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RRNWOH Ann Arbor Main

Railroads of NW Ohio

Ann Arbor Information Page

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Basic Facts on the Ann Arbor

Operations

Interchange Traffic

Traffic Frequency

Info provided by James Chapman

The AA runs a local via the CSX Toledo Terminal line in the early am (6am or so) to the old DT&I Temperance Yard where they serve a couple customers, including an unloading service unloading a large quantity of something from open topped hoppers.

What happens north of Toledo depends on many factors including interchange partner needs.

IF they have no cars for TSBY at Osmer it is fairly simple. They'll head NB to Saline and switch Visteon between 1-3. They normally leave the train in Saline and cab back to Toledo. The second shift switches Visteon between 10-12 pm. They'll then take the loads SB to Milan and drop them for NS to take west as a pick-up.

If the AA has cars for TSBY it gets more difficult. They'll still head NB to Visteon and do the early switch. During the early switch they leave the cars for TSBY on the main south of the wye at Pittsfield Jct. After the switch they'll either leave the train as listed above or head back to the main and pick up the TSBY cars. They leave any cars that need to go SB from Visteon either on the line to Visteon at the jct. or back in Saline. They then head NB to Osmer and interchange with the TSBY. Usually they'll pull onto the siding, couple up to the TSBY drops which are on the south end of the siding and push them clear of the north switch. At this time the power is in the middle of the train. They then cut the drops for TSBY off at the north end  and pull north to clear the switch. Normally they then head SB back to Pittsfield Jct. Upon arriving they'll cut the cars off and pull the power back around the wye back head back to Saline or leave the power on the wye. They normally then cab back to Toledo. The second shift then starts by switching the Visteon plant between 10-12 and then pulls the loads out, goes south the the passing siding a couple miles south, runs around the cars and returns north to pick up the TSBY cars and heads to Milan. At Milan the Visteon loads are dropped and they then head south to Toledo. The mid-day TSBY interchange is not preferred. The preferred way is to do the interchange after the second Visteon switch.

When they do the interchange after the Visteon switch they will either leave the power and Visteon loads from the first shift in Saline, or head South to Toledo depending on traffic needs. Normally everything stays in Saline. If they are not going back to Saline, they would have brought the TSBY cars north and left them on the main south of the jct. After the second switch they head back to the jct and back around the wye to hook up to the TSBY cars. They then head NB to
Ferry Yard in AA (or the passing siding as it is the lone remaining active track). At Ferry Yard they drop the Visteon cars to go back south and take only the cars for the TSBY north (see the exception below). They then complete the interchange and go back SB to Ferry and then on to Milan and Toledo. The exception being if they have a car for Burt (or Burke) Forest Products or Fingerle Lumber. If they have a car car for BFP they'll do that switch on the way the north.
They'll switch the cars in Ferry so the car is easiest to spot. (they only get a couple a year if they still get service). Fingerle cars are often left with the Visteon cars or are taken NB and brought back SB and switched in route. In Ferry, they pick up the Visteon cars take them to Milan and continue SB.

As for the switching of the Jeep plant and unloading facility.

As for the customers in Temperance and Dundee, I am not sure if they get switched by the Visteon crew or if they get done out of Toledo as a separate local or as part of the job that does the Temperance Yard work.
Whoever does that work will also do any interchange with the IORY.

The TSBY customers in Whitmore Lake and the AA customers in Ann Arbor used to be served out of Ferry Yard in Ann Arbor until Michigan Interstate and TSBY split the line up at Osmer in the mid-80's. Ferry Yard used to have a RS1 (20 or 21)  or RS2 (301 or 303) in the yard plus a caboose which
later burned due to arson. For a while they even had one of the engines stationed in Saline.


They also had a few S units and  the former Ludington Northern SW8 (or SW1200 I've heard both) which
normally stayed in Toledo.

All the old power was sold off or scrapped when Ann Arbor Acquisition Corp purchased the assets of the AARR in 1985 or 1988. The AARR purchased 3 GP-38's from Conrail and recently leased 2 ex-MP GP39-2's from UP.
These units normally work together on the Visteon jobs.
 

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