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Before I am asking this question, I did try searching this site, as well as a general Internet search. I came up dry. Does some have a list, or a link, of the Train Symbols that GLC RR uses, that you can post here ??

Appears our wiki doesn't yet have the train symbol info for GLC: https://railroadfan.com/wiki/index.php/ ... es_Central
If someone wants to add it there, please do.
Found this list from LansingRailfan from 2021:
CNTN - Cadillac North TurN - everything north of Cadillac including when they go to TC or Petoskey.
CSTN - Cadillac South TurN - Cadillac south to Clare and back north.
ONTN - Owosso North TurN - Owosso north to Clare and back, also including shuttle jobs to/from Middleton and ZFS.
OSTN - Owosso South TurN - Owosso south to Durand, Ann Pere and Osmer interchanges as well as responsible for the Oakley line.
There are no numerical or additional abbreviations. No XOSTN or ONTN-MT or whatnot. Unit trains are similarly handled as well. If it's a unit potash train for HESR, it is simply OSTN. If it is a unit train out of Oakley, it's OSTN. The only curveball is the Oakley line being served by the OSTN job. When they get back to Owosso and go north to ZFS, the symbol flips to ONTN but the crew remains the same.

I’ve seen ODTN used as well in the updates thread(s) but I’m not 100% sure what the parameters of that one is.

~Z~ wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 22, 2023 8:15 am

Appears our wiki doesn't yet have the train symbol info for GLC: https://railroadfan.com/wiki/index.php/ ... es_Central
If someone wants to add it there, please do.
Found this list from LansingRailfan from 2021:
CNTN - Cadillac North TurN - everything north of Cadillac including when they go to TC or Petoskey.
CSTN - Cadillac South TurN - Cadillac south to Clare and back north.
ONTN - Owosso North TurN - Owosso north to Clare and back, also including shuttle jobs to/from Middleton and ZFS.
OSTN - Owosso South TurN - Owosso south to Durand, Ann Pere and Osmer interchanges as well as responsible for the Oakley line.
There are no numerical or additional abbreviations. No XOSTN or ONTN-MT or whatnot. Unit trains are similarly handled as well. If it's a unit potash train for HESR, it is simply OSTN. If it is a unit train out of Oakley, it's OSTN. The only curveball is the Oakley line being served by the OSTN job. When they get back to Owosso and go north to ZFS, the symbol flips to ONTN but the crew remains the same.

Thanks! I've been looking for this info. Do we have Frequency info and On Duty times? I have heard the GLC schedule has been almost random lately...

Thank you for getting it started. I'll fill in with what I know.

NS3322 wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 22, 2023 2:29 pm

Thanks! I've been looking for this info. Do we have Frequency info and On Duty times? I have heard the GLC schedule has been almost random lately...glcsymbols.JPG

Feel free to review the updates I inserted and as always let me know if you see any errors or if you have Edit Access change accordingly.
https://railroadfan.com/wiki/index.php/ ... in_Symbols

It seems GLC has a general on duty time of 6-8am for day crews and 6-8pm for night crews. Maybe not as much on weekends or with Unit Grain Trains. Judging by their starting terminals of Owosso and Cadillac, the fact that all jobs are turns and the objective being for the crew to return to their starting terminal without being cabbed, and how far out of the terminal they are on their outbound run with their work.

Another rule of thumb is that if a CNTN runs then there will not be an ONTN to Clare because the Cadillac crew won't run a CSTN on that day, instead the ONTN crew will usually run to Middleton or something similar.

While as of late the trains have reversed roles, OSTN has been getting to Howell around noon when going south from Owosso, and generally Cadillac crews are on duty around 10 am. Best way to figure out when they are about to get on the road is if the engine house doors are open in Cadillac.

Thanks for supplying and explaining GLC's Train Symbols.

MQT1223 wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 22, 2023 7:13 pm

Another rule of thumb is that if a CNTN runs then there will not be an ONTN to Clare because the Cadillac crew won't run a CSTN on that day, instead the ONTN crew will usually run to Middleton or something similar.

Are you sure?

Occasionally there will be a day and night job out of Cadillac going in different directions.

ConrailDetr​oit wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 23, 2023 1:38 pm

MQT1223 wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 22, 2023 7:13 pm

Another rule of thumb is that if a CNTN runs then there will not be an ONTN to Clare because the Cadillac crew won't run a CSTN on that day, instead the ONTN crew will usually run to Middleton or something similar.

Are you sure?

~Z~ wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 22, 2023 8:15 am

Appears our wiki doesn't yet have the train symbol info for GLC: https://railroadfan.com/wiki/index.php/ ... es_Central
If someone wants to add it there, please do.
Found this list from LansingRailfan from 2021:
CNTN - Cadillac North TurN - everything north of Cadillac including when they go to TC or Petoskey.
CSTN - Cadillac South TurN - Cadillac south to Clare and back north.
ONTN - Owosso North TurN - Owosso north to Clare and back, also including shuttle jobs to/from Middleton and ZFS.
OSTN - Owosso South TurN - Owosso south to Durand, Ann Pere and Osmer interchanges as well as responsible for the Oakley line.
There are no numerical or additional abbreviations. No XOSTN or ONTN-MT or whatnot. Unit trains are similarly handled as well. If it's a unit potash train for HESR, it is simply OSTN. If it is a unit train out of Oakley, it's OSTN. The only curveball is the Oakley line being served by the OSTN job. When they get back to Owosso and go north to ZFS, the symbol flips to ONTN but the crew remains the same.

I also hear people say for CNTN use like CNTC or CNPN.

Since November 2022, GLC has been using crew-specific symbols to ID trains. The classic OSTN/ONTN/CSTN/CNTN have been done away with by GLC.

Symbols would be OWO-1 for the first crew out of Owosso, CAD-1 for out of cadillac etc

For simple railfanning, it’s still easier to use OSTN etc…

Also sometimes they will run a crew north further past Clare now. We’ve had some Owosso-Cadillac trains recently.

A lot of this has been necessitated by a lack of functioning motive power combined with steady/increasing traffic as well as a lack of crew availability.

PS - no official designations for when an OSTN would go to Middleton or when a CNTN would go to either Petoskey or Traverse City were officially ever used. -MT, -TC etc… did not exist per GLC.

LansingRailFan wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 24, 2023 9:54 am

Since November 2022, GLC has been using crew-specific symbols to ID trains. The classic OSTN/ONTN/CSTN/CNTN have been done away with by GLC.

Thank you LRF. I amended Wiki. As always comments, etc. are welcome.

AARR wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 24, 2023 6:49 pm

LansingRailFan wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 24, 2023 9:54 am

Since November 2022, GLC has been using crew-specific symbols to ID trains. The classic OSTN/ONTN/CSTN/CNTN have been done away with by GLC.

Thank you LRF. I amended Wiki. As always comments, etc. are welcome.

I’d say this as well…colloquially referring to a GLC train as OSTN/CNTN etc… is still an easy way to identify where a train is and what it’s doing. If anything, it now makes saying “GLC is SB out of Durand w a grain extra” more legit.

Crew specific symbols, tied to the two individuals on the train, are an internal metric and don’t seem to apply to railfanning per se.

Why the motive power problems-- they maybe should lease, like others do. The crew thing is a whole different issue. The growing business is a good problem to have-- don't waste it.

Unless someone from GLC specifically says there's a crew and/or power shortage, it's just railfan speculation. There's not enough traffic north of Cadillac to require another crew- TC and Petoskey need service maybe 2-3 times a month. Petoskey stock piles plastic pellet cars, it's not like they need a switch every day (or week for that matter).

I'm not sure why GLC even runs to TC. Lumber can go by truck, as can the scrap for the 3-4 cars that go up there per month between Beacon and Amerhart. Set up a transload in one of the Cadillac yards and kill the TC trackage. It's us taxpayers that are paying to maintain this poorly maintained track for next to no traffic. Look at the waves in the track along Keystone- was nowhere near that bad before the contractor replaced ties- it's only a matter of time for a derailment in the TC area. Last week watching 329 come up on that light, spaghetti-like track made my hair stand up. I don't think GLC is trying to build any business in the TC area. Lots of potential, heck just a nice transload center with a cross dock facility would generate plenty of opportunity. My guess is that if it weren't for the state contract agreement, TC would have been gone long, long ago.

TC Man wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:34 pm

Unless someone from GLC specifically says there's a crew and/or power shortage, it's just railfan speculation.

You doubting me bro

Not if you work for GLC or have a direct connection there- if so, we're golden!

LansingRailFan wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 26, 2023 7:26 pm

TC Man wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:34 pm

Unless someone from GLC specifically says there's a crew and/or power shortage, it's just railfan speculation.

You doubting me bro

LansingRailFan wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 12, 2023 3:51 pm

Still running:
329
383
386
395
396
399

AA, TSBY and GLC have a good reputation for their engine maintenance. I am surprised they have more engines on their roster out of service than in service.

AARR wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 27, 2023 1:04 pm

LansingRailFan wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 26, 2023 7:26 pm

TC Man wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:34 pm

Unless someone from GLC specifically says there's a crew and/or power shortage, it's just railfan speculation.

You doubting me bro

LansingRailFan wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 12, 2023 3:51 pm

Still running:
329
383
386
395
396
399

AA, TSBY and GLC have a good reputation for their engine maintenance. I am surprised they have more engines on their roster out of service than in service.

I’m unsure what AA (presuming you mean the old AA) and TSBY have to do with the current state of GLC motive power.

Updated:
329
383
386
390
393
395
396
399