WMMU comes on duty at 900A. Today they get permission from the operator at Shaw to head south to 6th St at 931A. Here is the power for WMMU entering the Secondary at Clay:
And stopped at 6th St as YMMU finishes up at Muskegon Yd (please disregard the tipped over tree!)
Aerial of Muskegon Yd at 1004A, as YMMU clears the main line at 6th St.
With the yard job clear, WMMU receives permission from 6th St to Shaw at 1005A. 2174 heads into the yard to tie onto its train:
As the train readies to leave, it pauses long enough for a crewman on the waycar to line the switch back for the main. This caboose is one of four Athearn blue boxes I modified to more closely model Conrail's bay window cabooses. The biggest change was blanking out three of the windows. My inspiration was the 24033...longtime regular on WDKZ out of Kalamazoo.
As WMMU is leaving town, C&O 4813 calls Shaw for permission south from MS to interchange cars at the dock. At 1038A, the 4813 is given rights from MS to the BBC North Switch.
Power cutting off from the train at Western Ave:
Most of the interchange traffic to the C&O is loads for Hooker Chemical in Montague (I came up with this traffic based on a GRIN train consist sheet from the early 90s, that showed a few cars from Montague that had been received from CSX in Grand Rapids. With the Muskegon branch still intact, CR gets a longer haul on this traffic!).
Here the cab and the two regular buffer cars are cut off on the main as the 4813 pulls two cars off a dock track.
It all takes just a few minutes, and the 4813 is ready to head back to North Yard:
Meanwhile YMMU has set out its car for Dresser (in foreground) and is readying to head back north to the main line. Without a lot of work to do today, the consist is a covered hopper of plastic pellets for Brunswick and two empty boxcars that will be left at the 11th St dock until needed.
YMMU pulls into the clear of the MH Extension at 6th St at 1158A. Hot on its heels is the DMIL transfer, getting permission from Waalkes to 6th St at 12 noon. Arriving at 6th St:
With the DMIL caboose "in the shop" for some weathering, its a good excuse to bring out my old GTW caboose, which I used years ago when modeling CSX in Muskegon. This caboose (while not weathered/detailed very well) was also inspired by a Kalamazoo caboose, which the GTW local would bring into town daily:
DMIL is my brother's model railroad, the premise being it purchased the former GTW line from Durand to Muskegon. He loaned me some motive power and the caboose for interchange purposes!
YMMU has backed north up the Secondary to clear up on the BBC track at Brunswick for lunch, and the DMIL transfer heads into the yard to pick up some cars. The flat car and 86' boxcar are tests to see how they handle the track on my layout (the long blue box cars don't back up very well unfortunately). The boxcar is a load of autoparts from GM picked up in Grand Rapids and heading via the DMIL car ferry to Kenosha, WI. The MILW boxcars are empties from Michigan Paper Box Co., this traffic also takes the ferry.
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