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The first SP box car looks like the kind that the small lumber yard in Fraser would occasionaly get. They were the sole distributor of a particular western specialty lumber.

The 2nd box car could be from GLR but it also could be going to the aluminum recycling plant near Hall Rd. in Clinton Twp.

Robertrains wrote:

AARR wrote:I'd like to guess where the cars go to in Robert's picture. I'm not sure about the first two box cars. Perhaps they are from one of the lumber yards south of Mt. Clemens.

I think the boxcars were for either Great Lakes Recycling® or Anderson® Glass in Fraser!

Didnt Great Lakes Recycling have their spur installed and started shipping in 2009?

IDK when GLR started rail service. You’re usually knowledgeable about this stuff so you’re probably right .

ConrailDetr​oit wrote:Didnt Great Lakes Recycling have their spur installed and started shipping in 2009?

AARR wrote:IDK when GLR started rail service. You’re usually knowledgeable about this stuff so you’re probably right .

ConrailDetr​oit wrote:Didnt Great Lakes Recycling have their spur installed and started shipping in 2009?

The GLR spur was in place in the early 1990's - currently not in use. The loaded lumber cars on that train (symboled 600 at that time) are for National Lumber and will head back south (south facing switch points). The hoppers toward the rear are for L & C Stone company in Mt. Clemens - you can seen one in the siding behind the caboose.
The 2nd box is for Reynolds Aluminum recycling at M-59 (they used exclusively Southern Rwy boxes) and when loaded will head to Atlanta, GA. The 1st box came from the plywood place at Stephens Road, and the airslides are from Prince. Two boxes for Ford (either Mt. Clemens paint or Chesterfield trim), and two grain hoppers for Richmond.
Every single customer on that train is gone - or dormant...

Man o' War

Thanks for the clarifications and corrections.

Reynolds also loaded ex-DT&I 50' rib sided sliding door box car (with emblem mounted on raised panel) and an occasional GTW 50' (both brown and blue Good Track Road) smooth sided box car.

Man o' War wrote:The 2nd box is for Reynolds Aluminum recycling at M-59 (they used exclusively Southern Rwy boxes) and when loaded will head to Atlanta, GA.

HESR brought a LSRC engine into Durand this afternoon. Is this for CN to pick up and bring to Port Huron?

Man o' War wrote:

AARR wrote:IDK when GLR started rail service. You’re usually knowledgeable about this stuff so you’re probably right .

ConrailDetr​oit wrote:Didnt Great Lakes Recycling have their spur installed and started shipping in 2009?

The GLR spur was in place in the early 1990's - currently not in use. The loaded lumber cars on that train (symboled 600 at that time) are for National Lumber and will head back south (south facing switch points). The hoppers toward the rear are for L & C Stone company in Mt. Clemens - you can seen one in the siding behind the caboose.
The 2nd box is for Reynolds Aluminum recycling at M-59 (they used exclusively Southern Rwy boxes) and when loaded will head to Atlanta, GA. The 1st box came from the plywood place at Stephens Road, and the airslides are from Prince. Two boxes for Ford (either Mt. Clemens paint or Chesterfield trim), and two grain hoppers for Richmond.
Every single customer on that train is gone - or dormant...

Man o' War

I thought there also was a "Beer Distributor" that was switched frequently in the early 1990s (before nearby Active® and Tower® Automotive)! It was about a half mile south of Hall Road and east of Groesbeck!!!!

Yep, you are right about that. Petitpren Distributors - good for 8-10 carloads a week before discontinuing service some years ago. They were one of five beer distributors that received rail service in Mt. Clemens - Dopp, H.J. Van Hollenbeck, Ruben, Petitpren and Morgan. All gone.

Man o' War

Was there another beer distributor owned by the former Detroit Tiger (Vic Wertz) near Petitpren too? Or is that one of those you mentioned?

Man o' War wrote:Yep, you are right about that. Petitpren Distributors - good for 8-10 carloads a week before discontinuing service some years ago. They were one of five beer distributors that received rail service in Mt. Clemens - Dopp, H.J. Van Hollenbeck, Ruben, Petitpren and Morgan. All gone.

Man o' War

AARR wrote:Was there another beer distributor owned by the former Detroit Tiger (Vic Wertz) near Petitpren too? Or is that one of those you mentioned?

Man o' War wrote:Yep, you are right about that. Petitpren Distributors - good for 8-10 carloads a week before discontinuing service some years ago. They were one of five beer distributors that received rail service in Mt. Clemens - Dopp, H.J. Van Hollenbeck, Ruben, Petitpren and Morgan. All gone.

Man o' War

Yes, Vic Wertz Distributors. For a time, they unloaded at what was called the Morgan ramp. This was directly behind the GTW freight house on the track that continued on to service the Farmers Mill across Grand Ave. The dock is still there in the thick overgrowth. The south end of this track is still extant, although mostly buried, and it is 60lb Carnegie rail stamped 1898 !

Man o' War

OK, I am currently at The DoubleTree™ in Pt. Huron!!!! Now, the LSRC switcher, MP15AC #1502, was in the yard coupled to a few cars! Looks like they're ready to start running Monday! We saw a couple freights and Amtrak®! One eastbound freight was led by PRLX 228 still in ATSF "Warbonnet" paint!!!!

Man o' War, thanks fdor the great info!


FWIW Ford Vinyl loaded 50' box cars and Chesterfield both 50' and 86'. Although just before Vinyl closed they moved a Head Liner production line in the building and loaded them in a few 86' NS box cars. They had to make a few adjustments to the spur for the 86' box cars to make the turn into the building. However, this business didn't last long.

We got the "Last" GTW train on the spur! It has been GTW since 1859─now it's on to Lake State Railway®!!!!! My Railfan friend "Mazon" (along with 2 that came out of the weedz) and I got living "History!!!!" We also caught the 1929 "Bascule Bridge" operating with its gears and mechanics!!!! However, some idiot recently "Stole" the original builders plate off that bridge! One local Railfan showed a picture where the original plate was removed in the last week! That makes me mad!!!!!!!
Website about the cool bridge: http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2 ... -port.html

Robertrains wrote: We got the "Last" GTW train on the spur! It has been GTW since 1859─now it's on to Lake State Railway®!!!!! My Railfan friend "Mazon" (along with 2 that came out of the weedz) and I got living "History!!!!" We also caught the 1929 "Bascule Bridge" operating with its gears and mechanics!!!! However, some idiot recently "Stole" the original builders plate off that bridge! One local Railfan showed a picture where the original plate was removed in the last week! That makes me mad!!!!!!!
Website about the cool bridge: http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2 ... -port.html

Yes, that's the bridge over the Black River in Port Huron.

railrod1949 wrote:

Robertrains wrote: We got the "Last" GTW train on the spur! It has been GTW since 1859─now it's on to Lake State Railway®!!!!! My Railfan friend "Mazon" (along with 2 that came out of the weedz) and I got living "History!!!!" We also caught the 1929 "Bascule Bridge" operating with its gears and mechanics!!!! However, some idiot recently "Stole" the original builders plate off that bridge! One local Railfan showed a picture where the original plate was removed in the last week! That makes me mad!!!!!!!
Website about the cool bridge: http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2 ... -port.html

Yes, that's the bridge over the Black River in Port Huron.

Of course that's the bridge I am "Referring!!!!" Now, what about the "IDIOT" who stole the original 1929 Builder's Plate (89 years) from this bridge? Gosh darn, it survived "The Great Depression," World War II, Sept 11, 2001, and everything in almost 9 decades! That person gives us "Railfans" bad names! Let's hope we can return the plate to the "Back River Bascule Bridge" again!!!! If anyone finds it somewhere at a "Swap Meet"...let's do something to bring it back for LSRC who is using the branch today, 6-11-2018!

A technicality, but this line originally was the Chicago, Detroit and Canada Grand Trunk Junction Rail Road, merged into GTW RR in 1928. From the outset, of course, it was a subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada.

CN crew worked on the HR line today, 6/13. Didn't see the 1502 - but did see LSRC hi rail the line.

CN is also replacing the Water Street crossing this week.

This morning, noticed two railroad workers doing inspections on the grade crossings near the bridge and culinary institute. Not sure if they were CN or LSRC employees, but they were working

Today, Monday June 18, 2018, is the day LSRC starts operating this branch!!!!

The remaining rail customer in the Mt. Clemens area is one of the two old Ford factories. Don't know which one and don't know the name of the current rail customer in that old Ford factory.