Train Bulletin Board

Any historical questions can be posted here. Answers would certainly help as well :)
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~Z~
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Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by ~Z~ »

Wifey is working on making a bulletin board she'd like to paint, and am inquiring if anyone knows about what the old train numbers were for the line between Plainwell and Grand Rapids, GR&I. Sample bulletin board below. GR&I passenger info preferred, but if hard to come by, PRR would be alright. If they had a stop in Byron Center, that'd be nice.. sounds like they had a Ross Station around 100th St on the south side of town.
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SD80MAC
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Re: Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by SD80MAC »

Here you go, Z, a PRR Timetable from 1950. By this time I think the only regularly scheduled passenger trains on that part of the GR&I were a pair of locals and The Northern Arrow (summer only). Page 26: http://streamlinermemories.info/PRR/PRR50TT.pdf
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Raildudes dad
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Re: Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by Raildudes dad »

100th St was Ross Station, 76th was Carlisle Station. Byron Center was on the NYC line. My mother's sister married an Andringa who's father-in- law owed the elevator at 76th St - nw quadrant. I remember going to their house on Sunday night and the train would come flying thru and shake their house - NE quadrant. They were "rich", it had the first in ground pool at someones' house that I saw. I grew up where we biked to Briggs pool.
84th did not go thru between Alles Dr and Alles Drive. it wasn't till the 50's? when the Road Commission dug out the muck and pushed the road thru.

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Re: Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by GP30M4216 »

In my vague mind I believe there is a mocked up Train Bulletin including the GR&I in an exhibit in the Grand Rapids Public Museum. I don’t know for sure if it’s carefully researched and accurate, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it were!

I love Train Bulletin boards. Each one unique and so many in the old days hand painted. Your ATSF example is great. The Amtrak waiting room in Elkhart used to have one for Antrak trains, then is disappeared, and has never been seen since. Be sure to show us the finished product when done!

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~Z~
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Re: Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by ~Z~ »

Thanks for the info so far guys. I do wonder what the train numbers would have been for the GR&I time period, but we'll work with whatever we can find - PRR if need be.

Interesting on the 76th Carlisle station and 100th Ross station. Probably why 84th is called Karl?
I see the old map at https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/img4/ht_icons/ov ... 00_geo.jpg showing how Alles Dr was the main thru route while 84th wasn't completed yet. I wondered why the road seemed to jog down and back up like that, and now makes a lot of sense.

Wifey says she might pop down at the public museum to take a look at the bulletin board there. I'll post it when she finishes that project.
She just picked up an old small railroad lantern today to decorate a shelf... I let her know it sounds like she's turning into a railfan :)
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Re: Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by Jim_c »

~Z~ wrote:
Tue Mar 02, 2021 5:00 pm
Wifey says she might pop down at the public museum to take a look at the bulletin board there. I'll post it when she finishes that project.
She just picked up an old small railroad lantern today to decorate a shelf... I let her know it sounds like she's turning into a railfan :)
If she's going to the library, maybe she can order a copy of The Fishing Line through inter-library loan - unless they have one (or you have one). It's a book about the GR&I and was published in 2018 according to our friend Google.
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~Z~
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Re: Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by ~Z~ »

I had found that title online when searching earlier today, but when she checked out the library's site, said it wasn't available to reserve currently. I don't have a copy of that book, but good suggestion.
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Standard Railfan
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Re: Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by Standard Railfan »

Here is a link to a description of the Fishing Line book including a discussion of the contents. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.14321/j.ctv3t5rng

I took a quick look, I don’t believe there is a timetable.

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Re: Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by Dan Cluley »

In the June 1921 Official Guide, the Michigan lines are part of the Pennsylvania System, but are still called GR&I Railway.

Northbound Trains arriving at Grand Rapids:
5 – 6:30 AM
11 – 11:55 AM
1 – 2:00 PM
9 – 5:20 PM
3 – 9:30 PM
17 - 10:05 PM

Southbound Trains departing Grand Rapids
2 – 6:50 AM
10 – 12:01 PM
8 – 1:50 PM
6 – 6:01 PM
4 – 8:40 PM
12 – 11:50 PM

2/3, 4/5 &6/11 went all the way to Mackinaw City

9/10 went to Cadillac

1, 17 & 12 ran between Kalamazoo & GR while 8 went GR to Fort Wayne

1, 11, 6, 12 & 8 stopped in Moline approx 30 minutes out of GR

3 did not run on Sundays, and several of the others did not go north of GR on Sundays

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Standard Railfan
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Re: Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by Standard Railfan »

From a GR&I Timetable of November 25, 1894
NB
Train. Wayland. Ross. Grand Rapids.
3. 8:32a 8:47a 9:15a. Daily ex Sun
1. 8:30a. 8:47a. 9:20a. Daily ex Sun
7. 2:03p. 2:20p. 2:50p. Daily ex Sun

SB
Train Grand Rapids. Ross. Wayland
6. 4:40p. 6:10p. 6:29p. Daily ex Sun
4. 11:40p. 12:10p. 12:28p. Daily
2. 7:25a. 7:57a. 8:16a. Daily ex Sat
8. 2:15p. 2:45p. 3:01p. Daily ex Sun

GRR MP 308
Ross MP 294
WLD MP 286

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Doktor No
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Re: Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by Doktor No »

The Fishing Line book is a MUST. Order it already!
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Doktor No
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Re: Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by Doktor No »

And the ONLY bulletin board I ever saw (other then at work or in a station) was a PRR one up at a Scottville antique dealer but...NOT FOR SALE. Came out of the Big Rapids depot IIRC. NOT FOR SALE. Most of the RR stuff he had, including from the C&O ferry's was NOT FOR SALE.
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Re: Train Bulletin Board

Unread post by ns8401 »

Doktor No wrote:
Mon Mar 29, 2021 11:38 am
And the ONLY bulletin board I ever saw (other then at work or in a station) was a PRR one up at a Scottville antique dealer but...NOT FOR SALE. Came out of the Big Rapids depot IIRC. NOT FOR SALE. Most of the RR stuff he had, including from the C&O ferry's was NOT FOR SALE.
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