The Amtrak Michigan Line

welcome to the amtrak michigan line to celebrate our 10th anniversary we're looking back at some of our favorite michigan line memories from the last decade we began our journey on the 6th of june in 2015 at norfolk southern's livernois yard on this date we recorded amtrak wolverine 355 charging westbound with the skyline of the motor city in the background [Music] [Music] [Music] in 2012 the michigan department of transportation purchased 135 miles of the former michigan central railroad main line from the norfolk southern corporation between dearborn and kalamazoo michigan at the time norfolk southern was no longer interested in maintaining track conditions that allowed for reliable passenger service so the state of michigan stepped in to purchase the line for an estimated 150 million dollars norfolk southern would remain the freight operator but the state and amtrak would take over the maintenance and dispatching to enhance passenger service eventually mdot and amtrak hope to upgrade the entire dearborn to kalamazoo corridor to allow for speeds up to 110 miles per hour through federal funding the state has received nearly 200 million for upgrading the line to high speed standards amtrak has actually owned the 97 miles of track between kalamazoo and porter indiana since 1976. the first high-speed train to run on that portion of the michigan line operated on february 7 2012. a few days after visiting the detroit area we caught wolverines 350 and 353 east of chelsea at control point lake the four mile long siding through downtown provides both freight and passenger trains with an ideal place to meet [Music] at four mile lake we set up our cameras next to p42dc number 33 as the train crew and passengers patiently waited for westbound wolverine number 353 to pass [Music] [Music] so [Music] do [Music] [Music] [Applause] over a year later we returned to chelsea to film train b-44 working the grain elevator at four-mile lake here west of grass lake we caught the train at track speed as it charged east [Music] chelsea is a historic town and is located within washtenaw county and has a population of 5 200. notably chelsea is the home of jeff daniels the hollywood star known most famously as jim carrey's counterpart from the blockbuster movie dumb and dumber the beautiful clock tower was built by the glazier stove company in 1907. the tower and complex were renovated and reopened by mckinley associates 100 years later in 2007 the complex now houses numerous offices restaurants and local businesses train b-44 was held downtown for wolverine 350 to pass [Music] with amtrak now in the clear the local freight train was permitted east to cp lake where it worked the chelsea grain company's elevator [Music] [Music] leading the train that day was norfolk southern snoot nose sd 40-2 number 3452 which is one of six such locomotives on the roster in total norfolk southern owns five 116-inch snoot nose locomotives and one inch snoot nose locomotive the 3452 was formerly a union pacific locomotive and was acquired by norfolk southern in 2011 from cefx the locomotive was repainted in early 2018 and was equipped with ptc array on top of the cab along with an electronic handbrake the extremely loud horn which was originally located right above the cab is now located at the center of the long hood [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] in 2019 the chelsea grain company closed its elevator and is currently redeveloping the site for alternate use train b-44 was abolished around that time and as a result train b-25 the wayne to jackson turn job now serves jiffy mix about twice a week so [Applause] hmm [Music] as the train shoves back notice the former penn central 47 85 covered hopper car that is now owned by rfmx [Music] [Music] [Music] with the loaded cars now in the clear the crew of the train will shove the empty grain cars into position at the elevator [Music] sd 40-2 number 3326 was built by emd for the southern railway with a high short hood in may of 1979 two years later it became part of norfolk southern's roster where it served on mainline trains for most of its career in 2014 the 3000 horsepower locomotive was rebuilt by altoona works and was equipped with an admiral cab since then the locomotive has primarily been used in local service on jobs just like the b44 [Music] in downtown chelsea we set up our camera to record the train accelerating out of town the train is bound for jackson where it will switch out cars and assemble train b-33 later that evening [Music] do one year earlier in 2015 we recorded wolverine 352 at cp chelsea with the conrail era signals still standing strong [Music] on august 4th 2016 we visited jackson to record norfolk southern train b16 on the cincinnati northern branch in charge of the train that day was high hood gp 38-2 number 5094 which pulled a short train of cars to gerdau max steele south of town [Music] [Music] so 2000 horsepower locomotive was built by emd for the southern in 1973 where it served the south for nine years before becoming part of norfolk southern's roster in 1982 until the early 2000s the locomotive was used in mainline and local service by the mid 2000s however the four axle emd was relegated to local and yard service until the end of its career with norfolk southern in 2016. that year norfolk southern auctioned off the locomotive which was purchased by general electric ironically 5094 an emd locomotive would become ge's new yard switcher at its locomotive plant in erie pennsylvania as of 2022 ge still owns 5094 but it has since been moved from the eerie site [Music] so gerdau is a large steel distributor located about five miles south of downtown jackson norfolk southern serves the facility weekly though the company is 119 years old the facility opened in 1974 with 42 employees as max steele gerdau bought the company in 2007. after dropping off the gondola the crew ran around their train just outside of the plant so that they could shove the cut of covered hopper cars down the lakeshore and michigan southern branch to don foods [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] this so [Music] she at east high street the former cincinnati northern and lakeshore and michigan southern branches connect at a switch just south of the crossing in order to clear the switch 5094 pulled beyond the crossing before shoving about two miles to dawn foods [Music] in years past train crews would often bring a conrail caboose with them in order to make the long shove moves to dawn in the summer months the caboose isn't needed since the covered hopper cars provide a safe platform for the conductors to stand on so so [Music] [Music] at dawn foods we watch the train crew switch out rail cars this facility receives rail service several times every week in 2020 dawn foods celebrated its centennial the company was founded in jackson michigan and offers more than 4 000 baking products dawn employs more than 5 000 people over 105 countries [Music] what's up shhh after dropping off the loaded cars and picking up the empties train b16 departed dawn for jackson yard uh we caught up with the train at elm street as it arrived at the yard [Music] [Music] [Music] these cars were added to train b-33 that night which took them to kalamazoo for interchange with the grand elk railroad on amtrak's 46th birthday may 1st 2017 a crowd of local rail fans and a tv crew gathered to document a siemens charger locomotive that was being tested on the amtrak michigan line that spring the fc-44 locomotive was built by siemens mobility and was numbered as idtx 4611 this was the first time a siemens charger operated over the michigan line beginning a new era of motive power on the passenger corridor [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] two years prior the same group of rail fans were on site for yet another special trainer [Music] on the afternoon of february 25th 2015 amtrak wolverine350 operated with a unique arrangement of locomotives and super liner coaches we were on site to see the train's arrival at jackson on the night of february 24th p42dc number 34 suffered from melted breaks and was sidelined at pontiac as a result amtrak decided to run a hospital train by attaching two p-42s and two super liners to the rear of wolverine 350. the wolverine would drop them off in pontiac on the night of the 25th to bracket locomotive 34. [Applause] [Music] me [Music] uh [Music] the reason for sending the two superliner coaches was so that the train would have more braking ability more coaches equaled more brakes the hospital train ran late into the night as norfolk southern symbol 963 arriving in chicago on the morning of the 26th on august 19 2017 we found ourselves trackside in ypsilanti michigan we set up our cameras at the old michigan central railroad freight house as we patiently waited for amtrak wolverine 350 to roll through town the freight house was constructed in 1878 and is now used as a community center it's directly opposite of the passenger depot which is privately owned a viewliner 2 baggage car in the phase 3 scheme was in the contest that day a rare sight on the amtrak michigan line at the time [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Applause] with train 350 in the clear it was time for another amtrak maintenance of weight train to take its turn through ipsy the dash 8s were back on the michigan line hauling ballast train 935 between dearborn and jackson locomotive 519 led the train west in a fresh coat of phase 5 paint [Music] [Applause] so [Applause] [Music] almost a year later on june 7 2018 we returned to norfolk southern's busy jackson yard to film yet another ptc test train that evening the crew of train b-33 was preparing for their departure from jackson to kalamazoo where they would interchange with the grand elk railroad later that night the special amtrak train would run later in the evening between cp56 near chelsea and cp 143 in kalamazoo to test the new positive train control system on the central portion of the michigan line in charge of the train were two genesis p42s numbers 58 and 68 along with dash 8's numbers 5 18 and 19. these locomotives are commonly referred to as p-32s and are the only two amtrak-8s equipped with the incremental train control system shortly after 8 pm b33 departed jackson yard for kalamazoo leading the train was former conrail c40-8w number 8360. the six-axle locomotive was built in april of 1991 and was retired in early 2019. trailing the dash 8 were two emd sd40-2s one of conrail heritage and the other being an ex-southern railway locomotive [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] my [Applause] [Music] from the air one can get a better view of the michigan central railroad shops these buildings were constructed in the early 1870s as the central repair and locomotive shops for the mc the shops were used for steam operations for over 80 years and were eventually utilized for servicing the new york central's roster of diesels in the 60s since the late 70s these buildings have been owned by miller truck and storage and occasionally see rail service [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] about 30 minutes after road local b-33 departed jackson yard amtrak's ptc test train running as symbol 948 took the freight lead by the norfolk southern yard office to cp-72 on the east end of jackson yard there the train received permission to travel east on the michigan line to cp 56 from aml train director rsk the original plan was to have the train wait in the siding at chelsea for wolverine 354 to clear which would have allowed the test train to proceed at track speed over the michigan line going west however 354 was delayed by over an hour and it was decided that the test train would leave chelsea early and meet the 354 at jackson instead [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] okay [Music] [Music] [Laughter] get you over there thank you welcome weight on 54. i appreciate it do [Music] so [Music] [Music] on the morning of june 12 2018 we were at jackson station once again to film the arrival of local train b-22 this train is a daily jackson to albion turn job which serves several industries including the anderson's elevator west of town as the train approached the station the conductor noticed some debris on the track [Music] listen to this interesting exchange between the aml train director and b-22's conductor nsb 22 aml train director over probably going over ml now the kids put some debris over the rail here in jackson again uh raped just west of the grand river on number one maine on the north rail they've got ballasting looks like a couple tie plates piled up over the north rail one main just west of the grand river it's over [Music] 2-2 i do understand debris on main track one i got some performance in that way to remove it and inspect as well but i do appreciate the information roger that uh ml it appears to be a separate file from the stuff we reported on the way out uh last night but roger that thank you [Music] all right buddy [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] foreign do it appeared that someone attempted to deliberately derail a train on main one causing the dispatcher to take action by directing the approaching westbound wolverine service train to main number two in the meantime track crews were sent to high rail the main lines to inspect and remove the debris left on the rails it was later reported that tie plates spikes and rocks were methodically placed on the rail in attempt to derail a passing train he said he also seen something that was west of go ahead a few minutes after b-22 was out of sight we watched as wolverine351 arrived at jackson station with p-42 number 27 in charge of the train a mixture of horizon coaches and athletes composed the trains consist that morning a common sight on the amtrak michigan line [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] oh after a few minutes the train departed as delayed in the block and continued west for albion battle creek kalamazoo and chicago [Music] about stuart street and beyond so uh thanks for the hits yeah that's roger i cleaned the one up off number one roger uh 351 copies that uh coming up on blackstone right now uh thank you 351 27 number two later that night we caught train b-33 west of albion at cp 99 with a 5-unit consist note the burnt out ditch light on 8360. [Applause] [Music] so on another evening we returned to the station platform at jackson after receiving a report that amtrak would be running a maintenance of weight train with both of the dash 8s through downtown amtrak had recently installed concrete ties on main number one and to help the track settle they decided to run a short loaded ballast train back and forth over the track the engineer on the train that evening was none other than lee lovelet an eccentric engineer who loves his job with the railroad jackson was originally home to seven new york central lines and one grand trunk branch line today only two railroads remain the now state-owned michigan line and the jackson and lansing railroad a class three short line operating north out of town [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] though its glory days as a rail hub are no more jackson still boasts the oldest continuously used passenger station in the united states the former michigan central depot was opened on september 1st 1873 and has been serving the community for nearly 150 years [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] me [Music] [Music] so [Music] just after 11 pm amtrak wolverine354 arrived at jackson station with a train composed entirely of horizon coaches is jackson averages 24 000 riders every year although it's not one of amtrak's most popular stops in michigan jackson's ridership has continued to climb year after year [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] ah [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the ballast train would work late into the night with the sound of the beautiful k5 la air horns echoing off the jackson skyline over the summers of 2017 and 2018 we spent a lot of time trackside chasing norfolk southern's local train b-33 between jackson and kalamazoo although it was technically classified as a local b-33 rarely resembled one most nights the train exceeded 70 to 120 cars and was often pulled by three or four sd40-2s these long trains and classic emd consists made the b-33 a rail fan favorite coming out of yard limits in downtown jackson b-33 had to tackle jackson hill at restricted speed though the hill is a mere .66 percent gradient it was no easy task getting the heavy freight train over the grade while only maintaining 10 miles per hour for most of the ascent this evening b-33 was having engine trouble and the second unit wouldn't come online so the sd-40-2 and trailing gp60 would be doing all the work listen to the turbocharged emds roar as they battled the hill now wow [Applause] [Music] [Music] so so the next night we set up our cameras behind the westwood mall to record b-33 at track speed thankfully the second unit was repaired and back online which meant engineer matt barron and conductor tim schneider had no trouble getting the train over the hill [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so since the train had a restricting signal at milepost 78 they had to slow down funny enough within seconds of them reaching restricted speed the signal changed to clear the cars at the rear of the train are from the jackson and lansing railroad which interchanges with norfolk southern at jackson yard late at night the coil steel cars are from rsdc manufacturing in holt while the boxcars are from michigan packaging in mason coiled steel is a big business on the michigan line with almost every road train hauling them into and out of jackson in 2018 norfolk southern crews frequently used snoot nose sd 40-2 number 3452 to lead b-33 over the michigan line on july 9th we caught the train at jackson station in golden hour light [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] hey [Music] [Applause] so so [Applause] so as the rear car clears the yard lead at the station watch as the train accelerates up the hill so [Music] on another evening we caught the train working hard at north wisner street with three sd40 variants and a heavy train [Music] [Music] me [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] one week later we returned to jackson yard around this time number 3452 was out of service for a few weeks due to its 92-day inspection finding mechanical issues since jackson lacks maintenance facilities the locomotive had to be shipped to elkhart indiana so that it could be repaired and returned to service standing in for the 40-2 was a pair of emd gp 38-2s that were typically assigned to trains b-22 and b-44 the former conrail units were a welcomed sight as four axles were not typically used on b33 [Music] [Music] [Music] we watched as the crew was doubling up their train before departure in the yard that evening was another amtrak ptc test train with p-42s 58 and 68 as the assigned power often amtrak stores equipment in jackson yard with their train now assembled b-33 departed jackson around 8 30 p.m the engineer was brian james a veteran railroader who began his career with conrail in 1998. brian's brother jeff is also an engineer with the hillsdale-based indiana northeastern the two james brothers are lifelong rail fans and are well versed in michigan railroad history [Applause] [Applause] foreign [Music] foreign so so on june 29th 2018 amtrak wolverine train 350 had two private cars in tow these cars were enroute to lake state railway in saginaw michigan where they would be used on the short lines business train on several trips that fall the first car in the consist the lewis sock alexis was built by pullman standard in 1949 as one of seven in the lot for the pennsylvania railroad the bedroom lounge observation car served to bring up the markers on several pinsy flyers most notably the spirit of saint louis and the cincinnati limited sold by the penzi in 1963 it passed through several hands until being purchased by the present owners who recently renamed the car as the frank thompson the second car was a 1954 bud short dome that once ran on northern pacific's famed north coast limited before being acquired by amtrak now owned by pax rail this car features dome class and lounge class seating [Music] oh [Music] [Music] later that evening we found train b-33 at jackson yard the train was powered by emd gp 38-2 number 5346 and sd-40e number 6346 the two former conrail locomotives would have their work cut out for them as they battled jackson hill with a heavy train of 57 cars the engineer was brian james and the conductor was the one and only cliffy carlisle [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] oh [Music] so [Music] so [Music] ah [Music] [Music] we caught up with the train behind jackson high school at steward avenue as it ascended jackson hill wow [Applause] so so so [Music] at the small community of parma michigan we recorded the train at track speed of 50 miles per hour [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] albion would be the last location we caught the train before the evening gave way to the night the track to the left is the former lakeshore and michigan southern line to lansing michigan norfolk southern uses a short section of this line to serve noth insulation [Music] [Music] so [Music] so so [Music] so [Music] on another summer day we visited battle creek michigan to record both norfolk southern and amtrak trains around cereal city usa norfolk southern's hinman yard is where the railroad services adm's sweetwater terminal adjacent to the kellogg's factory battle creek is known for being serial city usa due to the fact that both post and kellogg's are headquartered there both companies have been making cereals in the city for over 125 years two operation lifesaver locomotives gp 38-2 number 5337 and gp59 number 4635 were working the yard 5337 was formerly conrail 8170 which was built in june of 1977 by emd the 41 year old veteran now sports the modern operation lifesaver livery and was repainted in 2011 while the emd gp59 wears the original scheme 4635 was built in december of 1989 and was set up for long hood forward operation a trait of the former norfolk southern predecessor southern railway it was sold to the pacific lumber company in may of 2020 where it now resides in st louis missouri [Music] cereal is a big business on the amtrak michigan line with norfolk southern serving the two major manufacturers daily hinman yard is a great place to watch trains as the wonderful aroma of fruity pebbles and frosted flakes fills the air [Music] so [Music] [Music] while local train b-57 was working the yard we watched as westbound wolverine 351 came around the corner so [Music] as the train continued toward downtown battle creek we were treated to a view of the post factory [Music] battle creek's transportation center has evolved quite a bit over the years opened in 1982 when conrail and grand trunk consolidated mainlines it's located at the split between the roots of amtrak's blue water and wolverine trains in 2010 the state of michigan received 3.6 million dollars from the federal government to refurbish the station including renovations to parts of the interior and exterior along with bringing the station to ada standards on august 3rd 2011 a temporary station operated out of a trailer to the northwest of the station building was planned to open while renovations took place for the next nine months the new station which opened on the 12th of june 2012 features a new entrance and passenger drop-off area secure long-term parking improved exterior lighting and landscaping the interior was completely remodeled with office space for amtrak and other tenants and an upgraded passenger waiting area a total of eight amtrak trains serve battle creek daily with three round trips from chicago to detroit and pontiac on the wolverine one blue water round trip from chicago to port huron and amtrak thruway motor coaches to and from flint arriving about 40 minutes after train 351 blue water service train 365 made a station stop so amtrak crews swap out at battle creek station including the engineer climbing into the cab of p42dc number 30 is road formative engine's marsha marsh you might remember her from our amtrak 40th anniversary video at jackson just after 10 a.m train 365 departed battle creek for chicago with its fresh train crew uh uh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so shortly after amtrak departed it was b-57's turn to run through town the local was headed for kalamazoo where it will drop off its cars for the grand elk [Music] [Music] with b-57's departure we decided to call it a day the following afternoon we revisited jackson where amtrak wolverine's 350 and 353 met at the station [Music] all right well hurry up get out of your way there were hey phil everything's the 25th of a single day everything was approved oh okay roger nothing in there yet i think before i left but maybe it'll be in there when i get to the freako now here's the opening train 350 had a baggage car in tow which as mentioned earlier in the video was rather rare for a michigan service train at the time [Applause] [Music] worn out p42 dc number 32 was in charge of the eastbound train our good friend danny k was the lead conductor on board at 12 28 pm the train departed jackson for points east due to track maintenance the wolverines were running on a modified schedule and as a result trains met at jackson instead of chelsea here we go [Music] [Music] [Music] hmm [Music] wolverine 353 with a solid set of horizon coaches was pulled by p42 dc number 30. [Music] um um as the train stops watch closely as the passengers exit unfortunately this passenger took quite the fall while exiting the train with all passengers accounted for train 353 departed jackson at 12 35 pm uh [Music] [Music] [Music] on a chilly november day we returned to battle creek to film amtrak 350 arriving at the station with two private cars on the rear built by pullman standard in march of 1942 as a four double bedroom four compartment and two drawing room sleeper the imperial leaf was delivered in a lot of 31 cars in april of 1942 and was used in the overland limited pool in 1947 the car was sold to the chicago and northwestern where it continued to be used on passenger trains until it was retired in 1965. it was later sold in 1970 to william cratville's auto liner corporation which rebuilt the imperial leaf into a business car configuration for charter wire the other car was the golden moon a two master bedroom one double bedroom sleeper lounge which was also rebuilt as a business car [Music] [Music] during the stop the station agent pam shuster would operate a wheelchair lift to assist a passenger with deboarding the train [Music] so [Music] [Music] shhh [Music] in the fall of 2017 we spent some time on the west end of the michigan line at mile post 132 west of augusta we caught wolverine 350 heading eastbound at track speed augusta is home to a michigan central railroad coaling tower that was last used in the mid-1950s on this beautiful september day train b-33 was making a rare daylight run between jackson and kalamazoo led by gp60 number 7109 we caught the train at track speed as it made its way west [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] in kalamazoo the train arrived at watco's gearheart yard in 2009 norfolk southern leased its line from elkhart indiana to grand rapids michigan to watco which formed the grand elk to operate the 123 mile long railroad between the two cities at the time this video was recorded b-33 interchanged with the grand elk on sundays through thursdays usually in the middle of the night as of 2021 due to precision scheduled railroading instead of interchanging with grand elk at kalamazoo ns now moves freight east out of jackson to wayne from there trains run south to toledo ohio before going west over the chicago line and on to elkhart indiana [Music] [Applause] [Music] porter indiana is where the amtrak michigan line connects with norfolk southern chicago line on july 3 2018 we visited the area to record several amtrak trains taking the connection at wagner road when exiting the chicago line amtrak trains operate on itcs governed rails between porter and kalamazoo itcs is ge's incremental train control system an early version of positive train control that amtrak first activated in 2002 amtrak actually owns the trackage between porter and kalamazoo which was not included in the final system plan for conrail in 1976. the chicago line is primarily a freight corridor that sees about 80 trains in a 24-hour period because of this amtrak trains are often delayed as freight takes the priority since the michigan line is a passenger corridor with virtually zero freight traffic west of kalamazoo the 110 mile per hour speed limit allows amtrak trains to make up time in the afternoon we filmed amtrak wolverine 353 as it was leaving the michigan line for the chicago line as the train took the connection track it met eastbound norfolk southern intermodal 24w [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Music] so [Music] our last train at porter would come during golden hour amtrak wolverine354 is the last eastbound passenger train of the day and will arrive in pontiac michigan around 1am [Music] so [Music] so [Music] on november 3rd 2017 we found ourselves trackside in niles michigan the small community is home to a beautiful stone station that was constructed by the michigan central in 1892 to a design by architects spear and rons it is without a doubt the most famous depot on the amtrak michigan line while at the depot we noticed a clear signal for a westbound train freight on this end of the michigan line is rare and the only train that operates in the area is local b05 a burns harbor indiana to lawton michigan turn job on the day we were there bo5 was pulling a heavy loaded grain train from the cargill elevator at decatur michigan with a pair of gp60s bracketing two bodied ges [Music] do [Music] in the summer of 2017 we recorded amtrak wolverine 354 north of niles at thompson road note the high speed train sign between kalamazoo and porter amtrak trains reached speeds up to 110 miles per hour and 354 was doing every bit of it [Music] so [Music] as the train continues northeast a careful eye will notice the wide railroad right-of-way which was once a double-track main line at the time of our visit the new york central searchlight signals were still standing at control point 187 [Music] on october 10th 2018 norfolk southern's b-44 local was busy kicking cars in preparation for an eastbound move over the amtrak michigan line the b-44 is a daily train that typically runs at night but on this day the train's seasoned crew made a rare daylight run to the jiffy mix plant in chelsea michigan so [Music] so [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Music] so from the thalahi road grade crossing at control point 72 we watched the train depart for chelsea with two loaded hoppers in tow talk about an overpowered train [Applause] [Applause] we caught up at the train in chelsea a mere 18 miles to the east the train would drop off the two loaded cars for the chelsea milling company before taking two empties back west jiffy mix is a brand of baking mixes marketed by the chelsea milling company that has been producing the brand since 1930. the company was previously named chelsea roller mill and was founded in 1887. chelsea milling are known nationally for their products being packaged in a recognizable small box with the brand's logo in blue the next time you consider purchasing jiffy mix you'll now know where it's manufactured and that the mill is served by norfolk southern [Music] [Applause] [Music] um oh so so [Music] [Music] um [Music] okay come on so [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the chelsea milling company owns a small track mobile and operates the unit for handling the cars through the loading process at the elevator after the crew had picked up the empties they were ready to make their way west over the michigan line she [Music] so at grass lake michigan the train stopped so that the engineer could take a restaurant break before continuing to jackson grass lake is located at milepost 65 on the michigan line and features a beautifully restored michigan central depot the depot opened for business in december of 1887 after construction and shipment of stone materials from a quarry at foster station just northwest of ann arbor passenger service to grass lake was prominent until the 1950s when the rise of the interstates spelled the demise of local passenger trains in 1953 grass lake was reduced to being a flag stop for a single train until 1956 when passenger service to the small community permanently ended on june 21st 1980 the grass lake fire department responded to a fire at the depot the fire caused by arson left the depot as a mere stone skeleton until 1988 when its eight-year abandonment was halted by the purchase of the property by the whistle-stop park association today the grass lake depot is known for being the architectural gem of the community and hosts many events such as weddings and high school proms after the engineer had used the facilities at the marathon service station the train proceeded west for jackson [Music] [Music] on the 29th of june in 2019 amtrak's new siemens chargers operated one of their first revenue trips over the michigan line after learning the new locomotives would be on train 350 we visited jackson station where dozens of passengers were waiting to board the incoming east and westbound wolverine trains leading train 353 this afternoon was p-42dc number 64 which was built in march of 1997 by general electric thank you road foreign after boarding the train departed jackson shortly after 1 30 pm oh [Applause] [Music] [Music] so [Applause] ten minutes later wolverine train 350 which was running about 30 minutes late arrived at jackson station with sc 44 number 4615 leading the train east it was truly an end of an era on the michigan line the p-42 dc's days were numbered and by the end of 2020 virtually all trains were pulled exclusively by siemens chargers [Music] [Music] bye [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] does it look like a lot of our fillings [Music] on another summer day we caught wolverine 353 with two chargers at the wildwood robinson road grade crossing west of downtown [Applause] [Music] on february 18 2021 we recorded amtrak wolverine352 departing jackson station in the middle of a snowfall this was taken during our most recent visit to the michigan line we hope to bring you many more videos from this important rail corridor and hope you enjoyed our extensive look at its operations thank you for watching delay in block productions until next time happy railroading so [Music] you

Channel: Delay In Block™ Productions

Views: 668,908

Keywords: Trains, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, Railroads, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, CSX, BNSF, Union Pacific, Shortlines, Steam Train, Locomotive, Diesel Locomotive, Steam Locomotive, CSX Transportation, Freight Trains, Passenger Trains

Id: WCgCEZScSps

Length: 166min 16sec (9976 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 08 2022