Holly, MI Depot & Diamond 5/12-13/2022

[GP30M4216]

Earlier this month, I stayed in Holly for a couple nights for the annual Michigan Historic Preservation Network conference. A side benefit was that the conference location was just a couple blocks from Holly diamond. An additional side benefit was, since the conference is focused on historic buildings and landscapes and their continued use/reuse, we got a great tour of downtown and nearby neighborhoods, including the 1886-built Holly Union Depot. The timing was perfect. Things were just beginning to green up. And, with the planned move of the depot several hundred feet west ahead of the eventual reconstruction/redesign of the Holly diamond, it was a great moment to capture the historic railroad layout and vestiges before all these changes take place. Gotta say, the layout of the junction would be really fun to model!

The depot was built in 1886 by the Detroit and Milwaukee to serve as a Union Depot facility for both that road and the Flint and Pere Marquette, which paralleled and crossed the D&M here. Belying its Great Western and Grand Trunk heritage, the depot is clad in the trademark polychromatic red and yellow brick found on so many of the road's masonry depots from the 19th Century. More history on the depot can be found here: https://www.nps.gov/places/holly-union-depot-mi.htm

The Holly Depot isn't truly accessible to the public (part of the reason for the upcoming move), although you can see it from several angles from public right of way. Perhaps the best view of it is from the end of Washington Street, just across the PM/LSRC line, where you can easily view the north elevation from the cul de sac.

The Italianate detailing of the depot is delightful. The ornate brickwork, the stone window sills, the grooved wood bargeboard and stone HOLLY sign. They don't make them like this anymore!

East Sherman street splits the difference between the depot and the diamond where it crosses both lines. It's sidewalk provides a great vantage point toward the depot. The home signal, which replaced a classic GTW cantilever signal here, guard the diamond for southbound trains on the Holly Subdivision. The LSRC mainline, formerly the CSX/C&O/PM, curves off to the right beyond the depot. Although CN C&S was buried here years ago, the LSRC side still has their signal wire up in the air, held in place on classic code line crossarms. This 2022 view might almost be the 1970s - a signal maintainer's nightmare!

[Man o' War]

Thanks very much for posting this documentation. We're proud of our Italianate depots here in Mount Clemens and in New Haven, but Holly possesses a beauty as well! The trackage sure has been simplified on the GTW side over the years. Thanks again.

Man o' War

[GP30M4216]

One side perk of visiting for a historic preservation conference are the behind the scenes tours. We were treated to a special tour of the Holly Depot on its original site with the supervision of an LSRC crew to keep an eye on things as their 127 job was on the move south from Flint. The area to the east of the depot isn't legally accessible by the public, unless you have the right chaperone!

My best train catch of my visit was Lake State's southbound road freight, their 127 job. They have a current agreement with CSX for power sharing to accommodate PTC, therefore the CSX leader and Lake State SD50 behind. It was cool to see the pair come right by the depot where tens of thousands of trains have passed before bearing the colors of blue and yellow, but also demonstrating just how close the trains come to the public keeping it inaccessible for a future use.

My position between the tracks for the tour afforded this view - harsh lighting though there may be - of the southbound train coming up on the clear home signal for the Holly Diamond. These old signals are running out the clock on giving favorable indications with the pending track realignment in the future.

[GP30M4216]

The west end of the depot is more publicly viewable even in its current original position.

From the end of John Street behind the police station, through the growth you can get a good view of the GTW facing south facade of the depot. At some point, a large service door was cut into this elevation. Since the city acquired the depot from the railroad, several restoration improvements have been completed, including reconstructing the original look of this wall. The fence extends from the east end of the station to a C&S relay box to the left out of view. Among other restoration was reconstruction of the chimneys and uncovering and repairing the original windows.

To the west of the depot between the tracks is a city owned overflow parking lot. The north end of the parking lot is bordered by a line of old maple trees, extending along the original sidewalk and curb leading from the depot to the historic Holly Hotel. You can see part of the sidewalk in this image. It's a neat sweeping view. This view also captures little details like the whistle post and the phone box on the C&O side.

A zoom lens is a cool thing!

[GP30M4216]

Interesting detail of the large window at the west end of the depot from my behind the scenes tour.

The code line poles are ancient and fascinating. A sea of Hemingray 42 insulators and friends still keep the lines of communication open for LSRC trains for a little longer yet!

[GP30M4216]

The diamond isn't publicly accessible, but you can see it at a distance from three directions. It's overseen by Holly Tower, one of Michigan's few remaining interlocking towers, although it has been automated on the Holly Sub CTC since the 1950s.

You can see it at a distance from the East Sherman Street crossing from the north and west and Cogshall Street to the east on the GTW. This is helpful for viewing the home signals, in case railroadfan isn't a helpful resource to know what's coming (which it was!).

This view looks east from Sherman toward the diamond and the tower.

East Sherman offers an up close view of the C&O home signal, feeling perhaps more like the old C&O of Appalachia rather than the Northern Division of the C&O with its typical searchlight signals.

The same signal at twilight.

[GP30M4216]

This last photo was actually my first on the morning of the 12th, looking north up the Holly Subdivision from Cogshall Street toward the home signals at the north end of the Holly siding. A few minutes later, the signal cleared, and northbound light power soon came by, heading from Pontiac up to grab a loaded grain train from the HESR at Durand for points elsewhere on the system.

My train count was low. Besides the aforementioned CN light power and the LSRC southbound, I just missed two CN trains later on the 13th, they actually met at Holly siding. It would have made for a good shot of the northbound from Broad looking back toward the depot, but I'll take the photography I got, train or not!

There are plenty of interesting railroad features beyond just the depot. Besides the tower, signals and the diamond, the code line makes for some interesting photography subjects, as does the nearby Holly water tower. Small scale features, like various signal boxes, whistle signs and speed markers on the C&O add to the right of way. An old C&O section house, where the LSRC still keeps a small office, sits just north of the depot beside Crapo Park beside two disconnected sidings. A prominent lumber yard was once located here, way back in the day. There might not be oodles of trains, but in my opinion it's worth the detour to Holly if you are ever in the area!

[GP30M4216]

Thanks very much for posting this documentation. We're proud of our Italianate depots here in Mount Clemens and in New Haven, but Holly possesses a beauty as well! The trackage sure has been simplified on the GTW side over the years. Thanks again.

Man o' War

You rightly should be proud of those depots on the Mt. Clemens sub, the oldest in the state and also exemplifying the unique brick designs of the early Grand Trunk!

And yes, a much simplified track layout on both sides, but especially the CN. Their trains really move through here if not heading into or out of Holly siding. It'll be simplified further once the LSRC/CN track rearrangement takes place, and a little more history will disappear. There are a few nice historic images of the depot on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HollyUnionDepo ... e_internal