A post relating to the town of Tecumseh, Michigan
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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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Tecumseh autumn arrival (1980)
The leaves on the trees were turning and the afternoon shadows getting long when Edward Hodges captured Conrail’s Clinton Local arriving in Tecumseh, Michigan on 22 October 1980. The Local, running southbound from Clinton to Lenawee Junction, is approaching the […]
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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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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—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 […]
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Photo day—Spring weather near Tecumseh
The leaves on the line side trees are coming out as Conrail’s “Clinton Local” approaches Tecumseh, Michigan on 21 May 1981. The train had just crossed the River Raisin trestle and was leaning into the curve behind Paul’s Trailer Court […]
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Winter blues in Tecumseh
Southern boxcar #32984 is probably hoping for a quick return to warmer, sunnier climes of the South as it passes southbound through Tecumseh, Michigan on 22 January 1981, headed for Lenawee Junction. Photographer Edward Hodges was out on this bleak, […]
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Conrail twilight in the snow
In late 1981, Conrail operations on the Clinton Secondary Track (Toledo–Clinton via Lenawee Junction) were coming to an end. Trains were called on an as-needed basis, running on average about once a week. There was no schedule, and trains were […]
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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 […]
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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 […]