RailRoadFan.com

It looks like Featherstone Rd down by Constantine

Good job DaveO guessing the Island Lake State Park photo
I thought I read somewhere that the gravel mining company decided to mine elsewhere but I can't find that now.

~Z~ wrote:

Avnx wrote:

~Z~ wrote:I can at least confirm the photo on google says it's within the Island Lake State Recreation Area. Close enough

Where be this one? Where be it?

Grand Elk, south of Kalamazoo.

It is on Grand elk, south of Kzoo somewhere. I'll give it till tomorrow unless someone can guess earlier.

~Z~ wrote:

Avnx wrote:

~Z~ wrote:I can at least confirm the photo on google says it's within the Island Lake State Recreation Area. Close enough

Where be this one? Where be it?

Grand Elk, south of Kalamazoo.

It is on Grand elk, south of Kzoo somewhere. I'll give it till tomorrow unless someone can guess earlier.

Featherstone Road, NE of Constantine on the Grand Elk. in Constantine Township, St. Joseph County. Grand Elk RR was the former LS&MS RR, later NYCS that ran between Elkhart, IN and Grand Rapids. Passenger train service on that trackage between Elkhart and GR was discontinued many years ago.

Michael wrote:It looks like Featherstone Rd down by Constantine

Good work Avnx and Michael, it is Featherstone Rd just north of Constantine. I was down there getting this shot of Grand Elk heading south:
GATX 2204 by ~Z ~, on Flickr

[quote="Michael"][

Looks like the line that ends at Port Dolomite going over the intersection of N. Quarry Rd. and E. Swede Rd.

Buster Manning wrote:Looks like the line that ends at Port Dolomite going over the intersection of N. Quarry Rd. and E. Swede Rd.

yes, that's north of Port Dolomite at the overpass over E. Swede Road just east of N. Quarry Road in the da UP about 20 miles west of Detour and Drummond Island.

Cedarville.

Buster Manning wrote:Looks like the line that ends at Port Dolomite going over the intersection of N. Quarry Rd. and E. Swede Rd.

That's looking south from Park St/Lynn Street crossing of the GLC in Ashley, with the Middleton branch heading off to the right.

...and if we were to take Google's bad stitching-together of the photo literally, the future site of a GLC train wreck...

Michael wrote:

The disturbed soil in front of the hi-rail suggests there may have been a wye here at one time.

I agree with fmilhaupt, Ashley.

Pixl wrote:The disturbed soil in front of the hi-rail suggests there may have been a wye here at one time.

I think you're correct Pixl about a wye being there but I can't recall details other than if there was a wye it was removed a very long time ago. 1940's or 50's perhaps.

I looked at a 1916 topographic map. There was a small stub ended wye northwest of the switch.

http://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/ ... e-1916.jpg

My guess is that the wye was used to turn locomotives.

There was a Wye, and remember that the Middleton Branch at one time was the original Grand Trunk mainline that went straight across the state from Muskegon to Saginaw if I remember right. It was one of 3 railroads that went straight across the state early on in Michigan's history.

Pixl wrote:

Michael wrote:

The disturbed soil in front of the hi-rail suggests there may have been a wye here at one time.

Yes, definitely looking southeast from Park and Lynn streets crossing of the GLC in Ashley, Gratiot County. looking southeast along the former AA RR, now GLC RR, towards M-57. Final run of the remaining passenger train on the former AARR, between Toledo, OH and Frankfort/Boat Landing/Elberta, was made on July 19, 1950. The trackage to the right was the former GTW RR Greenville Sub to Greenville, now part of the GLC RR Middleton Branch that also cross US-127 at grade in Ola, just north of M-57.

This segment went from Ashley to Muskegon. It connected with AA at Ashley.

O Scale Railfanner wrote:the Middleton Branch at one time was the original Grand Trunk mainline that went straight across the state from Muskegon to Saginaw

Good job Fritz

Here is a topo map of Ashley from 1950 although I think it is just a reprint of the 1919 edition.
A 1970's era map shows the wye was no longer there

AARR wrote:This segment went from Ashley to Muskegon. It connected with AA at Ashley.

O Scale Railfanner wrote:the Middleton Branch at one time was the original Grand Trunk mainline that went straight across the state from Muskegon to Saginaw

Oh. I thought it was northern GT main.