photo-gallery-amtraks-michigan-line-track-improvementshttps://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/photo-gallery-amtraks-michigan-line-track-improvements/Photo gallery: Amtrak’s Michigan Line track improvements | Trains MagazineWatch track crews prepare the Chicago-Detroit line for 110 mphInStockUSD1.001.00railroadsarticleTRN2020-11-032014-01-2018500
A laser beam mounted at the top of the dolly seen being pushed by the tamper ensures that the track will be level enough to meet tolerances required for 110-mph operation.
Cleaning up: A sweeper completes the day’s tasks at Dexter, Mich. With grade crossing circuits disrupted, Amtrak crews (seen in the background) flag motorists around lowered gates.
On Friday morning, an Amtrak track crew works on a one mile industrial lead to the Guardian Fiberglass plant at Albion, Mich. Since the state now owns all the track from Kalamazoo to Dearborn, it is responsible for maintaining freight access.
The industrial lead at Albion, Mich., was originally part of a New York Central branch to Lansing, Mich. Rail still in use on the spur was rolled in 1921, 92 years ago!
Extending Incremental Train Control System signaling east of Kalamazoo requires installation of fiber-optic cable. Here a Norfolk Southern crew works west of Battle Creek.
A coaling tower located west of Augusta, Mich., between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, has outlived the steam locomotives it once served, but remains standing.
Because it is located on a 70-mph curve, and is in relatively good condition, the massive concrete behemoth near August won’t immediately need to be demolished.
Amtrak’s westbound Wolverine No. 353 blasts under the structure. During the 15-week track reconstruction window, the train ran its completely schedule only on Friday, Saturday, Sunday. From Monday through Thursday, it would be truncated at stations between Kalamazoo and Jackson as track work moved further west.
In the March 2014 issue of Trains, author Bob Johnston reports on an extensive program carried out in fall 2013 to upgrade tracks between Kalamazoo and Dearborn, Mich., recently purchased by the state of Michigan and used by Amtrak’s Chicago-Detroit-Pontiac ‘Wolverine’ trains. The work will pave the way for 110-mph operation across the state.
Halfway through the 15-week railroad reconstruction, Bob Johnston photographed the track and signal work under way between Kalamazoo and Dexter, Mich. (just west of Ann Arbor). The line was shut down from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 10, 2013 (with buses substituting for eastbound train 350 and westbound train 353 east of Battle Creek to Pontiac), so Norfolk Southern track gangs could replace rails and ties without interruption. Then on Friday, October 11, 2013, work shifted to off-line rehabilitation tasks handled by NS and Amtrak personnel while trains resumed their regular schedules. Here’s a look at the work that went on.
To get the full story on this season of Michigan Line upgrades, and what it means for passengers, pick up the March 2014 issue of Trains magazine.
One thought on “Photo gallery: Amtrak’s Michigan Line track improvements”
Very nice pictures. I would like to see it made into a "Trains" DVD, we need more videos on track maintenance and PTC upgrades.
Very nice pictures. I would like to see it made into a "Trains" DVD, we need more videos on track maintenance and PTC upgrades.