Martin, MI: A one-car GR&I freight

Mark Hinsdale posted

Just Another Mundane Local...

... but it captures a point in time mostly lost to history. A Penn Central Geep, tugging one tank car and an ex PRR "cabin car," rocks south at ten miles per hour along the rickety, light rail of the GR&I Branch near Martin MI, between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, in May, 1976. Technically, this is now a Conrail crew and operation by a little over a month, but no outward appearances of the new railroad have yet been seen in this far off corner of the system.. It will be a few years before Conrail spends a modest amount of money to shore up the GR&I Branch, and allow for a more plausible 25 mph speed limit. The ex Pennsylvania Railroad line is operated by Watco's Grand Elk Railroad today. Photo by Mark Hinsdale

Satellite

Five cars on one siding indicates that, once again, good customer service can make a railroad viable. None of the Class I railroads seem to care about customer service. In fact, I've read stories of CSX actively getting rid of customers.

Stroh, IN: Wabash Portland Cement Company

Because of this plant, Stroh shipped more freight on the Wabash branch than Kendallville did on both of its railroads.

Mike Snow posted
The Wabash Stroh Branch
In 1899 a branch line (4.4 miles in length) was built from Helmer Indiana to the NW to Stroh Indiana to service the Wabash Portland Cement Plant.
Marl from nearby pits and coal was hauled to Stroh to be used in the process of manufacturing bagged cement, locally produce was shipped out of Stroh as well, line lasted until 1945.
Dennis DeBruler: My Grandfather's farm was near Stroh, so I've been interested in this branch and cement plant. This is the best photo I have seen of the plant so far. I've heard that my Mom used to help drive sheep down the road from Stroh to their farm.

Terry Wisel Heintz posted

Rural American History Captured posted
Stroh's Wabash Portland Cement Company. Stroh, Indiana. Years of operation approx 1899-1941
Debra Gould Collection 
I was so excited to find this.
Dennis DeBruler I can remember when the railroad tracks were still in this little stretch of road. I was told there used to be a railroad there because of a cement plant. The "mud" in the area was special, and it was good for making cement. https://www.google.com/.../@41.5884333,-85.../data=!3m1!1e3
Trent Mcgregor The tracks still run across the lake. Lots of people beach their boats on the rubble pile because the lost history of the area.

Rural American History Captured posted, cropped
Wabash Portland Cement Plant. Stroh
LCHS

Rural American History Captured posted 
Stroh IN. 1979 Article about the Cement plant.
LCHS

comment on above posting

Now that I have a name, I can Google.

"The Wabash Portland Cement Company at Stroh, Indiana had a one mile three-foot gauge railroad that hauled marl from around Big Turkey Lake with at least two 0-4-0 saddle tank steam locos....The plant was completed in 1900 and modernized in 1916." The plant was dismantled in the 1940s. [TrainOrders]

Marl is the name I could not remember for the special mud that was found there. I wonder if it was the development of rotary kilns that made the need for marl obsolete.

Some of the things needed to make the plant are listed in a client card.

Terry Wisel Heintz posted
Turkey lake! The Wabash Portland cement company mined lime out of the lake to make cement with. Elija Stroh, brother to the famous beer maker, ran the company until the fire and explosion in the early 30s. At one point he paved the main Street with concrete and in 1899, the town's name was changed from Hayward to Stroh. Elija Stroh's wife was named Elmira! Sound familiar? [Elmira is a little town north of Stroh were we would go to buy takeout fried fish.]
Chad Biberstine: Many people don’t realize but a significant portion of Chicago and Detroit was built with Wabash Portland cement.
[The plant shut down in the 1940s due to depletion and cheaper production methods.]

Brittney Healey-Messer commented on Terry's post

Indianapolis, IN: DX Tower: Big Four vs. Indianapolis Union Railway

(Satellite)

Jay Bendersky posted
DX Tower, Indianapolis, 1981.
Rick Giles Love those Big Four towers on stilts.

Update: Robert Sartain Flickr 1979 Photo (source)
Ron Buser Was in that tower more than once. Also, had to pickup train orders at 40 MPH from the cab of a EMD E8A, 3rd time that I had ever gotten orders on the fly.
Damorion Page Was that difficult?
Ron Buser No, really quite simple, let your hand fly.

Bill Edrington posted in Fans of the New York Central's Big Four Lines

Paducah, KY: IC Roundhouse and Towers

(Satellite)

The backshops have their own notes.

Cliff Downey shared

The Illinois Central Railroad broke ground on June 10, 1918, for a new roundhouse at Paducah, KY. The new roundhouse would have 36 stalls, each 100 feet in length. The turntable would also measure 100 feet in length and at the time was the longest on the IC (the second longest was a 92-footer at the Burnside Shops near Chicago).

The new roundhouse would replace an aging and cramped roundhouse built in 1884 by the Chesapeake Ohio & Southwestern Railroad. To give you an idea of how cramped the old roundhouse was, a 2-8-2 could barely fit inside!

Construction of the new roundhouse was plagued by problems almost from the start. The U.S. was involved in "The Great War" (later known as World War I) and concrete and steel were in short supply. And of course the IC was controlled by the United States Railroad Administration, which had seized the nation's railroads after the US entered the war.

Manpower was also in short supply. Many men had been drafted into the armed forces, and lots of men who hadn't been drafted moved into higher paying jobs in war factories. This created a shortage of construction workers through the city of Paducah. To help combat the problem, the city of Paducah passed an anti-vagrancy law on June 19, 1918, giving police the power to arrest able-bodied men who refused to work.

Roundhouse construction moved slowly ahead, and on October 15, 1918, the new turntable was lowered into the pit. Finishing touches were put on the roundhouse in late December, 1918, but the exact date that the roundhouse was "officially" opened is unknown. Afterwards the old CO&SW roundhouse was demolished.

The new roundhouse continued to service steam locomotives until early 1960, when the fires on the last IC steamers were finally dropped at Paducah. For a few years afterwards the roundhouse was used to service diesel locomotives but in November, 1963, diesel servicing was moved to a new building between North Yard and South Yard, about a mile to the south.

The last steam locomotive to leave the Paducah roundhouse was 2-8-2 1518, which had been stored inside the roundhouse while plans to put it on display in Paducah were finalized. 1518 was moved to its first display site along the Ohio River on April 22, 1964, and demolition of the roundhouse began in early 1965.

IC photo, Cliff Downey collection.

Cliff posted again

IRM Strahorn Library posted

Illinois Central 2003 was a 4-6-0 passenger locomotive built by Rogers in 1896.  She had 19 ½ x 26 inch cylinders and 69 inch drivers.  With 180 pounds of boiler pressure she produced 21,922 pounds of tractive effort.  Originally built as locomotive 373, she was renumbered to 203 in 1901 and then became 2003 in 1907.  In 1922 the railroad again renumbered her, making her 5003 and she wore that number until her final retirement in November, 1936.

This photograph, originally from the collection of C. W. Whitbeck, and now part of the Strahorn Library’s Dillon collection, was taken about 1920 but the details of the location were not recorded.  Obviously it is at an important Illinois Central location since the roundhouse appears to have something like thirty-six stalls and to encompass at least ¾ of a full circle.  Could it be Paducah?  If anyone recognizes either the turntable or the warehouse, we’d be delighted to hear from you. 

 The controlled chaos of a locomotive servicing shop is always fascinating.  Do you suppose the gentleman standing on the turntable rim is the General Foreman?

[Source: Collection of C. W. Whitbeck, Dillon collection 1252, Strahorn Library, Illinois Railway Museum.  Posted by Jan Young]

Cliff Downey: IRM Strahorn Library the photo was taken Dec. 11, 1918, at Paducah, KY. Construction of IC's new 36 stall roundhouse in Paducah was winding down, and a company photographer was sent to document the work. I'm not certain when the IC actually began using the roundhouse. I have a photo in my collection dated Jan. 29, 1919, from the same vantage point, and it didn't appear that the roundhouse was being used yet. Several tracks were still under construction, and steam/smoke was not coming from any of the rooftop smoke jacks.
IRM Strahorn Library shared
Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook And Occasionally Other Railroads posted

Illinois Central 4-6-0 2003 posing on the turntable at Paducah, KY, on Dec. 11, 1918.  The 36-stall roundhouse was still under construction and was a couple weeks away from being completed.  Afterwards the old CO&SW roundhouse dating to 1884, and located on the west side of the new roundhouse, would be torn down.

IC photo, Cliff Downey coll.

Alec Thomas Ruffin: Rogers built ?

Mary Rae McPherson: Alec Thomas Ruffin Yes. Originally built as 373 and a sister to the 382 that Casey Jones wrecked.

Kam Miller: What was the CO&SW? Google is letting me down on this one.

Mary Rae McPherson: Kam Miller Chesapeake, Ohio & Southwestern. Not to be confused with the C&O that is a part of today's CSX.

 

The predecessor roundhouse.

Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted

1918 demolition of the old CO&SW roundhouse in Paducah, KY.

Back in 1884 the Chesapeake Ohio & Southwestern Railroad built a new shop complex in Paducah, KY, replacing the antiquated shops in Elizabethtown.  Included was a 10-stall roundhouse.  The IC took over the CO&SW in 1896 and began improving the Paducah shops.  Fifteen stalls were added to the Paducah roundhouse in 1898.

Construction of a new 36 stall roundhouse began in mid-1918, right next to the old roundhouse.  The new roundhouse was mostly complete by year's end, and crews began tearing down the old CO&SW roundhouse.  The original 10 stalls from 1884 are on the right side of the structure, and the 1898 added stalls on the left.

Photographer unknown (believed to be a local photography studio, but not 100% certain), Cliff Downey coll.

Dennis DeBruler shared

Richard Shulby commented on Dennis' share
Never like to see a demolition, but GREAT PHOTO! Thanks for posting. A minor correction though. This was actually the second CO&SW roundhouse built in Paducah, sometime between 1885 and 1889, for either the CO&SW or successor Newport News and Mississippi Valley. See the attached 1889 Sanborn map showing the 10-stall wood RH on the left and the original 1884 8-stall brick RH on the right. The additional 15 stalls on the left were added between 1897 and 1901 per Sanborn maps.

Christie Pasieka posted

I came across this image, do not know where it was taken.  I kept it because it showed the round house.

Illinois Central no. 2526 [0-4-0T] locomotive

Illinois Central--Built 1888 ?

A vintage photograph of Illinois Central locomotive No. 2526, a 0-4-0T type, likely taken during its service period.

[After Christie did some research, she commented:]

Illinois Central No. 2526, an 0-4-0T tank locomotive, was serviced at the Paducah, Kentucky, shop It was used as a shop switcher there, as evidenced by a photograph taken in 1952. The locomotive was rebuilt in 1937 and originally built by the I.C. in 1888.

Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted

In the foreground are 0-8-2 3688 and 2-8-4 8014. Both locomotives had been rebuilt at Paducah. Number 3688 was built in August, 1942, by chopping the pilot truck off 2-8-2 1568. A total of 50 0-8-2's, numbered 3650-3699, were rebuilt at Paducah from old 2-8-2's in 1941 and 1942. Number 3688 was sold for scrap in October, 1956.

2-8-2 8014 was built in October, 1926, as number 7000. The 2-8-4's didn't perform as expected and IC considered rebuilding the 2-8-4's as 4-6-4's for freight service. Only one locomotive was rebuilt before IC dropped the idea and the rest of the 2-8-4's were rebuilt at Paducah between 1939 and 1943. Number 7000 was rebuilt as 8014 in July, 1940, and was sold for scrap in 1955.

This photo, and the photo of 3651 that I posted a few days ago, were scanned from original 4"x5" negatives that I bought years ago at Antiques Cards & Collectibles in Paducah. Unfortunately AC&C is now closed but it was THE place to buy rare postcards and photos of west Kentucky towns.

Just to the left of the midle background is the coaling tower. To the left of that and closer to the photographer is a water tower. I don't know what the tower is that is close to the right side of the photo.

Jim Arvites posted
On January 22, 1937 the Illinois Central Railroad halts freight and passenger service to Paducah, Kentucky after the Ohio River floods the city. The Illinois Central also closes it's huge locomotive facility due to the flooding.
[The distance to the river does not matter as much as the relative height. Some of the houses in the foreground have water to their roofs. More photos and information in Flood Walls.]

Vintage Railroad Photos pre-1975ish posted

During early January, 1937, the Ohio River began flooding. At first, forecasters and residents weren't too concerned because it is not uncommon for the river and its tributaries to flood in the winter and springtime. But this time the water kept rising, and rising, and rising. On January 22 the IC halted freight and passenger train service into Paducah. That same day the locomotive shops in Paducah closed, but the Paducah hospital remained open (however, the hospital was forced to close a few days later)

The flood crest at Paducah was reached on February 2 when the flood gauge reached 60.8 feet, or 6.5 feet higher than the previous record. The flood waters receded slowly and the shops did not reopen until February 12. Partial train service into Paducah resumed on February 13 but the "Mud Line" between Paducah and East Cairo, which runs in close proximity to the Ohio River, remained closed until February 25.

This aerial photo was taken by an unknown photographer at the height of the flood. The shops and roundhouse are prominently visible, while the IC's hospital is out of view from the lower left corner. Downtown Paducah and the Ohio River are at the top of the photo.

Cleaning railroad property took several weeks once the water receded. Virtually every machine at the Paducah shops had to be disassembled, cleaned, lubricated and reassembled. Portable ovens were brought in to dry out electric motors and small electrical tools. Tons of debris had to be hauled away from the tracks, and countless cars and locomotives had to be cleaned.

Incidentally, the flood affected not just the Ohio River but also all of its tributaries. At Gilbertsville (about 25 miles upstream from Paducah on the Tennessee River) the flood waters came within a foot of reaching the tracks on the drawbridge across the river. Creeks and streams far away from the Ohio River flooded, causing problems all across the Ohio River valley.

Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted

On Feb. 12, 1937, the Illinois Central's Paducah, KY, shops reopened, three weeks after it was forced to close due to the epic Ohio River flood that inundated most of the city.

This aerial photo was taken by an unknown photographer at the height of the flood. The shops and roundhouse are prominently visible, while the IC's hospital is out of view from the lower left corner.  Downtown Paducah and the Ohio River are at the top of the photo.

Cleaning railroad property took several weeks once the water receded.  Virtually every machine at the Paducah shops had to be disassembled, cleaned, lubricated and reassembled.  Portable ovens were brought in to dry out electric motors and small electrical tools.  Tons of debris had to be hauled away from the tracks, and countless cars and locomotives had to be cleaned.  Thousands of wooden blocks used as flooring material (to protect from falling tools and materials) had floated away and had to be replaced. 

Photo taken by unknown photographer, Cliff Downey collection.

Joe Waddell: I remember in the wheel shop , there was a bead of weld on one of the support beams that someone welded to mark how high the water got up to. Seems like it was about 4 foot from the floor.. Miss that old place... 1992 - 2002.....

Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted
We're on the roof of IC GP9 9330 at the IC's
Paducah, KY, roundhouse. On the other side of the turntable is a steam locomotive without a tender, three tenders without their locomotives, and in the far background several steamers waiting to be scrapped. January 30, 1958. Sam Harrison photo, Cliff Downey collection.
John Eagan And dead ahead and also to the left "cisterns" or auxilliary tenders. Don't get me started on those, they were available in brass and I've been trying to get my hands on one for ten years!

Illinois Central Railroad Scrapbook posted

During the 1950's, many photographers seemed to save their precious supplies of Kodachrome for subjects such as locomotives (particularly steam), and flashy new trains.  Thankfully an unknown photographer had the foresight to take this shot of a seemingly mundane subject, the water tank at the entrance to Illinois Central's North Yard in Paducah, KY.  

The tracks in the foreground lead to the  locomotive shops (off to the left).  The tracks on the other side of the tank are the mainline - go right and you'll go into North Yard.  Go left and you'll head to Union Station.  From there you can continue onward to Louisville or turn towards the Metropolis bridge.  Note the signal off to the left - track charts show that it was still there as late as 1965.  I don't know when it was removed.

As for the water tank I don't know when it was torn down.  IC ran steam into Paducah until early 1960, and it would have been needed at least until then.

Scanned from an original Kodachrome purchased off Ebay.  Photographer and date not noted on slide.  Cliff Downey coll.

Cliff Downey shared

Lima, OH: Erie Junction: RJCW/Erie vs. RJCW/NKP(LEW) and CSX+NS/B&O/CHD

(Satellite)

This was also called BY Tower.

Brad McClelland posted three photos with the comment:

Looking west on the EL at Erie Junction in Lima, Ohio as a northbound CSX R-502 March 12, 1995. Looking east at Erie Junction in 1987 and then on May 24, 2009.

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Update:

Mike Dlabay posted
Summer of 1976 in Lima, Ohio at Erie Jct. looking east down the Erie Lackawanna main line as a Chessie/B&O southbound trundles over the diamond. The old eastbound main is still being used in local service and the westbound main is already out of service. The EL through here has effectively been abandoned through here, and in the present day, the EL track here is removed. anybody has photos of how it looks today?
Dennis DeBruler Looking East: https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m6!1e1!3m4...
Dennis DeBruler Looking West: https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m6!1e1!3m4...

East St. Louis, IL: CSX/Pennsy Rose Lake Yard and Junction (HN) Tower: ALS vs Pennsy+B&O

Technically, the yard is in Fairmont City, IL. The boundary is just below this yard. I'll go with William's comment because I knew where East St. Louis is, did not know where Fairmont City was.

William A. Shaffer posted
Rose Lake Roundhouse
Here is an undated photo of the Roundhouse and Turntable at the Pennsylvania Railroad's Rose Lake Yard in E. St. Louis, IL. (Photo by Floyd Richards - Collection of Richard Bynum)
Richard Mead Rural back then.

I wonder what the "square part" was north of the yard. Looking at the 1940 aerial, it must have been some other company. I wonder if they got a discount on their rail service by building to close to the yard.

Satellite

1940 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

1940 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

HN Tower

ALS = Alton & Southern, which was jointly owned by C&NW and MoPac. So it is probably owned by UP now.

CSX now owns the east/west routes.

Darren Reynolds posted five images with the comment:

Conrails ( EX-NYC) 

"HN" tower 

Rose Lake,Illinois

Tim Shanahan shared

Dennis DeBruler: Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xFLs6GAwUFZ7V9kh7

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"HN" tower was at the crossing the Alton&Southern and

The B&O and Conrails St.Louis- Indianapolis line...

Photo by: Dan Maners March 2001

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"Exermont" CTC machine at "HN" tower

Photo by: Dan Maners March 2001

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"HN" towers interlocking machine (CTC machine)

Photo by: Dan Maners March 2001

4
A Conrail track and interlocking diagram and interlocking machine information for "HN" tower

5

A little before Conrail in 1969 "HN" tower

Photo by: John Fuller

1954/59 Monks Mound Quad @ 24,000

This is the base map for the topo viewer app. I knew it made the mistake of using older names instead of contemporary names, but labeling the ALS route as Santa Fe is simply wrong.

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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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.