"Mop Twin"
Mid Michigan #180 trundles south through Holton with a pair of hoppers from the Co-Op in Fremont on a muggy summer afternoon. GP9s #179 and #180 were referred to as the "Mop Twins" by crews and fans alike, because the way their blue paint was weathering made them look like they were painted with a mop. Built for Cartier by GMD with factory low noses, #179 and #180 were usually seen doing the local work on the Michigan Shore (along with SW1200 #73), while their pair of GP38s handled the Cannonball to CSX in Holland. #180 would be repainted the following year into a nice red and white scheme reminiscent of the MS's Railtex era paint scheme. Unfortunately it would only run a few months in its new garb before its engine suffered freeze damage on a cold night and it was deemed too expensive to fix. It was cut up for scrap in 2009.
The line up to Fremont is mostly dormant these days, the Co-Op now being owned by a company that also owns a much newer elevator on Marquette Rail in White Cloud. Consequently, they moved all of their rail business over there, another blow to the Michigan Shore.
"Mop Twin"
Mid Michigan #180 trundles south through Holton with a pair of hoppers from the Co-Op in Fremont on a muggy summer afternoon. GP9s #179 and #180 were referred to as the "Mop Twins" by crews and fans alike, because the way their blue paint was weathering made them look like they were painted with a mop. Built for Cartier by GMD with factory low noses, #179 and #180 were usually seen doing the local work on the Michigan Shore (along with SW1200 #73), while their pair of GP38s handled the Cannonball to CSX in Holland. #180 would be repainted the following year into a nice red and white scheme reminiscent of the MS's Railtex era paint scheme. Unfortunately it would only run a few months in its new garb before its engine suffered freeze damage on a cold night and it was deemed too expensive to fix. It was cut up for scrap in 2009.
The line up to Fremont is mostly dormant these days, the Co-Op now being owned by a company that also owns a much newer elevator on Marquette Rail in White Cloud. Consequently, they moved all of their rail business over there, another blow to the Michigan Shore.