Trout Lake MI 7-31-11 A Rare Find!!!

[Larry G]

Was it a ghost train from St Ignace or what?????

Happened to be passing through Trout Lake, MI this past Sunday afternoon, 7-31-11. To my astonishment there was a movement taking place on the old stub remnant to St Ignace. CN was pulling a cut of several gons off that section and then replacing them with another cut of gons. A local resident said CN has been in the sand business here for several weeks with a new cut coming in daily and a contractor off loading the sand and hauling it away at the end of the old St Ignace line. The remnant of this line extends about 1/4 to a 1/2 mile south of the old diamond crossing.

Here are a few shots of this action....Very surprising because in May 2011 this track was out of order with a stop sign just on the depot curve.

It was such a surprise and perhaps a rare find to shoot some photos while in Trout Lake.

Is it a ghost train coming up from St Ignace at Trout Lake??????

Locomitive is pulling cut on the through the depot to the E-W main. View from the old grade up to the diamond that once existed here.

View looking NW towards the E-W Main. Across the main you can view the branch to Newberry and Munising.

Set of gons passing the Trout Lake Depot to be set out while the crew pushes a new set of sand gons down to the end of the line.

Brakeman rides the end of the cut past the depot.

[TrainWatcher]

Glad to see Trout Lake and St. Ignace getting traffic once again!

[AARR]

Sometimes its better to be lucky than good Nice pictures Larry!

[GAP]

Great news. Also great pictures. A little confusing, though, because a report a few posts down says the sand is coming out of Trout Lake. Do we know any more, like where it is coming from or going to? At least it is action on a line that was presumed "dead." Great news, either way.

[Larry G]

Just repeating what a local told me....I could not see into the cars from off the ROW.....Perhaps the other story is acurate....???? I did not get down to the end to see the loading and unloading as I took the local at his word and left. I guess I should have gone down to see. Lots of no tresspassing signs so did not get too close. Someone else with the knowledge please share....Larry

[Crow T Robot]

From what I saw they are loading the cars at the end of the old St Ignace line and are sending it off atleast through Gulliver as I followed the train or I should say they followed me there. When I'm up there again later this month I'll try and get some pictures of where I think they are loading the sand. As a note it is possible they are bringing the sand into town when I saw it leaving town I thought I saw sand in the gondolas in any case its good to see the spur in use.

[SW]

Great report! Didn't realize the diamond was gone (but not surprised at all) - how long has that been?

[Jochs]

SWEET

[Larry G]

Great report! Didn't realize the diamond was gone (but not surprised at all) - how long has that been?

Sometime after July of 1974 when this scan of an old photo I took looking NW towards Newberry was taken as a freight crossed on the E-W main. An interesting signal to control the diamond was located here too at the time.

On this same trip a work train was setting beside the depot with an old steam tender as the water source for the shower car.

The diamond was probably pulled up after the car ferry Chief Wawatam quit in the early 1980's and the St Ignace branch was pulled up.

[Larry G]

Great report! Didn't realize the diamond was gone (but not surprised at all) - how long has that been?

Sometime after July of 1974 when this scan of an old photo I took looking NW towards Newberry was taken as a freight crossed on the E-W main. An interesting signal to control the diamond was located here too at the time.

On this same trip a work train was setting beside the depot with an old steam tender as the water source for the shower car.

The diamond was probably pulled up after the car ferry Chief Wawatam quit in the early 1980's and the St Ignace branch was pulled up.

[AARR]

Last ferry movement with railcars from St Ignace was Aug, 1984. I do not know how long track between Trout Lake and St Ignace remained in place afterwards.

During the WC days they loaded pulp wood on what remained of the St Igance line (less than a mile from Trout Lake)

[KC]

During the WC days they loaded pulp wood on what remained of the St Igance line (less than a mile from Trout Lake)

From a reliable yet unconfirmed source, the CN is hauling inbound sand to build up the area where log trucks will unload into railcars on the old St. Ignace line. Asked why not use the old wood yard west of town, thats private property. Not sure where the sand is coming from. Again unconfirmed.

Kelly

[AARR]

With paper plants closing the pulp wood has to travel further to the ones still open which may give the railroads an advantage in growing the business.

[chapmaja]

Last ferry movement with railcars from St Ignace was Aug, 1984. I do not know how long track between Trout Lake and St Ignace remained in place afterwards.

During the WC days they loaded pulp wood on what remained of the St Igance line (less than a mile from Trout Lake)

According to the Michigan Railroads website the line was pulled in 8/89 between Trout Lake and St. Ignace.

[Beal99]

heres some Trout Lake stuff shot by Richard Beal in the 70's

[CAT345C]

Umm...why is the signal clear with a train on the diamond?

[NYCJIM]

That signal happens to be a train "Order" signal.... not a "Block" signal. That signal is indicating that there no orders for a Marquette bound train at this time.

[CN_Okemos]

NICE PHOTOS! LAST SUMMER I WAS UP IN TROUT LAKE AND GOT PHOTOS OF A WISCONSIN CENTRAL SNOWPLOW AND IC ENGINE STILL IN IC PAINT. THAT'S ONE PLACE I MAKE IT A POINT TO GET TO IF I EVER HEAD TO SAULT STE MARIE OR MACKINAW OR ANYWHERE ELSE NEARBY.

[Crow T Robot]

This is the siding that they are working on..

[GAP]

Thanks for the picture. It looks like that could be a great place. Hope it generates a lot of revenue. The old Mead yard at the other end of town sure used to be a busy place.