MAW Updates

[Y@]

GP10 #16 is parked again... FRA has them doing some more wiring work. In the meantime GP7U #5 is handling all the road work.

Last week I got to see them do a rare doublehead move in and out of Napoleon. They went in with the 16 leading the 5 back-to-back, and left with the 5 leading, then the train, and the 16 bringing up the rear. It was an interesting move.

It seems I may have jinxed the MAW... when I reported the car levels were way up, now all of the sudden they seem to be down a bit. Trains are now between 10-20 cars long, compared to the 20-25 the last few weeks.

There are currently over 200 Molten Sulfer, Chlorine, and Ethanol tank cars in storage west of Defiance on the old ROW, as well as 20 or so centerbeams and a few bulkheads. The string of storage boxcars was in Okolona last week, but has now been returned to CSX and are back in service.

I've been keeping an open ear for any more RJ Corman rumors... it's been quiet the last two months but every now and then I talk to somebody who brings it up. Cross your fingers with me on that one!

Still no new engine brought in from anywhere... there was talk of them bringing in another CNUR GP-unit, but no dice yet.

[AARR]

Trains are now between 10-20 cars long, compared to the 20-25 the last few weeks.

I didn't realize their trains were this big. I thought they may get a few cars per day. Who are their customers, again?

[Y@]

In Defiance, they have two Johns Manville plants, the Jewell and Okolona elevators that get 2-5 cars per month each, and in Napoleon they have Interstate Cold Storage, a transload facility, a piping plant that recieves hopper cars and boxcars, and the VERY rare boxcar that goes to Napa in town, usually loaded with bags of oil dry. Maybe 2 or 3 of those a year.

Interstate gets 4 or 5 reefers a week. The piping plant gets 10-15 boxcars every time the MAW runs into town. The transload facility gets 3 to 5 hoppers every other trip in. The usual Tuesday inbound has around 20 cars.

Im sure Schwiebert knows the name of the piping plant... I cant think of it.

[MSchwiebert]

ADS is the plastic pipe/field tile place. Also in the industrial park is a little outfit that does ag chemicals (it's across the street from Interstate cold storage). The elevator in LC is also set up to load unit trains - but they haven't done so in quite some time as it's quicker to truck the grain down to Hamler for loading there (Gerald Grain owns both facilties). As for the boxcar load of Oil Dry - I'd be really surprised at that. NAPA prefers to route everything through their regional distribution centers (the Napoleon store is served out of the DC in Ft. Wayne) instead. Not saying that it doesn't happen but it would be outside of their 'norm'.

West of Defiance, there's LaFarge at Cecil (served off of a remnant of the Cincinnati Northern) and the elevators in Antwerp and Woodburn. NS retained ownership from the tire plant on into Ft. Wayne.

[Y@]

The boxcars of oil dry used to happen back in the 70's once or twice a month... then after that it became once or twice a season, and now it's usually just once or twice a year. I've yet to see it happen this year however, and last year I saw them deliver once during May. Why they don't route it with everything else, I haven't the slightest. All I know is that it still happens, VERY rarely.

And thanks for the name of the Pipe/Tile plant Mike, I had been trying to remember for a few days now!

[AARR]

The pipe/tile place, do they load the box cars or are they receiving raw materials?

[Big Frank]

Here's a Pic I got of the 16 a lil while back with a good sized train behind it

[Y@]

They load boxcars, and receive covered hoppers. I believe the hoppers are loaded with plastic pellets.

[MSchwiebert]

That is correct, regarding the covered hoppers. I wasn't sure if the boxcars were "loads in" or "loads out" though. Back to the oil dry bit, I've done quite a bit of research on the trains that set off and picked up cars for the now gone DT&I "old line" (from Malinta, to Napoleon, Wauseon & Adrian) in the 1973-76 time frame. Among the more interesting carloads I've docummented were carloads of Christmas Trees interchanged off the Ann Arbor at Diann and interchanged to the N&W at Leipsic for eventual delivery in Texas, or a carload of cafeteria plates destined for a school in Missourri (again interchanged to the N&W at Leipsic). It truly was a different time.

They load boxcars, and receive covered hoppers. I believe the hoppers are loaded with plastic pellets.

[AARR]

Thanks guys. Sounds like the MAW has a good customer base and stays busy.

[MSchwiebert]

Yes they do have a decent customer base, spread across multiple market segments (fortunately no Automotive too!). What's going to hinder them long term though is that, track condition is at best "poor" in many spots.

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Ra ... 202008.pdf (ORDC meeting minutes where the MAW is described as a 'good line with a lot of bad track')
The NS did little during the waining days of their ownership, and the MAW has been "band-aiding" the line ever since. The MAW has received state funding in the past, but it is unknown if that avenue for funding will still be available or not.

[Y@]

There's been alot of tie replacement going on between Okie and Napoleon lately... but that isn't solving much. Somebody told me awhile back that when CSX does rail replacement around Defiance this spring/summer that they may be able to get enough used rail to patch up the worst spots (Okolona, the "dip" between Jahns Road and CR 16 in Napoleon, and the ROW from Johns Manville to Jewell) and maybe by the end of the year have enough to redo some of the yard in Defiance.

What Mike said is right... they're a good road, with bad track. They get the track fixed, and they'd be a pretty good line.

[MSchwiebert]

Even if they could get the used CSX rail - they should take a pass on it. I'd suspect that the rail that CSX is changing out is some of the "single track era" 122 lb. per yard stuff. Besides being truly worn out, the 122 lb. rail was unique to Chessie system - and is no longer being made. (The MofW forces have a tough time as it is finding enough patch rail for field repairs).

There's been alot of tie replacement going on between Okie and Napoleon lately... but that isn't solving much. Somebody told me awhile back that when CSX does rail replacement around Defiance this spring/summer that they may be able to get enough used rail to patch up the worst spots (Okolona, the "dip" between Jahns Road and CR 16 in Napoleon, and the ROW from Johns Manville to Jewell) and maybe by the end of the year have enough to redo some of the yard in Defiance.

What Mike said is right... they're a good road, with bad track. They get the track fixed, and they'd be a pretty good line.

[Y@]

Here are two shots from today: http://railroadfan.com/gallery/thumbnai ... album=1228

[TSB]

On the lines they now run, 3500 c/l were reported for 2006.

A short line turn down rail? Wash your mouth out. I admit that
yard rail is pretty trashy but worst case is age it for a while
and then cash it out for scrap.
I am not familiar with 122lb. rail but it may have the same
profile as some other weight. Like 112 and 115 have the same
profile, but not 110.
Worst case on free rail is put it all in one spot and stack
10% to 20% (depending on quality)in the weeds for repair.
That way you only need four comp bars. The rail you pick-up
can serve as maintenance stock elsewhere.
The good thing about relay from a Class I is that you can be
pretty sure it has been magnafluxed.

[Y@]

As a side note, about 95% of the current MAW rail is original, laid between 1898 and 1908, and most is 65lb rail.

[sd70accsxt700]

That way you only need four comp bars.

Put it at the end of the line, and you end it in a dirt pile and then you only need two!

[TSB]

As a side note, about 95% of the current MAW rail is original, laid between 1898 and 1908, and most is 65lb rail.

That can't possibly be right (I hope). We had some laid in 1924 but, 95% over 100 years old?

[Raildudes dad]

A short line turn down rail? Wash your mouth out. I admit that
yard rail is pretty trashy but worst case is age it for a while
and then cash it out for scrap.

Amen

I am not familiar with 122lb. rail but it may have the same
profile as some other weight. Like 112 and 115 have the same
profile, but not 110.

It's an oddball apparently rolled just for "Chessie" I did a quick look but didn't see where it was close to anything else

PS: You said what I was thinking

[leo28150]

That doesn't surprise me considering what the Wabash and then N&W thought of this line---a dead end branch line after it was cut west of Toledo; I suspect that there are still a few branch lines that still have light rail that is either 100 years old or approaching it. Up until 10 years ago, the line going south out of Hillsdale the state owns still had 80 lb rail on it; it was re-laid with 100 lb rail, while an improvement, will probably still need upgraded IF the industry standard ever gets up to 315k cars.