N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

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cbtrower
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N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

Unread post by cbtrower »

Hi, I was looking on google maps today and found something interesting. The first link gives an airel shot and the second street view showing the railway no trespassing signs. I have been here and seen these signs and was wondering what this property was used for, the last half of the spur is abandoned, and the still used part connects into the NS EX Wabash line? I plan to stop by sometime soon to investigate the area, so ill keep you updated on what I see.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2057256 ... a=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2031634 ... 312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2033033 ... 312!8i6656
Switch to airel view or street view to see the abandoned spur, the map view still shows the tracks being there but they really arent

https://www.google.com/maps/dir//42.174 ... 182,13.55z
Here is where the spur connects into the EX Wabash Line, and it looks like some of the spur is still used

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/42.2389 ... m2!4m1!3e0
And what im seeing here, the Amtrak Michigan line is close to this too, and the starting point on maps is the spot of a small piece of abandoned track that goes in the direction of the other spur?

Some of this is probable typed in a way that looks like a clump of confusing, so if you have any questions I can clarify some things
Thanks,
Chris

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J T
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Re: N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

Unread post by J T »

I'd love to walk along those tracks in the woods on the north side of Textile Rd. Looks like there's a switch in there leading to two sets of tracks paralleling each other to nowhere. Be interesting to hear the history of where that led to and what it was used for.
cbtrower wrote: And what im seeing here, the Amtrak Michigan line is close to this too, and the starting point on maps is the spot of a small piece of abandoned track that goes in the direction of the other spur?
I think you're on to something here. If you follow the angle of the tracks in that yard by McKean Rd, the tracks crossed McKean at a right angle and headed west a bit, hooked north (you can see evidence of a curve) and went due north alongside the Ford Rawsonville plant. From there, it appears they continued north crossing Textile Rd. and paralleling Bridge Rd. After going the full lenght of Bridge Rd., there appears to be evidence of a ROW north of S. Grove St. That continues north, crosses Coolidge, goes through a salvage yard and then crosses State St. Following that trail north (google now names it Main St.) it crosses Tyler Rd where it now enters a plant (Crown Industrial Services) which has evidence of tracks directly in line with that ROW on the north side of the plant (crossing at Airport Dr - see post below) The rest from there is easy to spot in terms of former railroad infrastructure.
Last edited by J T on Thu May 04, 2017 10:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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J T
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Re: N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

Unread post by J T »

Is that part of an old switch stand sticking out of the grass near the fence? This is looking south where the tracks would have crossed over Airport Rd and gone into Crown Industrial Services.

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Re: N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

Unread post by Ben Higdon »

This is the NS Rawsonville Spur. I'm not aware of the tracks ever going farther north than the business along the north side of Textile (think they deal with transmission line towers?).

The tracks along Airport Rd came south from Willow Run Yd on the Michigan Line.

The story is once upon a time N&W wanted to extend the Rawsonville Spur north across the Huron River and I-94 to reach the GM plant at Willow Run. For whatever reason this never happened. Its interesting that there are all those N&W "No Trespassing" signs along Textile. I've wondered if N&W bought the property there with the idea of using the land for a stub ended yard for serving GM.

The Washtenaw County website lists Norfolk & Western Railway as owner of two parcels on the north side of Textile that extend north to the south side of the Huron River and east to Rawsonville Rd., one valued at $774,500.00 and one at $170,900.00. (I'd post a picture but photobucket is being worthless)

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Ben Higdon
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Re: N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

Unread post by Ben Higdon »

There is a large transload facility just south of Textile. I hadn't noticed before there is an overhead traveling container lift (don't know what the proper name is?).

I can't tell what kind of cars/loads are on the track under the lift, any ideas?

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1938104 ... a=!3m1!1e3

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Ben Higdon
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Re: N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

Unread post by Ben Higdon »

There is a large transload facility just south of Textile. I hadn't noticed before there is an overhead traveling container lift (don't know what the proper name is?).

I can't tell what kind of cars/loads are on the track under the lift, any ideas?

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1938104 ... a=!3m1!1e3

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AARR
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Re: N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

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Georgia-Pacific (now Blue Linx?) used to have a distribution center here too. Is it still there?
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Ben Higdon
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Re: N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

Unread post by Ben Higdon »

Yep still there, and still active as of last year. Usually in the spring they're busier and there'll be a center beam spotted outside. NS also delivers cars into the building so hard to tell how much traffic is really there.

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Re: N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

Unread post by Raildudes dad »

Ben Higdon wrote:There is a large transload facility just south of Textile. I hadn't noticed before there is an overhead traveling container lift (don't know what the proper name is?).

I can't tell what kind of cars/loads are on the track under the lift, any ideas?

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1938104 ... a=!3m1!1e3
Short dirty dirt containers short flats?

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Re: N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

Unread post by cbtrower »

Those are flats with trash containers on them
https://www.google.com/search?q=trash+t ... KGwW9nADM:

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Re: N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

Unread post by CAT345C »

Didn't the I94 construction put the kabash to the N&W getting up to the bomber plant? I spent a lot of 2009-2009 at Willow Run, the grades lined up perfectly just about if it weren't for the freeway.
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Michael
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Re: N&W RY Property In Belleville MI

Unread post by Michael »

CAT345C wrote:Didn't the I94 construction put the kabash to the N&W getting up to the bomber plant? I spent a lot of 2009-2009 at Willow Run, the grades lined up perfectly just about if it weren't for the freeway.

In addition to I-94 or whatever road predated the freeway there is also the Huron River too.
Looking at the contour lines it would have been a long bridge too
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