mpuzach

Unfortunately, your best bet is your dealer (lack of response notwithstanding). Have them do a "Vehicle Order Inquiry" at GM Global Connect. They can look at your "Order Detail"; in the section marked "Model/Order Information" they can see the rail car number and railroad name. You can then phone the railroad customer service number, provide them with your rail car number and destination, and get an ETA for the rail car. I did exactly this today and learned that my rail car is finally moving and scheduled to arrive a week from today.

Here's what the info looks like for my order:

Event Description:4200 - Shipped
Route:FROM - TOLEDO OH - RAIL -ETTX854072 - TO - PORTLAND OR
Carrier:NORFOLK SOUTHERN

The rail car number is in red.

LDYSTIG

Hang in there! I went through the painful railcar delivery to West Coast (Phoenix, AZ) as well and the total time ended up being about four weeks. The day you get the call makes it all worth it, trust me!

Translator

Hi Mike, can you provide this information, per the order number that I PM'd you with? I have asked my dealer, but have also not received this information. I too was told that there is an automated number to track the progress via rail, given the rail car number. Thank you.

mpuzach

Unfortunately I cannot. I can only get that level of detail for orders placed by my dealership.

mpuzach

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm hoping to actually see the truck pull up with my car on it since I work at the dealership where it's being delivered.

Algiers

Great. Thanks for the tips. It's very helpful to have it all spelled out like that.

Woody

Sometimes..

laborsmith

Try this. I had/have the N&S automated phone number but can't seem to find it; when I do a will post it here.

Originally Posted by panther2469

Your dealer can call the GM Dealer Business Center and get the railcar #. Then you can track it here using the automated phone service.

CSX is everything east of the mississippi
Up is everything west of the mississippi

But they all start out on CSX so once they have it in there system they will follow it all the way.

How do I track my car on a railcar?

First and most important. Never talk to live personnel at the railroad! Only use automated phone system. If it attempts to transfer you to a live person please hang up. The railcar information we are provided by GM is given as a courtesy and if we call live personnel we will lose our data and ability to track
CSX
1. Call the CSX 1-800-235-2352 1-800-235-2352
2. When prompted for location or weight, press "1" on your phone for location.
3. When prompted for the car initials, say ETTX (whatever initials you have) then wait for the next prompt. OR key in 32-81-81-92 (for ETTX)(letter and position on your phone)
4. When prompted for the car number, say 907048 or key in whatever your car number is
5. When prompted for next car say DONE.
6. That's it; enjoy your updated status report.

Union Pacific
1. Call UP at 1 800 877-5123 1 800 877-5123
2. Follow phone prompts for Trace
3. Say the railcar number complete and clearly. Example ETTX123456 all together
4. Listen for your update

These automated systems can be frustrating. Keep in mind they are intended for use by folks that use them daily all day long. Like I said if you are being transferred to a live person please hang up and try again."

Laborsmith

RedZ

I also used the number above. I probably callled 10 times a day and tracked it at most every waypoint, some waypoints you won't be able to find on a map, especially the ones you can't understand (computer voice).

There were a few junctions where the train car would wait for 2-3 days at a time to switch from one train to the next. It took about 3 weeks from the time it was built to get to Kent, WA, and 9 more days to get to the dealer (I have pictures of it just sitting at the train yard).

On my phone it was easy to make the call. just program the entire set of numbers into a contacts phone number: on a blackberry this was 8002352354w1w32818192#704588##, the "w" is a wait.


Here was my tracking:

Built on 6/5/14
Dealer said it arrived in toledo on June 12, 2014
Air line junction, toledo, OH,
Lydick, IN left 6/14/14 10:07 AM
Hammond, IN on arrived 6/14/14 IHV Gibson Yard, 2:40 pm
Elmhurst, IL, departed 6/16/14 12:29 pm on the UP (union pacific)
Lowden, IA departed 6/16/14 5:?? pm
marshaltown, IA departed 6/16/14 8:40 pm;
jefferson, IA 10:24 pm 6/16/14 .
woodbine, IA 12:06 am 6/17/14
california junction, IA 12:52 am 6/17/2014
freemont, NB 2:42 am 6/17/2014
//stuck in los ellen or lewellen? depart 12:11
kimball, NB 2:16 pm 6/17/2014
Cheyenne, wy 4:56 pm 6/17/2014
Laramie, wy 9pm or so 6/19/2014
rawlins, wy 12:52 am 6/20/2014
Black butte, wy 2:57am 6/20/2014
Quigley, id 4:50 PM 6/20/2014
Adelaide, id PM 6/20/2014
Shoshone id 7:07 PM 6/20/2014
Glenns Ferry, id 8:28 PM 6/20/2014
low creek??, OR 6:30 am 6/21/2014
Perry, OR 3:48 pm 6/21/2014
matanic, OR 5:00 pm
Pendleton, OR 10:30 pm 6/21/2014
Hinkle-near Hermiston, OR arrived 11:48 pm 6/21/2014
---left hinkle sometime before june 24, 3:30 pm.
vancouver jtc, washington june 24 10:20
fife, wa, june 25 6:38am
kent, wa june 25 9:00am
At dealer north bend, wa on july3.

Pie R Squared

Might anyone have to phone number to the GM Dealer Business Center so I can call them myself. I asked my dealer for the railcar information and they responded with an arrival date and Chevy customer service says that they are unable to provide that information.

OnStar Family Link just gives the last time the car was moved and location. It has to be started so in my case it just shows:

OnStar Family Link Vehicle Location Alert:
Vehicle 1 is near 4053 Chrysler Dr, Toledo, OH, 43608 on 10/10/14 at 12:05 PM.

laborsmith

Business Centers are regional and I believe divisional.

I do not recall ever seeing a list showing phone numbers for the Chevrolet Regional Dealer Business Centers.

Does not mean one is not out there, just I do not recall ever seeing it.

Laborsmith

Calif Vetteman

What ever possessed G.M. to have the Corvettes shipped by rail ?
My C5 was trucked out to CA. in 03. The entire truck was filled with Millium Yellow C5's . It was quite a sight.

fsvoboda

Very cool method of delivery. Of course, you do have the anxiety of wondering if the parachute is going to open.

got2bblu

Feeling bad for you guys on the west coast. One of the few perks of living in the Midwest. My 2015 rolled off the line on 10-7 and at my dealer two days later.

CUSA

So when did you end up finally receiving it?

Woodson

Mine took 43 days.

mpuzach

September 11th. All in all, not too bad - three weeks after rolling off the line.

artz66

Cost. You can pay a truckin company to haul 8-10 at a time of you're lucky. Or pay a railroad to haul 500-600 cars at a time. plus railroads are 24/7/365 business. Just have to have enough rail cars going to the same place.

My last auto train had 800 different gm vehicles on it.

rcooper

Don't use FedEx, you might only get 1/2 your car.