Introduction The somewhat steady supply and demand for the transport of resource products, in addition to manufactured and consumer goods throughout Michigan's history has left its mark on the many railways in the state. This route would focus on some of the busier yards and corridors from a portion of the Chicago-Detroit Line with the Blue Water Amtrak service to the transportation of finished vehicles and assembly parts to and from the General Motors Lansing Grand River Assembly/Stamping plant and Flint Truck Assembly using SD70, GP38, and "Dash 9" C44-9W locomotives sporting a Canadian National Livery or an unmistakable post-acquisition Grand Trunk Western Railroad livery. Furthermore, the light freight railway passing the twelve miles through the Owosso and Durand Yards continuing to Howell for an additional 24 miles, which is operated by the Great Lakes Central Railroad (formerly the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway) sees the transport of a wide variety of product including but not limited to: grain, plastic, sand, and lumber for energy production. The GP40-2 locomotive comprises the majority of powered rolling stock for this company. A possible CSX route could be considered for an addon. Which would serve as a connector for the two other mainlines. Route Overview - Full Map Lines Michigan (Detroit-Central) - East Lansing to Flint (~60 miles), #364/365 Amtrak® Blue Water Service Runs daily from Chicago to Port Huron for 319 miles Designated by FRA as a high-speed rail corridor with a 97-mile stretch between Porter, Indiana and Kalamazoo, Michigan seeing a maximum speed of 110 mph. Other higher speed limits occur along the line. Canadian National Railway - Lansing to Flint (~60 miles), Mixed Freight Servicing local auto parts suppliers along with automobiles and assembly parts for General Motors Contains Lansing, Durand, and Flint Yards SD70, GP38, and "Dash 9" Great Lakes Central Railroad - Owosso to Howell (~36 miles), Mixed Freight Serves shippers and receivers with over 400 miles of track throughout the Great Lakes region (transload) 65% Class III, 40 mph freight, 59 mph passenger 26% Class II, 25 mph freight, 30 mph passenger 6% Class I, 10 mph freight, 15 mph passenger GP40-2 Possible Conrail (CSX) addon - Lansing to Howell (~30 miles) Mixed Freight Potentially adds 30 miles of route distance Number of freight stops along line * * * Amtrak (Michigan/Detroit-Central) Line The route may begin its daily service at the Capital Area Multimodal Gateway in Lansing which saw nearly 70,000 passengers in 2017, eastbound to Durand Union Station (12,947, 2017), until reaching Flint Station (32,197, 2015). Traditionally, the Blue Water Service handles the line, numbering 364 and 365 for eastbound and westbound respectively. It usually consists of: 2 GE Genesis P40DC or P42DC locomotives, 5-6 Amfleet I coaches, 1-2 Amfleet I cafe/business carsCanadian National Railway Sharing track with Amtrak (antiquated Grand Trunk Western track), CN makes most of its partnership with General Motors and services the Flint Truck Assembly Plant, the Lansing Delta Assembly and Grand River Assembly Plants with the transport of parts and cars. Various other consumer goods and resource materials are transported as well along the route, named Flint Subdivision. Here is a Youtube playlist showing the line.Great Lakes Central Railroad As a Class II regional railroad, the GLC operates over former Penn Central lines and serves many mid-sized factories and plants throughout the state. It is the largest regional railroad in Michigan and has an enduring presence in the Durand yard. This route could extend from just north of Durand to just south of Howell, where freight continues out-bound.CSX Addon This is a mixed freight line travelling from Howell to East Lansing to serve local agricultural and manufacturing companies. No passenger service is available.Yards: Lansing Yard Owosso Yard Durand Yard Flint Yard GM Flint Truck Assembly GM Lansing Grand River Assembly * * * Overall, I feel that this would add a nice route with lots of opportunity for shunting, and freight and passenger service with a fair bit of rolling stock variation. There is a great opportunity for expansion in a region of America quite untouched by train simulation. Please add your thoughts or concerns about this route. Thank you for reading!
I like this idea. We'd get freight and passenger trains. Plus the route is served by CN. I'd love to see a CN ES44AC or ET44AC.
