Towns and Nature: Grand Rapids, MI: CSX/PM Wyoming Yard and Coaling Tower

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Grand Rapids, MI: CSX/PM Wyoming Yard and Coaling Tower

Roundhouse: (Satellite)

Rick Shilling commented on a post
Former Pere Marquette/Chesapeake & Ohio Wyoming Yard, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The 2005 SPV Map labels the long white building area as a car shop. It appears that it is now being used by a steel distribution company. It is nice to see industrial building repurposed rather than left to rot. They have 160,000 sq ft of humidity and climate controlled warehouse space. [steelpro] Note the roundhouse foundation just east of the former car shop.

Satellite

Viral Media posted three images with the comment:

CSX Wyoming Yard
Built by the Pere Marquette the yard was the heart of the railroad. It was at the convergence of lines connecting Grand Rapids with Chicago, Detroit and Petoskey.
CSX Wyoming Yard is halfway between Detroit and Chicago. CSX still operates and maintains more than 1,200 miles of track in Michigan. There are two major CSX rail yards in Detroit and Grand Rapids, plus an Intermodal terminal in Detroit. Although today it’s role is diminished it is still a hub of sorts. CSX has a daily manifest train to and from Barr Yard in Chicago. The Grand Elk and the two local Genesee and Wyoming railroads interchange traffic here.

Viral Media posted

PM Division Point

Strategically located halfway between Chicago and Detroit, the Pere Marquette established the Wyoming Yard and major locomotive and car shops,.

A 42-stall circular roundhouse was erected at Wyoming Yard in 1911. During the modernization program of 1923-25, its stalls were lengthened to accommodate longer locomotives. In 1946, it was joined by a brick diesel house to service the diesel switchers and the soon-to-arrive passenger diesels.

As Wyoming became less important to the C&O and later the Chessie System, the need for the roundhouse diminished. Wyoming was no longer the site of major locomotive repairs, and fewer locally-originating trains reduced the need to store diesels there. In the mid-1970s, the first few stalls were demolished, with the first 18 stalls gone by 1981.

Roger Eyrich shared

Greg Bunce shared
When scanning this slide of the C&O's Wyoming Yard Diesel Shop in the Winter of 1974-75 , I noticed for the first time how many different models of locomotives there are in this photo. From right to left, a GP40, U25B, unidentified EMD switcher, a GP35, GP9, GP7 and three GP30's. Except for the switcher the Chessie paint brush still hasn't reached them yet. There was much more variety 45 years ago.
Steven F. Shick: Ahhhh the good old days. Up until about 15 years ago this is pretty much what the Wyoming diesel house looked like most weekends. All the locos from Lansing, Holland, etc. would make their way up here for fuel, sand, light maintenance, etc. Now they don't even fuel power here. They do it in the service track by the east tower or at the ends of the yard.
Jonathon Leese: Steven F. Shick most of the tracks in this picture have been removed.

Andy Gras posted
Wyoming Yard, Grand Rapids, Michigan. OK, so here is another shot of Chessie's undesirables in 1986. Now I am on the catwalk overlooking the yard looking west. There are a few switchers in this lashup that I think I seen before in service.

Marty Bernard posted four photos with the comment: "And Where Was Duane Hall? 4 Photos as Hints." [He was in this yard.]

1
Tim Shanahan posted
Wyoming Michigan Coal tower @ Marty Bernard. No date.
Jim Kelling: Can’t find this one on Google maps
Dennis DeBruler: Jim Kelling PM Wyoming Yard was in Grand Rapids, MI. The tower was on the southern leads to the roundhouse,
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9436851,-85.703654,497m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu
Jim Kelling: Dennis DeBruler so it’s gone now?

Dennis DeBruler commented on Jim's "gone now" comment
Yes. It appears that it was about here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DULSoDQ1x6gi7YAJA. And the water tower was a little east of the coal tower. 1947 aerial with a scale of 37,400