Eastern Railroad Discussion > Significant new customer for the CF&E.

This has been discussed in my local area but have yet to see it covered on TO.


Rumors started more than a year ago about General Motors being unhappy with NS service to the Ft Wayne Assembly plant and was looking for solutions. GM has been storing finished trucks all over town for more than a year.
Rumors turned out to be true. A new autoracks loading yard is nearing completion on the Chicago Ft Wayne and Eastern railroad on the east side of Ft Wayne. 5 loading tracks and two storage tracks have been laid down at the site.
40 loaded racks a day to be taken to Gibson Yard on the Indiana Harbor Belt via the CF&E.

I hope CF&E (a G&W property) can provide the service that apparently NS was unable/unwilling to do.

Good discussion about this on the Indiana Railroads Bull Session list.

http://indianarailroads.org/board/index.php?topic=22174.0

Kim Heusel



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/08/20 06:30 by KimHeusel.

CFE/IORY also has a growing double stack container business off CPRS to the Bluegrass intermodal facility at Jeffersonville OH.  Rumors are that the GM traffic will be handled on a new regularly scheduled Gibbson IN to Jeffersonvuille OH train that will carry the stack traffic and drop off/pick up racks at Ft Wayne (an additonal train to the current Ft Wayne-Gibbson manifest pair).  Further speculation is that the Gibbson block of Honda traffic origingating on CFE/IORY sister road CIND will utilize this service as well, moving on CIND-IORY-CFE routing vs. the current practicve of CIND handing off to CSXT Q352 at Cincinnati.  Q352 is a bit of an automotive mine sweeper running Louisville-Seymour-Cincinnati-Sidney-Ridgeway-Pottersburg-Ridgeway-North Baltimore- Gibbson.   G&W is doing an admirable job growing traffic on the CIND/IORY/CFE network. 
 

howeld Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This has been discussed in my local area but have
> yet to see it covered on TO.
>
>
> Rumors started more than a year ago about General
> Motors being unhappy with NS service to the Ft
> Wayne Assembly plant and was looking for
> solutions. GM has been storing finished trucks
> all over town for more than a year.
> Rumors turned out to be true. A new autoracks
> loading yard is nearing completion on the Chicago
> Ft Wayne and Eastern railroad on the east side of
> Ft Wayne. 5 loading tracks and two storage
> tracks have been laid down at the site.
> 40 loaded racks a day to be taken to Gibson Yard
> on the Indiana Harbor Belt via the CF&E.
>
> I hope CF&E (a G&W property) can provide the
> service that apparently NS was unable/unwilling to
> do.

But think about how much NS is saving by not serving this customer!

I just had to laugh at your last sentence..

I worked at the Ford yard where the Ranger pickup was built. If we missed a parts spot by 15 minutes more than once yardmaster was called and also Calgary.

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CP8888 Wrote:
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> I worked at the Ford yard where the Ranger pickup
> was built. If we missed a parts spot by 15 minutes
> more than once yardmaster was called and also
> Calgary.
>
> Posted from Android

Sounds like that required a Railroad that could perform Scheduling of trains and spots with some Precision.

Nope, I can’t see any modern Class 1 wanting business that required RSP. It just seems so...backwards...from the current line of thought.

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Jared Hamilton
Scott Depot, WV

The one they seem to use a lot  " Looks good on paper" 
 

Good for the CF&E. Wonder if they'll be required to provide a portion of the autoracks like the class ones are? Or are they merely a conduit for another PSR outfit like the CSX?

 

NYSWSD70M Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> howeld Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > This has been discussed in my local area but
> have
> > yet to see it covered on TO.
> >
> >
> > Rumors started more than a year ago about
> General
> > Motors being unhappy with NS service to the Ft
> > Wayne Assembly plant and was looking for
> > solutions. GM has been storing finished trucks
> > all over town for more than a year.
> > Rumors turned out to be true. A new autoracks
> > loading yard is nearing completion on the
> Chicago
> > Ft Wayne and Eastern railroad on the east side
> of
> > Ft Wayne. 5 loading tracks and two storage
> > tracks have been laid down at the site.
> > 40 loaded racks a day to be taken to Gibson
> Yard
> > on the Indiana Harbor Belt via the CF&E.
> >
> > I hope CF&E (a G&W property) can provide the
> > service that apparently NS was unable/unwilling
> to
> > do.
>
> But think about how much NS is saving by not
> serving this customer!

Kind of sums it all up, doesn't it?

---

As I said in a previous post G&W didn't get to over 100,00 cars per month on lines that no on else
wanted by sitting on their hands. But at the same time it seems that Class 1s might as well put out
a billboard advertising some of those opportunities. You bring it to us and we'll haul it and if they
don't I'm sure G&W will be ready to connect the dots.

Out 

Sounds like the marketing teams on these lines actually go out and sell!

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Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Sounds like the marketing teams on these lines
> actually go out and sell!
>
> Posted from Android

What a novel idea!

Really interesting news. Would finished autos be the highest value traffic railroads carry? I'm not saying highest rate, I realize chemicals and such might make more profit, but highest value of cargo. If a shortline takes away a move of plastic pellets from a Class 1 over a longer haul that wouldn't be news, but grabbing traffic like this certainly seems notable.

CF&E trains have easy access to IHB's Gibson Yard.  At Tolleston (west side of Gary) they transfer from ex-PRR to CSX's ex-MC Porter Branch which feeds directly into IHB at Gibson Jct just east of the yard in Hammond, IN. 

Their manifest trains continue west on the IHB main and tie up at Blue Island Yard in Riverdale, IL. CF&E has had this working relationship with IHB for quite a few years now.  So it was a natural and easy move on their part to pursue the auto rack traffic.  .

King_Coal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Good for the CF&E. Wonder if they'll be required
> to provide a portion of the autoracks like the
> class ones are? Or are they merely a conduit for
> another PSR outfit like the CSX?
>
Providence & Worcester, another G&W property, has autoracks in the pool for its vehicular movements to/from Davisville, RI, so that might cover their contribution.
 

It's possible the G&W's  Golden Isles Railway in Georgia may also be a participant.  They handle a huge amount of Hyundai / Kia imports.

Is 40 racks the magic number because of yard space on co.property someone in the know?

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Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> It's possible the G&W's  Golden Isles Railway in
> Georgia may also be a participant.  They handle a
> huge amount of Hyundai / Kia imports.

Don't forget, G&W's CIND serves Honda Greensburg - 60 to 80 loaded bi and tri levels a day.   Only G&W road marked racks I've see are the P&W ones.  

scraphauler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It's possible the G&W's  Golden Isles Railway
> in
> > Georgia may also be a participant.  They handle
> a
> > huge amount of Hyundai / Kia imports.
>
> Don't forget, G&W's CIND serves Honda Greensburg -
> 60 to 80 loaded bi and tri levels a day.   Only
> G&W road marked racks I've see are the P&W
> ones.  

Thanks. That's a great observation.

I wonder what rules apply?

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