Customers on what is now Lapeer Industrial, circa 1976

[redlodger]

This morning I was reading the entry in the USRA Final System Plan for the line that is now the Lapeer Industrial Railroad. It was listed as Portion of Mackinaw Branch, USRA Line No. 445b, operated by Penn Central. The line went to the Grand Trunk Western in 1976. The entry shows 380 carloads originating/terminating online in 1973. Of those cars, 146 were for Union Camp, and 44 for Church's Lumber Yard.

Does anyone know what other customers were served circa 1976? I imagine the grain elevator would make up most of the remaining 190 cars in 1973. Union Camp closed in December, 1980.

Where would Union Camp and Church's have been located?

Thanks,
Mark

[Steve B]

...
Where would Union Camp and Church's have been located?

Thanks,
Mark

I don't know about Union Camp. Church's Lumber is on Saginaw north of Genesee. Apparently GTW kept the diamond in place for a while to serve it, though I can't imagine that lasted long. Similar situation as the Charlotte remnant; I think GTW briefly kept the diamond to serve a customer west of the Flint Sub.

[AARR]

When LI took over in the late 90's there was a place south of the bridge that received tank cars

[redlodger]

I hadn’t thought to look north of the GTW mainline! I assumed that the segment of track defined by the USRA was all south of the GTW.

[redlodger]

When LI took over in the late 90's there was a place south of the bridge that received tank cars

I don't know if that building was there in 1976. I found a USGS topographic map from 1980 that doesn't show the building, however, many of the larger buildings in the area were marked in purple, indicating revisions to the map. It may have been there, but hadn't made it on to the map.

[redlodger]

Does anyone know what other customers were served circa 1976? I imagine the grain elevator would make up most of the remaining 190 cars in 1973. Union Camp closed in December, 1980.

Wading through more USRA related documents this morning yielded an answer about those 190 cars. According to the Public Response to the Secretary of Transportation Rail Services Report, the cars were for Lapeer County Coop.

The report lists three other customers in Lapeer: Bostick Foundry Company, Fillmore Thomas, and Vesely Company. Bostick Foundry received 59 loads of coke in 1973. No carload numbers or commodities are given for the other two.

Any ideas as to where they would have been, and what they might have shipped or received? I found a reference online to Bostick being located on South Court Street, but the location looks to be several blocks west of the former PC line, and near to the GTW.

[jimnorthwood]

1. Union Camp was at the far southern end of the line. The last time I drove through that area, there was still a boxcar down there that has been sitting there for longer than I can remember. Perhaps as long as UC has been closed.

2. Church's received one or two switches from GTW, after they took over the line. That was it.

3. Bostick was served by the GTW. A now deceased friend's grandfather spent most of his working life there.

4. Foam Seal was the place on the south end of the line that received the tank cars.

5. When Conrail was being formed one of the larger customers on the Utica to Lapeer Jct. segment of the line was Metamora Products. They had just invested in a new unloading facility (plastic pellets) and thus were not happy they lost rail service when the "Final System Plan" for Conrail resulted in the abandonment of the line north of Utica. As noted the small segment around Lapeer was sold to GTW, now LIRR.

[redlodger]

1. Union Camp was at the far southern end of the line. The last time I drove through that area, there was still a boxcar down there that has been sitting there for longer than I can remember. Perhaps as long as UC has been closed.

Is the building now Grid Logic, at 1070 Clark Road, south of Demille?

[penn central]

1. Union Camp was at the far southern end of the line. The last time I drove through that area, there was still a boxcar down there that has been sitting there for longer than I can remember. Perhaps as long as UC has been closed.

Is the building now Grid Logic, at 1070 Clark Road, south of Demille?

At Demille Rd S Saginaw Street turns into Clark Rd and i used to go into a place called Lapeer Metal Stamping i think its where that Grid Logic is now and there where spots in the back of the building for boxcar loading, I remember when the workers at Lapeer Metal where on strike this was back i think around 2004 or 05 my boss told me we don't honor picked lines and instructed me to go threw the picket line i was greeted by a rather unfriendly welcoming committee