Sunday, July 30, 2017

Grand Rapids, MI: Junction: Aban/PC/NYC/KA&GR vs. GR&I

Gus Ubaldi posted three photos with the comment:
Tilt signal at junction of former Kalamazoo, Allegan and Grand Rapids RR and the former Grand Rapids & Indiana RR - Grand Rapids, MI - 1971 Penn Central

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2

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Satellite
The Kalamazoo, Allegan and Grand Rapids was acquired by the Lake Shore and South Michigan [WikiProject_Trains], which was acquired by the NYC. The LS&MS came north on the west side of town, headed east, then curved north to join the GR&I. The LS&MS terminated in Grand Rapids so this junction was an interchange connection with the GR&I rather than a crossing. Thanks to some industrial spurs that still exist as remnants of the KA&GR, the junction is still intact. Since the GR&I was acquired by Pennsy, these NYC and Pennsy routes became redundant when the Penn Central was formed.

LS&MS had a freight station near this junction. [2005 SPV Map]

Update: Tim Shanahan shared. It turns out the first responder, Jonathon Leese, made the same mistake I did. Glenn G posted a couple of Sanborn maps and Pete Walsh pointed out what he believes to be mistakes in the maps. The conclusion is the street in the photos in Lake Michigan Drive and the views are looking north. Join the group for a lot more information concerning the tracks that used to be in this area and the LS&MS freight house at Bridge Street!

Gus Ubaldi posted again.
Tom Carter commented on Gus' second posting
Here's photographic proof that the above photos were taken at Lake Michigan Drive, just east of Seward NW. If you look to the very left in my 1981 photo here, you'll see the same red signal and the house on Seward to the left, which is still there. I'm standing on Winter Ave. facing north northwest, with Lake Michigan Drive visible in the background to the right and to the left. The tracks the C&O inspection train is about to cross are the Conrail (ex GR&I) tracks that, to the right, lead to what's now the pedestrian "Blue Bridge" across the Grand River, and to the left they curve sharply to the north to meet the LS&MS tracks, as seen in the initial photos here. The LS&MS ended at Bridge St., five blocks to the north, where the old LS&MS freight house still stands, and at this point in time, Conrail ran a just few miles to the north where they interchanged with the Michigan Northern.

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