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Hello everyone. I am just curious if anyone has observed or heard of any actual changes that have been made to the ADBF and or JAIL since the new ownership has taken over operations? Sadly, I don't have the time to follow them as closely in person anymore, so I am unable to check for myself most of the time.

One change that I have noticed is they dug out the old Amtrak box cars from the Grosvenor siding and took them up to OmniSource for scrapping. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they kept one of them to have a second buffer car for the tank cars going to and from AirGas in Riga.

On a selfish note, I am wondering if and hoping for them to upgrade to larger, newer power for the JAIL and send 1751, 1758 & 1760 back home here to the ADBF! I know, that's a mean wish of me for those of you that love the GP-9's on the JAIL.. sorry!

I've heard that the scrap metal customers around Lansing have increased shipping because the new owners are getting more cars more frequently

Do we have confirmation that the dinner trains are kaput?

They still have a "Dinner Train" tab on their website with the statement:

At this time, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic we are not running the The Murder Mystery Dinner Train©. We do not have an expected return date. The website will be updated as new information becomes available.

https://www.abrailroad.com/dinner-train

NS3322 wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 2:44 pm

Do we have confirmation that the dinner trains are kaput?

They still have a "Dinner Train" tab on their website with the statement:

At this time, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic we are not running the The Murder Mystery Dinner Train©. We do not have an expected return date. The website will be updated as new information becomes available.

https://www.abrailroad.com/dinner-train

I think you might see one on the ADBF. Charlotte Southern most likely will be used for car storage.

I noticed something interesting when I looked at the map on the company website for the JAIL.

It shows a complete loop on the north end in Lansing. I know the JAIL runs up the old NS line they took over, then over CSX around the east side before turning back to Saginaw Yard and then down to Hollow Yard by the CN line. Do they technically have access across CN back to the JAIL line? Is there even a physical connection left in place to go from CN to the JAIL line heading south out of Lansing? Looking at Google maps, there is not a connection between CN and JAIL there, only the line from JAIL heading towards the line before curving SW towards quality dairy.

AARR wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 07, 2022 1:41 pm

I've heard that the scrap metal customers around Lansing have increased shipping because the new owners are getting more cars more frequently

Yes, Friedland in Old Town has shipped out at least 2 loads since the ownership change.

Not sure if it's management related or not, but a fair amount of RSDC's incoming coil business has shifted from NS to CSX for interchange to JAIL. I haven't looked around Lansing recently to see if car storage continues and to what extent.

chapmaja wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 8:40 pm

I noticed something interesting when I looked at the map on the company website for the JAIL.

It shows a complete loop on the north end in Lansing. I know the JAIL runs up the old NS line they took over, then over CSX around the east side before turning back to Saginaw Yard and then down to Hollow Yard by the CN line. Do they technically have access across CN back to the JAIL line? Is there even a physical connection left in place to go from CN to the JAIL line heading south out of Lansing? Looking at Google maps, there is not a connection between CN and JAIL there, only the line from JAIL heading towards the line before curving SW towards quality dairy.

I think its just the way the maps drawn. The line is thick so it just looks like a loop.

chapmaja wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 8:40 pm

I noticed something interesting when I looked at the map on the company website for the JAIL.

It shows a complete loop on the north end in Lansing. I know the JAIL runs up the old NS line they took over, then over CSX around the east side before turning back to Saginaw Yard and then down to Hollow Yard by the CN line. Do they technically have access across CN back to the JAIL line? Is there even a physical connection left in place to go from CN to the JAIL line heading south out of Lansing? Looking at Google maps, there is not a connection between CN and JAIL there, only the line from JAIL heading towards the line before curving SW towards quality dairy.

There is no connection at CP Cedar for them to loop around. They have to go up thru CSX to go home.

GP30M4216 wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 8:43 pm

AARR wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 07, 2022 1:41 pm

I've heard that the scrap metal customers around Lansing have increased shipping because the new owners are getting more cars more frequently

Yes, Friedland in Old Town has shipped out at least 2 loads since the ownership change.

Not sure if it's management related or not, but a fair amount of RSDC's incoming coil business has shifted from NS to CSX for interchange to JAIL. I haven't looked around Lansing recently to see if car storage continues and to what extent.

RE: coils- that’s all CSX’s doing, aggressively bidding most of the coil traffic for GM. They still do get coils from NS depending on where RSDC/GM sources coils.

LansingRailFan wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 3:30 pm

NS3322 wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 09, 2022 2:44 pm

Do we have confirmation that the dinner trains are kaput?

They still have a "Dinner Train" tab on their website with the statement:

At this time, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic we are not running the The Murder Mystery Dinner Train©. We do not have an expected return date. The website will be updated as new information becomes available.

https://www.abrailroad.com/dinner-train

I think you might see one on the ADBF. Charlotte Southern most likely will be used for car storage.

Honestly it sounds like many entities want that railroad gone. The hospital has apparently offered some money for the ROW next to their property and CN wants the switch gone in town, as they hate having to maintain it. I wonder if by any luck the elevator at the end of the line might ship again. Isn't there quite a bit of track and a runaround left beyond the elevator at the end of the line? I saw some photos about some old rusty coaches stored down there.

Are the cars and engine they used still parked in Charlotte?
If they are, I wouldn't be surprised if they've been vandalized.

DaveO wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 19, 2022 6:36 am

Are the cars and engine they used still parked in Charlotte?
If they are, I wouldn't be surprised if they've been vandalized.

If you’re referring to the dinner train, the cars and the 44 tonner are still parked, no graffiti on them from what I saw…

Regarding the CS, why don't they receive 25 car blocks of grain emptys from CN, shuttle them through the elevator, then deliver them back to the interchange with CN? It would take about a day and based on the size of the elevator they could probably cycle quite a few 25 car blocks throughout the year.

AARR wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:41 am

Regarding the CS, why don't they receive 25 car blocks of grain emptys from CN, shuttle them through the elevator, then deliver them back to the interchange with CN? It would take about a day and based on the size of the elevator they could probably cycle quite a few 25 car blocks throughout the year.

Elevator doesn't want service plus it would be a real pain to handle 25 cars given the track arrangement and the motive power.

Thank you. If the elevator doesn't want service, it's a moot point.

But let's say the new ownership convinced the elevator to resume rail service (that's what good sales does). CS would use two engines (one at both ends of the 25-car block possibly for a few of the moves). CN will park the cars on one of the sidings around Charlotte (perhaps the one by the old glass plant), CS would run on CN and pick up the cars (like they interchange in East Yard in Detroit), drag the cars to the passing siding next to the elevator, load 5 cars at a time and stage them on the main until all 25 are loaded. Then take the cars back to the siding along CN's main for pick up.

If both CN and the elevator were open to the service what other roadblocks would prevent it from working?

BTW, it works just fine on my paper railroad

1TrackMind wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:54 am

AARR wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:41 am

Regarding the CS, why don't they receive 25 car blocks of grain emptys from CN, shuttle them through the elevator, then deliver them back to the interchange with CN? It would take about a day and based on the size of the elevator they could probably cycle quite a few 25 car blocks throughout the year.

Elevator doesn't want service plus it would be a real pain to handle 25 cars given the track arrangement and the motive power.

AARR wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:18 am

Thank you. If the elevator doesn't want service, it's a moot point.

But let's say the new ownership convinced the elevator to resume rail service (that's what good sales does). CS would use two engines (one at both ends of the 25-car block possibly for a few of the moves). CN will park the cars on one of the sidings around Charlotte (perhaps the one by the old glass plant), CS would run on CN and pick up the cars (like they interchange in East Yard in Detroit), drag the cars to the passing siding next to the elevator, load 5 cars at a time and stage them on the main until all 25 are loaded. Then take the cars back to the siding along CN's main for pick up.

If both CN and the elevator were open to the service what other roadblocks would prevent it from working?

BTW, it works just fine on my paper railroad

1TrackMind wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:54 am

AARR wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:41 am

Regarding the CS, why don't they receive 25 car blocks of grain emptys from CN, shuttle them through the elevator, then deliver them back to the interchange with CN? It would take about a day and based on the size of the elevator they could probably cycle quite a few 25 car blocks throughout the year.

Elevator doesn't want service plus it would be a real pain to handle 25 cars given the track arrangement and the motive power.

Is the passing siding long enough for a 25 car cut?

chapmaja wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 19, 2022 12:25 pm

Is the passing siding long enough for a 25 car cut?

The siding next to the elevator looks just long enough to hold 25 cars.

CN has several sidings around Carlotte that are long enough, but I don't know if there are restrictions to using them to exchange cars.

AARR wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:18 am

BTW, it works just fine on my paper railroad

Well in that case anything's possible isn't it?

here's one reason AAARRR......CN pulled the switch at the east end of that siding you are thinking of, so it would be kinda hard to do run-around moves

I stand corrected on my initial post. The buffer car that I saw in Adrian and thought they were keeping it for a second one was actually the one they've been using all along. They did not keep a second box car for buffer car purposes, after all. All box cars from the Grosvenor siding have been cut up at OmniSource.