New Buffalo, MI: CSX/PM Coaling Tower, Roundhouse, Depot and Museum

Tower: (Satellite, Street View, Birds-Eye View)

Roundhouse: (Satellite)

Museum: (Satellite)

The coaling tower is in the left background of this view.

Street View, Jul 2023

Tim Shanahan posted
New Buffalo Michigan
Dennis DeBruler: This is the first time I have seen a coaling tower without its skip hoist because it has yet to be built.

Michael C Kelly posted
Someone had posted a shot of CSX under the old coal tower in New Buffalo last week or so. Here's a shot by JP Baukus taken 6-22-80 under the same tower. Enjoy!
[It is a public group. There are a lot of interesting comments about train operations including this Dow "bomb train" and pushing it backwards from CSX's Barr Yard to MoPac's Yard Center for the tips between Midlan, MI and Freeport, TX. A comment said there was another coaling tower on the roundhouse lead, but I could not find it in the satellite views.]

Satellite, 3 photos
[Three stalls remain]

Jim Kelling posted
Pere Marquette facility in New Buffalo, Michigan

John Peters commented on John's post
When I was on the board of the SRI, we moved the turntable from New Buffalo to Owosso. Ten feet was added to each end to accommodate the 2-8-4 on site. I took the first “ride” on it after installation in April of 2004.

Mark Hinsdale added [whoops, I forgot to note the link and comment]

Marty Bernard posted two photos with the comment: "Pere Marquette Coaling tower at New Buffalo, MI circa 1990, Karl Miller photo."

Glenn G: Yard is gone, aux building is gone. So much history in this shot.

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Brian M Fox posted four photos with the comment: "I would like to know what this structure is and what it is or was used for. I saw this one in New Buffalo Michigan with two active tracks running under it. I never worked for a railroad, but, I enjoy seeing them and photographing them. Thank you."

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Locomotive Jordan posted
Late 1980's into early 1990's, we see the former Pere Marquette Rwy. coaling tower in the yard at New Buffalo, IN. This one is a bit south of the main line coaling tower. We are looking west. Photo was taken by Bruce Emmons, it is out of my collection.
Tim Shanahan shared

Charles M Baran III commented on the above post

 

Richard Hertz commented on Tim's share
This area has now been consumed by the woods. In the fall of 2023, with considerable effort, I was able to hike back here and get photos.

Jim Kelling posted
Derelict Pere Marquette roundhouse in New Buffalo MI

Richard Shulby commented on Jim's post
Here's a photo of the roundhouse in it's 16-stall configuration- date and photographer unknown- from the Art Million collection as it appeared in a May-June 1988 L&RP article.

Michiana Railroading posted
Michigan Central Depot at New Buffalo
Larry W Harrell shared with the comment: "New Buffalo."

Jim Kelling posted two photos with the comment: "New Buffalo MI (“replica” Pere Marquette depot is a railroad museum)"

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7 drone photos posted by Jeff Stupar featuring a coal train passing underneath   (source)

Trimble, OH: Hisylvania Mine

(Satellite)

I believe there was iron ore in southeast Ohio, but I assume this was a coal mine. But since I don't know for sure, for now I'm labeling this both energyCoal and metalIron. Google turns a "Hisylvania Mine" search into a "sylvania mine" search.

Mike Fleming posted
Here is the first photo of the Hisylvania in Trimble, my parents house was a couple hundred yards from the old mine site.

Mark howell commented on the above posting
Bryan, the DQ is where I was always told Hisylvania # 23 was by, but in one of these pics, the power house was right near the tipple and in the other, it is a ways off. Did Hisylvania have other mines than No. 23 (1901-1925) in the area?

Fort Wayne, IN: Mike Tower: CFW&E/CSX/Pennsy vs. NS/N&W/Wabash

(Satellite) CFW&E is the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern.

See Norfolk Southern Maps for an overview of today's railroad configuration in Fort Wayne.

Satellite

The roundhouse remnants to the east were for the Pennsy.

Mark Llanuza posted
Conrail is six months but we were lucky this night at Fort Wayne Ind at Jct Mike tower Sept 1976 with three Erie GP-35's crossing the N&W .We used two flash guns this night.Long time friend Steve Smedley were all out this night trying to get Erie trains.

[Source link has broken]

PennCentral cut back the Pennsy route in favor of the NYC route. Back in Pennsy's heyday, it would have had more tracks crossing the Wabash. In fact, it looks like it had four tracks crossing the Wabash with diamonds on a sharp angle.

EarthExplorer: Apr 27, 29161 @ 28,400, AR1PJ0000010068

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

"Mike" tower (WP)

Ft . Wayne, Indiana"

Tim Shanahan shared

Tim Shanahan shared

Christopher Allen Howe: Originally named Wabash, name was charged by Penn Central to Mike in 1971. Legend has it that it was the name of an official's son. Mike would go on to be the last tower in Fort Wayne to close in 1988 with demolition in early January 1989.

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Darren Reynolds posted
"Mike" tower was also called "Wabash" tower too...I think to the Wabash RR...
Tim Shanahan shared

David L White: My pic, taken from a N&W train, from the second unit. Sometime in the mid 70’s.

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Comments on Darren's post

Update: 1988 interior

Kendallville, IN: Dalton/Newman Foundry

(Satellite, it is a good thing I made the copy below, because it is now a brown field.)

Sattelite

While studying the satellite map for the Kraft plant in Kendallville, IN, I noticed this interesting-looking plant north of the Kraft plant. I wondered what it is. Then I came across a reference to Dalton Foundry that closed in 2009. So I presume this was that foundry. A victim of the 2008 recession? Companies going out of business would explain why the high paying jobs don't come back during the recovery. I came across a video of the "dismantling" of the overhead cranes.

The Kendallville Terminal Railway did not loose a customer when it closed because it was unable to convince them to ship by rail.

Rural American History Captured added from IndianaEconomicDigest, Photo by Barry Rochford
Newnam Foundry.

The light and medium jobbing foundry for gray iron castings started production in July, 1920. [TheIronAge] Actually, it sounds like it started later in the year. [IronTradeReview] It was bought by Dalton Foundries in 1990. [DaltonDatabank] It laid off 300 workers when it closed in 2009. [IndianaEconomicDigest]

Update:

Birds-Eye View

Helmer, IN: Wabash Depot

Mike Snow posted
Dennis DeBruler shared
Helmer Indiana Wabash Railroad Depot 1958
Mark E. Vaughan Helmer was the start of the branchline to Stroh, Indiana. Many years ago the siding was jammed with old Wabash freight cars waiting to be dismantled. It was an interesting spot to visit.
Dennis DeBruler It also had that old up-and-over wood bridge that had a sharp angle between the ramps and the flat part at the top. I'm sure trucks were glad to see it removed.
Dennis DeBruler According to a 1958 Historic Aerial, it was where there is now a row of trees.

Craig Jon Berndt posted
Helmer, Aug. 1958. This was the Wabash Railroad's depot in the northwest corner of the track and SR-327. This Wabash track connected Toledo and Detroit to Chicago. 1/3 mi. west (left), a spur track ran north from Helmer to the cement factory at Stroh.
Keith Chrysler: The story has been told that Elijah Stroh wouldn't pay the 25 cents for a ticket to the cement plant so, he used a handcar that he owned and pumped his way up through to Stroh. I don't know how true that was but, I've heard it many times over the years.

The branch line to Stroh left the mainline just a little west of town.

1942 Stroh Quadrangle @ 1:24,000

Big Bend City, MN: Grain Silos (Tanks?) Built on an Angle

(Street View)
John Karker posted two photos with the comment:

Big Bend City Minnesota, a older Cargill Facility that I worked on quite awhile ago. One,of the more unique ,use what one has set ups I worked on.

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Eureka, IL: TP&W Depot and Hooping Up Orders

(Satellite, it was north of the tracks and just west of Main Street.)

Andy Zukowski posted

Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway

 Depot in Eureka, Illinois. 1908

Andy Zukowski posted

Richard Fiedler: Actually I believe it’s a Santa Fe train at the TP&W depot in Eureka. The Santa Fe ran on trackage rights on the TP&W between Eureka and Washington on its way to Pekin.

Roger Holmes posted
The TP&W agent at Eureka, IL hands up orders to a crew member on the Santa Fe's local freight en route to Pekin, IL on an afternoon around 1970. ATSF's Pekin branch came off the main at Ancona with trackage rights over the TP&W from Eureka to Washington and then on their own rails into Morton and then into Pekin. © Roger A. Holmes.
Harold J. Krewer We had this discussion a while back, but for the newer members the TP&W had a short stretch of "station signaling" (similar to ABS) from the AT&SF connection at Streator Jct. east of Eureka to west of the Eureka depot.
John Stell pointed out this was to allow Santa Fe trains to open the switch and enter the TP&W on signal indication at Streator Jct. and advance to Eureka where they would pick up their TP&W orders and clearance, which is likely what you're seeing in the photo.
Harold J. Krewer Eastbound the operator at Washington (later Eureka after Washington closed) would drive to Pekin Jct. (at the east edge of Washington) to deliver the orders to the Santa Fe train out of Pekin, so it wasn't necessary to have signaling all the way west to Pekin Jct. as it was at Streator Jct.
John Stell Washington agent used a motor car to take orders to Pekin Jct
[It is interesting that the agent is not using the ironman holders.]

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

The topo map accurately marked the location of the depot.

1932 Mackinaw Quad @ 62,500