A post relating to the Southern Michigan Railroad Society (SMRS)
-
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 […]
-
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 […]
-
Photo day—Bidwell Street Crossing
It Is Saturday, June 6, 1987, and a southbound Southern Michigan Railroad passenger service is just crossing Bidwell Street in the city of Tecumseh, Michigan. The train is led by the SMR’s 35-ton Plymouth locomotive #57 (lettered for the long-gone […]
-
Photo Day—The Plymouth at Budd
On a snowy Saturday in January 1987, the Southern Michigan Railroad’s 35-ton Plymouth switcher makes a foray onto the Budd Company siding, just south of Clinton, Michigan. The switcher had been restored the previous year, and was running solo this […]
-
Christmas in Tecumseh 1987
In the 1980s, a Christmas tradition in Tecumseh, MI was the annual “Christmas Walk”, sponsored by the Tecumseh Chamber of Commerce. Held on a Saturday evening, local shops stayed open late, the streets were decorated, Santa was present, and people […]
-
A Phone Box for Staib
Along the former-NYC “Old Road” line between Toledo and Adrian, MI, the NYC, Penn Central and later Conrail had used block limit rules for train operations. This required an ability to call the train dispatcher (in this case at Nasby […]
-
Photo day—obey the signs!
A Southern Michigan Railroad passenger service, led by Plymouth locomotive O&M #57 and caboose NYC #21692 arrives at Brown Street in Tecumseh, Michigan on 06 June 1987. To the right are vintage signs from the New York Central days, providing […]
-
Replicating an NYC speeder
The mid to late-1980s was the age of the railway motor car on the Southern Michigan Railroad, which owned the line between Clinton and Lenawee Junction, Mich. The recent large sales of used motor cars by the Norfolk and Western […]
-
The Staib Road shuffle
On 31 May 1987, the southbound Southern Michigan Railroad “caboose train” (made up of Plymouth switcher #57 and 1-2 caboose cars) has just crossed Staib Road, heading for Tecumseh. The single-ended siding at Staib (which once served Tecumseh Crop Service) […]
-
Photo day—Fall Festival 1986
The parade is over, and the 1986 Clinton (Mich.) Fall Festival is coming to an end. At the Southern Michigan Railroad, the day isn’t over. A crowd of parade-goers is now descending on railroad, ready to ride back to their […]