Western Railroad Discussion > Belvidere, IL Jeep plant winding down

The Belvidere Stellantis(Chrysler) plant is shipping out remainder of inventory after ending production earlier in the year.

On 5/23/23 the nightly turn to West Chicago  departs Belevidere.

Bob Jordan

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Sales of some Jeep models have dropped significantly.

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The only Jeep built at Belvedere recently was the new style Cherokee. (As opposed to the XJ original and much lamented Cherokee) I think for that model there may be considerable overlap with other models in Stellantis's own lineup. And too since it uses the same transmission as the Renegade, but weighs more than that tiny SUV...it doesn't work quite as well as it might in the Renegade...which has dented the Cherokee's reliability ratings. I dunno it's not a bad looking rig....I just don't quite know why I'd want one. 

Back in the 90's the radiator plant I worked in shipped 60' auto parts boxcars over Conrail to Belvidere about every workday.    

I had to work with both Jeep and Chrysler QA ISO9000 teams to get our plant (now closed) quality and JIT certified.   But while Chrysler was really tough, we learned Jeep would consistently let stuff slip.  I never understood how Chrysler could embrace Jeep, they were so different in the way they operated.   I owned multiple minivans, 4 K cars, 3 neons, but I'd never touch a Jeep......  I looked at them last in 2017 and ended up with a Subaru.  

When Conrail cut our main line west of Jamestown, that killed rail delivery west, increased our shipping costs dramatically.  Rail then went over Buffalo and it added about a week to transit time that had been consistently 3 days.   It just killed us.   In the end, 1000 jobs were lost when the plant closed, and it was a direct result of loss of rail in a JIT situation.   People ask how I got so devoted to preserving rail freight service, that's what did it.    It wasn't theory anymore.

randgust Wrote:
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> Back in the 90's the radiator plant I worked in
> shipped 60' auto parts boxcars over Conrail to
> Belvidere about every workday.    
>
> I had to work with both Jeep and Chrysler QA
> ISO9000 teams to get our plant (now closed)
> quality and JIT certified.   But while Chrysler
> was really tough, we learned Jeep would
> consistently let stuff slip.  I never understood
> how Chrysler could embrace Jeep, they were so
> different in the way they operated.   I owned
> multiple minivans, 4 K cars, 3 neons, but I'd
> never touch a Jeep......  I looked at them last
> in 2017 and ended up with a Subaru.  
>
> When Conrail cut our main line west of Jamestown,
> that killed rail delivery west, increased our
> shipping costs dramatically.  Rail then went over
> Buffalo and it added about a week to transit time
> that had been consistently 3 days.   It just
> killed us.   In the end, 1000 jobs were lost
> when the plant closed, and it was a direct result
> of loss of rail in a JIT situation.   People ask
> how I got so devoted to preserving rail freight
> service, that's what did it.    It wasn't theory
> anymore.

Jeep had a hangover from the AMC days when there was NO MONEY, and Jeep was the only money maker....letting things slip might possibly reduce costs pennies at a slip, so it would be tolerated at AMC. OF course if the customer observed the defect and claimed warranty service, there goes the savings....but Jeep was and is a cash cow.

Do they still have a shipper in Loves Park? Without the auto traffic, car loadings on the west end will be quite slim…

Posted from iPhone

DRGW483 Wrote:
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> Do they still have a shipper in Loves Park?
> Without the auto traffic, car loadings on the west
> end will be quite slim…
>
> Posted from iPhone

I think there are 2-3 customers west of Belvedere, the steel fabricator in Rockford, oil Co on the K-D and maybe another.

Bob

For now the plant is mothballed.  Not officially closed but that may be next.

Is this the same line they have been talking for about a hundred years of bringing Amtrak's Black Hawk back to?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/23 09:51 by irhoghead.

irhoghead Wrote:
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> Is this the same line they have been talking for
> about a hundred years of bringing Amtrak's Black
> Hawk back

Yes thinking back, it might have been to Rockford but west of there would be CN

Bob

Bob

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/23 10:17 by robj.

irhoghead Wrote:
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> Is this the same line they have been talking for
about a hundred years of bringing Amtrak's Black
Hawk back to?

Blackhawk ran on Illinois Central all the way. Current proposals use CP/Metra to Big Timber, then UP to Rockford.

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