C&OHistory in Michigan

Any historical questions can be posted here. Answers would certainly help as well :)
GP30M4216
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C&OHistory in Michigan

Unread post by GP30M4216 »

Not sure if anyone else on here is a member of the C&O Historical Society, but their most recent news magazine just showed up the other day and it's a good one. Great Michigan topics this time include the feature article on the C&O GP30 class including an incredible photo of a pair of 30s passing Tunnel Tower at Rougemere with the Steel Plant in the background, a reprinted article from a young fireman about his experience firing a PM 2-8-0 between Wyoming and Michigan City during the grape harvest, and an article about Pere Marquette 2-8-0 Consolidations in the 901-925 numbering series. The issue is chocked full of photos including these few:

Image
C&O GP30 #3025 leads eastbound manifest #490 past C&O trainshed at Charlottesville, Va., April 29, 1973. T.W. Dixon, Jr. photo.

Image
Brand new C&O GP30s #3000 and #3001 are reportedly shown in Grand Rapids in 1962. COHS collection

Image
PM CLASS SC #918 AT WYOMING YARD, GRAND RAPIDS, MI AUG 1946 COHS Collection

It seems as though the Magazine has made a renewed focus on C&O-Michigan/PM operations as of late, including some of these topics:
"C&O Cantilever Signal Bridges" Part 1 and Part 2 (including two designs among those used in Michigan such as those at Green Oak, Flint Area, Plymouth, Romulus)
"PM/C&O Streamlined M&E cars 50 & 51"
"Unusual Dining Cars - PM/C&O Streamlined cars 10 & 11"
"World's best summer job: Sailing on the SS Spartan 1960-1964"
along with relevant photos, and

And other relevant full-page photos, such as:
PM E7 #101 with the Pere Marquette full consist, eastbound near Brighton on the reverse curve, July 1947.

It's great to see the group focusing on more than just the Chesapeake Region - after all, the C&O operated in Michigan for 25 years before Chessie came along, and many things pioneered on the PM later came to be used on the C&O. The magazine is well worth the membership dues if you're interested.

C&O6084
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Re: C&OHistory in Michigan

Unread post by C&O6084 »

Besides the magazine, it's a fabulous, well-run organization. Good enopugh for CSX to treat it as a professional organization. been a member since the late 70s, but I've recently had to lapse (hopefully temporarily) on account of being unable to work due to kidney disease.

Notch 8
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Re: C&OHistory in Michigan

Unread post by Notch 8 »

3rd picture from the top, Instead of spikes they used ? never seen that type of fastener.. Neat pictures !

TrainWatcher
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Re: C&OHistory in Michigan

Unread post by TrainWatcher »

Can I borrow it Nate? ;)

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Doktor No
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Re: C&OHistory in Michigan

Unread post by Doktor No »

Those are called Elastic Spikes. Thats about all I know about them though. PM/C&O used them at numerous locations...
Curb Your Enthusiasm.

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BL2-1843
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Re: C&OHistory in Michigan

Unread post by BL2-1843 »

Nice shot of the 3000-3001 in Grand Rapids when they were new. I have had those glass number boards of the 3000 in my basement for over 35 years since they were replaced with plastic ones at the GRP diesel many years ago. Most of the C&O GP30 and GP35 glass boards were replaced with plastic in GRP. Have the 3522 too. And no, they weren't stolen but given to me after their replacement while visiting the shops.

C&O6084
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Re: C&OHistory in Michigan

Unread post by C&O6084 »

Quite a few years ago, C&OHS published an article about a road experiment C&O did somehere near Brighton or Howell: A siding's roadbed was replaced with a solid, continuous bed of reinforced concrete. Elastic spikes were imbedded in the concrete to hld the rails. Experiment didn't last long; the spikes tended to shear off where they met the concrete. RR ended up pulling the rails and burying the concrete under normal roadbed. Concrete's still there, deep under the siding.
Last edited by C&O6084 on Thu Dec 24, 2015 6:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

EWRice
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Re: C&OHistory in Michigan

Unread post by EWRice »

Doktor No wrote:Those are called Elastic Spikes. Thats about all I know about them though. PM/C&O used them at numerous locations...
They look just like a woodworkers Holdfast clamp. Google holdfast clamps and all kinds of pictures come up. I can see the benefits of using them, but I can also see the negative side (having used them in woodworking).

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Atkinson_Railroad
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Re: C&OHistory in Michigan

Unread post by Atkinson_Railroad »

Scrolling the photos of the C&O Historical Society web site brings back fond adolescent memories of
hanging around the various railroad points in the Bay City / Essexville communities during the ‘60s to mid 1970s.

This photo from the site recalls very well the Multi-Unit switching locomotives that worked Bay City.
http://www.cohs.org/repository/archives ... -23765.jpg

During the summer months while on school break, we (neighborhood kids) whom lived in the northern
portion of Bay City’s east side would walk all the way into the south end of town and wait for the local
C & O freight to arrive from Saginaw.
Pulling its consist to a point just before McGraw Avenue, it would switch the first portion of the train at
what was then known as Bay City Milling.

A long string of cars would be left south of McGraw while the M.U.ed locomotives worked the Bay City Milling siding.
Among the idle rolling stock, there were always numerous open door box car candidates to hop aboard and wait for
the train to re-couple and continue further into Bay City. All of us knew the train’s next switching point would be
adjacent to the Bay County Fairgrounds where we’d hop off and have a short walk back home.
The multi-track sidings east of the fairgrounds are (of course) gone now.

As for the elastic spikes?
An attached screen shot from the Fourth Edition-1939 Railway Engineering and Maintenance Cyclopedia
may be helpful.

John
Attachments
Cyclopedia Screen Shot
Cyclopedia Screen Shot

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