Thanks to all for the info.
Ed
To further what has been said:
There are 4 trains a day on the US side.
There is an inbound and outbound local that usually doesn't cross into Canada. I've been told it does at times but I can't say for sure. These usually are during the day. The northbound crew will come in and swap with the southbound crew.
In the late evening is when the northbound freight usually comes and crosses the bridges. They swap the cars on the Canadian side, come back onto the US side, change crews and head back south.
I've never really watched the operations on the Canadian side but one train in and out a day, the yard job, the tour train in season and whatever the HCR does.
10000 feet and no dynamics? Today is going to be a good day ...
cv_acr MidlandMike cv_acr DPU is to spread out the weight of engines on the international bridges, which are old and can't handle the weight of multiple heavy road engines at once. My guess is that the weak link is the 100 year old double-leaf bridge that spans the channel leading to a couple of locks that are not used as often. When I see pictures of it on local TV, it is often down. However, this is where the are going to build the new lock to handle "thousand footer" boats, so maybe they will get funds to put in a new vertical lift bridge like the one next to it. IIRC the Army Corps built that replacement. Could be that one and/or the original swing bridge over the old Canadian canal on the north side.
MidlandMike cv_acr DPU is to spread out the weight of engines on the international bridges, which are old and can't handle the weight of multiple heavy road engines at once. My guess is that the weak link is the 100 year old double-leaf bridge that spans the channel leading to a couple of locks that are not used as often. When I see pictures of it on local TV, it is often down. However, this is where the are going to build the new lock to handle "thousand footer" boats, so maybe they will get funds to put in a new vertical lift bridge like the one next to it. IIRC the Army Corps built that replacement.
cv_acr DPU is to spread out the weight of engines on the international bridges, which are old and can't handle the weight of multiple heavy road engines at once.
My guess is that the weak link is the 100 year old double-leaf bridge that spans the channel leading to a couple of locks that are not used as often. When I see pictures of it on local TV, it is often down. However, this is where the are going to build the new lock to handle "thousand footer" boats, so maybe they will get funds to put in a new vertical lift bridge like the one next to it. IIRC the Army Corps built that replacement.
Could be that one and/or the original swing bridge over the old Canadian canal on the north side.
Per a presentation given at Railway Interchange 2017 in Indianapolis, CN has actually done a ton of metalwork on those bridges. The weak links were actually the oldest spans - the camelback trusses over the main river channel. CN has also completed upgrades on the double-leaf bascule and was supposed to do similar works on the Canadian swing span as well. The project engineer told me at the time that the bridges should be good for 286,000 lb cars and locomotives back-to-back but that either CN hadn't gotten the memo passed along or still had some other reasoning for not lifting the restrictions. They also require four empty (well, slightly ballasted) hoppers on either end of the ore cut and empties right behind the DPU still. As far as replacing the double-leaf spans for the new "Poe-sized lock", it seems unlikely. The Army Corps paid for the then-new lift span on account that the old span was a swing span and not capable of passing the 100' wide ships. The bascules should provide plenty of clearance for the thousand-footers as they are. Also the US-side locals do NOT cross the bridge into Canada. The trains turn in what is left of the yard on the American side. Only the "road trains" cross the bridge, for two crossings per day.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
cv_acrDPU is to spread out the weight of engines on the international bridges, which are old and can't handle the weight of multiple heavy road engines at once.
CMStPnP You can do a search on youtube for the videos if you want to see train makeup and consists. They have three fairly recent videos posted of trains making it across this specific border crossing. I looked and the trains are fairly long with steel coil cars as well as open hoppers (aggregates)
You can do a search on youtube for the videos if you want to see train makeup and consists. They have three fairly recent videos posted of trains making it across this specific border crossing.
I looked and the trains are fairly long with steel coil cars as well as open hoppers (aggregates)
Iron ore from Michigan (Tilden mine) to Essar Steel.
CMStPnPcovered gondolas (not sure what is in them),
Copper-Nickel ore concentrate from Michigan (Humboldt) to Sudbury and Rouyn-Noranda.
CMStPnPand tank cars with a few box cars.
Wood pulp/paper (from CP), particle board (local mill in Sault Ontario), other forest products (CP and ONT connections).
CMStPnPThe trains are long enough to use DPU.
DPU is to spread out the weight of engines on the international bridges, which are old and can't handle the weight of multiple heavy road engines at once.
Yes, CN operates the former Algoma Central and ex-SOO/WC lines on the US side.
A daily freight runs into Sault Ontario from Green Bay (I think?) arriving in Ontario in the evening. The train switches out and then runs back across with southbound traffic. This handles ore from northern Michigan to the Essar Algoma steel mill, and southbound steel, pulpwood and other forest products from the ACR and bridge connections to the north (CP and Ontario Northland).
A daily freight operates north of the Sault on the former AC line, but it's timing is a little hard to nail down.
The Agawa Canyon Tour Train excursion runs until roughly the end of October when the season ends for the year. It doesn't run over the winter/spring.
The "regular" passenger train serving the former ACR north to Hearst was cancelled in 2015.
Huron Central runs I believe daily, heading out for Sudbury in the afternoon. They interchange traffic to/from CN beside the CN yard.
thanks for taking tome to write i was looking for the answer
apk of spotify is available at 0 charges
The branch to Traverse City was dealt a blow when the fruit packing plant at Grawn, west of town, was closed and equipment sold. The only other customer I know of is a building supply company at Bates, east of town. They recently were doing trackwork on the line.
Saturnalia:Quite the detailed look at the UP ops.
Looks like there are 2 sets of trains across the bridge at Soo - the locals to Gladstone and the Green Bay road trains.
Now I know for the next trip.
Is there any activity in the Traverse City area? My son lives there and we visited over the weekend. He said in 1.5 years he has yet to see a train. Track seems to be in good shape.
Detailed run-down of CN ops in the Upper Peninsula, along with the LS&I and Mineral Range, here:
http://railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=34204
I looked and the trains are fairly long with steel coil cars as well as open hoppers (aggregates) covered gondolas (not sure what is in them), and tank cars with a few box cars. The trains are long enough to use DPU. I read as well it was approx 2-3 trains crossing the border at this location a day. The track looks like Class 2 or 3 maintenance standards. Trains were moving about 25-35 mph.
Stopped at the yard in The Soo on Friday morning and talked to a couple of workers (CN is a customer of mine).
Primary customer is the steel mill. One train each way north to Hearst. One train each way into "the states".
Yard seemed pretty big and there was a crew drilling cars.
I saw a CN Geep at Newberry this evening. It must be the local based at Trout Lake.
I drove by the Gladstone yard about 18 months ago, and as I recall it still looked busy. There are paper mills near Gladstone and Manistique, and also at Munising off the old DSS&A connection. There is also some nickel concentrate hauled from the Humbolt mill, off the ex-C&NW, to Sudbury.
I was actually in the Soo (Michigan) this afternoon on the way to Paradise (Michigan). I didn't cross over into ON since I carry some stuff when hiking in bear country that probably wouldn't go over well with Canadian Customs. The US side is dead and has been in years. In Soo/WC time, there was a small yard with freight station and roundhouse right near the bridge. Now, it's just a vacant field. Everything runs out of the Canadian side. I think the WC just ran one feight a day each way between the Soo and Gladstone. I don't know what's happening now.
So, does CN service Soo Mi from Soo Ontario or is it somehow a thru train? Looking at the CN map on their website, it appears a route continues from Soo, Mi to Green Bay, Ws.
Is this a thru route? Does the steel mill traffic move south across the bridge or north?....or both directions.
I am curious what CN's use of the Algoma Central north of The Soo is.
Seems like Huron Central has had funding issues as the traffic doesnt support the operation to Sudbury.
Interesting part of the world. Thanks for the info on the drawbridge (triple). I saw it but was unsure of the operation.
CN operates a multi draw bridge crossing of the St Marys River, which is also the international boundary. The line (ex- Soo Line) continues to run thru the Upper Peninsular of Michigan and Wisconsin.
http://bridgehunter.com/mi/chippewa/bh43643/
What are the rail operations in The Soo? Understand that the Algoma Central is owned by CN and operates the Agawa Canyon tourist train. Does CN operate freight service in the area, primarily to service the steel mill?
What is the status of the Huron Central (G&W)?
What about operations on the US side? Anything into the Michigan community?
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.