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This may help:

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5 ... the-mbr-co

About 30 cars a week (three blocks of 10 cars) of whatever that chemical was still being delivered via UP-CN-CMGN in the 90's. I don't know if it still is or not. I heard about this train brought up by some people that live up that way. Where did it run to? It came up to Chicago from Freeport, TX o...

There was also the Dow Special on Sundays and the empties back on Thursday. I also recall the occasional GR-Baldwin turn when needed. Not sure what they ran in PM days. I heard about this train brought up by some people that live up that way. Where did it run to? It came up to Chicago from Freeport...

I honestly can't recall how much the refinery shipped by rail. From what I could "Google" it appears the refinery closed in 1999. I used to spend summers on my grandmother's farm in Gratiot county and remember when driving into Alma I would always see that flame burning up on a high tower. I stayed ...

When I was on the agent/operator extra board out of Saginaw, I worked the agency at St Louis a few times when the regular agent was on vacation. That would have been 1976, just before I started breaking in on dispatching. The main customer then was the chemical plant. I remember having to drive into...

As I recall, ML18 and MP17 usually met at White Cloud. MP17 usually met #145 at either Kopje or Baldwin. #145 and #146 almost always met at Walhalla. There was an operator on duty at Baldwin on the night shift who gave us all the "dope" on the trains out of GR and Manistee for our train sheet and us...

Maybe not the high point, but in the 1960’s to 1980’s you had the GR-Traverse City pair 145/146. Later cut back to Manistee. You had the GR-Saginaw pair 238/239 which later became ML18/MP17 and the passenger train pair 25/26 GR-Petoskey. The psgr service ended in 1966 I believe. All those trains als...

The MAC elevator east of Breckenridge is probably the largest customer. They are one of the largest, if not the largest, elevator in MI. My guess is the Anderson's in Hemlock would be the second largest. The "fueling terminal" is an asphalt distributer. Last I heard they receive about 250 cars a ye...

Although the traffic levels here are nothing like they used to be (20+ trains a day during my time), it's nice to see that LSRC is maintaining the track!

OK. It's pretty much impossible to line opposing moves in CTC by signal indication. The exception would be if DS gives a train authority to pass a STOP signal into another train. Allowing a RESTRICTING signal is usually only for following moves, or sometimes couple back to train. This one sounds lik...

Hmm. That sounds rather questionable to me, but we shall see!

There was one important item that GRS did NOT supply as part of the "west end" operation. It was a single rubber part from a bike pedal firmly attached with electrical tape to a cut-off fishing pole, and notched to perfectly fit the signal and switch levers. With this device, one could reach over a...

IMG_0247.JPG Happened upon this article from 1955. This is the same GRS console I worked in Saginaw (as well as the "south end"). Whoever that dispatcher is must have retired before my time there. This job was referred to as the "west end", and also handled the train order Elmdale, Port Huron and B...

Here's a link to a PM station book I was given back in the 60's. Interestingly, I couldn't find a date on it anywhere. The pages were all rather dark and stained, so I did the best I could converting it to a pdf file. Some of you may find it of interest or use it as a resource. Thought I would pass ...

Not even a new scenario on CSX. Joy Holdout was an absolute in Michigan City for years. Although obviously not installed by CSX, we had absolute "hold out" signals in several places: Scottville; just east of Baldwin (so a train like ML18 didn't have to run restricted speed for several miles toward ...

Doug, did you ever copy & deliver Penn Central train orders in Carleton? Gary Betz Ionia MI We copied and delivered the running order for any northward trains on the Lincoln Branch: "Eng XXXX run extra Carleton to Penford." Occasionally, the PC dispatcher would issue an order establishing a tempora...

Not to get overly nostalgic, but quite a bit of the railroad I knew is now "just a trace in the woods" -- or a bike trail!

Not The Sportsman??

Quite a read... What was the Wye in Evart for? Had no idea there was ever a wye here for anything, I assume an old branch? Not aware of any branch from Evart, but perhaps there was. Would have to research. However, the Ludington-Evart local used to use the wye every trip to turn his engine for the ...

Having worked Carleton Tower 1971-1974 (and later dispatching that track from Saginaw), I can chime in on this. The C&O siding south of the tower on the west side was the "South Pass". As stated, there was a spur toward Monroe St off this siding that once served the Elevator. The siding on the east ...