Eastern Railroad Discussion > CN in Detroit, Milwaukee Junction and nearby

This is a series of photos from a couple of days in Detroit, mostly showing CN around Milwaukee Junction and nearby. Detroit now has a bike sharing system, and $8 for 24 hour pass is pretty good deal. Often that was how I was catching these moves. Problem is, you get a 30 minute ride and then you need to switch bikes, or else the next 30 minutes is $4. That decision came up a lot!

1/2. First, the shot I was really going for. The CR/Shared Assets runs parallel to the CN Shore Line Sub, and there aren't many places where you can get a clear view of CN. But this street offered a wider spacing between the two railroads and I caught a late morning east/northbound passing through the Avery interlocking.

3. On another day, Amtrak 355 passes through a rubble-scape that has been taken over by artists or others.

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4. On a stormy evening, a regular evening train headed towards the Mt. Clemmons Sub heads north. Maybe this is 382 or 384 based off old info I am finding online. It headed through Milwaukee Junction around 8pm daily when I saw it. Hear it is passing the Amtrak station.

5/6. And then, at Milwaukee Junction.

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7. Conrail is in the foreground, with the train on the Mt. Clemmens Sub on the far tracks.

8/9. Those trains were always long when I saw them, 10-12,000 feet, with mixed freight and auto racks. At the Grand interlocking, the track they were taking looked a bit ragged.

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10. On another night a CN local is going to turn onto the Holly Sub, but is blocked by a slow moving train on shared Assets.

11. Looking at the auto frames and high cubes on the CR train that hasn't cleared the diamond of the Holly Sub yet.

12. Signal for the CN train on the Holly Sub

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13/14. Finally, the CN train can proceed.

15. The sun is setting, but that regular early evening CN train onto the Mt. Clemmens Sub is coming. Some other railfans were around with the tip on that.

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16/17. As the light fades, the train approaches Milwaukee Junction

18. Headed away, with the CR train in the distance.

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On another night, the intermodal from Moterm to Port Huron takes the Sugar House Wye track to enter the Mt. Clemmens Sub. I didn't know that beforehand, I thought it was going to head South. I missed out on my planned shots but got these.

19. About to cross over
20. Crossing over...
21. Missed the head end by the time I got here. But first time I've seen stacks in this area, so I wanted to get a shot.

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22. The Detroit Connection railroad, which I didn't see, looking north towards Milwaukee Junction.
23. Looking south
24. A power move on another day.

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Early morning misses, in a sense. Wasn't where I wanted to be for these shots.

25. An east/northbound shared assets rack train nearing the Amtrak station
26. CN headed south past one of many barely used warehouses.
27. Two trains on CR in the distance, but not moving closer anytime soon.

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28. While I waited to board Amtrak 353, CN's inspection car was waiting.
29. Which, lastly, makes me think of this bridge fix that I saw on CN...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/17 17:56 by inCHI.

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Nice series; brings back some memories for me when our family used to live in Detroit, Michigan. Father worked for the NYC/PC back then. I am surprised you did not have any type of Kevlar on as some of those areas do not look that inviting. Again thanks for the memories.

Thanks for posting these! They tell quite a story, on many levels. My grandpa and dad were engineers for the NYC/PC/CR, and though he was NOT a railfan, sometimes indulged me by taking me to the PC engine servicing facility when we were in Detroit for a Tiger's game. I wish I could get there to do pics like these. You're excellent at capturing the late evening and twilight pics!

Well, my Dad worked for PC/CR so there is a trend here! Glad the shots are interesting. Honestly, safety isn't as bad as I think some might guess. All of these shots were taken while lingering around on a bike, which is certainly a step down from a car. Most of this area is near the gentrifying Detroit, the small inner core that is getting infrastructure and investment, and now proliferating with craft beer, expensive trendy dinner, warehouse lofts, and Quicken Loans employees. It's also near Wayne State. Where I got farther afield sometimes even when it looks bad it really is just... quiet. That said, I know there are certainly other areas where this would have been more questionable.

A great series of pictures. Glad you posted these. Didn't you do a similar bike tour of the area last year or perhaps two years ago?

Jim

Jimmies Wrote:
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> A great series of pictures. Glad you posted
> these. Didn't you do a similar bike tour of the
> area last year or perhaps two years ago?
>
> Jim

Thanks! I did, with less knowledge. When I'm in town I get some chances to look around.