Cool discovery while lost

[wagnew0923]

Ever notice when you get lost and you discover something cool and railroad orientated you never have your camera and you never can find the name of the town you were in.

So, back in 2007 I was east of Adrian when I entered this small town where a bank was being dismantled and all that was left standing in the ruins was the safe. Just out side of town running parallel to the road was a old railroad tresetle. Also there where buried tracks along the ROW.

The next one is that there the tracks for the storage area for the SMRS, and the Adrian and Blissfield meet there was a third set of tracks going east to west and crossing the spur and several front yards. Does anyone know what this track is from. It is obviously abandoned.

[JCinSummerfield]

The small town you eneterd with the bank being torn down is my current hometown of Petersburg. The tracks that went across the Raisin River trestle went from Monroe, through Ida, Petersburg, Deerfield, Lenawee Junction, Adrian, and points west.

The second location you are talking about is Lenawee Junction. There 2 lines crossed (the diamond is still intact). The line coming from the south was the Old Road, which went north to Tecumseh, Clinton and points northwest. The east-west line is the one mentioned above. North of Lenawee Junction the rails are owned by SMRS, a museum organization. Their diamond with the NS Wabash line was removed decades ago, so their equipment south of that diamond is stranded currently. North of the diamond, their rails are an island, not connected to the railroading grid of North America.

[wagnew0923]

Does anyone own the ROW in Petersburg. Also is there anything neat to be discovered along the way.

Thanks
Bill

[jwilliam33]

Just for clarification, the Old Road ran from Toledo to Chicago via Adrian, Hillsdale, White Pigeon, etc, not north to Techumseh. You're right that the Old Road ran through Lenawee Junction, just not north.

{quote="JCinSummerfield"]
The second location you are talking about is Lenawee Junction. There 2 lines crossed (the diamond is still intact). The line coming from the south was the Old Road, which went north to Tecumseh, Clinton and points northwest. The east-west line is the one mentioned above. North of Lenawee Junction the rails are owned by SMRS, a museum organization. Their diamond with the NS Wabash line was removed decades ago, so their equipment south of that diamond is stranded currently. North of the diamond, their rails are an island, not connected to the railroading grid of North America.[/quote]

[Clay320]

Does anyone own the ROW in Petersburg. Also is there anything neat to be discovered along the way.

Thanks
Bill

All of the ROW has been chopped up and merged with neighboring properties.

As far as interesting things, there is a rumor that there is a canon in the river below the bridge in Summerfield, don't know if its true or not but the best time to check is when the river is low, which it probably is with as dry as its been.

The Depot that was originally in Deerfield which is the next town west of Summerfield is now located in Blissfield and is owned by the area historical society.

Just out of town west of Deerfield there stood a small wood trestle (15ft if that) over a ditch. I was removed a year or two ago but was always amazing to be to see that it lasted decades after the railroad was gone.

The ROW as you probably discovered is visible from east of Summerfield all the way to Lenawee Jct and paralleles the road most of the way.

[TraintrackGal]

The first time I discovered the Clinton/Tecumseh and Lenawee Junction area was in the early/mid 90's and I could swear that the ROW that was along Deerfield Rd. from Lenawee Junction east toward Deerfield still had tracks on it. Quite overgrown but still there. You could see they were not used in years. I was amazed since it seems like they never waste any time ripping them out right after abandonment. I returned a couple of years later I didn't see them anymore. Does anyone know when they were ripped out? I didn't go all the way to Deerfield so I don't know how far the tracks paralleled Deerfield Rd. Maybe some of you from that area might know. Always fun to go exploring!

[wagnew0923]

They were there 5 years ago. You just have to kick the dirt and dust aside.

[railohio]

You can still see a bit of the RoW in Monroe along 1st Street.

[JoJames]

This line from Monroe to Lenawee Jct. crossed US 23 at grade with flashers.