Scrap Steel and Canadian Pacific in Milwaukee

[CMStPnP]

So I was in Milwaukee for a Family reunion at the beautiful Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan (rented the whole first floor of one of their beach houses....watched the sunrise over the lake twice).

Anyhoo, I noticed during my trip to the Casino in Milwaukee which provides an amazing view of the former Milwaukee Road Muskego Yard, that the scrap operator there along the edge of the yard was doing pretty good business now.   They had 10 CPR gondolas in their siding and another 10 spotted next to it.   Which they were fairly rapidly filling with scrap steel from their shredder.   

That is the most I have ever seen spotted for that business.    Looks like they were filling a big order for someone.   Great to see CP land that business out of Milwaukee though.    They need more like that to keep the switch crews busy and hopefully they will land more.

Oh and Talgo-Milwaukee landed an order to rehab Metrolink tri-level Bombardier Cars, which I believe CP has that switching and transport arrangement as well but could be UP.   I think it was former Milwaukee that switched the AO Smith Complex which then became Tower Automotive that they now call Century City but not 100% sure.   Talgo-Milwaukee I believe has some subway car contract rehab as well.

[zardoz]

CMStPnP

I noticed during my trip to the Casino in Milwaukee which provides an amazing view of the former Milwaukee Road Muskego Yard, that the scrap operator there along the edge of the yard was doing pretty good business now.   They had 10 CPR gondolas in their siding and another 10 spotted next to it.   Which they were fairly rapidly filling with scrap steel from their shredder.    That is the most I have ever seen spotted for that business.    Looks like they were filling a big order for someone.   Great to see CP land that business out of Milwaukee though.    They need more like that to keep the switch crews busy and hopefully they will land more.

That company is Miller Compressing.

When I was in the scrap metal business in Milwaukee, we did a lot of servicing of the smaller local customers; we were sort of a "go-between" for many customers that didn't like dealing with Miller's operations--the customers liked us because we would be more dependable in adjusting our schedule of pick-ups and deliveries to fit the customer's schedule. Miller would just tell them, "We'll get there when we get there". Eventually my boss sold out to Miller, and our operation was absorbed by them. Apparently they made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

I mention all this because it so much reminds me of how today's big railroads treat their customers, and how the small railroads give so much better service.