Info on the C&O Saginaw Belt Line?

Any historical questions can be posted here. Answers would certainly help as well :)
BamaSubdivision94
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Info on the C&O Saginaw Belt Line?

Unread post by BamaSubdivision94 »

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, the Saginaw Belt Line was a 3+ mile track that branched off of the C&O's Ludington Sub. The only remaining segment sits unused and nearly buried under riff raff, various equipment, and vegetation next to the VA hospital in Saginaw. Before the line was torn up (when I don't know), it ran south through the west side of town and helped to form Paines Junction on the shared trackage that was the C&O Paines Sub/ Grand Rapids line and NYC/ PC/ GTW line to Jackson, MI. Very, very little evidence remains of the old ROW now but an observant eye can surmise that railroad tracks were once present from Weiss St. down to the Paines Sub. As a matter of fact, Google Maps/ Earth make it very easy to see where tracks once existed via a trail of dead grass.

Is anybody familiar with this line? How many trains used it daily? Were they road freights, locals, or both? How many customers and which ones were once served along this track? When (specifically, what year) was the line ripped up? Was the switch used to access it hand-thrown or controlled from Mershon Tower? Why was it considered a belt line when the C&O barely grazed downtown Saginaw and the line itself infiltrated the local area (and to a very close degree)? Does anyone have pictures of the belt line before it was removed?

EDIT: On an unrelated note, what is the deal with the Paines Sub? Does LSRC own it now or do they still operate over it via trackage rights? If it's the latter, what HESR trains use the Paines Sub?
Last edited by BamaSubdivision94 on Wed May 13, 2015 9:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Ben Higdon
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Re: Info on the C&O Saginaw Belt Line?

Unread post by Ben Higdon »

BamaSubdivision94 wrote:Why was it considered a belt line when the C&O barely grazed downtown Saginaw and the line itself infiltrated the local area (and to a very close degree)?
The belt originally crossed the river. This is a 1919 map, by the 40s the river crossing was gone

Image

BamaSubdivision94
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Re: Info on the C&O Saginaw Belt Line?

Unread post by BamaSubdivision94 »

Ben Higdon wrote:
BamaSubdivision94 wrote:Why was it considered a belt line when the C&O barely grazed downtown Saginaw and the line itself infiltrated the local area (and to a very close degree)?
The belt originally crossed the river. This is a 1919 map, by the 40s the river crossing was gone

Image
Makes sense now, thanks. So much mystery shrouds this old line.

BamaSubdivision94
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Re: Info on the C&O Saginaw Belt Line?

Unread post by BamaSubdivision94 »

Anybody have any more information?

GTW6401
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Re: Info on the C&O Saginaw Belt Line?

Unread post by GTW6401 »

Before the line was torn up (when I don't know), it ran south through the west side of town and helped to form Paines Junction on the shared trackage that was the C&O Paines Sub/ Grand Rapids line and NYC/ PC/ GTW line to Jackson, MI.
Fordney Interlocking was this junction. It was along Maple Street and was located basically where the railroad museum is now. The General Motors facility on West Center Street was the main customer on that portion of the line. There is/was a switch off this trackage that allowed access to GM from the Paines line.

http://michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Stati ... dneyMI.htm
On an unrelated note, what is the deal with the Paines Sub? Does LSRC own it now or do they still operate over it via trackage rights? If it's the latter, what HESR trains use the Paines Sub?
Basically HESR trains don't venture much past the southern end of Genesee Yard. They would spot cars at Frutchey, but that was pre-2009 then I moved out of the area.

LSRC runs out to Paines for the interchange with Mid-Michigan, which is located in the siding along River Road south of M-46.

http://michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Stati ... inesMI.htm

BDG
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Re: Info on the C&O Saginaw Belt Line?

Unread post by BDG »

What is that line SW corner of the map, that crosses the Tittabawassee River?

BamaSubdivision94
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Re: Info on the C&O Saginaw Belt Line?

Unread post by BamaSubdivision94 »

BDG wrote:What is that line SW corner of the map, that crosses the Tittabawassee River?
Good question.

GTW6401
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Re: Info on the C&O Saginaw Belt Line?

Unread post by GTW6401 »

BDG wrote:What is that line SW corner of the map, that crosses the Tittabawassee River?
Jamestown Mine was located on a Pere Marquette line 5 miles southwest of Saginaw. Pere Marquette had mines near Saginaw and Bay County that provided coal for steam engines. Most coal mining in Michigan ended by the 1930s.

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Re: Info on the C&O Saginaw Belt Line?

Unread post by penn central »

From 1972 to 1979 my family lived near the corner of Delaware and Houghton Streets in Saginaw, The West Side Saginaw Belt ran practically threw our back yard. My brother and i figured there where 15 rail spurs leading to customers in 1972 now everyone of them is gone. The last two where Gratiot Lumber they where located on Gratiot Ave the Saginaw County Animal Control occupies that location now, And the other was Bressler's Coal Company witch was between Ames Street and Cleveland Street. They closed in 1983. Gratiot Lumber lasted into the 90s but by January 1st 2000 they where gone, But rail service to them ended around 1982.
Edit, I almost forgot about Delta Truss, I recently spoke to one of there former employees he told me they closed in 2009 sometime. So technically that would be the last customer. :)

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