|
| |
Finding good locations to watch trains in Michigan can be a little challenging. There are a few choice picks though
where you're likely to find interesting subjects and other rail fans. Please remember whenever rail fanning that you should stay off the right-of-way
and at least 20 feet from the closest rail.
Battle Creek
In its prime, Battle Creek's rail passengers were served by the Grand Trunk and Michigan Central railroads. Each of
these railroads owned and operated their own stations rather than a combined station. Today, the former Michigan Central station is home to the Clara's on the River restaurant. Though the station still sits on the river, the tracks have long since been removed.
The Grand Trunk station is still standing, but currently used only by the railroad. Though the station is not maintained as the historical beauty it
is, it is still quite striking and worth a few frames of film. The passenger station for Amtrak's use is a modern transportation facility with access
to several Amtrak passenger trains and bus service from multiple companies.
Battle Creek provides several good train watching opportunities. The city is served by both Norfolk Southern (over the former Conrail track) and Grand Trunk/Canadian National.
Kellogg also operates an industrial switching yard for their plants connected to both railroads. Both railroads share the tracks running through the
heart of the city which runs past the Battle Creek Transportation Center. With the Amtrak station located here, this is a great place to sit and
watch the trains pass.
Durand
Durand had been the second busiest Michigan rail station during the railroad peak of the 1900s. This depot
served as the cross-roads of Michigan. The city grew up around the busy rail center, served by the single station and several railroads. The
beautiful Chateau Romanesque station still stands and has been undergoing restoration for the past several years. The exterior has been restored to
the original beauty. The station now houses archives, libraries, a museum, a model railroad club, and the Durand Amtrak station.
The best location to watch trains in Durand is the station platform. Though some of the railroads and track no longer
exists, the station still sits proudly at the diamond offering an unparalleled view. Today, the Grand Trunk/Canadian
National have two subdivisions meeting at the diamond (the Holly and the Flint Subs). At the north end of the city the Central Michigan operates
an interchange yard and has two lines -- one to Bay City and another to Owosso. The Tuscola & Saginaw Bay
Railway Company, Inc. (TSBY) operates through Durand on Grand Trunk's Holly sub connecting their track at the north end (to Cadillac) and south
end (to Ann Arbor) of Durand. Normally the Durand Union Station and museum are open Tuesday through Saturday from 1:00pm to 5:00pm with restrooms and
limitted snack service. Rail fans have been known to park in the station's lot and watch trains from the platform all night.
East Lansing
Most Michigan rail fans know of the restored steam locomotive, the "Pere Marque 1225." The project to restore this historic Berkshire class steam locomotive
began on the Michigan State University campus in 1969. Back then the restoration project was under the supervision of MSU as an University sponsored
club (Michigan State University Railroad Club). The Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation, Inc. has since changed names and severed their
ties with the university, moving their facilities to a former Ann Arbor railroad locomotive shop in Owosso, Michigan.
Just west of the Michigan State University campus is the Trowbridge diamond for CSX
and Grand Trunk/Canadian National. Though the diamond is railroad property and there's not a good spot nearby, the
Amtrak station is located just east of the diamond on the Grand Trunk/Canadian Nation right-of-way. This location provides a good place to park and
watch the diamond. Also, while the station is open (station hours depend on the schedule of the International), there are rest rooms available.
Though I have not been able to confirm it with the station master, it seems that the heated foyer is open all the time. This provides rail fans with
place to warm up during the winter and even make a few calls on the pay phone. Only a few yard south of the station is the CSX grade crossing. Hot
box detectors on both lines near the diamond give excellent warning when a westbound train will be approaching and summaries of eastbound trains
which just passed.
|
Hot Box Detectors are used by the railroads to automatically sense trouble with a train. They provide information over the radio (by voice) about
any problems found, axle counts, and the speed as it passes the detector. GTW and most other railroads still call them "Hot Box Detectors"
after their original purpose -- to find overheated journal boxes. CSX refers to their detectors as "Equipment Defect Detectors." GTW's
Hot Box Detector (HBD) is located east of Haslett, M.P. 232.0. The CSX Defect Detector (in CSX parlance) is located in Okemos at CH 79.9.
|
Lapeer
Lapeer sits on the single track mainline of the Grand Trunk/Canadian National's Flint
Subdivision. The historic depot is currently used as an Amtrak passenger station for their train, the
International (a joint effort between Amtrak and VIA Rail of Canada which
travels daily between Chicago and Toronto by way of Durand, Flint, Lapeer, Port Huron, and Sarnia to name a few). This line is the primary feed for
the Grand Trunk/Canadian National to and from Canada. This line tends to see some pretty good traffic, though almost
entirely Grand Trunk/Canadian National freight. The Lapeer depot makes is a nice location to sit on a bench and wait
for the trains to pass by.
The Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road recently acquired the Lapeer
Industrial Rail Road which also runs past the depot in Lapeer. This line has very little traffic, but if your lucky you might catch their little
30-ton Plymouth built switching engine (see Trains magazine, March 2000, page 31) or their larger 65-ton mid-cab
GE running cars past the depot.
Plymouth
CSX maintains a diamond in Plymouth between their Saginaw and Plymouth subdivisions.
Though the diamond is not accessible, there are a couple good rail fanning locations according to the Plymouth Diamond site. Though I have never been rail fanning in Plymouth, word is that since
the Conrail merger Plymouth has picked-up much more traffic. According to rail fans, usually the mornings and evenings are the busiest. If you know
where to go in town, there are reportedly switching jobs to be watched.
Port Huron
Port Huron serves as the connection between the U.S. and Canada for Grand Trunk/Canadian
National. They recently completed tunnel between Port Huron, MI and Sarnia, ON is capable of handling the large railroad cars typically not
permitted through most tunnels. Built in 1891, the original St. Clair tunnel was the first railroad tunnel between the two countries (and is now on
the list of National Historic Landmarks), but had not been built to
accommodate the larger cars of the contemporary rail roads. Before the new tunnel had been completed, much of the rail traffic had been ferried
across the river. CSX has trackage rights through the GTW/CN and also owns the former Port Huron & Detroit
Railroad.
Sadly, I have only been to Port Huron once. The Amtrak station is quite close to the tunnel and provides a good view of
the tunnel's operations. The station sits only a few yards from the approach to the tunnel and all tunnel traffic to and from Canada will pass before
you while waiting at the depot. On the opposite side of the station is a CSX right-of-way which appears to be only for local use. We were able to
find a yard near the water front though with a CSX switcher sitting idle with a few car scattered around it. Plans are going forward for an extensive
addition to the area surrounding the station including a possible intermodal facility.
|
