Marquette Rail may be just a 126-mile shortline, but it often acts like a much bigger road.
Chase MQT’s “Turn Job” from its starting point in Sparta, Michigan to its turn point at Baldwin, where it swaps trains with the “Bald Eagle” job and then returns to Sparta.
Though Marquette is a shortline, as we’ll see, big power and big trains are a common sight. While the southbound run is shorter owing to the weekend break up north when sand does not load, the northbound is a sizeable manifest equipped with 12,000 horsepower. Such power is often needed to handle massive trains in excess of 10,000 tons, thanks to the heavy sand, salt and line routinely shipped in long blocks.
So let’s head north, and spend an entire day watching the Turn Job, from start-up to tie-down!
MQT Turn Job Northbound
Consist:
- MQT 3389 [SD40-2]
- MQT 3408 [SD40-2]
- MQT 3407 [SD40-2]
- NREX 5418 [SD40-2]
- 121 cars [Mixed]
Location/Time:
- MQT Grand Rapids Sub, Sparta, MI, Sparta Ave xing, on 12-22-14 at 9:55 EST
- Kent City, Rusco Rd xing, at 10:07 EST
- Casnovia, Hall Rd xing, at 10:20 EST
- Grant, the Depot Restaurant, at 10:36 EST
- Newaygo, Muskegon River Bridge, at 11:15 EST
- Drew, Basswood Dr, at 11:35 EST
- White Cloud, White Cloud Curve, at 11:49 EST
- White Cloud, Foss Rd xing, at 12:17 EST
- Brohman, 11 Mile Rd xing, at 12:46 EST
- Bitely, 96th St xing, at 13:18 EST
- Baldwin, 52nd St xing, at 13:41 EST
*Train then gives the 5418 and consist to the Bald Eagle Job, and moves to get their new train on the main in Baldwin*
MQT Bald Eagle Job
Consist:
- MQT 3406 [SD40-2]
- Turn Job’s consist, minus headend power:
o NREX 5418 [SD40-2]
o 121 cars [Mixed]
Location/Time:
- MQT GR Sub, Baldwin, MI, 52nd St xing, from 13:33 to 14:10 EST
- MQT Ludington Sub, Baldwin, MI, Astor Rd xing, from 14:15 to 14:34 EST
MQT Turn Job Southbound
Consist:
- MQT 3407 [SD40-2]
- MQT 3408 [SD40-2]
- MQT 3389 [SD40-2]
- 35 cars [Mixed]
Location/Time:
- MQT Ludington Sub, Baldwin, MI, Astor Rd xing, at 14:40 EST
- MQT GR Sub, Baldwin, MI, DNR State park xing, on 12-22-14 at 14:45 EST
- Bitely, CGE 67, along M-37, at 15:05 EST
- Brohman, Grant St xing, at 15:30 EST
- Brohman, CGE 53, along M-37 at 15:50 EST
- White Cloud, M-37 xing, at 16:01 EST
- White Cloud, White Cloud Curve, at 16:11 EST
- White Cloud, 24th St xing, at 16:22 EST
- Newaygo, Muskegon River Bridge, at 16:41 EST
- Grant, Colonial Rd overpass, at 16:56 EST
- Bailey, Bailey Rd xing, at 17:13 EST
- Kent City, alongside Clover St, at 17:27 EST
- Sparta, alongside Aspen St, at 17:42 EST
For more Marquette Rail action, check out this playlist of all TRRS MQT videos since the G&W Takeover:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLny9fiehjKTtWSq7XU6eywHKfPqYu6stN
For more heavy-haul MQT action, with lots of all-EMD horsepower and tonnage, check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmBK2eun6gw
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