Starting Monday, May 14 2007 - D708 will run out of Ensel Yard in Lansing as opposed to Wyoming Yard. D708 will start at 2000 hours Sunday through Thursday and turn at Lake Odessa. Y321 out of Wyoming Yard will work east of GRR, working at Fox - formerly done by Y106 and also work at Alto - formerly done by D708. Y106 will now do GRR West Side work; Padnos, Victor Barnes and the GRE interchange, as opposed to doing the work at Fox.
4/1/06 - CSX Schedule Update
Starting today, D700 will run out of Wyoming Yard, working to Sawyer on Sundays and Wednesdays and other days to Waverly/Harlem. D700 will be making the pick-up/set-off at Waverly as opposed to Q326/Q327. This will allow CSX to put more traffic on the 326 and 327 as they will not have to handle the extra cars. CSX also plans to send more traffic on Q335 to Grand Rapids to be classified for Chicago.
CSX is starting to run a new daily auto rack train between Flint and IHB's Gibson (Indiana) Yard through Grand Rapids. The train is tentatively symbolled X209.
The 3-a-day western coal trains to West Olive originally set to take off about now, have been delayed and are now set to commence May 7th. Meanwhile, the N956/E945 coal trains running between BNSF/Chicago and Essexville, may begin running on CN for a few months.
11/8/06 - MQT Power
Marquette is going through yet another motive power change. This time, the Ohio Central SD40-2s are being returned in favor of 3 leased SD40-2s. GLLX 3001-3003, will arrive soon. All three are former CP Rail units. This will put the roster at 4 GP38-2s and 3 SD40-2s.
8/27/06 - A Few Notes
Marquette has sent GMTX GP38-2 2653 back to GATX due to performance issues with it. It was in CSX's Wyoming Yard on August 21, 2006. This leaves the 2 Ohio Central SD40-2 and 3 GMTX GP38-2 rebuilds on their active roster.
CSX is doing major track work on the Grand Rapids Subdivision between Grand RApids and Porter, IN. The work has now moved west of Holland and there is a 7am-7pm curfew in effect unitl sometime in September. Amtrak's Pere Marquette schedule has temporarily been changed due to this MofW work and CSX's own trains do not run during daylight hours west of Holland.
CSX has been running empty western coal trains from Essexville west through Grand Rapids back to BNSF in Chicago as opposed to the B&O through Ohio and Indiana. The loaded trains will also be running on the former Pere Marquette once the track work is completed. In addition to this, more western coal will be going to West Olive. These factors are fuel to the fire under the MofW work going on.
4/17/06 - MQT Power Update
Marquette's SD40-2s from Ohio Central arrived last week. They were immediately put into place, displacing the GP50's. One GP38-3 is kept in Ludington, 2 in Manistee and the road train uses one GP38-3 and both SD40-2's. On Monday, all six NREX GP50's were sent back to NRE. Finger Lakes GP9 1702 will also be heading back to home rails soon.
3/28/06 - CSX Train Update
Starting this week, D700 will return to running out of Benton Harbor. Y121 at Holland goes to an 07:59 start time, while D709 in Lansing goes to an 11:30 start time. - DTE/MichCon will be build a 30 mile pipe line in West Michigan and will be moving into the area by rail. The Amway spur at Patterson Ave will be put back into service to unload the pipe. - Consumers Energy wants to begin receiving two western coal trains per day on a test period to see how things will work in the upcoming change-over to all western coal. When the change-over is complete, the J.H. Campbell facility will be receiving 3 train-loads of western coal each day. CSX will be adding 4 yard jobs at the small yard at West Olive; one on each shift, and a relief crew. Helpers will also be based in Holland to assist the impending 130-car trains up the Saugatuck hill.
3/11/06 - MMRR GP9 Update
The MMRR GP9's remain out-of-service. Both units have had their long hoods removed outside. 179 is outside with a tarp over it's prime mover, and it's rear truck removed. 180 remains inside the engine house. Both unit's long hoods are outside on the ground.
3/2/06 - Marquette Power Update
Marquette Rail has taken delivery of four GP38-3's from GMTX (A division of GATX). Unit numbers are 2635, 2648, 2652 and 2653. The units are have been rebuilt by VMV in Paducah, KY from GP38's. Also on the way are two SD40-2's from Ohio Central. Unit numbers are 4223 and 9934, both of which are ex-UP, nee-MP and are still in Union Pacific paint. Neither are equipped with dynamic brakes and theer current numbers are the last numbers they wore on UP. For more info on the MQT roster, visit the MQT roster page.
2/19/06 - MMRR Power Update
MMRR GP9's 179 and 180 are still out of service. MMRR GP38 3836, which has been out of service in Bay City for quite a while, has been repaired and is being sent to Muskegon to replace the broken GP9's. It's anyone's guess what will happen to the GP9's when 3836 arrives. They might be sent to Bay City to be repaired and then sent elsewhere.
2/11/06 - MMRR Power Problems
MMRR GP9's 179 and 180 are both broken down. For the past 2 weeks, the Waverly Turn has been using GP38 3839 and SW1200 73.
1/25/06 - Marquette Motive Power
FURX 3018 has since been returned to CSX after initially leaving for a 92-day inspection. MPEX 5000 is also due out for inspection within a week. GLLX GP18 921 has also been added to the Marquette roster. It belongs to a Marquette employee and will be loaned to the MAC elevator in Newaygo as a switcher. The unit was built as NW 921 in 1959 and subsequently went to the Twin Branch Coal Co. in West Virginia and named "Miss Scarlet"; when the mine was closed, the unit was picked up by it's current owner and went to work for Third Coast Distributors in Grand Rapids, then Lansing. Marquette has opted not to receive their original order for 7 GP50's after experiencing too many problems with their current GP50's from NREX. Lined up now for Marquette, are 3 SD38-2s (downgraded SD40s) and 3 or 4 GP38-2s.
12/30/05 - Benton Harbor Local
On Monday, January 16, 2006, the Benton Harbor local D700 will start running out of Waverly Yard in Holland. D700 is on duty Monday-Friday at 0900 in Waverly Yard as a New Buffalo turn.
12/28/05 - More Marquette Power
Finger Lakes GP9 1702 is enroute to Marquette to temporarily help out. Also several SD40's from Ohio Central and LTEX as well as GP38's from LTEX will be coming to assist. At this point, when the "new" power arrives, CSX's lease units (MPEX 5000 & FURX 3018) will most likely be returned.
12/10/05 - Marquette Derails
While interchanging with CSX in Wyoming Yard, Marquette Rail failed to completely clear snow from a switch, derailing 2 engines and tearing up 4 switches.
12/7/05 - Coal Trains
Consumers Power's J.H. Campbell plant in Port Sheldon is in the process of switching over from eastern coal to Powder River Basin coal from Wyoming. Eastern coal is has a high sulfer content, causing more pollution; whereas coal from the Powder River Basin is low sulfer creating less pollution. However, low sulfer coal doesn't produce as much energy, so more will be needed.
Currently, the J.H. Campbell plant is receiving one train per day (and outbound empties). After the changeover, there will be 3 trains per day (and outbound empties). Each train can have as many as 126 cars, making it 7,000 feet long
12/3/05 - Marquette Rail, MMRR, LSRC, CP Rail
After having power problems with their 7 GP50's from National Rail Equipment, Marquette Rail has leased two units currently on lease by CSX from FURX (3018) and MPEX (5000). Prior to this, Marquette had leased two CSX AC4400CW's for the time being. The NREX GP50's mainly fell victim to the hills between Baldwin and Grand Rapids. The first trip Marquette made northbound out of Grand Rapids was pulled by three of the GP50's (of UP heritage; CNW, MP) and 19 loaded lime cars. The train stalled coming out of Comstock Park.
In Muskegon, on the Mid-Michigan; Grand Rapids & Eastern GP38 3839 (former CSX 2106) has been repaired and returned to service after sitting idle for nearly two months with main generator problems. The GP9's that people say were "painted with a mop" are planned to be painted in the future, but no set time has been decided.
On the east side of the state, LSRC plans on adding an SD40 to it's fleet of ALCo's and recently acquired GP35M's.
Currently, the only CP Rail trains left running over CSX in Michigan are X500 and extra trains (X536, X544, etc.) This completes the last pair of change-overs as X502/X503 were the last to go, bringing the total on NS to 8. X501-X503, X511, X512, X747 from CSX as well as X534 and X535 from CN. X511 and X512 run as needed as NS's 33T and 32T respectively. X747's symbol on NS is 29T.