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LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:38 am
by GTWwatcher
According to a Facebook user, he drove by the Buick City property again and spotted approximately 35 autoracks being loaded, along with "hundreds" of new trucks sitting in the vacant lot. Another user said there are more racks waiting in Lincoln Yard.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2021 3:52 pm
by David Lang
Thanks for the update GTWwatcher.

I guess the assumption is that these autoracks, once loaded, will move South to Plymouth to be handed off to CSX there.

Would be interesting if the autoracks would be added to the daily trains to and from Plymouth, or if they would be additional trains.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2021 4:42 pm
by Racer
They already are being tacked onto the D735/736 trains on CSX and Z127NB/SB on LSRC. Can’t believe 22 years later and we are seeing loaded auto racks going through Wixom for Buick City - something I’d never thought I’d see or say ever again!

This would be the 3rd customer LSRC has developed off the former CSX Saginaw Sub since they took over 3 years ago.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2021 5:02 pm
by LansingRailFan
From a source:

CN didn’t want to handle the traffic as it was a short haul and not profitable, at best taking it down to Toledo via Durand or possibly tacking it onto L514 and dropping it at Pontiac for A401.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:21 pm
by AARR
I wonder how they convinced GM to ship them from Buick City rather than New Boston where CSX gets a direct haul?

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:27 pm
by GTWwatcher
AARR wrote:
Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:21 pm
I wonder how they convinced GM to ship them from Buick City rather than New Boston where CSX gets a direct haul?
LSRC seems to have a pretty good marketing team

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:16 pm
by atrainguy60
Racer wrote:
Mon Mar 08, 2021 4:42 pm
They already are being tacked onto the D735/736 trains on CSX and Z127NB/SB on LSRC. Can’t believe 22 years later and we are seeing loaded auto racks going through Wixom for Buick City - something I’d never thought I’d see or say ever again!

This would be the 3rd customer LSRC has developed off the former CSX Saginaw Sub since they took over 3 years ago.
Out of curiosity, what are the other two customers? I'm out of the loop on this.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 12:13 am
by 1TrackMind
AARR wrote:
Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:21 pm
I wonder how they convinced GM to ship them from Buick City rather than New Boston where CSX gets a direct haul?
Probably LSRC offered a good price to perform the Inter plant switching.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 12:31 am
by Racer
atrainguy60 wrote:
Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:16 pm
Racer wrote:
Mon Mar 08, 2021 4:42 pm
They already are being tacked onto the D735/736 trains on CSX and Z127NB/SB on LSRC. Can’t believe 22 years later and we are seeing loaded auto racks going through Wixom for Buick City - something I’d never thought I’d see or say ever again!

This would be the 3rd customer LSRC has developed off the former CSX Saginaw Sub since they took over 3 years ago.
Out of curiosity, what are the other two customers? I'm out of the loop on this.
One of the two was the return of flatcars with poles to the DTE pole yard on the Wixom Branch. This was a customer that CSX had and barely got 2-3 cars a year and ceased getting cars a few years before CSX spun off the line. LSRC got the business back and already shipped more cars this year than CSX has annually. The other customer is some other form of stone traffic out of Flint near McGrew.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 7:30 am
by David Lang
Thanks Racer about the autoracks already being sent South on existing LSRC and CSX trains - I did not know that.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 8:57 am
by GTWwatcher
Racer wrote:
Tue Mar 09, 2021 12:31 am
atrainguy60 wrote:
Mon Mar 08, 2021 9:16 pm
Racer wrote:
Mon Mar 08, 2021 4:42 pm
They already are being tacked onto the D735/736 trains on CSX and Z127NB/SB on LSRC. Can’t believe 22 years later and we are seeing loaded auto racks going through Wixom for Buick City - something I’d never thought I’d see or say ever again!

This would be the 3rd customer LSRC has developed off the former CSX Saginaw Sub since they took over 3 years ago.
Out of curiosity, what are the other two customers? I'm out of the loop on this.
One of the two was the return of flatcars with poles to the DTE pole yard on the Wixom Branch. This was a customer that CSX had and barely got 2-3 cars a year and ceased getting cars a few years before CSX spun off the line. LSRC got the business back and already shipped more cars this year than CSX has annually. The other customer is some other form of stone traffic out of Flint near McGrew.
There's other stone traffic in Flint besides Stoneco?

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 12:24 pm
by conrailmike
This may have something to do with our field supply being really low. Since the start of the whole covid mess and those months we were shut down, along with the cold weather that hit Texas causing supply issues, our inventory of HD trucks in the field has been VERY low and GM is scrambling to get them to the dealers.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:12 pm
by AARR
I thought the plant is next to CN. The vehicles will have to be trucked to Buick City to load onto LSRC. Feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken.
1TrackMind wrote:
Tue Mar 09, 2021 12:13 am
AARR wrote:
Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:21 pm
I wonder how they convinced GM to ship them from Buick City rather than New Boston where CSX gets a direct haul?
Probably LSRC offered a good price to perform the Inter plant switching.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:32 pm
by LansingRailFan
AARR wrote:
Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:12 pm
I thought the plant is next to CN. The vehicles will have to be trucked to Buick City to load onto LSRC. Feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken.
1TrackMind wrote:
Tue Mar 09, 2021 12:13 am
AARR wrote:
Mon Mar 08, 2021 6:21 pm
I wonder how they convinced GM to ship them from Buick City rather than New Boston where CSX gets a direct haul?
Probably LSRC offered a good price to perform the Inter plant switching.
You are not mistaken.

CN did not want this business as these cars were direct ship to CSX in Toledo and not Chicago, thus a short haul using two or three local trains (L501 or A491 from flint to Durand and then A450 south.)

So CSX and GM are having the cars loaded at Buick City. CSX gets a longer haul out of it, starting in Novi and LSRC gets some cheddar too.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2021 7:48 am
by Racer
LansingRailFan wrote:
Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:32 pm
AARR wrote:
Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:12 pm
I thought the plant is next to CN. The vehicles will have to be trucked to Buick City to load onto LSRC. Feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken.
1TrackMind wrote:
Tue Mar 09, 2021 12:13 am

Probably LSRC offered a good price to perform the Inter plant switching.
You are not mistaken.

CN did not want this business as these cars were direct ship to CSX in Toledo and not Chicago, thus a short haul using two or three local trains (L501 or A491 from flint to Durand and then A450 south.)

So CSX and GM are having the cars loaded at Buick City. CSX gets a longer haul out of it, starting in Novi and LSRC gets some cheddar too.
Is this a short term business or a long term “customer” to LSRC/ CSX? Wonder if the volume could increase to unit trains eventually? Another 15+ autoracks have gone north the other day and are starting to stage racks in Wixom.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2021 9:22 am
by LansingRailFan
Racer wrote:
Wed Mar 10, 2021 7:48 am
LansingRailFan wrote:
Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:32 pm
AARR wrote:
Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:12 pm
I thought the plant is next to CN. The vehicles will have to be trucked to Buick City to load onto LSRC. Feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken.
You are not mistaken.

CN did not want this business as these cars were direct ship to CSX in Toledo and not Chicago, thus a short haul using two or three local trains (L501 or A491 from flint to Durand and then A450 south.)

So CSX and GM are having the cars loaded at Buick City. CSX gets a longer haul out of it, starting in Novi and LSRC gets some cheddar too.
Is this a short term business or a long term “customer” to LSRC/ CSX? Wonder if the volume could increase to unit trains eventually? Another 15+ autoracks have gone north the other day and are starting to stage racks in Wixom.
No clue. IDK who is actually doing the physical loading of the autoracks either.

Someone above said that inventory on these new models is low nationwide so maybe this is just a temp move to expedite some inventory to the south/east?

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2021 9:30 am
by GTWwatcher
Another update: 11 loaded autoracks went south on Z127 yesterday. LSRC also ran an X127 last night. The train was all empty racks.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2021 12:27 pm
by DaveO
Company doing the loading/unloading at Flint. http://www.autowc.com/
New Boston is their place also.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2021 2:09 pm
by ns8401
DaveO wrote:
Sat Mar 13, 2021 12:27 pm
Company doing the loading/unloading at Flint. http://www.autowc.com/
New Boston is their place also.
They contract for TDSI (a CSX company) in New Boston. Auto Wholesaling Co. (AWC) also has the Ann Arbor’s business at the Jeep plant in Toledo.

Re: LSRC Buick City Update

Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 6:49 am
by DaveO
auto warehousing co.