Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC)

Sub forum for Paper Railroads
User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC)

Unread post by AARR »

Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC) began service in 1984 when Detroit & Mackinaw abandoned its original line from a point east of Hawks (aka LaRoque, milepost 151.3) to Taylor St. (MP 193.9) on the south side of Cheboygan where it connected to the D&M (ex-PC/NYC/MC) line from Detroit to Mackinaw City for about 42.6 miles. As part of the agreement M&BC was granted trackage rights from Taylor St. north through Cheboygan about one mile where they gained access to the Dock Track about 1/2 mile long. There they established a transload for sweeteners used in the fudge making process which is a big industry around Mackinaw/Mackinaw Island and St. Ignace. The other two customers were Big Cut Gravel (BCG) between Hawks and Millersburg and a small lumber yard on the Cheboygan Dock Track.

BCG had discontinued rail service when D&M began sending its lucrative P&G diaper traffic south on the former PC line (toward Gaylord) and discontinued service between Hawks and Cheboygan citing lack of traffic and poor track conditions. Although the gravel business had shrunk from its best days several railroads still liked their material for ballast. A typical season would see them ship 240-360 cars.

The small lumber yard on the Cheboygan Dock Track was a small customer averaging about a carload or two a month.

The sweetener transload on the CDT started out receiving one to two carloads per week.

M&BC acquired RS2 466 from D&M as its power.
Owner: Mackinaw & Bay City
Model: Alco RS2 Built As: DM 466 (RS2)
Serial Number: 73645
Order No: 20024
Frame Number: prime mover # 10009 Built: 11/1946
Notes: Upgraded to 1600 HP in 1956
Other locos with this serial: MBC 466(RS2) DM 466 (RS2u) DM 466(RS2)
Image
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...

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC)

Unread post by AARR »

Fast forward to the early 90's when M&BC acquires the D&M line from end of line in Cheboygan (MP 280.1) to a point north of Gaylord (MP 233.7) for a total of 46.4 miles. D&M was acquired by LSRC in 1992 and is M&BC's new interchange partner with connections in Hawks (aka LaRoque) and Gaylord.

Although P&G closed its diaper plant in Cheboygan in 1990, and the acquisition of it by Menominee Paper fell through, there was a former P&G employee interested in reopening the plant to make tissue paper products from scrap paper (rather than pulp wood). The new company was named Great Lakes Tissue and began production in 1994. They produced 500 tons per week of bulk tissue paper rolls. 150 tons of that moved by box car (two cars per week) to a P&G processing plant near Cincinnati. Rather than bring the box cars back empty, they were loaded with scrap paper from a Cincinnati recycling terminal and returned full. The two-block was picked up at one time and returned loaded with scrap paper at one time.

The sweetener transload was moved from the Cheboygan Dock Track to the end of the line near an industrial park north of Cheboygan. Inbound loads was up to two to three cars per week.

Cheboygan Lumber continued to receive one or two cars per month.

Big Cut Gravel's business had exploded and was shipping up to 1,000 cars a year, mostly railroad ballast. GTW was their largest customer. Even though Hawks was the closer connection, most of the gravel business went back to Cheboygan then south to Gaylord because the track between Cheboygan and Alpena was in poor shape and limited to 5 mph.

There was a small pulp log customer in Onaway that shipped a carload a week.

The rail from Cheboygan to Gaylord was in very good shape with speed limits of 25 mph.

A second RS2 was acquired from D&M in the 1990's just before they sold to LSRC:
Owner: Mackinaw & Bay City
Model: Alco RS2 Built As: DM 468 (RS2)
Serial Number: 74986
Order No: 20024
Frame Number: prime mover # 10016 Built: 11/1946
Notes: Upgraded to 1600 HP in 1956
Other locos with this serial: MBC 468(RS2) DM 468(RS2u) DM 468(RS2)
Image
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...

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC)

Unread post by AARR »

Fast forward to the early 2000's.

M&BC acquired the line from Hawks (aka LaRoque) (MP 151.3) to US23 northwest of Alpena (MP 125.2) from LSRC. M&BC has two miles of trackage rights into LSRC's Alpena Yard. With this acquisition they picked up three customers.
• Austin Powders in Hawks receives 16-20 cars annually of blasting powder.
• Cadillac Products on the Rogers City Branch receives one to two cars per week of plastic pellets.
• Dyno Nobel Midwest in Calcite receives 24-30 cars per year of ammonium nitrate
Later, M&BC picked up business from the huge Carmeuse Lime & Stone pit. 450-650 cars a year destined for Lake City Redi Mix aggregate yard south of Grayling.

Big Cut Gravel saw most of its ballast business go away when CN brought GTW into its family and acquired WC. They favored ballast from a pit on their own line in WI. However, BCG had developed new commercial customers and were shipping 800-1,200 cars annually. Many of the cars were going to the Cheboygan docks and being transloaded onto barges for a destination along the Great Lakes.

Great Lakes Tissue was still steady shipping a two-car block of loaded bulk tissue paper to P&G in Cincinnati once a week and receiving the same two box cars loaded with scrap paper once a week.

The sweetener transload located at the end of line northwest of Cheboygan continued to grow receiving three to four cars per week.

The Cheboygan Dock Track and Cheboygan Lumber still receive a carload or two of lumber each month.

The CDT end of line (former sweetener transload) was occupied by Kokosing Industrial where many of the carloads from BCG were going for transloading onto barges. Kokosing also received bulk aggregates, commodities, etc. by barge. Most of these went out by truck but occasionally they would ship by rail (less than five cars per year).

In 2006, M&BS acquired the LSRC line from north of Gaylord, MP 233.7, to a point south of Gaylord (Sallings, MP 229.9) and a connection with LSRC's Gaylord Industrial Branch. Initially, this added two customers:
• The old Wickes Lumber yard was being used as a frack sand transload for Halliburton. They receive 60-90 cars a year. However, they discontinued service right after M&BC's acquisition of the line, so a new customer is being searched for.
• Northern Energy in Gaylord receives 45-60 cars a year of lubricants.

To handle the growing traffic a third engine was acquired, RS2u 469 from LSRC. It was sitting in their deadline serviceable but scheduled to be parted out.
Owner: Mackinaw & Bay City
Model: Alco RS2 Built As: DM 469 (RS2)
Serial Number: 74987
Order No: 20024
Frame Number: prime mover # 10019 Built: 11/1946
Notes: Upgraded to 1600 hp in 1956
Other locos with this serial: MBC 469(RS2u) LSRC 469(RS2) DM 469(RS2)
Image

The engine house is in Cheboygan.

The track between Gaylord and Cheboygan remained rated at 25 mph. The track from Alpena to Hawks and the Rogers City Branch is rated at 10 mph. The rest of that line is slowly being upgraded and ranges from 5-10 mph.
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...

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC)

Unread post by AARR »

Fast forward to 2022.

RS2u's continue to work reliably on both of M&BC's segments. The engine house in Cheboygan can accommodate two engines. Routine work can be performed there, but major service is usually shipped to WNYP in New York where they have the best ALCO mechanic in North America. All three were overhauled in 2018-2020 and should be set for another 15 years.

The track between Rogers City and Alpena plus two miles of trackage rights into LSRC's Alpena Yard are now rated for 25 mph and 286,000 lbs. cars. All other track is rated for 263,000 pounds and 10 mph. The line from Rogers City to Alpena is profitable, but everything else is financially marginal depending on government grants and loans for infrastructure investment. The next segment that will be addressed is between Gaylord and Cheboygan. 20 miles per year is targeted to be upgraded with work completed by the end of 2024. Then the remaining segment from Rogers City Junction to Cheboygan will be addressed.

In Gaylord, Northern Energy continues to receive around 45-60 cars of lubricants a year.

The former Wickes Lumber spur, now occupied by Builders FirstSource, resumed rail service after over 20-year absence, and receives one to two cars per month.

A transload was established in Vanderbilt where a local lumber mill ships one to two centerbeams a week.

Great Lakes Tissue in Cheboygan has tripled production producing 1,500 tons of tissue paper per week. Most of it is packaged and shipped out by truck. But about 30% is large rolls that are shipped to packaging plants for processing. This is shipped in box cars, averaging four to five cars per week. Inbound scrap paper bales have jumped dramatically with about 75% arriving by rail averaging 13-18 cars per week. If the plant was not served by rail, they would have closed and moved someplace else.

The sweeteners transload that Mackinaw area fudge companies use now receives five to seven cars a week of both dry (approximately 1/3) and liquid (approximately 2/3) sweeteners. Currently the transload looks pretty much maxed out unless there is a huge surge in the fudge business.

The lumber yard on the Cheboygan Dock Track is now operated by Bernard Building Center. Business has grown to one to four cars per month.

Kokosing Industrial continues to operate the bulk yard along the Cheboygan River. They still receive aggregates from Big Cut Gravel (560-840 cars per year) and transload to barges. They also receive commodities by barge of which about four to six go out by rail. They are in discussions with a U.P. wood product company to barge in wood pellets, transload to large open top hoppers, destined for the cogeneration plant in Grayling.

On the Alpena Line, Big Cut Gravel continues to ship 800-1,200 cars per year of which most goes to Kokosing in Cheboygan and transloaded onto barges. A smaller amount goes to Saginaw for commercial use every two to three weeks when busy and less frequently when slow. Some is still used by GLC as ballast.

Austin Powder in Hawks still receives 16-20 cars a year of blasting powder.

Cadillac Products, now operated by Petoskey Plastics under the name Rogers City Plastics, has increased business receiving one to three cars per week of plastic pellets.

Dyno Nobel Midwest in Calcite continues to receive 24-30 cars a year of ammonium nitrate

Carmeuse Lime & Stone in Calcite still ships 440-660 cars of limestone to SRM (formerly Lake City Redi Mix) south of Grayling. They will ship an additional 2,800-4,200 cars of limestone to Specification Stone Products in Kawkawlin and Stoneco in Flint. Traffic to SSP consists of several 20-car blocks when they are busy. Stoneco typically gets a single 40-60 car block during their busy season. Both places receive reduced service when slower, usually half to a third of that when they are busy. M&BC will haul the cars to Alpena and give them to LSRC who will take them to Kawkawlin and Flint. 110-ton cars are used for SSP and Stoneco. 100-ton cars for SRM. For now, the SRM cars will still go northwest to Cheboygan then south to Gaylord where they will be interchanged with LSRC who will make the final delivery.

A total of 5,700-8,000 cars are forecasted for 2022. With 130 miles of tracks, they fall well short of the standard 100 cars per 100 miles per year minimum profit level. By utilizing people to both maintain/run trains, maintain infrastructure and grants/low-interest loans, M&BC can remain marginally profitable.

Winter operations can be brutal. Fortunately, or maybe not, that is when aggregates is at their lowest shipments.

Nevertheless, the people who work at M&BC love what they do and for now the future looks good.
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...

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC)

Unread post by AARR »

Big Cut Gravel is permanently closed. The last cut of 20-cars was pulled in early August. They were an original customer from 1984 and was a good partner.

Lake State Railway Company (LSRC) has made a lucrative offer to re-acquire the line from Alpena to Rogers City. They abandoned this segment around 2000 when they determined there was not enough business. M&BS acquired it to service its three small customers. However, Carmeuse Lime & Stone in Calcite (CL&S) began shipping limestone to Lansing in 2022 and has since added several other aggregate terminals and is now on pace to ship 5,000 cars this year. They average a weekly 40-60 cars block each to Lansing and Kalamazoo (half to a third when slower) and 13-21 cars block to Grayling (SRM Concrete, formerly LC Redi Mix). The SRM traffic is shipped on M&BS route but has said they are open to an all LSRC routing going south from Alpena then north from Pinconning to their stone yard south of Grayling. LSRC has committed to the same pricing for this longer but single haul route than using the shorter but multiple haul M&BC route. With no other customers between Hawks (LaRocque) and Cheboygan (42.6 miles), and no prospects for this segment, M&BS is seriously considering the offer.

Current operations is two round trips per week between Calcite (Rogers City) and Alpena with a pair of LSRC engines assisting the 40-60 car blocks of limestone (M & F or S). They still switch Austin Powders, Dyno Nobel and Rogers City Plastics. One round trip between Calcite and Cheboygan (dragging the SRM limestone block) and one round trip between Cheboygan and Gaylord (limestone for SRM, lumber, tissue paper rolls, sweeteners from the transload and occasional bulk load from Kokosing Industrial). They switch the oil customer and wood pellet transload while in Gaylord. The trip from Calcite, Cheboygan, Gaylord and back to Calcite usually takes 3-4 days (Th or F).

M&BC will make sure there are no prospects between Cheboygan and Hawks before accepting LSRC offer.
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...

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC)

Unread post by AARR »

M&BC has acquired two engines to supplement its busy roster:
Owner: Mackinaw & Bay City
Model: MLW M420W Built As: CN 2563 (M420W)
Serial Number: 6092-04
Order No: 4939
Frame Number: 6092-04 Built: 9/1976
Notes: 'Lake Superior', ex-CN 2563/3563
Other locos with this serial: M&BC 2004(M420W) WGRS 2004(M420W) LSRC 3563(M420W) CN 3563(M420W) CN 2563(M420W)
Image

Owner: Mackinaw & Bay City
Model: MLW M420W Built As: CN 2571 (M420W)
Serial Number: 6092-12
Order No: 4939
Frame Number: 6092-12 Built: 12/1976
Notes: 'For the Gipper 2004', ex-CN 2571/3571
Other locos with this serial: M&BC 2003(M420W) WGRS 2003(M420W) LSRC 3571(M420W) GWRS 2003(M420W) CN 2571(M420W) CN 3571(M420W)
Image
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...

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC)

Unread post by AARR »

With the construction season in full swing, the M&BC is at its busiest.

The Calcite (Rogers City) to Alpena Turn operates four to five days per week with limestone traffic for LSRC. Both M420W’s and one of the RS2u’s is assigned to this job.

The Cheboygan to Gaylord Job works two round trips per week. One day down, the next day back, the third day a trip to Rogers City Junction switching Big Cut Gravel both ways (and sometimes meeting the Calcite based Job in-between), and then repeat the trips to Gaylord. The two other RS2u’s are assigned to this job.

If one of the M420W’s is unavailable, and a 60-car limestone train is scheduled, they will handle that in two separate trips using the other M420W and one of the RS2u’s.

Work continues upgrading the track between Cheboygan and Gaylord 286,000 pounds and 25 mph. After the work is completed, the Cheboygan to Gaylord Job will be able to make their trip in one day rather than two.

Efforts to recruit other customers is in force. M&BC does not meet the minimum requirement of 100 cars per mile per year profitability standard. They get by having employees perform multiple tasks and grants, loans and subsidies for bridge and track work.
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...

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC)

Unread post by AARR »

Current operations consists of two crews during the busy season but only one during the slower season.

A crew in Cheboygan reports to the engine house on Monday and Thursday between 7-8am, switches local customers including Great Lakes Tissue, Kokosing (barge transload) and the fudge sweetener transload. They also grab any limestone loads from Calcite (Rogers City) when required. They build their train for Gaylord (and interchange with LSRC) and proceed south. It takes several hours, including switching the lumber transload in Vanderbilt, to make it to Gaylord, where they still must switch Gaylord customers and interchange their cars with LSRC at Sallings (south of Gaylord where LSRC’s industrial spur veers west to A&L Scrap Metal). They usually tie up here and wait for the next day to return to Cheboygan.

On Wednesday, they depart for Rogers City Jct. with empty gravel hoppers for Big Cut Gravel and empty limestone hoppers for Calcite. They usually go all the way to Rogers City, however, occasionally the Calcite crew will meet them at Big Cut Gravel to exchange trains. They bring back loaded gravel hoppers from Big Cut and loaded limestone loads from Calcite for SRM in Grayling.

The Cheboygan Job is assigned a pair of the RS2u’s.

The other crew reports to Calcite (although they are referred to as the Rogers City Job). They start around 6am and spend the day pulling loads and spotting empties. At the end of their shift, they make a turn to LSRC’s Alpena Yard (1.5 miles of trackage rights) where they deliver their loads (usually 20-60 per day), pick up empties and return to Calcite. They have three other customers that are switched as needed. Cadillac Products is switched once a week, Austin Powder about once every three weeks (the Cheboygan Job will switch them occasionally) and Dyno Nobel in Calcite about once every three weeks too. The Rogers City Job will leave limestone loads (destined for SRM in Grayling) for the Cheboygan Job at Rogers City Jct. or sometimes meet them at Big Cut Gravel. Gravel and limestone are the only commodities that travel between Rogers City Jct. and Cheboygan. Customers in Cheboygan get their cars from LSRC in Gaylord and customers around Rogers City/Calcite from Alpena.

The Calcite Job only works eight to nine months a year. It is annulled when the limestone pit is down due to cold weather. During this period, the Cheboygan Job works the entire line from Gaylord to Alpena usually making one round trip per week between Cheboygan and Alpena.

Both M420’s and the other RS2u is assigned to the Rogers City Job.

M&BC is looking for a sixth engine to ease the strain of needing the entire roster for eight to nine months of the year.
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...

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC)

Unread post by AARR »

2023 was an excellent year primarily due to the construction industry booming post-pandemic:
• Carmeuse Lime & Stone was the largest shipper sending out 8,585 carloads of limestone to various customers primarily in Michigan.
• Big Cut Gravel shipped 1,176 cars mostly to Cheboygan for transloading to barges.
• Great Lakes Tissue received 913 cars of scrap paper bales and shipped 250 cars of rolled tissue paper to finishing plants.
• The sweetener transload north of Cheboygan received 347 cars.
• Cadillac Products on the Rogers City Branch received 115 cars of plastic pellets.
• The lumber transload in Vanderbilt shipped 99 cars of lumber.
• Northern Energy received 56 cars of lubricants.
• Austin Powders in Hawks received 19 cars of blasting powder.
• Bernards Building Center in Cheboygan and Builders FirstSource in Gaylord received 17 and 18 cars of lumber respectively.
• Dyno Nobel Midwest in Calcite received 28 cars of ammonium nitrate.
• Kokosing Industrial shipped out four high and wide loads.

Now for some bad news:
• Big Cut Gravel is not expecting to reopen in the Spring. Due to their location, they are no longer cost competitive with other gravel operations.
• The sweetener transload is scheduled to close in 2024 changing its sourcing to transloads further south on other railroads with rail that can handle 286,000 lbs cars.

The good news is that Great Lakes Tissue is forecasting to increase production which will result in additional loads of scrap paper and outbound loads of bulk tissue paper rolls (70% of their product is packaged and shipped by truck. 30% is bulk and shipped by rail.).

More good news is Carmeuse Lime & Stone has picked up several new contracts and will be shipping significantly more by rail in 2024 and beyond.

The RS2u’s were built in 1946, rebuilt in 1956 and last overhauled in 1978-79. Reliability issues are starting, and their future is being evaluated.

Both M420W’s were rebuilt in 2004-05, are reliable and great pullers.

The track from Calcite to Alpena is rated for 286,000 lbs cars and is in very good condition. The track between Rogers City Jct. and Cheboygan is rated for 263,000 lbs cars and with the closing of Big Cut Gravel its future is uncertain. The track between Gaylord and Cheboygan is rated for 263,000 lbs cars and is scheduled for upgrading.

Traffic from Carmeuse Lime & Stone keeps the entire line afloat. With the projected significant loss of traffic from Cheboygan there could be major changes in 2024 including abandoning the line between Cheboygan and Hawks (LaRoque).
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...

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC)

Unread post by AARR »

A lawsuit has been filed by a Rail to Trail Group called Friends of North Central State Trail. They want to convert the line from Gaylord to Mackinaw City to a trail. In their lawsuit they say that as a trail the line will be more beneficial to Michigan business and tourism than a rail line. They claim that M&BC can send their Cheboygan business down the old D&M line between Cheboygan and Alpena at less cost to Michigan taxpayers. They go on to claim that the towns along the Gaylord to Cheboygan line benefit from the I75 corridor and that a trail for bikes, pedestrians, etc. would make more economic sense. Several powerful state politicians, including Governor Whitmer, are supporting the FNCST group and using their influence. They are saying that the toxic chemicals M&BC haul are dangerous to communities and therefore should take the less populated route between Cheboygan and Alpena (note that M&BC does not haul any dangerous chemicals to Cheboygan, just gravel, paper and sweeteners). Nevertheless, young Gen X’s are protesting with graffiti on railroad property, signs saying that M&BS is killing people and nature with its trains and vandalism. Their battle cry is to “Save the Wolverine” (there has not been a documented sighting of a wolverine in Michigan since 2004 but facts and science do not matter to activists, only the ability to reach supporters emotionally).

M&BC is open to having the funds allotted to rebuild the line between Gaylord and Cheboygan diverted to rebuilding the line between Cheboygan and Rogers City (even though the lawsuit says Alpena, the line between Rogers City Jct. and Alpena is already rated at 286,000 lbs cars). However, Great Lakes Tissue is forecasting increased production and rail traffic based on the track being rated at 286,000 lbs cars. So, a great deal of red tape will have to be revised for this change. Also, the line between Cheboygan and Rogers City Jct., although rated the same as Cheboygan to Gaylord, will require more building up and therefore cost more per mile.

It should also be mentioned that two of the three customers in the Gaylord area, Northern Energy and the lumber transload in Vanderbilt, want to maintain direct rail service expressing economic disadvantage if they must change. However, both are smaller businesses and are being ignored by the politicians in Lansing. Only their local representatives are working on their behalf.

LSRC has an interest in the outcome of this. They are M&BC’s sole interchange partner, and it is their alliance that has allowed M&BC to significantly grow the business over the years. LSRC does a phenomenal job with M&BC’s traffic handling them promptly and tracking them once they are on their Class 1 connections. Fortunately, LSRC has strong allies in business and politics, including the ear of Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and the backing of their partner, Antin Infrastructure Partners. M&BC will be leaning heavily on LSRC’s resources to mitigate the legal proceedings. If it weren’t for LSRC, M&BC would be at the mercy of state politicians who are not railroad friendly.

However, although the outcome will probably be in favor of M&BC, whichever route it goes, it will come at an expensive price tag. M&BC, like most independently owned small companies, have limited resources and must watch each penny even in the best of times.
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...

User avatar
AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Mackinaw & Bay City (M&BC)

Unread post by AARR »

M&BC has agreed to purchase three (3) engines from LSRC. All three engines are stored on LSRC as parts sources. They will be sent to Metro East Industries (MEI) for a complete rebuilding. The three are:
Owner: Mackinaw & Bay City
Model: Rebuilt EMD GP40M-3 Built As: SAL 624 (GP40)
Serial Number: 31793
Order No: 7897
Frame Number: 7897-9 Built: 7/1966
Notes: Rebuilt to GP40M-3. Scheduled to be rebuilt to GP38M-3.
Other locos with this serial: MBC 1164(GP40M-3) LSRC 1164(GP40M-3) FURX 1164(GP40M-3) TM 1164(GP40-3) CSX 6695(GP40) SBD 6695(GP40) SCL 1539(GP40) SAL 624(GP40)
Image

Owner: Mackinaw & Bay City
Model: EMD SD50-3 Built As: SBD 8543 (SD50)
Serial Number: 837048-16
Order No: 837048
Frame Number: 837048-16 Built: 2/1984
Notes: SD50-3
Other locos with this serial: MBC 6357(SD50-3) LSRC 6357(SD50-3) CSX 8543(SD50-2) CSX 8543(SD50) SBD 8527(SD50)
Image

Owner: Mackinaw & Bay City
Model: EMD SD70M Built As: UP 4605 (SD70M)
Serial Number: 996168-75
Order No: 996168
Frame Number: 996168-75 Built: 4/2001
Notes: SD70M
Other locos with this serial: MBC 6430(SD70M) LSRC 6430(SD70M) UP 4605(SD70M)
Image

SD50-3 6357 and SD70M 6430 will be assigned to the Rogers City (Calcite) to Alpena Job handling heavy loads of limestone. 2024 is the first year six-axle power will be allowed on the LSRC’s Huron Sub due to the laying of heavier welded rail. Six axle power will be used all the way from Rogers City to Bay City on the Huron Sub.

GP40M-3 1164 (scheduled to be rebuilt to a 38M-3 and renumbered 4200) will be assigned to Cheboygan along with M420W 2004.

M420W 2003 will be assigned to Gaylord working once a week between Gaylord and Vanderbilt. Eventually, the lumber transload in Vanderbilt will be relocated to the north end of Gaylord on the Builders FirstSource spur.

RS2u 466 will be donated to Tawas City as a museum piece to their D&M park. 468 and 469 will be scrapped unless buyers come along and make scrap value offers. The buyers will have to pay for moving the engines.

The lawsuit against M&BC by a Rail to Trail Group called Friends of North Central State Trail looks like it will settle out of court. The old D&M line between Cheboygan and Gaylord will be converted into a trail. The lumber transload at Vanderbilt will be relocated to the Builders FirstSource spur north of Gaylord. The original D&M line between Cheboygan and Rogers City Jct. will be upgraded to 286,000 pound cars and 25 mph. Construction is scheduled to start in 2024 and be completed by the end of 2026 (53.1 miles). Although this arrangement will cost more, the politics of going Green won out.

Unfortunately, the sweetener transload in Cheboygan is not waiting for the line to be upgraded and has already found new transload locations on other railroads with heavier rail. However, Great Lakes Tissue is planning on increasing production. After the heavier rail is in place, it will more than offset the loss of the sweetener transload.
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...

Post Reply