Pictures of Midland railroading in its glory days

chessiefan1980 · Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:55 pm

Does anyone have any pictures of railroading in Midland, especially from before 1989(?) when CSX pulled the line from Baldwin to Midland. I'm also curious as to what customers used to be served in Midland as well (other than Dow of course). Also, anyone know if the spur across the Tittibiwasse River is still used? Wasn't it built for the scrapped Nuclear Plant in Midland?

hobojim · Unread post by **hobojim** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:14 pm

The spur you refer to was built to facilitate the delivery of reactors to the nuclear plant, I do not know the current status of it or if it has ever been used.

I wish I had some pictures for you as I grew up in the west MIdland/Averill area, but all I have is memories. The power was geeps, usually 3 but occasionally 2 and rarely 4. I never saw any covered wagons or SDs although I would not argue with anyone who said they did. In 1972 there was a pair of GP 40s in the Chessie paint scheme that would come thru on occasion. But most of my memories are of high hood GPs with the C&O or B&O on the side.

There was a lumber yard in downtown that I believe had a spur to it and also a elevator, this is going way back. As a child I can remember a coal yard being downtown but that was gone by the time I was a teen in the 60s. I do not know if the cement block plant was ever served.

There was a lumber yard in Averill that was served, I do not remember any place in Sanford with service but there was a grain elevator in Coleman.

It seemed as if every train has chemical cars going between the Dow plants in Midland and Ludington. The line also served the car ferries at Ludington.

Jim

chessiefan1980 · Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:55 pm

was it Cohoon Elevator that was served downtown? Or am I mistaken?

hobojim · Unread post by **hobojim** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 2:48 am

I believe it was. I don't remember exactly when it burned down but I think it was in the late 50s.

The New York Central served Midland from Bay City. They hauled chemicals for Dow between the Midland and Bay City plants. They also served Fisher Sand and Gravel and a lumber yard on South Saginaw Rd. Later they hauled unit coal trains to Dow as did the C&O.

I miss good old names for railroads, at least the initials meant something. CSX, what the hell does that stand for, its the lousiest name in railroading.

chessiefan1980 · Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:49 am

was this lumber yard in the small lot that now sits behind where the old Erb Lumber is (off Ashman)?? I was told by my Grandpa that the tracks were torn out several years before I was born (in 1980)...

hobojim · Unread post by **hobojim** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 2:42 pm

There was a lumber yard on Ashman that was called Nehil lumber that was the end of the line. There was another one where it crossed S Saginaw Rd. on the east side.
I have not lived in Midland since 74 but I do visit siblings on occasion. If CSX ever wanted to reopen it they have the high rise old folks home and the hotel to contend with since they were built on the ROW. An ideal solution would be for them to build a tunnel through the building. They would have an instant B&B and railfans retirement home, lol.

chessiefan1980 · Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:35 pm

I remember as a child in the 80s seeing stored blue Chessie System boxcars on the C&O's siding next to Northwood University. I did check out an old topo map of Midland from 1981 that seems to show al ot of the old trackage as being intact at that time. Check it out--

http://terraserver-usa.com/usgsentry.as ... nd%7cmi%7c

chessiefan1980 · Sun Jan 27, 2008 12:01 am

did the elevator on townsend street also get served by the NYC? Did Dow Chem have their own railroad division and locos??? I heard that they had their own. Also the Chessie had this spur that ran behind Dow High, what was it used for? I did notice a spur that comes off the C&O in Sanford on the topo map--http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T ... ll%7cmi%7c
Anyone have any idea what was served on this spur???

hobojim · Unread post by **hobojim** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 1:39 am

Dow did have their own engines and Dow employees did the switching inside the plant . Dow had there own RR dept. The engines were GE center cab 44 tonners painted orange. Just before I quit in 76 I saw a SW1500 or what looked like one doing some switching inside the plant, I don't know if it was Dow's or leased.
The spur that is west of Dow HS appears to service the Midland County maintainence garage. I had forgotten about it until you pointed it out. I could ask my uncle about it but he was killed in an explosion there in 1971, so I guess I don't have any more answers on that one.
There was Red Keg lumber located in Averill that I am sure was served by the railroad up until the late 60s, but the map does not show a spur and it is dated73. I think it was out of business by then. As for the spur in Sanford, I don't know what it served.
I would think that the elevator on Townsend st. was served by the NYC although I never saw it for sure.
I have saved the map, thanx for posting it , I will us it a lot.

Jim

SD80MAC · Unread post by **SD80MAC** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 12:19 pm

Coopersville & Marne's #3049 is a former DOW unit. It was red before they painted it.

chessiefan1980 · Sun Jan 27, 2008 5:40 pm

Thanks guys, this is all very cool info. It's a shame Dow pulled the plug on their own RR dept. Does anyone know anything about Dean Yard that CSX had in Midland? I heard that CSX "abandoned" the yard several years ago but don't remember the specifics. Maybe someone can fill me in on that. Did NYC at any time have a yard in Midland? Also, are there any signals in Midland at all or have they been removed?

hobojim · Unread post by **hobojim** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:21 pm

I have never heard of the Dean yard, at least not by that name.
The NYC never had a yard as we know it in Midland but they did interchange cars on multiple tracks located east of Saginaw Rd and west of Waldo Rd. MY great aunt and uncle lived on a court just north of those tracks until Dow bought them out in the late 50s and I used to Dow switch cars onto those track for the NYC to pick up.
There was also a "beeliner" that the NYC ran until they discontinued it in the 50s. I don't know where it picked up and let off its passengers.

GP30M4216 · Unread post by **GP30M4216** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:27 am

Before I get to the photos, a question:

I believe that once upon a time, I saw a photo of an old C&O style cantilever signal bridge which was supposed to have been taken in Midland. I want to say that the signal heads had been removed, but I really don't remember. Does anyone know if this really was in Midland, if it is still there, and if it has operating signal faces or no? Any photos new or old would be great, as well.

Now, on to the photos:
Railpictures.net currently hosts several old C&O/Chessie era photos from Midland and around Dean Yard. It really has become sad to see the remains of this old mainline across Michigan from Saginaw west through Midland and Baldwin to Ludington. I'm linking some of the photos below. Check out railpictures.net by searching for Midland Michigan for the rest.

Dean Yard photos
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=220001 C&O Geep
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=218102 1975 C&O switching job
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=217598 Trailer Train traffic
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=215355 Geep & Caboose
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=215262 Different Geep & Cab
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=215065 Chessie SW's 1980
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=213235 C&O GP30 strikes a pose
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=212307 1976 C&O Geep switcher
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=211078 Eastbound departing Dean Yard
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=210932 GP35s at Busy Dean Yard
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=210814 C&O Geep/cab local
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=210329 Inbound Geeps

penn central · Unread post by **penn central** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:39 am

That cantalever signal bridge is stiil thier minus the heads it is just west of the saginaw road crossing.

chessiefan1980 · Mon Jan 28, 2008 8:42 am

Thanks penn central! Those pics are awesome! This person (David Hedlund)has some great pics on the rail pics website. I sure hope he posts more pics. One shot I recognized because it had Dow's old power plant in the pic (I can still remember those twin smokestacks highlighting the skyline in the 80s) It's a shame Dean Yard is nothing more than storage for tank and hopper cars for Dow now...I understand there is still a car repair facility there, if that is true. I once worked a contract job inside the Dow plant area a few years ago, and saw the Railserve people there using remote-controlled switchers and obviously based out of an obviously newer building (it was styled in a way that was like a depot) that must have replaced their old bldg. Does anyone know how many signals were on the C&O signal mast?

chessiefan1980 · Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:58 am

Here's a shot from a year or 2 ago of the old cantilever signal at the saginaw rd crossing, on the photo gallery here. I'm not sure if the small dwarf signal in the foreground works or what...

It's a shame Dean Yard in the background looks this awful now...

hobojim · Unread post by **hobojim** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 2:36 pm

One never ceases to learn, I never knew that the area between the east and west side of the Dow plant was called Dean Yard, I didn't even know it had a name. thanx for the info.

Jim

penn central · Unread post by **penn central** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 2:43 pm

chessiefan1980 wrote:Thanks penn central! Those pics are awesome! This person (David Hedlund)has some great pics on the rail pics website. I sure hope he posts more pics. One shot I recognized because it had Dow's old power plant in the pic (I can still remember those twin smokestacks highlighting the skyline in the 80s) It's a shame Dean Yard is nothing more than storage for tank and hopper cars for Dow now...I understand there is still a car repair facility there, if that is true. I once worked a contract job inside the Dow plant area a few years ago, and saw the Railserve people there using remote-controlled switchers and obviously based out of an obviously newer building (it was styled in a way that was like a depot) that must have replaced their old bldg. Does anyone know how many signals were on the C&O signal mast?

your not kidding, it's a sad vestige of once was, the ludington sub hosted some good action, i remember when i was a kid in the nineteen seventies and nineteen eighties i remember i was standing on the bay road crossing in saginaw, to railfan haveing three trains right in a row. it was after dark one headlight popped into view right after the other, man those were the days. and nights i would go to mershon to railfan i would stay at mershon till well after dark. i remember LU75 for ludington man he was a huge train sometimes, one time at mershon he had a quartet of GP40's, he streched from ten car length's west of mershon to wadsworth street. that was at midnight!

chessiefan1980 · Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:11 pm

Ooh yeah, it isn't the same anymore. Back in the 80s I used to play at Emerson Park in Midland as a kid, and I still vaguely remember seeing Chessie Geeps running at track speed pulling many cars by the park...those were the days. I also vaguely remember seeing the bright yellow Chessie cabooses as well. We used to wait for what seemed like eternity (for a kid!) at the crossing just before the old iron bridge at Currie Pkwy for trains to pass. It is a shame, Midland recently paved over the old NYC railroad grade from Saginaw Rd. to Washington St. as a new side street to eliminate a road going through Dow property. I did find a bit of history that will interest you all in not just the Ludington subdivision of Chessie, but also the GTW Midland subdivision--this page is hosted through AOL so sometimes it gets really FLAKY...

http://members.aol.com/jsundin357/x/csxdsl/deasub.html (Dean subdivision)
GTW Midland Subdivision--
http://members.aol.com/jsundin357/x/gtw ... dland.html

hobojim · Unread post by **hobojim** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 3:48 pm

That crossing at the Emerson Park bridge has one terrifying memory for me. When I was 14 I went out for a Sat. night of going to the Sunset and cruising the strip, also included was a drive thru the park to see who was parking and making out. A female relative of the car owner , age 16 with a new license, was in town and went with us that night. She finally prevaled on the car owner to let her drive. Not only was she a poor driver, she was a real dumba... also. As she came up to the crossing the red lights were flashing, she slowed down then said,"Watch this." She hit the gas , I was in the back seat and all I remember is looking way up at the headlight on the engine as we crossed and the horn blowing.
I went ballistic along with another guy and demanded to be let out. I would have walked the 5 miles home rather than ride with her again. The car owner calmed us down and told her to get in the back seat with us and took over the driving himself. That backseat was very silent and very cold for the rest of the night. I am surprised I did't have to change clothes.
I can laugh now but I also remember the terror of seeing the headlight from that position.

RailRoadFan.com

B1G - The Big Train

Pictures of Midland railroading in its glory days

Pictures of Midland railroading in its glory days

C&O Signal