Lansing Board of Water and Light Cabooses

[NS3322]

Does anyone know what the heritage of the caboose at the Eckert Power Plant is? (GTW?)




Also, I reached out to the BWL about the GTW transfer caboose at the Delta Twp. facility (that apparently was used in the Lansing Hoilday Pararde for a time), and they told me the caboose is in rough shape inside and out.
http://www.railroadmichigan.com/cablansingbwl.jpg

[LansingRailFan]

https://www.machinio.com/listings/89908 ... lansing-mi

The GP9 that they used at Eckert is for sale.

It’s ex-GTW 4910

Here’s some pics of it if you’re into that sort of thing: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locopi ... x?id=78815

[Manistique]

Did BWL once use an Alco RS1 at one of these places? Why did they use cabooses, shove moves?

[chapmaja]

Did BWL once use an Alco RS1 at one of these places? Why did they use cabooses, shove moves?

Don't know about an RS-1, but they did at one time have a S2 from the Nickel Plate Road.

[NS3322]

Did BWL once use an Alco RS1 at one of these places? Why did they use cabooses, shove moves?

LBWL was using an ex-IC caboose as an office at Eckert and they also had an ex-GTW transfer caboose at Erickson that they would haul in the Silver Bells Christmas Parade (minus its trucks). I emailed them about a few years ago and was told they stopped using it in the Christmas parade because it is/was in apparently very rough shape. Not sure if the ex-GTW caboose was used for shoving moves or not. It sat at the end of the spur by S. Canal Road for several years as a display.

IC Caboose

GTW Transfer Caboose:

https://www.railroadmichigan.com/cablansingbwl.jpg

[Dan Cluley]

This is the RS-1 at the Eckert plant in 1987.

This ex GTW unit was the last Eckert switcher, leaving Lansing late in 2021. In the '90s they had a switcher still painted in GT red/blue. It was probably the this one, but I do not know that for certain.

I do not recall ever seeing that wide vision caboose, so it may not have been at the plant too long. On the other hand, access to see any equipment there was pretty limited.

Just to clarify, Eckert is the plant south of downtown Lansing with the 3 huge stacks. Erickson is the plant SW of town not too far from CN's Cory Yard.

The transfer caboose from Erickson was definitely used as part of the Silver Bells event for a number of years, but was not actually in the parade. They would set it on a short piece of track brought downtown near the parade route. It was the home base for the Toys for Tots drive. The current Toy Mill building seems to have replaced the caboose sometime before 2011.

[Manistique]

I finally looked up what I had about these locomotives. In the booklet "Michigan's railroad scene" by Craig Rutherford and Raymond Sabo from the 1970's it said that the Lansing Board of Power and Light had two units, an S-1 Alco, former NKP, that worked the downtown plant, and an RS-1 that "is to be assigned to the new Erickson Station." GTW was still using their two RS-1's at this time and the photo above was not a GTW unit as it did not have the characteristic "lips" on the end of the long hood. So it is a mystery still as to the heritage of the RS-1. It seems to have been purchased just for the new plant from this. Can't tell by the paintscheme, can we?

[DaveO]

according to rr picture archives "ex-Washington Terminal 60, reblt by GE in 12/71"
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPi ... ?id=176761
according to the diesel shop WT #60
https://www.thedieselshop.us/WTC.HTML

[Manistique]

according to rr picture archives "ex-Washington Terminal 60, reblt by GE in 12/71"
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPi ... ?id=176761
according to the diesel shop WT #60
https://www.thedieselshop.us/WTC.HTML

Thanks. Lenawee County Ry also had an ex-WT RS-1, #43 per one of the rosters above. They used to switch the station in Washington DC and had steam generators at one time.