Eastern Railroad Discussion > Shortlines in Southern Michigan

In June on the way to Owosso, MI for the Steamfest, nearby shortlines were hunted down, as usual equipment and operations could be unusual.

Photo 1 - On the Little River Railroad on 6-17 in Coldwater, MI, INE 1601 switches out a local shipper. GP-7 1601 was built in 8-52 as Reading 606, then St. Johnsbury & Lamoille County 606, then Hillsdale County (HCRC) 1601.

Photo 2 - In front of the Little River enginehouse on 6-17, GP-40 DOTX 2000 leads INE GP-30 2185. DOTX 2000 started life in 1-66 as D&RGW 3055, then rebuilt to GP40-3 standards by Elcon, Inc. as ELOX 2000, then DOTX 2000. The crew reported that the unit has an experimental electronic in-cab noise-cancelling system on board that seems to work well, and that they weren't quite sure why this locomotive was still on their railroad. The striking paint color and striping is very suggestive of the old Atlantic Coast Line. INE 2185 was built in 7-62 as Reading 5517, then Reading 3617, then CR 2185, then LTEX 2185 before being INE 2185. I am standing on a pile of cinders for this photo, as usually steam locomotives LRRR 1 and 110 are kept here for the tourist train, but they are absent, having already gone to the Steam Locomotive Institute in Owosso for the Steamfest, as shown following:

Photo 3 - 0-4-0T Little River Railroad 1 tank engine doubleheads with a similar diminutive mate as it arrives at Owosso on a Special on 6-19 under the watchful eye of a classic railroader! It is not known when LRRR 1 was built, the frame and wheels suggest 1908. It weighs 25 tons. It was purchased from the LaPorte County Steam Historical Society in Indiana in 2000 and first run in 2004 on LRRR. The second 0-4-0T is VC 6, it belongs to the Steam Locomotive Institute in Owosso, it was built in 1924 for the American Viscose Company of Roanoke, VA. Later it worked for Gem City Iron and Metal in Pulaski, VA. It was restored by Scott Symans, and its first run after rebirth was in 2007.

There's mooore...



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/14 05:22 by highgreengraphics.

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Photo 4 - 4-6-2 Pacific LRRR 110, shown here on 6-19 arriving with another Special at Owosso, MI, was custom-built for the original Little River Lumber Co. in Townsend, TN in 1911. It has a blind middle drive wheel. It is the lightest Pacific-type ever constructed for standard gauge, weighing a mere 58 tons. It was sold to the Smoky Mountain Railway, and sat abandoned for 12 years in Shooks Gap, TN. In 1975 after being rebuilt, it made its first trip on the current LRRR.

Photo 5 - Charlotte Southern 3 is at rest with their dinner train on 6-18. it is the last GE 44-tonner constructed, built in 10-56 as Danville & Mt. Morris 1, then Bay Colony Railroad 411, then Adrian & Blissfield 3, then CS 3. This "Old Road Dinner Train" runs only about 3 miles eastward from Charlotte, MI off CN to near the Eaton County Farmers Co-Op on a small piece of the original Grand Valley Railroad, ex-Michigan Central, then NYC, PC, CR and GTW, a line segment between Grand Rapids, MI and Jackson, MI by way of Rives Jct., MI, most of which is abandoned.

Photo 6 - The entire "Old Road Dinner Train" waiting for departure time at Charlotte, MI.

There's mooore...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/14 10:03 by highgreengraphics.

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Not MBTA colors on the 2000?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/14 21:39 by NH2006.

Photo 7 - I drove the length of the Jackson & Lansing (JAIL) Railroad north of Jackson to find their Adrian & Blissfield power to no avail. This 47-mile line was originally the Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw, built in 1870, then Michigan Central, then NYC. It was long after dark when I quit, and after dinner I sacked out in the car near the tracks a half-block from a building with no windows with tracks leading into it at Mason, MI. To my surprise, I heard an unmistakable EMD non-turbocharged throbbing at idle at 12:15 am, looked out the car window through weary eyes, and I saw a glow emanating the other way from the building the tracks went into. I got myself together and drove to the other side of the building, and voila, there were two old geeps fired up in the enginehouse. I walked out of the darkness and promptly startled the crew who had no idea where I came from. At first, they were quite apprehensive and not willing to give me any information, but as I jabbered and gave them business cards suggesting I might not be a bum and meant no malice, they became a bit more friendly. I did not have time to set up a tripod or anything, those guys were already weirded out by my being there at that time of night! So I fire away hand-held as best as I could! So here very early on 6-19, twin geeps idle in the enginehouse at Mason, MI. I really dislike sleeping in the car, but it does keep you in position and it sure paid off this night!

Photo 8 - After finally warming up to me, the crew let on that they went on duty at Mason, MI at Midnight, and would collect their train and go south to Jackson, and arrive there just about at dawn. Here the geeps are idling in the darkness after being gingerly moved outside, and I was bracketing like crazy and covering up most of the camera's flash with my finger. I moved down the freeway out of town to a rest stop on the way and much closer to Jackson, and tried to finish my night of sleep before leaving before dawn.

Photo 9 - I was rewarded for my interrupted sleep at Jackson while the geeps waited on the bridge over the Grand River to enter the ex-NYC now Michigan DOT main line, and there was a bit of daylight, not enough for a decent photo if they were moving, especially with the heavy foliage, but they were still and waiting. Unfortunately they began to pull just as I took this photo, so I did not get them going past the old depot toward the NS yard.

There's mooore...



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/14 20:31 by highgreengraphics.

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Photo 10 - The two lightning-striped geeps look decidedly NYC next to a classic small-bay-window NYC caboose in Conrail colors as they entered the yard. GP-9 ADBF 1758 was built in 11/56 as PRR 7081, then PC and CR of the same number, then New Hampshire North Coast (NHN) 1758. GP-9 ADBF 1760 was built in 10/55 as PRR 7015, then PC and CR of the same number, then New Hampshire North Coast 1760.

Photo 11 - The Adrian & Blissfield Geeps are framed by foliage on 6-19 as an air test is performed in the yard in Jackson, MI. Making the place scream New York Central even more are the remains of the original Michigan Central, NYC heavy repair shops constructed in 1871 that once employed 1000 workers and built freight cars and steam locomotives from the ground up. Heavy operations ended in 1949, but light running repairs occurred here until Penn Central.

Photo 12 - Closer view, same spot and the old shops still in the background, used for non-railroad warehouse space. There was a turntable and roundhouse here also adjoining the shops but they are long gone. Note how the geeps are old-school set up for long hood forward operation, with the "F" on the long hood end and overhanging bell on the long hood.

There's mooore...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/14 23:07 by highgreengraphics.

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Photo 13 - Pulling out near the Michigan DOT main line in the foreground still on 6-19, trying to get permission to enter the main line, with the old shops still dominating the background. Since they have to wait for an Amtrak train, there is some time to contemplate the old shop structures -

Photo 14 - Some ancient cathedral-like architecture is evident in the shops, that track leading into the doorway is still a connected, live track though unused...

Photo 15 - Gosh, what treasures could be hidden behind these mysterious doors with the tracks leading inside? Could there be a forgotten Mohawk, or a Hudson, or a Niagara, hidden behind some brick falsework deep inside the massive shops, that everybody either did not notice or just assumed it was an old unused boiler room? Just step back and imagine the possibilities...

There's moore...



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/14 20:30 by highgreengraphics.

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Photo 16 - After scurrying the short distance on the Michigan DOT main line, the Jackson & Lansing railroad diverges and dives downhill, as shown here with the main line above on a bridge and the crossing below as the outbound train leaves Jackson, MI. On the way here, it passed the historic old depot which will be covered in the next posting later.

Photo 17 - Leaving Jackson, MI, the northbound Adrian & Blissfield units blow for the Lansing Ave. crossing, passing Grand Trunk Western 4-6-2 5030 on display at the R.A. Greene Park. It is a Class J-3-9, Baldwin No. 38441, built in 1912. The old GT abandoned right-of-way was on the opposite side of the park beyond a wastewater treatment plant, so it likely took some cooperation between railroad rivals to get the locomotive here where it rests now.

Photo 18 - Northbound north of Jackson, MI, all still on 6-19.

There's mooore...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/14 20:31 by highgreengraphics.

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Photos 19, 20 and 21 - Views proceeding northbound in the Michigan hinterland on 6-19, the last two are of the train approaching the small settlement of Rives Jct., where once that branch line through Charlotte, MI talked about in Photo 5 to Grand Rapids split off.

There's mooore...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/14 23:49 by highgreengraphics.

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Photo 22 - Passing the depot at Leslie, MI, which is now a restaurant.

Photo 23 - Returning to Mason, MI passing the depot on 6-19 that is so convoluted on the track side as to not be photographable; it is also a restaurant.

Photo 24 - Parked at Mason, MI is this CV caboose, an obvious Canadian van design, marked for subsidiary Central Vermont but the reporting marks are ADBF 4043, in what looks to be in very good condition. Kept for private car duty? It does have some nice big windows and two heaters.

Lots of history to try to report in this post, I welcome additions and corrections!

Happy hinterland railfanning! === === = === JLH



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/14 05:48 by highgreengraphics.

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DOTX 2000 was it ever used on MBTA? I wondered about MBTA too but not in any history I have found. I have seen photos of it with Elcon demonstrator markings all over it including a big circle on the nose, but nowhere is mention made of MBTA that I have found. Anybody know fer sher? === === = === JLH

highgreengraphics Wrote:
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> DOTX 2000 was it ever used on MBTA? I wondered
> about MBTA too but not in any history I have
> found. I have seen photos of it with Elcon
> demonstrator markings all over it including a big
> circle on the nose, but nowhere is mention made of
> MBTA that I have found. Anybody know fer sher? ===
> === = === JLH

It looks like the only GP40 carbody unit the MBTA had and still uses for work train service is the 3247. Its paint scheme is quite similar to but not identical to DOT 2000. Here two links to pix of 3247 from rrpicturearchives:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=508939
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1574677

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the great show. Gerry

That was fun!

Thanks

Mark

Fort Wayne

NICE work!!! Thanks for posting.

Excellent and inspiring. Jackson was indeed a railroad shops town. I grew up about 64 miles west of there on the old "air line" which took a SW gent leaving town, a freight cut off to Niles (and later Elkhart). That first few miles on the air line was the "test track" used by NYC shop forces after overhaul of steam engines and used for break ins. That is gone now. I have toured the shops area, the Adrian and Blissfield chase shots you posted were awesome, what day of the week was that run? It's on my list thanks to you.

The JAIL is certainly a nice looking operation. Thanks for the photos!

Thanks all, 6-19 was a Thursday, but the JAIL crew said traffic was down and they had not run "for a few days". In my looking up information, I came across somebody else who said they showed up at Jackson very early, so that would seem to verify a usual call time of midnight as it was when I was there. If the train crew is not there, nobody is around to ask anything, and no way to peek into the enginehouse to see if the motors are in there. The small operation in Charlotte is related, might try somebody there, or try NS in Jackson at the yard office to see if they might run there. From Mason to Lansing I have no idea what they do, I had to skedaddle to Owosso and as you may be able to tell, the weather was less than ideal. I grew up along the "Air Line" for a spell in Union City, MI from late 1965 to late 1968, I was so young, it was there I took my first train photo at age 8 all on my own, of NYC F-units on the front of an eastbound. === === = === JLH

That's a great story and articles! Those ADBF Geeps are sharp as a tack.

You sure get around. Enjoyed the photos.