A post relating to history
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The last winter of the Clinton Branch—40 years later
by Jeffrey Dobek Photos—the author, except as noted A filing with the Interstate Commerce Commission on November 16, 1981 signaled the coming end of Conrail freight service on the Clinton Branch between Lenawee Junction and Clinton, Michigan: Although press reports […]
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Conrail in Sturgis
Located in St. Joseph County, Michigan, Sturgis was once an important railroad junction. The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern/New York Central’s “Old Road”—the original LS&MS main line to Chicago—passed through. The Old Road had a crossing in town at RK […]
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Photo day—Conrail on the Carrothers
Conrail GP40 #3263 and a GP30 sister lead a northbound train off the Carrothers Branch at Walbridge, Ohio on 09 March 1982. The train is about to cross the diamonds of the Toledo Terminal Railway and continue towards Toledo. To […]
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Photo day—Amtrak’s “St. Clair” at Detroit (1973)
Amtrak train #363, the westbound “St. Clair”, stirs up the dust as it crosses Central Ave. at the west end of Livernois Yard in Detroit on the afternoon of July 6, 1973. Classic cars spice up the scene, and in […]
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On railroad nicknames
by Edward D. Hodges A popular pastime of many railfans has been to form new names from the initials of railroads. In many cases these names were none too complimentary. The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, for example, was referred […]
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Photo day—Westbound at Vickers
Conrail caboose #21215 brings up the rear of a westbound freight train at Vickers Crossing at Toledo (Northwood), Ohio on March 3, 1984, finishing a crossover movement between main tracks. The train has just passed over the diamonds of the […]
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Shades of red in downtown Tecumseh
It’s a sunny fall day as the Southern Michigan Railroad Society’s GE 44-ton switcher #75 leads a northbound Fall Color Tour train across Chicago Boulevard (M-50) in downtown Tecumseh, Michigan on 05 October 1996. Despite the green light, traffic on […]
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Photo day—Weekend rest
Conrail’s Clinton local waits out the weekend, tied down on the Budd Company siding at Clinton, Michigan, on Saturday, 21 January 1981. Photographer Edward Hodges hiked out to the location to photograph the train, as operations on the Clinton line neared […]
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Late snow
Winter snow was still apparent on the ground as Lenawee County Railroad Company #2 “George Crane” blocked Logan Street in Adrian, MI on 08 April 1982. The crew is switching the Hoover/Stubnitz facility (originally Stubnitz Spring, later merged with Hoover […]
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Lumbering out of Lenawee
Photos by Edward Hodges Grey skies portend the future of Conrail’s Clinton Branch at Lenawee Junction, Michigan on December 15, 1981. Ed Hodges was on-hand to capture the northbound departure of this short freight train. A carload of lumber for […]