Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Battle Creek, MI: Grand Trunk Western (GTW) and Amtrak Depots

GTW (Historic): (Satellite)
Amtrak (Current): (Satellite)

GTW Railyards

Marty Bernard posted
Here Is a Magnificent Depot.
Grand Trunk Western's Battle Creek, MI Depot, Duane Hall photo, May 1985.

Raymond Storey posted
BATTLE CREEK MI

Mark Hinsdale shared his post

Street View
Dennis DeBruler commented on Mary's post
When a depot has such a distinctive architecture, it makes it easy to find it if it is still standing.
42°18'43.6"N 85°10'26.9"W

Street View

Marty Bernard posted
GTW Battle Creek, MI depot, no date, Karl Miller photo.

Raymond Storey posted
BATTLE CREEK MI
.

Amtrak Depot


Street View, Jun 2023

I found the Amtrak station because of this post.
James Anders posted two images with the comment: "Battle Creek 1903 vs 2025."
Al Oxley: Detroit, Toledo & Milwaukee Railroad
[Amtrak runs on former-MC tracks, but GTW and MC evidently shared a route through Battle Creek. DT&M came up from the south and terminated in this city.]
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Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Sugarcreek, OH: OHCR/N&W/WLE Roundhouse, Depot and Age of Steam Museum

Roundhouse: (Satellite)
Depot: (Satellite)

OHCR = Ohio Central Railroad

Actually, the roundhouse is OHCR because it wasn't built until the 21st Century. But it was built next to a Wheeling & Lake Erie route.

Photo, Feb 2019

PJ Kovach posted
The Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, OH. The roundhouse holds the private collection of Jerry Jacobson, former owner of the Ohio Central Railroad. Jerry passed in 2017, but the museum continues his passion of collecting, restoring, and preserving steam locomotives. Tours are offered, and I highly recommend taking one if you get the opportunity to do so.
[When I could not get any street views, I realized the roundhouse is out in the country. When I could not find it on topo maps, I realized that it must be a new building. A comment verifies the roundhouse is new. It was built by Amish craftsmen with wood.]
PJ Kovach: It's a beautiful building. They really paid attention to detail and reproduced an old time roundhouse.
Dennis DeBruler: Using Google Earth, I determined that it was still a field in Oct 2006, the tracks were laid by Aug 2009, the turntable was done by Dec 2010, the roundhouse was done by Nov 2011, the southern auxiliary building was up by Sep 2013 and the northern one existed in Sep 2015.

Roger Durfee posted
I had a presentation at the Age of Steam Roundhouse this past weekend, so sent the bird up for a few photos before the show. This 18 stall facility is probably one of the newest roundhouses in the world, having been finished in 2011. It houses some of the steam collection of the late Jerry Joe Jacobson, founder of the Ohio Central System Railroad. It's a beautiful facility and well worth a visit. Some of the diesel part of the roster resides outside and includes Alco RS3s, Fairbanks Morse H12-44s, and an assortment of EMD models. Sugarcreek, Ohio, 10-12-2024.

Patrick Crawford commented on PJ's post

Jerry Rippel, May 2019

Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum posted
This view is common place for the worker that needs to perform preventive maintenance and inspections under the EMD SW-9 diesel switcher. This pit is of a nice depth of around 50" to allow easier access to the tight areas that will need attention. Mounted flush in the pit walls are lights for safety and illumination of the work area.

Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum posted two photos with the comment: "After a good scrubbing and drying our Coach 5499 is getting her first coats of paint by our hard working backshop crew, something about a new coat of paint always brings a feeling of satisfaction!"
Thomas Wentzel shared
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safe_image for A Difference in 40 Years

Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum posted three photos with the comment: "Tonight is the big night at the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum for our Winter Speaker Series and locomotive #9 is polished and ready as well. We ask for those attending the event to please first check into the visitors center depot. We're very excited to be having Len Brown and his team as our guests and we look forward to seeing everyone tonight starting at 6 p.m. covering the Ashtabula Bridge Disaster."
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Roger Smit posted two photos with the comment:
This Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway depot in Sugar Creek, OH was built in 1882. The village was updated to "Sugarcreek" in 1969. 
The Age of Steam Roundhouse owns this today, and the Ohio Central Railroad travels on the rails between Coshocton & Brewster.
Steve McMullen: Is it "Sugar Creek" or "Sugarcreek" lol
JJJ's private car (parked in Pittsburgh) has it both ways, depending what side you are on. Lol

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Monday, August 23, 2021

New Lenox, IL: Moved/Metra/Rock Island Depot

I've described the New Lenox depot in another posting.

This posting concerns the move that saved it. The New Lenox Area Historical Society Facebook Group of course has a lot of documentation of the move.

New Lenox Area Historical Society and Schmuhl School - One Room Schoolhouse posted nine photos with the comment:
SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, July 10th!
Starting 8:45 am.
We have set that as the target date for the moving of the depot! This date is contingent on ComEd crew confirmation tomorrow AND on good weather!
This morning we eagerly awaited the arrival of the two Wolfe Semis carrying the wheel systems! Impressive! While the boss was at the utility coordination meeting the two workers unloaded the wheels and when we finished with the second meeting of all 34 people involved in planning this move, a drive past the depot showed all the wheels in place!
Fortunately we had Researcher Dave there snapping pictures of that! We will post those soon!
We will keep you posted. Best is to follow us on Facebook for the latest most accurate information!!
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Sherry Tarquinio posted
We were downtown yesterday on Superior Street and it looks like they're going to either move this building or they did move it. anybody know about this building it's on Superior Street right now. I can't believe this building was lifted like it was it's huge.
[I wonder if the same set of wheels moved this building also.]
David ShawDavid and 6 others are consistently creating meaningful discussions with their posts. http://www.news-sentinel.com/.../old-building-is-on-the.../
Gregg Schmitz I hope they keep that archway for the front door. They don’t build them like that anymore.
Nancy Parker was to move August 1. Utilities under lot need moved,disputing who is responsible.
Cody Alan Don halls bought it. It was located in the construction zone for the new promenade park. It will be moved again later.
https://www.google.com/.../temp.../AMP%3fcontentID=471668004


The July 10th move got cancelled by ComEd because a lot of air conditioners were running because June was hot this Summer. Later it was rescheduled for August 15th.

The Blackhawk Railway Historical Society shared a Chicago Tribune article about the postponement.

On July 17th it was moved a little to make room for CVS construction and Wolfe set it back on cribbing because they needed the wheels for another job. (Backhawk Railway Historical Society share)

Like steam excursions, I figure enough other people will be taking videos that I won't go out and contribute to the traffic jams. I don't have time to look at these videos, I'm just recording them.

Dawn Cianci video

The Blackhawk Railway Historical Society share of the move.

Frank Smitty Schmidt shared a live video.

Frank Smitty Schmidt shared.

Nice photo of it rolling down the road It shows how the power units for the many wheels were hung on the side.

Cover Photo, cropped
New Lenox Area Historical Society After all the predictions of thunderstorms, the rain stayed back all day! What a blessing. We traveled the route dry!!
[Indeed, it looks like some pretty dark clouds came close.]
Has a couple of interior photos showing how the reinforced the window openings of the brick structure with boards to the move.



This draft got "lost." This post caused me to find it.







Sunday, August 22, 2021

South Point, OH: McGinnis and Sheridan Shipbuilding

(Satellite)

McGinnis is a company that owns a bunch of harbor towboats and does fleeting services. Sheridan is their shipyard that builds those boats. McNational has both of these companies and some others. 
McNational
"Along with (4) dry-docks with capacities up to 2500 tons, this facility boasts a 1500 ton marine ways system and 11 barge staging areas for inspection and repairs. Repairs are supported by an onsite fabrication shop complete with a 40’ – 1500 ton tandem press break and a 42’ plasma cutting table. These systems provide full construction capability for all your specialty barge and boat construction needs. A second set of marine ways can also be utilized for controlled launch of all equipment with newly applied paint coating systems."
[Tank barges can be up to 300'x54' and that long building can blast and paint barges up to this size.]


CR Neal posted two photos with the comment: "Humboldt built the J. L. McNEALEY in 1968 for DP&L's Stuart power plant. She was sold in 2006 to McGinnis and renamed TOM BUSSLER. In 2021, she is regretfully now in pieces and headed to the scrap heap."
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Comments
Delbert Meuth: Joe Sullivan what town is that in

Dennis DeBruler commented on Delbert's comment
The only state Google Maps offers for South Point is Ohio. I was able to find McGinnis a little downstream from the town.
38°27'43.4"N 82°36'15.2"W
[The pin identifies a "marine way."]

MarineLog
"McGinnis Inc. delivers 1,600 hp M/V Dwain Harper"
The 70' towboat was launched in Feb 2021.

MarineLog
"Senior Project Manager Rob Lynch told us that the 1,600 hp. towboat is powered by a pair of Mitsubishi S6R2 Tier 3 engines producing 803 hp. @ 1,400 rpm and driving 68- by 54-inch propellers from Michigan Wheel via Twin Disc MG5321 reduction gears supplied by Great Lakes power. John Deere supplied the 95 kW gensets."

WaterwaysJournal

McGinnis itself has several harbor service locations. But of all of the McNational affiliates, Sheridan Shipyard is the only one that has a marine way service. [mcnational-sheridan]
mcnational-mcginnis

The McNational affiliates provide several dry-dock facilities.

mcnational-drydocks
[The Paducah location does yacht and houseboat repairs. I recognized from the satellite image that this location is just downstream from James Marine.]

Twenty photos of McNational affiliated towboats travelling with a bunch of Mammoet hydraulic jack equipment

14 photos, a couple of towboats are in the floating drydock


Thunder Bay, ON: CN Ore Doc

(3D Satellite, the ore dock has been abandoned, but the base still stands)

The oldest Google Earth image that I could find was Oct 2002, and the approach trestle was already gone.
The town still ships a lot of grain.

Erv Choquette posted four photos with the comment: "The ore dock during prosperous times."
Trevor Prystanski shared
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Kaz Bednarski: Look at that rail yard! Packed. Iron ore, grain, wood and so many other commodities. It's what brought this country together coast to coast!

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Michael Witiw: Interesting, two rib and four rib ore cars. Hard to find pictures like these!

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Kurtis Mason commented on Erv's post
A piece of it lives on in Edmonton. It was used for safety training purposes. Not sure if it is still used anymore though.

Shawn Sabbe commented on Erv's post

Shawn Sabbe commented on Erv's post

This photo has been moved to here.

This photo has been moved to here.

This photo has been moved to here.