Any information on the former Ionia Sub from Grand Ledge to Ionia would be nice. Been studying the ROW of this line a lot recently and wondered what it was like especially during the C&O era. I know there had to have been some business such as American Bumper in Ionia and the Chrysler stamping plant in Lyons but what else kept this line afloat? I assume Portland had one or two customers? I know once upon a time the line ran north of Ionia along the modern day prison up to Big Rapids through many of the small communities that dot the landscape today but was abandoned north of Ionia and pulled during WWII for scrap.
How was the line operationally? On the remaining portion in Grand Ledge it looks like a rather impressive grade going towards Eagle. I also find the nature to which the PM accessed Lyons to be quite interesting since the town had to have its own spur to be connected to the national rail network, yet I don't see remnants of a bridge to cross the Grand River to get into downtown. Speaking of bridges, I don't see many bridges of any kind minus the large one in Portland and outside of Ionia, both of which are now a trail in the town limits. It was my understanding that the line in Grand Ledge was relaid for ADM and had been pulled several years prior. Did trains on this line originate in Grand Ledge at the yard or Ensel? Seems like the line is rather scenic going through Michigan farm country and the large river crossing in Portland. Did the ROW revert back to the landowners when the tracks came up? With the way trails like to pop up here and there I'm surprised this one hasn't gotten turned into a rail trail to connect the communities, especially with the GT in Ionia now a trail.
Any other info or photos would be appreciated. Sorry if my initial response was a little bit jumbled around.
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.
My only exposure with the Ionia Sub was way back in 1976 when I worked a mobile agent job out of the Lowell depot that handled the agency work for Ionia at that time. During that period, the local originated at Ensel. I don't remember a lot about it, but I do recall working with the customers you mentioned: General Tire and the bumper place. There were a few other customers, but I don't recall much about them. The local arrived shortly after noon and I met them at the GTW diamond with a switch list and waybills. I don't know if they did any work between Grand Ledge and Ionia. If so, that would have been handled by the agent at Grand Ledge. I don't have any photos, but I have seen some posted of the diamond area. There was a shanty there that housed a small interlocking apparatus operated by C&O crews to line themselves over the diamond, which was protected by derails and STOP signs on the C&O side, and by high interlocking signals on the GTW side.
When I worked as a block operator from '66 to '68, the Ionia Local out of Ensel would frequently have a load of Mustangs from the Metuchen, New Jersey, plant for Shelby conversions at the A. O. Smith plant in Ionia. I think this only lasted for about nine months.
The Local was changed later to work out of Grand Ledge.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...
Yes, looking east. The C&O crossed the GTW on roughly a 45 degree angle.
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...
Where at in Ionia was this? I know the general area but can it be pin pointed?
When you mean a track swap they basically agreed to swap mains here to Eliminate the diamond? I didn’t think there was a need for the diamond after the line going north to Big Rapids came out.
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.
When you mean a track swap they basically agreed to swap mains here to Eliminate the diamond? I didn’t think there was a need for the diamond after the line going north to Big Rapids came out.
IIRC, C&O gave up its Ionia trackage to GTW (and abandoned most of its line north of Grand Ledge) and GTW gave up its Greenville trackage to C&O (and abandoned its line west of Carson City).
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...
Yes, I believe it was 1980ish when the C&O and GTW agreed to the swap. The GTW’s remaining trackage in Greenville was given to C&O, allowing the GTW to abandon their branch west of Carson City. Subsequently, the C&O trackage in Ionia was given to GTW, allowing C&O to abandon everything north of Grand Ledge.
If you pull up an arial view of Ionia, go just a little bit east of the GTW depot. It’s very apparent when the diamond was, especially from the air.
Before we were married my wife moved to Ionia in 2009 and I found the railroad history fascinating. So I began collecting information and pictures. I don't know where I got this picture. It is dated March 1975. It could have been Charlie G. or a guy know as Trail Nut who was a source of great information about Greenville and Ionia. I believe his wife was an attorney who handled the early 1980s "swap".
Where at in Ionia was this? I know the general area but can it be pin pointed?
When you mean a track swap they basically agreed to swap mains here to Eliminate the diamond? I didn’t think there was a need for the diamond after the line going north to Big Rapids came out.
As long as the C&O was operating into Ionia, the diamond was required for them to get to their customers which were all north (west) of the diamond. When the line north of Ionia was still intact, it joined the Sag-Elmdale line at Kidd which was just north (timetable east) of Belding, so from Kidd to Edmore was part of the Elmdale Sub. We were still running the occasional train out of Edmore to Remus until that portion was abandoned in 1981. The Alma-St Louis local handled it. At one time, a job out of Greenville went up to Remus when required.
Before we were married my wife moved to Ionia in 2009 and I found the railroad history fascinating. So I began collecting information and pictures. I don't know where I got this picture. It is dated March 1975. It could have been Charlie G. or a guy know as Trail Nut who was a source of great information about Greenville and Ionia. I believe his wife was an attorney who handled the early 1980s "swap".
Ioniatower3-75.jpg
This is where I met up with the C&O crew with their switch list and waybills back in 1976. I still see it in my mind, but nice to see an actual photo!
My remembrance of industry on the Ionia subdivision includes the Central Soya plant in Portland. It spanned Divine Highway right next to Grand River Avenue. An interesting bit of trivia, Central Soya had their own fleet of cars, and their reporting marks were CSX. Once CSX was formed Central Soya changed their reporting marks to CSYX.
I remember occasional cars of lumber left on the team track in Eagle. These were for a building supply company in Westphalia.
The big business in Ionia was the General Tire plant. American Anodco which was the name of the plant that eventually became American Bumper did do some shipping. They had a paint plant in the old meat packing building at the end of Jackson Street. They built a loading dock at the track and loaded boxcars from that. A fuel dealer also received the occasional car of coal.
I moved to Ionia in 1972. At the time the factory in Lyons was a Chrysler trim plant. I never saw the Lyons spur being switched so I can't say whether they shipped by rail at that date or not. I know I witnessed the Lyons spur being removed by a private contractor in March of 1976. The Chrysler plant was on the south/west side of the Grand River so there was no bridge needed to cross the river as there was no industry downtown.
My memories of ADM in Grand Ledge are that the elevator went in before the rails were pulled. I am sure the track was re-laid with heavier rail, but it was not a case of being pulled up and then re-laid years later.
In the 60's service in Ionia was provided by a Grand Ledge turn. The engine & caboose would tie up by the old freight house in Ionia at night. By 1972 Ionia was served by a local running out of Ensel yard.
In the 60's service in Ionia was provided by a Grand Ledge turn. The engine & caboose would tie up by the old freight house in Ionia at night. By 1972 Ionia was served by a local running out of Ensel yard.
I recall in the early 60's (in my teen years) seeing a BL-2 with a handful of cars and caboose sitting by the freight house one Sunday afternoon. It was my assumption (and as you stated) that the local originated in Ionia at that time.
