Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

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MiddleMI
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by MiddleMI »

My understanding is that the misinformation comes from the fact that while not built or operated by the railroad, that it was primarily built for use of passengers from the depot a few blocks north from my understanding. So, it's not really all that strange how it gets conflated with the railroad.

NYCMan
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by NYCMan »

As far as track conditions, track is pretty resilient. The track can be very wavy and still support the train, obviously as reduced speeds. From the photos, the segment of track in Old Town does not look all that bad. Obviously, it was good enough for a 260,000 pound locomotive to safely move. The old saying goes, that as long as the steel wheels stay on the tracks, it's all good.
Last edited by NYCMan on Thu Nov 05, 2015 11:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tim
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

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During the days of Penn Central there were a half dozen or so places in Lansing where when you hit a rail joint the next two lengths of rail would pop up in the air for lack of spikes to hold them down. So long as you ran slow enough to let them settle back in their groove in the ties, there was seldom a problem. We ran over these areas as many as a dozen times a day.

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J T
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by J T »

MiddleMI wrote:My understanding is that the misinformation comes from the fact that while not built or operated by the railroad, that it was primarily built for use of passengers from the depot a few blocks north from my understanding. So, it's not really all that strange how it gets conflated with the railroad.
And maybe this website. haha

http://detroit1701.org/North%20Lansing% ... LS&MS.html
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GrandTrunkFan
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Re: SW Lansing LS&MS spur views

Unread post by GrandTrunkFan »

Larry G wrote:
J T wrote:
Larry G wrote: Other view is looking off to the SW towards Washington Ave on the ROW beside the Wig-Wag Pole.

Image
I see your snowy wig wag shot, and raise you a sunny wig wag shot. :D

Image


Nice detail!! I am Looking!!! :) The snowy day I was there did not stay on the ground too long. There was a domestic dispute going on about two houses away and it was ugly. Did not feel like staying.

As a child I remember waiting for the wig-wag as NYC trains went by here. Interesting that the pole and mast survives along with the original sign.
One of Dan Cluley's latest videos on Youtube show a Conrail train backing down the old LSMS with the wig wag in operation.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/uj3M5bZcTG4[/youtube]
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GrandTrunkFan
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Re: SW Lansing LS&MS spur views

Unread post by GrandTrunkFan »

Larry G wrote:
J T wrote:
Larry G wrote: Other view is looking off to the SW towards Washington Ave on the ROW beside the Wig-Wag Pole.

Image
I see your snowy wig wag shot, and raise you a sunny wig wag shot. :D

Image


Nice detail!! I am Looking!!! :) The snowy day I was there did not stay on the ground too long. There was a domestic dispute going on about two houses away and it was ugly. Did not feel like staying.

As a child I remember waiting for the wig-wag as NYC trains went by here. Interesting that the pole and mast survives along with the original sign.
If anyone doesn't subscribe to Dan Cluley's YouTube channel, you need to! Heres a video from 1991 with the Conrail local backing down the LSMS with the wig wag in operation. Starts at 1:36
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj3M5bZcTG4
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Larry G
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by Larry G »

Thanks for the video link. I remember the switching moves down that line in the mid 1960's. Larry
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Mark F
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by Mark F »

Drove over the North St crossing this afternoon. Looks to be a section of rail missing just south of the crossing.

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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by Waddy »

Mark F wrote:Drove over the North St crossing this afternoon. Looks to be a section of rail missing just south of the crossing.
I believe they pulled the rail down to replace the rail in the crossing.

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MQT1223
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by MQT1223 »

Could that Wig Wag still legally be returned to service or do the grandfathered signaling rules require that it would be replaced at this point if a return to service was imminent?
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Hogger1225
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by Hogger1225 »

Other than the bell housing, there are no electronics left on the pole, period. Been that way for years.
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by Raildudes dad »

The crossing is protected in accordance with the Michigan Manual of Traffic Control Devices by the crossbuck. The wigwag or whats left of it is just an obstacle located on the road right of way.

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MQT1223
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by MQT1223 »

Yes, but if the electronics and mechanics could be found since the mast is still standing could it legally be returned to service if one so desired?
1223 OUT! President and Founder of the Buck Creek Central, the Rolling River Route! (2012-2017) President and Founder of the Lamberton Valley Railroad, The Tin Plate Road! Proudly railfanning with Asperger's since 1996. :)

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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by Raildudes dad »

My guess is MDOT Rail Safety Section would say no. Best place for it would be at a place like Green Field Village or the Huckleberry RR.

KenB
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by KenB »

No best place for it would be my house! Have it operate whenever I pull into the driveway.

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rustbeltrailroad
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by rustbeltrailroad »

Well, no one has shared this yet here, so here it is with the wig wag signal, with the state journal empty pick up and all the great things from cedar st to mt. hope to logan in 1991:

https://youtu.be/uj3M5bZcTG4?t=1m38s

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J T
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by J T »

Funny how this thread is bumped on the exact day I'm going to be just a few feet from these rails for a party I'm attending in Old Town. :)
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by SousaKerry »

I can' believe this thread has gone for 9 pages on a glorified rumor
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J T
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by J T »

I know, I get excited every time I see it bumped. :lol: It's kind of similar to a "Jennifer Love Hewitt will pose for Playboy" thread that kept getting bumped in another forum I'm on. For years, each time it got bumped, people would get excited when they saw it back at the top, as if it contained updated news about it actually happening. And people always got pissed that it was bumped with no "good news." :lol:
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GRHC - you know every night I can imagine he is in front of his computer screen sitting in his underwear swearing profusely and drinking Blatz beer combing the RailRoadFan website for grammatical errors.

MiddleMI
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Re: Lansing's Old Town railroad spur to be reactivated

Unread post by MiddleMI »

I mean, it's basically become a catch-all of sorts for Lansing railfanning, and I personally don't find that a bad thing. Maybe the title can be changed, but I'm not going to die on a hill complaining about it.

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