Overmod Except that I believe the Milwaukee improvements are for specialty ag products in containers. What I would concentrate on (see the Aberdeen & Rockfish/International Fuel Harvesters thread) is developing sufficient local concentration of specialty production 'somewhere to the west' to fill a similar block of stack cars, which could then be expediently handled to the new terminal. I can easily see a co-op creating the necessary volume and supporting some of the desirable capital improvements for facilitated local delivery, stuffing, and loading.
Except that I believe the Milwaukee improvements are for specialty ag products in containers.
What I would concentrate on (see the Aberdeen & Rockfish/International Fuel Harvesters thread) is developing sufficient local concentration of specialty production 'somewhere to the west' to fill a similar block of stack cars, which could then be expediently handled to the new terminal. I can easily see a co-op creating the necessary volume and supporting some of the desirable capital improvements for facilitated local delivery, stuffing, and loading.
Overmod,
As I read the original piece the project is to be an 'intermodal bulk export agricultural transload'.
I take that to mean that the product will be transloaded into intermodal containers in bulk. The only way that makes sense to me is that beans or grains arrive in bulk and are loaded in bulk into containers at this facility.
I do not see your vision of loading containers out in the country and bringing them to the port, given the description in the article.
Mac
Electroliner 1935Awww, I thought they were going to export cheese, maybe cheeseheads. No such luck.
If you look on Google Earth they actually have the Cheeseheads factory labeled. It is near the port but not quite there.
Except that I believe the Milwaukee improvements are for specialty ag products in containers. Almost certainly the other operations are served by bulk trains (probably covered hopper 'worms') and have automated loading to bulk carriers.
I would agree with Mac that there would be little advantage in trying to compete for such traffic even with purpose-built containers (and I am somewhat familiar with ways to make and use such things for grain traffic).
This will position them to take unit trains from places further away than just Southern Wisconsin.
Both Duluth and Thunder Bay on Lake Superior do a healthy business in grain exports.
Milwaukee is a full day's sailing time closer to Montreal and Atlantic Tidewater than either of those two ports.
Round trip that is two days less sailing time.
Export grain from Iowa could just as easily come east to Milwaukee rather than go north to Duluth.
PNWRMNM CMStPnP I think this is a good idea and should increase rail traffice destined to Milwaukee. It may well be a good project for the Port, but I doubt will generate much rail traffic since Port's and operator's target market is grains originating in Wisconsin. That is all short haul traffic, which frankly Class I carriers are not very good at serving, and usually not interested in due to low revenue per car per month. Worse, they are competing with trucks that can make two loads per day out to about 150 miles. At $4 per loaded mile that is $600 per trip, at 25 tons per truck that is $24 per ton, less at shorter distances. Rail rate would have to be about $20 per ton, at best. With luck, cars would have two week turnaround and is all single car one here one there origin pattern. Not attractive traffic! Conclusion, little to no rail traffic associated with this project. Mac
CMStPnP I think this is a good idea and should increase rail traffice destined to Milwaukee.
I think this is a good idea and should increase rail traffice destined to Milwaukee.
It may well be a good project for the Port, but I doubt will generate much rail traffic since Port's and operator's target market is grains originating in Wisconsin. That is all short haul traffic, which frankly Class I carriers are not very good at serving, and usually not interested in due to low revenue per car per month.
Worse, they are competing with trucks that can make two loads per day out to about 150 miles. At $4 per loaded mile that is $600 per trip, at 25 tons per truck that is $24 per ton, less at shorter distances. Rail rate would have to be about $20 per ton, at best. With luck, cars would have two week turnaround and is all single car one here one there origin pattern. Not attractive traffic!
Conclusion, little to no rail traffic associated with this project.
Not countering your thought. Just wonder, could Wisconsin and Southern find a way to move some of the produce along its lines?
Electroliner, there are plenty of exported Cheeseheads. Just look in the stands at any Green Bay Packers away game. Right now life is good behind The Cheddar Curtain. The basktball team won it all, the baseball team is in the hunt, and the football team was able to woo back their MVP off the Jeopardy set.
Pass me another can of Pabst Blue Ribbon, please. I need to wash down my deep-fried cheese curds, gosh darn it donchaknow.
Awww, I thought they were going to export cheese, maybe cheeseheads. No such luck.
beaulieu I can't see it being containers, the inbound cargo is mainly Wind Turbine parts, Steel, Bentonite clay, or Cement. Perhaps the occaisional container of pulse will go as deck cargo.
I can't see it being containers, the inbound cargo is mainly Wind Turbine parts, Steel, Bentonite clay, or Cement. Perhaps the occaisional container of pulse will go as deck cargo.
The port expansion on Jones Island is an ag processing facility. The plan is to ship ag products by container. More than likely pulse grains from Wisconsin and neighboring states.
https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2020/02/13/31m-agriculturalproduct-export-facility-coming-to.html
MidlandMikeI presume the big construction is for a storage building, however, they also show containers. I wonder if the ag shipments will be bulk or container.
I think it is a metal building. I don't know why but at that location I think they do storage on the ground (not sure if it is raw on the ground or in bags on pallets, I suspect bags on pallets). Further in the port you will see Silo storage but not sure if that is for concrete, flour or grain. I know they export concrete from there, they also every once in while ship P&H mining equipment out on ships from a plant in South Milwaukee (UP serves it). Most of the ships that call at Milwaukee are from 3rd or 2nd world countries or are destined for them. Not a lot of shipping to Europe done via Milwaukee that I have observed. Could be just the times I spot the ships though.
MidlandMike I presume the big construction is for a storage building, however, they also show containers. I wonder if the ag shipments will be bulk or container.
I presume the big construction is for a storage building, however, they also show containers. I wonder if the ag shipments will be bulk or container.
It will be a mix of the two.
Well, Milwaukee is 158 miles closer to Montreal and Atlantic Tidewater than Duluth and 65 miles closer than Chicago, so at least they've got that going for them.
https://greatlakes-seaway.com/en/the-seaway/facts-figures/
I think this is a good idea and should increase rail traffice destined to Milwaukee. I thought CP gave up on the Port of Milwaukee and it is entirely a Union Pacific operation now? Not sure if that is still the case. However, I think they should be spending North of $100 million. We'll see how this works out as far as increasing traffic to Milwaukee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA1XUpkJHLo
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