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West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 1:11 pm
by jimnorthwood
Abandonment petition expected to be filed on or about January 7 for the Lawrence-Paw Paw section. Environmental materials, etc included in the below STB document. No surprise; last train to Paw Paw was when? Maybe the salvaged rail will be re-laid on their newly acquired MAW...

http://www.stb.dot.gov/filings/all.nsf/ ... 233558.PDF

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 1:54 pm
by SD80MAC
Kinda knew this was coming I guess. At least they still have 1 customer in Hartford.

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 3:28 pm
by J T
No chance ever again for a shot at Lake Cora. :(

I'm sure the residents there are happy to hear that news though. No more rusty rails cutting through the backyards between their houses and the lake.

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 4:37 pm
by Mark F
Think the NIMBY's will be happier with bicyclists and rollerbladers?

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 5:22 pm
by J T
Mark F wrote:Think the NIMBY's will be happier with bicyclists and rollerbladers?
Can't see a bike path going through the yards at Lake Cora. If they make a bike path between Lawrence and Paw Paw, it would most likely diverge from the ROW at Territorial Rd. and follow Red Arrow to 43rd before joining back up.

As much as I'm all for rails to trails (after there is no hope ever for rail traffic), I wouldn't blame the land owners at Lake Cora for not wanting a path going through there. That really is a unique situation with where the ROW is located.

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 6:59 pm
by jimnorthwood
Abandonment petition was filed on January 8, 2013:

http://www.stb.dot.gov/filings/all.nsf/ ... 233657.PDF

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 5:54 pm
by intocable83
Was this the only line in Michigan with the ROW running between homes and a lake, similar set-up is what I'm referring to. I remember those pics a couple years back someone shared of a train going down this line by the lake and how cool it looked basically seeing an engine going the back yards of those homes, especially since you couldn't even see the rails buried in the grass. Imagine living in one of those homes, having a visitor over with no idea the tracks were there and a train rolls by. :lol:

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:44 pm
by Michael
intocable83 wrote:Was this the only line in Michigan with the ROW running between homes and a lake, similar set-up is what I'm referring to. I remember those pics a couple years back someone shared of a train going down this line by the lake and how cool it looked basically seeing an engine going the back yards of those homes, especially since you couldn't even see the rails buried in the grass. Imagine living in one of those homes, having a visitor over with no idea the tracks were there and a train rolls by. :lol:

It does seem very unique! I would have thought for sure it was the only spot like that left in Michigan but it looks like something similar up by Fife Lake though not as many homes.
http://goo.gl/maps/X6s6W

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:06 pm
by J T
intocable83 wrote:Was this the only line in Michigan with the ROW running between homes and a lake, similar set-up is what I'm referring to. I remember those pics a couple years back someone shared of a train going down this line by the lake and how cool it looked basically seeing an engine going the back yards of those homes, especially since you couldn't even see the rails buried in the grass. Imagine living in one of those homes, having a visitor over with no idea the tracks were there and a train rolls by. :lol:
From May 22, 2007. Jon Hall was with me when I took these and he has a slightly different set that he can share as well.

Where are the tracks? :D
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A look down the rails:
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Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:23 pm
by AARR
Those pictures are among my all time favorite's, J T :lol:

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 8:11 pm
by J T
AARR wrote:Those pictures are among my all time favorite's, J T :lol:
Thanks, Don. Some day I'll go back and reprocess them with CS5 so they look better (used PS 7 back then). High sun that day and the lighting sucked. :) Wow...hard to believe it's been nearly 6 years!

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:25 pm
by intocable83
Thanks for sharing those, that is what you call pure Michigan! The close up shot of 908 creeping past the shed is my favorite, would make a cool post card especially for those gift shops and stores dedicated to anything relating to trains. One of the last trains to go through there.

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:48 pm
by wagnew0923
Love the pics. This was taken on the line they were filing for abandonment on? When was the last train on that line?

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 9:08 am
by J T
wagnew0923 wrote:Love the pics. This was taken on the line they were filing for abandonment on? When was the last train on that line?
Not sure when the last train was through there, but I took these pics in April of 2009 and to this day, that tree remains. This would be looking east at Lake Cora a few hundred yards west of the zoomed in shot of 908 passing the bird house.

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December 2011:

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Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 10:28 am
by Norm
Someone better salvage the rails while they can still find them.

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 10:48 am
by PM1946
Wasn't there a dinner train that operated on that trackage during the 80's? These pics brought back some fond memories. The family and I were on a dinner train back then somewhere near Paw Paw. I remember that it ambled along a beach with a small lake on one side and homes close by on the other side. Either that, or I got a hold of some bad tacos last night and my remembrance is the result of a twisted dream.

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 10:59 am
by NSSD60M
PM1946 wrote:Wasn't there a dinner train that operated on that trackage during the 80's? These pics brought back some fond memories. The family and I were on a dinner train back then somewhere near Paw Paw. I remember that it ambled along a beach with a small lake on one side and homes close by on the other side. Either that, or I got a hold of some bad tacos last night and my remembrance is the result of a twisted dream.
I can't speak for any other possible ill-effects of bad tacos, but a twisted dream certainly isn't a result of them! You're absolutely correct. There was a rather sharp-looking dinner train, which I'm sure someone has some pictures to post of. While I never had a chance to ride that, I did, however, take the family on the other train they had for special occasions, like a Pumpkin Train for Halloween, Christmas Train, etc. With the way those cars swayed around and rocked, I'd imagine there may have been some spilled wine and gravy in those bi-levels of the dinner train! Had a GP7u, I believe for power (the other train, not the dinner train), which, I'd have to dig through the archives to verify.

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:49 pm
by SD80MAC
The afermentioned dinner train was the Kalamazoo, Lake Shore & Chicago.

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From railroadmichigan.com:

Kalamazoo, Lake Shore & Chicago Railway Co.

KLS&C operated former CSX rails from Hartford to Paw Paw, with freight and passenger excursion service, including the Star Clipper dinner train. The Star Clipper move to COE Rail in July, 91 and was replaced by ex METRA E8A 513, and 4 cars from Trancisco Tours. First trip was 9/20/91 as Michigan Wine Country dinner train. Pioneer Rail Corp now operates line as the West Michigan RR.

One of their old cars is now at the C&M, it used to be our car No. 3 but isn't currently used.

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:27 pm
by J T
What is the small raised platform above 85's number boards?

Re: West Michigan RR Abandonment Petition Coming

Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:38 pm
by SD80MAC
J T wrote:What is the small raised platform above 85's number boards?
That's a ground plain where the radio and other antennas were mounted. Santa Fe and other railroads added those to older engines, large flat areas improved radio and EOT reception on the head end.