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Photo day—Spring Local
There were only traces of snow on the ground on 12 April 1977 when Ed Hodges photographed Conrail’s Clinton Local switching behind the Budd Company plant on the south side of Clinton, Michigan. Conrail has already existed for over one […]
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Photo day—Tecumseh layover
On a hot summer afternoon in 1988, the Southern Michigan Railroad Society’s train has arrived in downtown Tecumseh. Passengers have gotten off to walk about the town, and there will be a small break before the train starts its return […]
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Clinton Crossing
The Southern Michigan Railroad Society signed the contract to purchase Conrail’s Clinton Branch between Lenawee Junction and Clinton, Michigan in 1985. At this time there were no full-size trains on the line, and operations were handled using railroad motor cars. […]
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Jackson’s lonely RPO car
In early 1989, I drove to Jackson, Michigan to do an interview for a university journalism assignment. Afterwards, with a few frames left on the roll of film to use up, I drove by the Amtrak depot looking for something […]
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Photo day—Alcos in the snow
It is 22 December 1985, and Lenawee County Railroad #2 “George Crane” has just spotted former-Ann Arbor Railroad RS-2s #301 and #303 (carrying reporting marks “SMRX”) on the west leg of the wye at Lenawee Junction, Michigan for delivery to […]
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Portrait of a local
In the late afternoon light of 09 December 1981, Edward Hodges photographed Conrail’s northbound Clinton Local crossing Bidwell Street in Tecumseh, Michigan. The local is running on the Clinton Secondary Track and originated at Air Line Yard in Toledo, Ohio. […]
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Switching at the Junction
Looking like a scene from the 1960s, this photograph was taken at Lenawee Junction, Michigan on the Lenawee County Railroad on 03 November 1986. The LCRC is switching equipment of the Southern Michigan Railroad following a weekend display in Blissfield […]
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November morning in Clinton
On the morning of 03 November 1987, the Southern Michigan Railroad’s (SMRS) Plymouth switcher #57 is warming up in front of the group’s headquarters/museum building in Clinton, Michigan. Lettered for the long-defunct Ohio & Morenci Railroad, #57 was SMR’s only […]
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A new series about the history of Tecumseh’s railroads
Today marks the publishing of the first part of Edward Hodges’ history of the railroad of Tecumseh. The first part is a history of the Palmyra & Jacksonburgh Railroad, the north/south line which later became the New York […]
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Adventures with the Penn Central in Clinton (1974)
by Eric Reinert Here are my recollections of the Penn Central operations I have from the brief period that I lived in Clinton, Michigan. We moved to Clinton from Milan, Mich. in October 1974, 6-7 weeks after school had started, […]