Summerail trip - 6

Hi, Thursday, August 16, was not productive. The day dawned with bright sunshine in Midland, MI; where we had spent the night. Bill Kalkman had done some research on Google Maps satellite view and located both the Lake State Yard and the Huron & Eastern Yard. We immediately headed for the Lake State yard. However, every road that the map showed would take us to the yard passed through the fence surrounding the Dow Chemical Company complex here. When we attempted to drive to the Huron & Eastern yard we again encountered fences and guard posts.

We concluded that both yards were within the plant complex and that we could not get to them. So we decided to move on to Durand, MI.

When we arrived at Durand we had an opportunity to look around the museum in the station even though it was not officially open; as one of the members was there. They have an ACES board there from which we learned a westbound was approaching. As the weather had gone cloudy we elected to shoot it across the tracks from the station.

Later we saw at a distance and heard a train switching in the Huron & Eastern yard north of the CN main line. However, we were unable to get close and we were at the wrong end of the yard when it left town. After lunch we headed for Royal Oak, MI where we would spend Friday morning at the Woodward Dream Cruise.

Friday afternoon we drove to Berea, OH where we had a very nice dinner at the Depot Restaurant on the terrace overlooking the tracks here. The next morning we returned to Berea for photography (for an earlier post on Berea see -
http://capitollimited.blogspot.com/search/label/Ohio?updated-max=2017-08-16T21:23:00-04:00&max-results=20&start=3&by-date=false).

Note that all of the trackage here was originally New York Central, then Penn Central, then Conrail. The Conrail split resulted in NS getting one route through the area (it is now part of their Chicago Line) and CSX getting the other (it is now part of their route from New Jersey and New England to the midwest).

The action began almost as soon as we got to Berea. First was an eastbound manifest passing a westbound tank train (above and below).

All of the elevated photos were taken from the bridge in the photo above. The train is westbound.

This train also is westbound.

An eastbound stack train passed the tower (above and below). The tower is out of service.

Back on the ground I caught an SD80MAC westbound with a tank train.

After I returned to the bridge two more eastbound stack trains passed the tower (above and below).

This train was moving so slowly that

I was able to change locations for a second shot.

A young railfan gave an easbound CSX stacker the high sign.

Thanks for looking.

Summerail Trip - 5

Hi, On Wednesday, August 15 we achieved my second main objective for this trip, quality photo opportunities for the Lake State Railway.

We started our day back at the yard in Saginaw. As we approached the yard we spotted this train coming off the Saginaw River bridge just to the west of the yard so we headed to an open spot and then

to the pedestrian bridge east of there.

Based on information we had received on Tuesday from Kevin Burkholder we headed to Wenona Yard hoping to intercept the train coming from Alpena. We were successful. After a Huron & Eastern crew that had been working here departed the Alpena train pulled to the south end of the yard (above and below).

Here it waited for a passenger extra carrying railroad executives to a golf outing in Gaylord, MI.

Once the passenger train cleared the Alpena train continued its journey (above and two below).

We caught up to the train on the northeast side of Bay City.

After the Alpena train pulled into a small yard in northeastern Bay City the Bay City Turn arrived (above and two below). We could not see what was going on but it seemed like both trains did some switching.

After the Bay City Turn left the Alpena train backed out of the yard, went around a wye and pulled across the Saginaw River.

In this photo the train has crossed the Saginaw River with the bridge is out of sight to the left. The train actually needed to go in the opposite direction but that wasn't possible coming off the bridge.

 So the crew pulled about a mile west to a siding and ran around their train (above and below).

While they switched after their run around we waited in Essexville for a shot and then beat the train to the south side of Bay City (above).

Just south of Bay City the railroad crosses Chebovganing Creek.

This tractor is used to move hoppers around a siding adjacent to the Lake State yard in Saginaw.

After a while the Alpena train arrived in Saginaw, shown with one of the railroads Saginaw River bridges in the background and

pulled through the yard.

After lunch we drove up to Gaylord so we could chase the passenger train south toward Saginaw.

This former Pennsy observation car was on the rear.

The chase was easy as Old Highway 27 South closely parallels the railroad. We shot the train at Arbutus Beach,

along Otsego Lake,

at Waters, and

north of Frederic (above and below).

Thanks for looking.

Summerail trip - 4

Hi, This turned out to be a slow day. After attempting to get information at the Lake State Ry office and being turned down; national security you understand, we headed up to Bay City.

Eventually we found ourselves at the Huron & Eastern's Wenona Yard; now a Genesee & Wyoming railroad (above and below).

Switching completed the train headed for Saginaw; seen here passing DeFoe Park (above and below).

We caught the train twice just south of Bay City (above and below)

here crossing Dutch Creek.

On returning to the Lake State yard in Saginaw we were able to photograph our first locomotive in their new paint scheme. This was taken from a foot bridge that crosses the yard.

At the south end of the Huron & Eastern yard in Saginaw two units were switching. The black unit is a former CN GP40.

on our final visit to the Lake State Yard we caught a locomotive in the older Lake State paint scheme switching.

While the Lake State locomotive continued switching a Huron & Eastern with the power seen earlier passed through the yard on trackage rights.

This Lake State train had former two KCS locomotives for power.

As the day neared to a close we drove up to Pinconning and were fortunate to find a matched pair of units in the new paint scheme.

Thanks for looking.