RailRoadFan.com

***Not sure if this belongs in the History section***

Saturday I was driving SB on 131 in Boyne Falls when I spotted some trestle remnants just off the road at the SW corner of Cherry Hill Rd and 131. The remnants are very easily visible from the road as they cross the Boyne River. They appear to at one point have had rails that connected into the modern day GLC where the small run-around is located today. The ROW appears to from what I can see on Google Maps head into the airstrip and then split off into two directions where it is now undetectable due to development.

I know the Boyne Mountain area has a prior history with the railroad, but I'm not sure to what extent. I seem to recall the BCG&A once had a yard or something at the base of what is now Boyne Mountain? I'm not sure where the trestle would fit into this since I believe its a Pennsy remnant but I'm sure someone here would probably have more information on the subject.

I wonder if there was a connection between the Pennsy, MIGN to the Boyne City Railroad which operated the original few miles of the BCG&A after the company went bankrupt in 1935. The last of the railroad was in until 1982, but ceased operations in 1978 as the Boyne Valley Railroad.

I did notice one spot, just south of Cherry Hill Rd where it is possible a track crossed 131 then connected with the now GLC line. There does appear to be a scar where railroad ROW may have gone, until it ends at the runway for the airport.

chapmaja wrote:I wonder if there was a connection between the Pennsy, MIGN to the Boyne City Railroad which operated the original few miles of the BCG&A after the company went bankrupt in 1935. The last of the railroad was in until 1982, but ceased operations in 1978 as the Boyne Valley Railroad.

I did notice one spot, just south of Cherry Hill Rd where it is possible a track crossed 131 then connected with the now GLC line. There does appear to be a scar where railroad ROW may have gone, until it ends at the runway for the airport.

That scar is the ROW and trestle remnants I described.

I'll see if I can post photos I took with my phone at some point.

Boyne City Gaylord & Alpena ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyne_City_Railroad
http://www.michiganrailroads.com/railro ... ad-company

Yes, it was a connection to the former PRR and, back in the days of Boyne Valley Railroad at least, was the eastern end of their line. It might have once been part of a wye as well as the interchange. There was a depot on the Michigan Northern line in Boyne Falls right across 131, if I recall, and the BV passenger trains went there. I rode the train in 1980 or so but think I picked it up in front of Boyne Mountain resort where we were staying so it may not have been going across the street back then. A bit further south on M-131, right before the hill, there is a cleared area for high tension wires and that was the right-of-way heading to Elmira and east.

I think you can just make out the remains of the bridge across the Boyne River here https://goo.gl/maps/JtvfYcHXgrw4sRmFA


1986 topo

Yes, the trestle remains are the historic connection between the PRR (GR&I) and the Boyne City Gaylord and Alpena.

I believe there is a photo of the former tourist railroad’s English steam locomotive crossing the trestle on railroadmichigan.com. The location is not documented but there appears to be a ski hill in the background.

Link here: http://www.railroadmichigan.com/boyne006.jpg

Standard Railfan wrote:I believe there is a photo of the former tourist railroad’s English steam locomotive crossing the trestle on railroadmichigan.com. The location is not documented but there appears to be a ski hill in the background.

Link here: http://www.railroadmichigan.com/boyne006.jpg

That's the same one.

I have a newspaper clipping, actually a whole-page Sunday article, from the Grand Rapids Press, about the Boyne Valley and its fabulous wooden passenger cars, I'll scan & post it when I figure out where the old stack is,