Jackson-Lansing Railroad

[GTWFRED]

Hopefully one good sign is I saw them switching QD's at Mt. Hope & Washington around noon more than once.

[Tim]

Under NS QD was switched once every other week. Was actually all they wanted.

[GTWFRED]

Thanks Tim, I just remember doing utility work on Osband for about 3 weeks a couple of years ago & seeing NS switching Qd's. Thats where i found old track & a switch (no switchstand) still in place IN the tree line. (small yard tracks from LSMS days???)

[M&LS]

Which tree line?

[GTWFRED]

Just to the east of FD Hayes electric, right where Osband heads north to Mt. Hope. I was wrecking some utility lines we replaced & dropped to the ground & tripped over the tracks, in weeds where the tree line started just east of FD Hayes, saw at least 1 switch, couldn't figure out what they had went to. they were aligned roughly SW to NE the same as the old main line just so far from the old main. The tree line ran north to MT. Hope on the east side of Osband. I've searched old Lansing maps with no luck showing anything but the old LSMS main. I never got the chance to go back there. Sorry for the delay in answering, our power went out! Just one of Lansings old RR relics. Theres still a piece of track in the ground off Saginaw from the old Lansing Transit railway (trolley)!

[Tim]

The NYC had their yard between Logan (MLK) and Mt Hope. When I hired out in '68 all that was left of it was the Main, Farm 1 parallel to it on the north and the Farm Lead which was the track along the tree line. The six or so tracks in between had been gone for years. Off the lead at the south end was the switch to Schafer Bakery which rejoined the main between Logan and the Lead switch. Off the Lead it at the north end was the Atlas lead which became two tracks outside their gate and three just inside it. That track must have belonged to Atlas as it's still there. Between Mt Hope and the lead crossover and parallel to the main was the Atlas pocket which had an out of service track into Atlas off it. Off the Main north to south was a facing point switch to the Atlas Pocket, trailing to along side Associated Grocers, trailing into the Associated building, facing crossover to Farm 1 and the Lead, trailing into the Duo Therm building which is now Quality Dairy, trailing to Lansing Drop Forge, facing to the Board of Water and Light coal storage area which was out of service, trailing into Federal Drop Forge which became two tracks at their gate, facing into the lumber yard with a grocery and State Journal beyond, trailing to Farm Lead, trailing to Schafer. It was a nice bowel shaped yard. The South NYC job spent about six hours a day switching in this area.
Lansing Transit was never a trolley, was always a freight line into downtown, mostly coal for BW&L Ottawa St plant. Used the current Riverwalk bridge.

[GTWFRED]

Wow Tim thanks! I went through a lot of old maps & couldn't find anything, but I had heard from someone who thought there was a yard there, but his memory is iffy (scourge of old age) . I've been meaning to get back there, to possibly get a date off the tracks, but they were still there in the tree/weed line! As for the Lansing Transit Railway I always thought it was a trolley (the short distance from the wye to the MC) to the two end stubs just south. Theres a piece of track left next to the brake shop under the billboard just east of N bound Cedar/Larch. I always thought the BWL track came from the old line that came south from Ensel yard, through old town! Thank you for answering a couple of nagging questions I've had!
Fred

[M&LS]

Cool! Thanks!

[rail_watcher]

So, going back to JAIL, have they been doing any daylight work yet?

[Clay320]

Found a video of a late night "JAIL break"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXqUqp6X ... enrqVMNBSA

[AARR]

Great horn and railroad sounds Thanks for posting.

[Tim]

You could get to the Ottawa St Plant from either the North NYC from Turner St or off the MC Main. The Transit from the MC Main was used almost exclusively until it was abandoned. Thereafter it came down from Turner St.

[M&LS]

Daylight work: at 12:30 hr today they were switching the box plant, then the mason elevator, headed SB.
Buddy of mine from Mason gave me a call at that time with the report. I was sleeping, I'll try to get daylight photos soon!

[AARR]

Daylight work: at 12:30 hr today they were switching the box plant, then the mason elevator, headed SB.

Switching Mason Elevator? That's terrific!!! I was told (by several people whom I think would know) they hadn't shipped anything by rail in a while. If that's true then perhaps JAIL has already brought back an old customer.

According to the MI Ag website Mason Elevator has the capacity to load unit trains but I'm told they don't have a long enough spur for it. Perhaps JAIL will be willing to work out those details to ship unit grain.

[GTWRalph]

The last time I saw NS at the Mason Elevator was the fall of 2008. It would be nice if JAIL returned to the Elevator. One thing for sure there is alot more rail traffic this past week. I got some great photos last week. It's great to see the GP-9's in action.

[AARR]

The last time I saw NS at the Mason Elevator was the fall of 2008. It would be nice if JAIL returned to the Elevator. One thing for sure there is alot more rail traffic this past week. I got some great photos last week. It's great to see the GP-9's in action.

IIRC ADBF loads unit grain in Blissfield without a siding so perhaps it's also possible in Mason? I don't know because I've never seen either location and I'm only going from what I recall hearing or reading.

[CamasChris]

My dad called me at about 10 your time (I live in Idaho PT zone) with a question about 1760 so I figured they were at work. Its good to hear that they have quite a few customers. Don there is a passing siding in Blissfield that held 40 cars. It took a little bit of switching but unit trains are loaded off the main.

[GTWRalph]

There is a siding at the Mason Elevator.

[AARR]

My dad called me at about 10 your time (I live in Idaho PT zone) with a question about 1760 so I figured they were at work. Its good to hear that they have quite a few customers. Don there is a passing siding in Blissfield that held 40 cars. It took a little bit of switching but unit trains are loaded off the main.

Ok - thanks Chris.

[AARR]

There is a siding at the Mason Elevator.

I thought there was but it may not be long enough to load 50 cars at once so some switching may be required to load 50 cars and that's where short lines have an advantage over Class 1's in that they'll switch out the elevator at far less cost than the Class 1 which makes it more economical for said elevator to ship by rail.