Onaway, MI: Wood Grain Elevator and Storage Boxcar

(Satellite)

Maxwell Crosby posted

“One last load”

Former Grand Trunk Western 50 foot boxcar 592517 sits on what’s left of the spur for an old elevator as it has for at least 4 or 5 decades in the small town of Onaway, Michigan.

In recent years some clearing has made this view possible, revealing the boxcar to the outside world once more. Behind the elevator is yet another car, but due to the rain and not being prepared for what else could be back there I did not wander out back to see what the identity of the car was. Sitting on plain bearing trucks the two cars were most likely purchased for storage by the elevator and left behind, even after the former Detroit and Mackinaw was removed through here.

Stephen Lane

Looks like an elevator with feed making capabilities. The cyclone is pretty low to be for the grain legs, so I’m assuming it was for a hammer mill.

Stephen Lane

Well things to know about ag businesses:

Elevator Companies: a business whose main purpose is to receive grain, store and dry. Limited processing is done. Mostly run by Co-Ops so Small farmers could have a shipping point and the railways had a sizeable customer to deal with.

Feed Mill: a company that may or may not receive and dry grain, but takes in for in house processing. Able to make several different grades and types of feed and sold generally in 25,50 and 100 lb sacks.

Grist/Flour Mills: a mill who has more refinement capabilities than a feed mill. Generally with use of fine grinding machines and packing. Food grade machinery in use.

Sometimes the smaller elevators became feed mills as the need for elevating and storage of grain became...less needed.

Troy Kleman

Stephen Lane I worked at an elevator that was also a feed mill. They are still one of the few such places that exist today. 4h livestock keeps them busy. Rail service is getting more and more rare as railroad up the car load requirement for service.

Maxwell Crosby shared

The Detroit and Mackinaw never got absorbed by the Michigan Central. It is still labeled Detroit and Mackinac on a 1955/64 Chbeoygan @ 250,000 topo map. And the only label shows by the 2004 SPV Map is DM. Normally, that map labels who built the route and who abandoned it. Interestingly, the 1928 RR Atlas, which is my naming standard, doesn't even show it even though there is room on the map. Thus, the label "rrOther" for these notes.