Towns and Nature: 2025

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Indianapolis, IN: Pennsy Kraft Tower: Pennsy vs. Pennsy

(Satellite)

Darren Reynolds posted seven photos with the comment:

Conrails ( Ex-PRR)
"Kraft" tower
Indianapolis, Indiana

Tim Shanahan shared

Larry Graham: West side. Where the I&V took off.

William Wheelock: The operator at Kraft issued manual block authority via radio on the Petersburg Secondary.

Tim Shanahan shared

"Kraft" tower in Indianapolis, Indiana

Photo by: Larry Zimmerman ( No Date)

The model board at "Kraft" tower

Photo by: Carl Wallenmeyer

Conrail Eng # 7050 is at "Kraft" tower and getting ready to grab train orders from the operator....

Photo by: Larry Zimmerman ( No Date)

The interlocking machine (Armstrong leavers) at "Kraft" tower....

Photo by: Carl Wallenmeyer ( No Date)

The signal leaves at "Kraft" tower

Photo by: Carl Wallenmeyer ( No Date)

6
The old days at "Kraft" tower

The operator giving the High Ball to a Pennsy Passenger train at "Kraft" tower...the tower looks classic

Without that White Siding.. Compare this.

Picture with the first picture.

1948/48 Maywood and Indianapolis West Quads @ 24,000

Oct 1, 1958 @ 24,000; AR1VVV000030080

Detroit, MI: GTW West Detroit Yard

(Satellite, according to a topo map it was west of the mainline and between Michigan Ave. and the NYC/MC tracks.)

Charles Geletzke Jr. posted
View looking south at the GTW's West Detroit Yard on the southwest side of Detroit, Michigan on March 19, 1985. The GTW did something a little different here. The track to the far left, adjacent to the Cadillac Plant (served by NYC-PC-CR) was the Mainline and also designated #1 Track. This was the only yard on the entire GTW where this was done! Everywhere else, numbered tracks began adjacent to the mainline or paralleling third-rails or thorofares. So, looking at this yard, from left to righ, we have Track #1 (Mainline, #2, #3 had been removed; but still retained its number. Then, #4, #5, #6, etc. This yard was where the GTW interchanged with the C&O (PM), PRR, and Wabash (N&W). With the formation of the Penn Central, PRR traffic was combined with that going to the former NYC and was interchanged at East Yard and at South Receiving Yard. Hope that isn't too much information? (C. H. Geletzke, Jr. photo0

Curt Danielewicz: Was south receiving yard part of Livernois yard?

Charles Geletzke Jr.: Curt Danielewicz Yes, it was the receiving yard for the hump.

Tom Dooley: Working West Detroit Yard as the afternoon clerk was fairly easy. Check the drag coming in from East yard, make a switch list for the crew to separate the C&O and NW traffic, sort the waybills into the proper pigeon hole on the desk so the C&O and N&W crews could pick them up when they came to pick up their cars, and then get out of there ASAP! From the chief clerk at Milwaukee Junction on down, everyone said to leave as soon as the work was done because it wasn't safe to be there!

That yard had the biggest rats I have ever seen!

Charles Geletzke Jr.: Tom Dooley: Not as big as the ones down by Rickel Malt!!!

Charles Geltzke Jr. posted
Looking railroad east from the home signal at the West Detroit diamond, we see GTW Train 430 with the 5829-5852-5844 with 4 loads & 50 empties and 1, 733 tons on March 17, 1991. (C. H. Geletzke, Jr. photo)

William Borg: That is now federal jct. and what’s funny is that same fence is still there

Charles Geltzke Jr. posted
Another view of the GTW's 16-track West Detroit Yard (looking east) in Detroit, Michigan as seen on March 19, 1985. Oh yes, my vantage point was the top of my locomotive. The lead that we were sitting on was the track that the C&O (PM) used to access the yard. (C. H. Geletzke, Jr. photo)

Steve Pajak commented on Charles' post

1952/54 Detroit Quad @ 24,000

Logansport, IN: Pennsy VAN (MR) Junction Tower and Railyard

(Satellite, judging from the topo map and historic aerial photo, the tower was in the northwest quadrant.)

Pennsy had eight spokes coming out of Logansport.

This was the crossing of Penny's Panhandle and Vandalia routes. The Panhandle route went east/west through this junction and is now owned by the TP&W. A remnant of the Vandalia route still goes south across the Wabash River Bridge.

Darren Reynolds posted four images with the comment: "Conrails (Ex-PRR)

'Van' (MR)

Logansport, Indiana"

"Van" tower was at the Junction of the I&F Branch and The Columbia Branch....on August 27,1978

Photo by: Dr.Robert F. Breese

The operator's desk at "Van" tower on August 27,1978

Photo by: Dr. Robert F. Breese

The interlocking machine at "Van" tower (Sorry I can't find a picture of the model board) August 27,1978

Photo by: Dr. Robert F. Breese

A Drawing of the "Van" tower interlocking Diagram and interlocking machines information...

Drawing by:Ed Spopobalski

I see that Pennsy had a small railyard on the west side of town. Their main yard was the 18th Street Yard southeast of town.

1960/53 Lucerne Quad @ 24,000

Sep 8, 1952 @ 69,000; ARA000950071061

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Lake Odessa, MI: 1888 Museum/C&O/PM Depot and Freight House

Original Depot Location: (Satellite)

Current Depot Location: (Satellite)

Street View, Sep 2022

TririverMuseums
The depot was moved in 1988 and opened as a museum in 1995. "The complex also offers the Freight House Museum."

Is the white building on the left side of this view the former freight house? It doesn't look like a freight house.

Edward Gross, Oct 2012

Lost In Michigan posted

This beautiful wooden depot in Lake Odessa was built in 1888. The depot was originally the property of the Detroit, Lansing, and Northern Railroad and eventually become part of the C&O Railroad. The depot served Lake Odessa for over 82 years until the last tickets were sold to passengers in 1971. The building unique because it is the only Russian Ornate-style depot in the state of Michigan. In 1987 the railroad sold the depot to the historical society which uses it as a museum.

📕 If you love exploring Michigan and reading about its strange and historic places, I hope you will take a look at Lost In Michigan books available on Amazon affiliate link HERE https://amzn.to/415b9Dn I also recently released LOST IN MICHIGAN'S ABANDONED PLACES book available HERE [This link was not included.]

Jim Kelling shared

Odessa Michigan (1888)

It’s been moved to a park in town.

Apr 1, 1974 @ 20,000; AR1VDCB00010062

Pomeroy, OH: C&O Roundhouse and Water Tower

(Satellite, Main Street has moved since 1957. I think the yard was just north of the bridge.)

It appears this photo was taken from the bridge facing North.

Rick Shilling posted
c1930's Kanawha & Michigan/Chesapeake and Ohio 4 Stall Roundhouse, Turntable, Water Tower and Yard, Pomeroy, Ohio.

The C&O was on the north side of the river, and the B&O was on the other side.

1907/07 Pomeroy Quad @ 62,500

Mar 21, 1956 @ 31,000; AR1VMF000010043

Friday, April 11, 2025

Pittsburgh, PA: National Tube Co. Continental, a predecessor of J&L

(Satellite)

This plant was bought by J&L and became their South Works. See Pittsburgh J&L for more about the J&L plants in Pittsburgh.

Andrew Henderson posted
"National Tube Company" Original caption may be incorrect. Photographed c1900-15. LOC source. New digital version 6th April 2025.

Gary Nyahay commented on Andrew's post
National Tube Co. Continental works was consumed by J&L Pittsburgh works. That is old 2nd avenue where the horse carriages are at. the railroad "Y" is a good point of reference. Courtesy of Google Maps 2025 and Historic Aerials 1952.

Michael Mance commented on Andrew's post
Hazelwood

Youngstown, IL: Lost/CB&Q Depot

(Satellite)

Trent Briggs posted
Youngstown, Illinois. CB&Q

1918/18 Good Hope Quad @ 62,500

1941 Aerial Photo from IHLAP

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Chicago, IL: 1912 C P Kimball & Co. Automobile Body Factory, an "Industrial Gothic" Building

(Satellite)

Street View, May 2019

Carey Wintergreen posted
[The description is copyrighted. Click the "posted" link for a detailed description of the building and its history. My main interest is that he describes the style as "industrial gothic." The building was used by C P Kimball from 1912 until they went bankrupt in 1926. Since 1993, it has been used to store records.]
📸©️Percy H Sloan | c 1912 | Newberry Library
Carey Wintergreen shared

Carey Wintergreen commented on his share

1915 Cadillac Model 51 V8

Coachwork by C P Kimball & Company

Port-Cartier, QC: Closed/ADM Grain Elevator and Ore Pellet Plant

Elevator: (Satellite)

Pellet Plant: (Satellite)

The big deal as far as the ship junkies are concerned is that Algoma Mariner has been freshly painted. Of course, it was the big grain elevator that caught my eye. The loading dock is on a slip that is on the other side of the elevator.

Alan Wooller posted
And just because someone asked nicely...
[The comments indicate that the elevator is closed. ADM did not renew their contract because the owners have allowed the dock to deteriorate. Considering the amount of money invested for the big bins, I'd think they would maintain the dock. The comments also explain that ore shipped in for the pellet plan and then the pellets are shipped out.]