Packard Yard

[wagnew0923]

Anyone have pictures of the Packard yard and the Ford plant when trains were actually operating on it? In all my years living in the area I never got to see a train go North of Hall Road. What were the consists and how often did they go? Any info and pictures would be great.

[ConrailDetr​oit]

Hicubes for Ford. Covered hoppers in later years?

[~Z~]

I take it this is in the Detroit area near I-75 and I-94 for the Packard plant and ford plants there? Hall Road is listed way up near Utica though...

[ConrailDetr​oit]

Actually refering to the Shelby Twp / Utica area.

[AARR]

I lived in Utica when CR was switching the Utica Ford sewing plant 2x per day with the average 9-12 (normally 11) hi-cubes per switch. The small Packard yard was used to store cars. The rarely used Packard yard to switch. Normally the train would go directly from Sterling Yard onto the Ford plant industrial lead into the Ford plantyard, use the plant tracks to switch it's train, then head directly back to Sterling Yard.

[Avnx]

A guy by the name of Jeff Knorek has a website with some pretty detailed information on Conrail's operations in the Detroit area, including a couple of photos of the Utica Industrial track when it was still in use. Most of the information is quite dated, but interesting to see what operations were like fifteen years ago.

http://www.knorek.com/RR/SAA/NorthYardS ... aLocal.htm

[hoborich]

I believe those cars went out on 17J, which originated at Sterling in the evening, and we used to see at Wyandotte around 9:00.

[M.D.Bentley]

I lived in Utica when CR was switching the Utica Ford sewing plant 2x per day with the average 9-12 (normally 11) hi-cubes per switch. The small Packard yard was used to store cars. The rarely used Packard yard to switch. Normally the train would go directly from Sterling Yard onto the Ford plant industrial lead into the Ford plantyard, use the plant tracks to switch it's train, then head directly back to Sterling Yard.

When I first hired out , we did pull right into the Packard property ( if there was room ) . Later on, we had to pull into the Packard siding and run around the train before shoving them off .
Cars were delivered in the afternoon by a day job. Upon arrival back at the yard the glory was added right to outbound trains.