Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

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NS3322
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Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

Unread post by NS3322 »

I stumbled upon Peaker (Rail) Services while visiting the The Lingenfelter Collection last weekend and was wondering what exactly they did.
I did not see any locomotives on the property, just an engine cover from a CN locomotive. From photos it appears that in the 80's/90's they were the NRE or LTEX of Michigan. Any more information would be appreciated.

And what is this car?
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Photo of the complex.
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Photos from 1987 by Larry Burk.
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AARR
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Re: Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

Unread post by AARR »

I believe they work on Peaker type engines which includes EMD's. Maybe someone can say it better than I just tried too :oops: .
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cbtrower
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Re: Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

Unread post by cbtrower »

http://peaker.com/about.html

"Peaker Services, Inc. (PSI) was founded in 1971 in a two-car garage in Belleville, Michigan to repair and maintain EMD diesel generators or "Peakers" as they are known in the utility industry."

EWRice
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Re: Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

Unread post by EWRice »

I have purchased many EMD gaskets and seals from them. They are also the big Woodward governor parts and service center. Woodward makes governers for almost any type of HD engine in any application.

Raildudes dad
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Re: Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

Unread post by Raildudes dad »

I believe most of their locomotive work is done by their mobile mechanics. I picked up a power assembly there once for the CPMY. A few get shipped there for work according to the posts on the forum.

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J3rsdm5
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Re: Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

Unread post by J3rsdm5 »

I'm not very far away from Peaker. Get all my shots of Q385 at the crossing just west of them. Still haven't checked them out yet.
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Tim
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Re: Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

Unread post by Tim »

They also service marine EMD's such as the former Columbia Star

Manistique
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Re: Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

Unread post by Manistique »

Back in the 1980's or so Peaker Services was doing a big business of rebuilding locomotives for both large and small railroads. Sam Breck, who was a big railfan out of Ann Arbor (published the newsletter The Inside Track back when those were our only source of information), was their saleman or public relations guy or both for awhile. They had an open house there once back then and Dave Ingles from Trains Magazine gave a talk and slide show. The inside of the shop was full of locomotives and there were many outside waiting rebuilding. I heard at that event that Peaker had a contract to rebuild Amtrak EMD prime movers and that was their bread and butter business for awhile. Amtrak would truck in the prime mover from Beach Grove to Peaker for rebuilding.

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AARR
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Re: Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

Unread post by AARR »

To add to Manistique's post Peaker rebuilt a small group of GTW GP18's (4950-4952) with torpedo tubes on top for SEMTA's short-lived commuter service between Pontiac and Detroit.
Manistique wrote:Back in the 1980's or so Peaker Services was doing a big business of rebuilding locomotives for both large and small railroads.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

MSchwiebert
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Re: Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

Unread post by MSchwiebert »

I've got some slides of a few of their units they worked on years ago and their demonstrator (it may have been a loaner too) unit. I'll have to dig them out and scan them in. The "demonstrator" was an end cab EMD, and one of the units they did work on was a Central Michigan RR Geep.

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BL2-1843
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Re: Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

Unread post by BL2-1843 »

Speaking of Sam Breck and his "The Inside Track" rail magazine, not only was I there at Peaker the night they had the open house with Dave Ingles from Train Magazine there, but it was I who wrote the "Chessie Chasin' column for many years in The Inside Track before turning it over to long time friend Tom Lindholm who wrote it for several more years after that. In the one photo with all of the Union Pacific junk locomotives on it that Peaker had acquired, it was taken on a group of sidings that the long time gravel pit, operated out of west of Silver Lake Road that Peaker had leased. There was an EMD DD35 there for many years, which was very impressive to see it person. That former Milwaukee Road SD45 is used as load test unit. It's original number was a single number. "6" I think.

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Re: Peaker (Rail) Services in Brighton

Unread post by Manistique »

Peaker also rebuilt some of Detroit Terminal Railroad's NW-2's in the late 1970's or early 1980's. I think the State of Michigan may have help finance the rebuilds. DTRR went out of business in 1982 and Conrail took over their beltline and the NW-2's.

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