CSX on the west side of Michigan

[chapmaja]

The bridge over CSX and the river just west of Godfrey was the interurban. After they went bankrupt in the 30s, that part of the line went to NYC. Doktor No could tell you how long it lasted, but I’m pretty sure the bridge was abandoned by the 80s.

Conrail had some customers down in the “Godfrey Corridor” into the early 80s, accessed by their switch which came off the CSX main right at Godfrey. Conrail’s track along Godfrey was originally PRR and NYC trackage. It was definitely a maze down in there at one time, with PM, PRR, and NYC all serving that corridor. NYC accessed the Godfrey area via their own line which came across from what is now the south end of Grand Elk’s Hughart yard, which went northwest over Burton, Clyde Park, Chicago Dr and Godfrey (still very plainly visible on any satellite or aerial view of the area).

As others have said, what is today CSX’s City Market Spur (the one that comes off at Judd St and services Michigan Natural Storage and Columbian Warehouse) was originally PRR’s back door into Wyoming Yard. There have been no PRR/CR/NS customers down there since the early 80s when the big track consolidation and rationalization in GR took place. CSX continued to serve what customers they had down while utilizing track that was in fact owned by CR and later NS, and neither party realized it until it came time to fix the bridge.

I think this all actually makes sense now. Thanks. You mention CR accessed the line from a switch near Godfrey. Did this line go where the tracks into Beacon Recycling (which appears to be a solid customer for CSX now) come off the mainline at Godfrey, or was it slightly to the east and actually crossed Godfrey? It looks like there is an area from just east of Godfrey which runs diagnol to Godfrey with a couple buildings along it, before turning south along the Godfrey Corridor.

[SD80MAC]

I believe the switch came off between Godfrey and Oakland, but I might be wrong. I have a photo of what that area looked like saved somewhere, I’ll see if I can find it.

[chapmaja]

I believe the switch came off between Godfrey and Oakland, but I might be wrong. I have a photo of what that area looked like saved somewhere, I’ll see if I can find it.

That would make sense. It would have come off between Godfrey and Oakland, run diagonally towards the corridor. It also appears this was part of a wye, with Urgent Tool and Machine's buidling having one track on each side of it. This second line ran west of Urgent Tool (the Cr line was on the east side), and then connect to the now CSX main east of the interurban bridge.

All I can say is what a mess Grand Rapids used to be. To think at one time you have PRR, NYC, C&O, and Grand Trunk all occupying space in town with "mainlines." Now you still have 4 railroads (CSX, MRQ, GRE, and Grand Elk, but not near the volume of trains / customers as you once had.

[Doktor No]

The Michigan Natural Storage/tracks back to the city market and Columbian Storage and Transfer were sold/transferred to CSX back in about 2000ish. The bridge just east of MNS was in need of repairs, NS didn't want to do it due to the fact they have no customers to service back there anymore, CSX does it....they did an agreement or even a downright sale of the property. It is no longer NS property.
I read the paperwork about it some time ago as I was employed at Wyoming Yard with CSX. Fun times....eh? Serviced the city market back then with cars full of potatoes from Idaho. They seemed to arrive before all the major holidays for some reason.... No produce dealers are served any longer. Lots of disconnected track still back there though. Was a big deal well into the 60's and 70's.

Did NS still service some customers on the section further to the north that eventually crossed the river (mentioned in my other post). These would have been the customers located along Godrey correct? Wasn't one of them something like Grand Rapids Brass Works or something like that. Would those have been NS customers?

No one was left along Godfrey save Columbian Storage and Transfer. They had pretty much stopped receiving by rail except for a few cars, now and again. When I went into yard service in 1998 they still got cars as did a couple of produce people. Conrail/NS had no way, anymore, to get to those tracks and never got rights to do it AFAIK. I never knew of them back there. Then the produce stopped in the early 2000's. Seems that some of the paper users around here, PCA being one, (and they got rail out at Ivanrest) wanted more storage capabilty so Columbian opened back up and they were getting cars almost daily. Then the bridge right behind MichNatStorage neede work and Plaster Creek, being right alongside the spur to Columbian flooded...work was needed and NS said no, YOU can have it, so CSX forged an agreement and that was that. I think back in the 70's PC/Conrail COULD come in to the City Market and Godfrey from the tracks behind Kelvinator and BASF Wyandotte that crossed Chicago Drive at Lee Street. I know Beukema Brick on Godfrey just off of Chicago Drive got cars well into the 70's. Twas hard to see if anything got cars along Godfrey to the north and the river. If anyone did it was Keeler Brass. They had a couple plants back along there.
Anymore questions? Glad to help. Crikey, I should give TOURS!

[Ben Higdon]

I believe the former Conrail/PRR tracks that currently end at Judd St originally crossed the PM to reach a mill on the Grand River, but I can't recall where I got that info. That would have been way back, like late 1800s or early 1900s.
NYC served the area between Sunnyside and Kelvinator via the former interurban bridge over the Grand River (they did not access it from the south end). The former interurban track was called the Grand Rapids Belt.