Ann Arbor Information Page

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Basic Facts on the Ann Arbor

Operations

• Railroad operates between Toledo, OH to Ann Arbor, MI.

Interchange Traffic

• Railroad interchanges with CNIC, WE, CSX, and NS in Toledo, OH

• Railroad interchanges with I&O in Diann, MI.

• Railroad interchanges with NS in Milan, MI.

• Railroad interchanges with TSBY in Ann Arbor MI.

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
  prefered. The prefered 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 oten 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 Miland 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 Aquastion 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.
   

Radio Frequencies

• 161.355 Switching

• 161.490 Road/Dispatcher Hallett Tower

• 161.220

• 161.445