received two to three cars a week of plastic pellets. Later, they moved much of their production overseas and carloads dropped to three to four per month. However, they have since increased production and carloads are in the four to six per month range.

New Hudson – MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions: Receives a tank car every three to four weeks of feedstock for industrial coatings.

South Lyon – Michigan Seamless Tube: Receives inbound acid and steel billets and ships out mostly drilling pipe but other pie too. MST will ship as few as 100 cars in some years and as many as 500 others.

Hamburg – Thomson Plastics (formerly Pickney Plastics): Receives four to six cars per month of plastic pellets.
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Re: Pontiac & Western

Unread post by Derektrainman03 »

Awesome info! Keep up the great work!

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AARR
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Re: Pontiac & Western

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Derektrainman03 wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 7:55 pm
Awesome info! Keep up the great work!
Thank you. I've got more to post when I have time 8)
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Re: Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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The PONW is pretty much operating without any changes. The RS1's, now approaching 65 years old, soldiers on reliably. We are forecasting 650-915 carloads in 2022. Operations remains twice a week, usually Tuesday and Friday. It can take a whole day if all customers require switching.
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Re: Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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One of PONW's two largest customers is Akzo Nobel Coatings in Pontiac. They manufacture lacquers, paints, varnishes, etc. Although many Akzo plants receive rail service, at the time PONW acquired the line between Orchard Lake and MAL Jct. in Pontiac in 1999, Akzo did not use rail service and their single spur had been long removed. Akzo had approached GTW about rail service several times in the past but could not come to an agreement over who would pay for the spur.

PONW saw an opportunity to pick up a customer who would receive 20-27 cars per month. By showing Akzo how much money could be saved over the long run an agreement was reached over payment for the spurs (one is the unloading track and the other for SIT cars) and by 2000 the first rail cars arrived.

Typically, Akzo receives three to five cars a week of polymers and one to three cars a week of resins. The polymers dock can hold two cars and the other one. Twice a week (occasionally three) the spur is switched and there is usually a lot of car maneuvering to get the right cars in the correct spots since they are all unloaded off the same track. Polymers go in first and resins next.

Switching Akzo can take up to two hours to pull and spot their cars. The polymer tank cars are interchanged with CN at MAL Jct. Resin covered hoppers are interchanged with CSX (now LSRC) in Wixom.
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Re: Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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Cadillac Brick in Sylvan Lake is one of the few remaining companies of its type left in the Detroit area still receiving rail service (most of have gone to truck). If you look at a satellite view of their property it is very narrow except in the very back where it widens enough to have a spur that can hold two cars. When a block of three or four cars arrive, the extras must be staged someplace until Cadillac is ready for them. There is a building back there with an 8' wide ramp that goes up to the box car for unloading. Most cars are delivered by NS (via GLC at Lakeland). The rest are delivered by CSX usually at South Lyon but occasionally in Wixom (via LSRC). In a typical year Cadillac will receive 60-90 cars. Most of the cars (50' standard height) are older and very beat up and if it was not for brick service probably could not be used in any other type of service. When CN was about to abandon its segment to Sylvan Lake, Cadillac Brick nearly went to trucks, but PONW acquired the line and approached them before they made the move. PONW promised prompt service and communication (neither of which they were getting from CN). Most of Cadillac's cars arrive without a problem but occasionally they get mishandled on CSX and PONW must help CSX get those cars "back on the right track". PONW is up front with Cadillac when this happens so Cadillac stays with rail service despite an occasional bad shipment because of the savings of using rail service. CSX local employees are very helpful but the NS not so much. PONW views Cadillac Brick as a very good customer and appreciates their business.
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Re: Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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PONW services a pair of lumber customers on the original (Wixom-Walled Lake) segment. Both have interesting histories.

Maverick Building Systems / Zeeland Lumber (formerly Erb Lumber and Stock Building Supplies) is an original customer. Other than the few times this spur was between new owners they have steadily received one to three cars per month of lumber. Maverick Building Systems is the owner of this spur. Zeeland is in Waterford next to the CN Holly Sub. However, the Waterford spur had been removed by the time Zeeland acquired it. Zeeland’s other MI businesses (lumber, grain, etc.) all receive rail service, so they wanted an east side lumber spur for themselves. A major factor in acquiring Maverick was to gain access to their railroad spur. Most of the cars received here are for Zeeland lumber. Maverick only accounts for about four to six cars a year.

ASA Builders Supply (operates both lumber sales and cabinet plant) was not an original customer. Their spur was already in very bad condition when PONW acquired the original segment (Wixom to Walled Lake). In 1995, a large box home improvement company, Home Quarters (HQ), opened in MI and selected the vacant property next to ASA as their lumber distribution center. They would receive up to 20 cars a month when busy. By 1999, HQ was out of business and their nice spur became inactive. PONW approached ASA to use the spur. ASA, who had never shipped by rail in their 45-year existence, saw the savings by receiving direct and gave it a try. Now, they receive one to three cars a month (most of it lumber for the Supply division but also four to six cars a year of plywood for their cabinetry division).

Both customers like the service they receive from PONW and even when a car is mishandled occasionally stay with rail service because of PONW’s excellent customer service and communication.
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Re: Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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AARR wrote:
Mon May 30, 2022 2:40 pm
Owner: Pontiac & Western 7012
...
I like the paint job!

Image

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Re: Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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I like it too. Thank you!
Talk wrote:
Wed Sep 28, 2022 7:45 pm
AARR wrote:
Mon May 30, 2022 2:40 pm
Owner: Pontiac & Western 7012
...
I like the paint job!

Image
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Re: Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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PONW continues to operate twice a week although it often takes a second day to perform all its work.
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Re: Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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Michigan Seamless Tube in South Lyon is an unpredictable customer. They can ship as many as 500 cars a year or as few as 100. They will not sign a contract with PONW that commits to car quantities, so management knows they are taking a financial risk in servicing them. If PONW can get at least 300 cars a year from MST, as they have averaged in most of the nearly 40-years they have been serving them, they are profitable. There have been several short periods during the years when, due to strikes, there was no service.

MST’s inbound spur (acid and billets) is on the east side of the plant with an east facing switch. The outbound spur (pipe) is on the west side of the plant with a west facing spur. However, the passing siding is about .7 miles from the plant, so PONW must block the cars at the passing siding before proceeding to the plant. It can take several hours when both spurs are serviced.
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Re: Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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The crew reports to the engine house in Walled Lake, or in the warmer weather sometimes on the AKZO spur lead, between 7-8am on Monday and Thursday. They start out light engines and go east to Pontiac switching customers as required. The engines are positioned at each end of the train. Cars are exchanged with CN at MAL Jct. After the exchange they work west and usually go as far as South Lyon and several times per month all the way to Lakeland (GLC). GLC bridges interchange cars from NS. Enroute, they switch customers as needed. AKZO and MST can take an hour or two each to switch. AKZO has one spur for two separate inbound feedstocks and the cars must be properly spotted at their assigned docks. When MST has both inbound and outbound cars ready, they have opposite faced spurs at opposite ends of the plant and the nearest passing siding is .7 miles away. After they finish with the west-end work they go back to Pontiac, switching customers along the way as needed, setting out cars at South Lyon (CSX), Wixom (LSRC/CSX) and finally CN again at MAL Jct. Then they go back to Walled Lake where they tie up. Due to the track being exempted and rated for five mph it usually takes the crew two days to complete the round trip when they go to South Lyon or Lakeland. At times, during the warmer weather, they will park the engines on the AKZO spur lead and start their day from there. But in the cold season they keep both engines parked inside the engine house.
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Re: Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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On Wednesday, September 18th, PONW 1950 & 1951 delivered the first carload of lumber to the new Home Depot Distribution Center in New Hudson, Michigan.

Located south of New Hudson on Milford Road, the HDDC will be the largest customer that PONW has serviced since its start up in 1984. HDDC is projected to receive 500-800 cars annually (nearly doubling the 600-850 cars annually PONW was forecasting to receive on its entire line in 2023). There is a huge upside as Home Depot has another facility on CSX in Romulus that logistically is not working the way they had hoped so if they ever consolidate in New Hudson there could be a significant increase in traffic.

Home Depot had originally been looking at an old GM plant in Detroit near eight mile road off CR but ultimately chose New Hudson because the higher build costs over the existing structure in Detroit would be more than offset by the far lower transportation costs of having a short line railroad with connections to three Cass 1 railroads. Also, insurance rates are much lower outside the city of Detroit.

Most of the HDDC cars will arrive at CN in Pontiac (5-10 per week), CSX at South Lyon or via LSRC at Wixom (two to six per week) and finally NS via GLC at Lakeland (one to two per week).

Here is a picture of GTW 60’ boxcar 384512 being spotted inside the four car warehouse. The outside lot has spots for 12 centerbeams.
Image

PONW’s venerable RS1’s, ex-GTW and the last two domestically built, will continue with its twice a week schedule but the additional switching at HDDC will ensure that it takes two full days to complete its one round trip.

A 2,000’ passing siding was built between Milford and Travis Roads to aid running around moves. Car turning, when boxcars require it to facilitate unloading, will be done on CN at their Pontiac Yard on the lead to PONB line. However, in 2024 track maintenance will not include increasing train speeds from their current five mph. Even with HDDC’s additional traffic, PONW still falls short of the 100 cars per mile per year standard of profitability.

In other news, Akzo Nobel Coatings in Pontiac will begin receiving talc by rail (in addition to the polymers and resins they already receive by rail). Talc originates in MT and travels on MRL/BNSF, NS/GLC. It will average two to three cars per month. A pit was dug on the Akzo spur lead across from the plant (Brush St.) and a covered shed built over it. Cars will be unloaded into a front end loader and the talc stored in a covered shed that was recently built next to the pit.

Despite being a financially marginal railroad, PONW ekes out a living by job cross training, flexibility and at times determination.
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Re: Pontiac & Western (PONW)

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Carloads for 2023 were 1,004 broken down as follows:
• Akzo Nobel received 318 cars of lacquer/paint feedstock (this will increase in 2024 with the addition of inbound talc).
• Cadillac Brick received 87 cars of brick.
• ASA Building Supply and Zeeland Lumber each received 30 cars of lumber.
• American Plastic Toys received 61 cars of plastic pellets.
• Home Depot received 195 cars of lumber in the three months they have been open (forecasting 500-800 cars in 2024).
• MacDermid received 15 cars of chemicals.
• MST received six cars of acid, 36 cars of steel billets and shipped out 160 cars of steel pipe.
• Thomson Plastics received 66 cars of plastic pellets.

With 35 miles of track PONW falls well below the 100 per mile per year profitability level. They eek out a living by everyone chipping in to do what is needed.

The entire line is rated at 263,000 lbs cars and 5 mph. It will receive major attention in 2024 upgrading to 286,000 lbs cars and 25 mph (this was part of the deal to get Home Depot to locate). It is a three year project starting at the interchange with CN in Pontiac and going west until finished (2026). Once completed, not only will Home Depot benefit, but so will the other customers and make the line more attractive for new business.

Get pictures of both RS1’s while you can. Included in the deal to upgrade the entire line is for PONW to acquire a pair of environmentally friendly engines. The RS1 1951 will be purchased by the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso. The future of RS1 1950 is unclear currently.

PONW has been a fan favorite for years because of the RS1’s, the last two domestically built ones in the United States. They still operate with many original components and even though their reliability is subpar, the owners keep them going for their sentimental value.
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