LCRC #2 backs down the east leg of the wye at Lenawee Jct., MI with SMRS equipment on October 31, 1986. In the foreground is the diamond crossing with the former-NYC Monroe Branch.
During the early years of the Southern Michigan Railroad Society in the mid-1980s, the line from Lenawee Jct. to Clinton, Mich. was already severed at Raisin Center by the removal of the crossing diamonds with the Norfolk & Western Railway’s Detroit to St. Louis main line. At the time, it was believed that the diamonds would be restored, so the SMRS moved forward with the acquisition of various cars and locomotives, which were to be stored on the south end of the line near Jim Frye’s farm until such time as the diamonds were restored, and the equipment could be moved north to Tecumseh.
As none of the locomotives were operational at that point, equipment would be moved in and out by the Lenawee County Railroad Company. An LCRC locomotive would travel nearly a mile north over the SMRS line to reach the storage site. For a fee, of course, which was about $150 a switch at the time.
There were two former-Lackawanna MU cars stored on the site at the time, and these were also required to be moved back and forth from time to time by the owner to keep the journals oiled.
Former-Lackawanna Railroad MU car #4345 is shoved across Lenawee Highway and onto SMRS trackage on January 4, 1985.
LCRC #2 sits by the Jim Frye farm north of Demlow Road on January 4, 1985 during switching of SMRS equipment.
There were a few more equipment moves after the Adrian & Blissfield Railroad replaced the LCRC in the early 1990s. However, A&B locomotives did not venture up the SMRS line. Instead, equipment was towed down to Lenawee Junction with a tractor by the SMRS.
Thank you to Dale Pape for input on this post.
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