Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Portsmouth, OH: B&O Depot and Freight House

Depot: (Satellite)
Freight: (Satellite)

Jim Detty posted
Very rare undated photo (the only one I've ever seen after 30+ years collecting this stuff) from the Bill Glockner Collection, showing both the B&O Portsmouth passenger station and freight station in the same picture. View is looking south along Market Street at 5th Street. The parking lots for Ohio Valley Wholesale and an apartment building occupy these spots today.
Neal Reynolds shared
Here's some very rare and interesting B&O history from Portsmouth. This line ran up 10th Street and I believe it ran next to the N&W main then went through Sciotoville and up State Route 140 through South Webster and then to Oak Hill, Jackson, and beyond. What a great picture to find!

The B&O came in from the east and went with N&W through the gap between a mountain and the Ohio River just west of Scioioville.
1913/24 Sciotoville and 1930/30 Greenup Quads @ 62,500

The B&O went past the NS/N&W Railyard and then did street running on 10th Street. (The periodic cross lines along 10th Street indicates street running.) N&W turned North at Waller Street, but the B&O continued West. Unfortunately, there isn't a hi-res topo map for the quadrant that has the B&O buildings.
1913/24 Sciotoville Quad @ 62,500

So I got an aerial photo. We can see where the B&O curved southwest just before Court Street. It continued on a diagonal until it got to Market Street where it curved South. The freight house filled the entire block between 3rd and 4th Streets and the depot was just north of 4th Street.
Apr 23, 1947 @ 24,000; AR1DE0000050170

The patch in Court Street marked by the red pin is probably where the B&O used to cross it.
Satellite



Mineral Bluff, GA: 1887 Model Layout/L&N Depot

(Satellite)
 
Lawrence Romaine posted three photos with the comment: "This Saturday, May 23rd, [2026] from 10 until 3 pm is our monthly open house at Tri-State Model Railroaders in Mineral Bluff, GA. The address is 150 Railroad Ave in Mineral Bluff. Come see our historic depot, native plant gardens and of course our museum quality HO scale model railroad depicting the L&N Hook & Eye line from Marietta, GA to Etowah, TN. The event and parking are free. Our web site is [www.TSMRI.org](http://www.tsmri.org/), check it out and our Facebook page for further details."
1

2

The boat on the river is a nice detail.
3

Lawrence Romaine posted
This Saturday, September 27, [2025] from 10:00 until 3:00 pm, Tri-State Model Railroaders in Mineral Bluff, GA will be holding their monthly open house. Come see the historic depot (1887) and the museum quality HO scale model railroad. Our address is 150 Railroad Avenue and open house and parking are free (donations accepted).

Lawrence Romaine posted
Thank you to all who came out to TSMRI today! We had our best open house ever!

Street View, Nov 2023

When I looked for a better exposure, I discovered that the boxcar gets moved.
Street View, Jun 2019

tsmri

The layout has two levels. Note the roundhouse in the center of the left side just left of the boy. Google Maps has some closeups of it and other scenes on the layout.
Photo, Nov 2022

This is how the trains switch levels.
Photo, May 2021

Lawrence Romaine posted three photos with the comment: "Come to the Tri-State Model Railroaders, Inc. at the historic Mineral Bluff, GA depot for our monthly open house this Saturday, August 23, from 10:00 until 3:00 pm. Come see the museum quality HO scale model railroad depicting the L&N Railroad's Hook & Eye line from Marietta, GA to Etowah, TN passing through Tate, Ellijay, Blue Ridge, Copperhill and the famous Hiawassee Loop. The Branch to Murphy, NC is also represented as is a model of our depot. We are looking forward to seeing you!"
Bill McCord: Great museum, and a speeder ride too!
1

2

3

Christopher Slater commented on the above post
I was there Saturday [Aug 16, 2025]

Lawrence Romaine posted three photos with the comment: "This Saturday, June 27, is open house at Tri-State Model Railroaders in Mineral Bluff, GA. We are located at 150 Railroad Ave. in Mineral Bluff. The event is free as is parking. Come see our historic depot and our museum quality HO scale model railroad depicting the L&N Hook and Eye line from Marietta, GA to Etowah, TN. We are open from 10:00am until 3:00 pm. Check out our web site at www.TSMRI.org or our Facebook page at Tri-State Model Railroaders, Inc."
1

2

3


Sherman, IL: GM&O Depot

(Satellite, a guess. It was somewhere between North and South Streets)

Roger Kujawa posted
1969 Sherman IL GM&O Railroad Depot, near Springfield Illinois
Roger Kujawa shared
Roger Kujawa shared
[Some comments talk about the St. Louis, Peoria & Northern Railway.]


Dennis DeBruler commented on Roger's first share
It looks like it was a little south of a line that extends Main Street across the tracks. So I'm guessing that it was here:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.8948943,-89.6016233,251m/data=!3m1!1e3
1966 Williamsville Quad @ 1:24,000



Monday, February 24, 2025

White Pigeon, MI: Community Hall/NYC(LS&MS "Old Road") Depot, Wood Elevator and Michigan Southern Railroad (MSO)

Depot: (Satellite)
Elevator: (Satellite)


Regular readers know that I'm as interested in grain elevator history as I am in railroad history.
Street View, May 2023

Wood Elevators are now rare and stave-silo elevators were always rather rare.
Street View, May 2023

Thomas Bowers posted
Here is an August 2, 1913, view looking east on the LSMS at White Pigeon, MI.

Don Harrison commented on Thomas' post
Another View...UNM Archive Description: RR SW White Pigeon MI RPPC LS&MS DEPOT and Kingsbury Hotel behind Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and New York Central Railroad a junction between the Lake Shore's Old Road and Grand Rapids Line.

Steve Houts commented on Thomas' post
Here is the depot today on one of my recent trips to Sturgis which has an identical one. The "Old Road" has 6 depots from Hillsdale west. Hillsdale, Jonesville, Coldwater and Batavia, Sturgis, White Piegon, 7 if you include Elkhart.

Matthew Jackson posted four photos with the comment: "The former Lakeshore and Michigan Southern depot in White Pigeon, Michigan. This depot was formerly served by the New York Central. It is still well maintained and proudly stands next to the tracks now owned by the Michigan Southern Railroad. Interestingly enough, it was used by the Little River Railroad excursion service now based in Coldwater, Michigan. It saw its last public passenger train in 2004. (Last two photos are mine from July 2024)"
Jeff Morrell: Those depots could be built in 3 different sizes. A 4 bay (each bay consists of a pair of windows), a 3 bay and a 2 bay. The Conneaut Railroad Museum is one of the 4 bays. Sort of early form of modular construction.
Ted Andrews: On the "Old Road"
Seth Lakin: It has a kind of interesting story. The yard switcher detailed and destroyed the western corner about 1911. It was rebuilt but with different colored bricks which you can see today. It’s the smallest of the LS&MS/LE&W standard brick and stone depots with a single waiting room. All the others had two waiting rooms one for men one for women and children.
Jim Kelling shared with the comment: "White Pigeon, Michigan (LS&MS station)."
1

2

3

4

Christoffer Larsson commented on Seth's comment
Could this be the accident you're refering to? If so I'm wondering if the date should be some year later than 1911 since "Lines" is dropped on the tender. https://nycshs.omeka.net/items/show/125673 I also have this photo by an unknown photographer.
Seth Lakin: Christoffer Larsson yes that’s it. I would have to go into my files later and get the newspaper recount. But it was definitely 1911-1916 era.

Durand Union Station-Michigan Railroad History Museum posted two photos with the comment:
Today’s featured depot is the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern station in White Pigeon.
The brick station was built in 1896 and served as a junction of the original Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana (later LSMS and NYC). The White Pigeon Paper Company had a plant in the town, near Elkhart and River Streets, and it was served by two spur lines off the Old Road line. As of 2023, the paper company still existed, but it was no longer utilizing the rail service. 
White Pigeon’s depot was restored in 1998, rededicated in 2009, and currently serves the city council and houses historical pieces related to the village. It is available to be rented out for events such as birthday parties, graduations, and baby showers. 
Source: 
Unknown Author. “Station: White Pigeon, MI.” Michigan Railroads. https://michiganrailroads.com/.../1941-white-pigeon-mi
1

2

Scot Scramlin posted 20 photos with the comment: "White Pigeon depot. Originally the Michigan Southern Line, it later became Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, then New York Central, Penn Central, etc. The rail-line is now Michigan Southern."
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

The NYC had three "spokes" in this town.
1916/16 Three Rivers Quad @ 62,500

Norfolk Southern owns the northern and southwestern spokes. They built a new connector so that their trains could avoid a sharp curve at White Pigeon.
1972/74 Constantine Quad @ 24,000


Michigan Southern Railroad (MSO)


Ted's comment about "Old Road" confirmed that this was the original LS&MS route between Lake Erie and Chicago. I knew that the Indiana Northeastern Railroad (IN) was created to operate much of the Old Road. So I checked it out.
IN System Map via Dennis DeBruler

IN does operate on the "third spoke," but Michigan Southern Railroad owns that route. Their locomotives are painted black.
Darren Schmitt commented on Matthew's post
Saw it [the depot] this fall.

"The Michigan Southern Railroad was created in 1989 to operate a segment of the Lake Shore mainline across southern Michigan (Sturgis to White Pigeon)." [pell]

I had to be careful reading the results of a Google search because there is also a Southern Michigan Railroad. (The Southern Michigan Railroad appears to still be a viable tourist railroad. [SouthernMichiganRailroad]) To further confuse things, Michigan Southern was also a railroad back in the 1800s that was a predecessor to the LS&MS. [MichiganRailroads]

PatriotRail_map

When I came across this view, I wondered if they just store cars or if they also service them.
Street View, Sep 2013

They just store cars that don't have any hazardous materials in them.
PatriotRail


The building is labeled "Railroad Engine House." I wonder whose tourist train they stored in 2001. Or were they contemplating running a tourist train operation?
Edward Gross, Sep 2001

They still had a caboose in 2023.
Street View, May 2023