NYC Jackson-GR questions

[wyrickj]

Hey I have a few questions on the old Jackson to GR branch line.

1st - Why was most of the line that's no longer rail not been put into the rail trail program? I've noticed buildings in bing maps built on the right of way near middleville. Also there's a old bridge that crosses the thornapple river between middleville and airport rd in Hastings and from what I saw is at the other side of the bridge is blocked off. I'm sure it's private property but I guess I'm confused as to why most of it was never made into the rail trail system. Were people greedy in that they wanted the land? I'd like to see Paul Henry expanded as its my favorite trail.

2nd - Was there business left just before they took the line out? Was bradford white in middleville ever a shipper? Was there businesses there that no longer exist today like grain elevators because they tore it out?

3rd - What do you think will become of the northwest side of the line at 44th and kalamazoo ave? I've kinda checked it out and there's not much there left other then some small pieces of rail and ties. Do you think it could be a good starting point for some future commuter train to go downtown? I see a lot of people taking the bus around there so maybe in the future it might work. Also who owns the rail bed currently up to Steelcase?

[SD80MAC]

Grand Elk still has a customer out near the end of the line by Kzoo and 44th, otherwise the line is used mostly for storage.

[GrandTrunkFan]

Hey I have a few questions on the old Jackson to GR branch line.

1st - Why was most of the line that's no longer rail not been put into the rail trail program? I've noticed buildings in bing maps built on the right of way near middleville. Also there's a old bridge that crosses the thornapple river between middleville and airport rd in Hastings and from what I saw is at the other side of the bridge is blocked off. I'm sure it's private property but I guess I'm confused as to why most of it was never made into the rail trail system. Were people greedy in that they wanted the land? I'd like to see Paul Henry expanded as its my favorite trail.

2nd - Was there business left just before they took the line out? Was bradford white in middleville ever a shipper? Was there businesses there that no longer exist today like grain elevators because they tore it out?

3rd - What do you think will become of the northwest side of the line at 44th and kalamazoo ave? I've kinda checked it out and there's not much there left other then some small pieces of rail and ties. Do you think it could be a good starting point for some future commuter train to go downtown? I see a lot of people taking the bus around there so maybe in the future it might work. Also who owns the rail bed currently up to Steelcase?

I can answer #2 for you. Yes Bradford White was a customer. Theyd ship out water heaters by rail for years but stopped in the early 80s because they were having too many get damaged. This was right before Kent Barry Eaton Connecting Railroad went belly up. Other customers around Hastings were Hasting Manufacturing, there was a Kent Feeds Elevator, and Ive heard Consumers Power unloaded power poles on the same line as Hastings Mfg. They used part of the old CKS line to serve Hastings Mfg and Consumers, the old bridge over the river is still there. EW Bliss Manufacturing shipped by rail too. There was also a grain elevator in Vermontville that was on the end of the line. Im sure theres more but thats just off the top of my head.

[wyrickj]

It sounds like there were still a decent amount of customers left so I wonder why they gave up? Could they not have found someone else to operate the whole line after KBE?

[AARR]

It sounds like there were still a decent amount of customers left so I wonder why they gave up? Could they not have found someone else to operate the whole line after KBE?

The few customers that used rail did not ship enough cars to pay for the cost of having the tracks in place.

Plus, the guys who operated KB&E were caught doing something wrong but I don't recall what it was. Something about billing for services but not performing the services or something like that.

This may have been better posted in the History section, not that its a big deal that it wasnt.

[Raildudes dad]

Pretty sure Bradford White still ships by rail but intermodal. DLM will need to confirm

[Tom Train]

After quitting rail, Bradford White shipped via piggyback , I believe from Wyoming Yard. They leased trailers from Leaseco, afore runner of Penske in GRR, If memory serves.

[Mark F]

The state was interested in purchasing the entire line from GR to Rives Jct. after KBEC went belly up in the mid 80's. Unfortunately this was in the infancy of the Rails-to-Trails movement and a few well organized NIMBYs convinced the state and local governments that a trail was a bad idea. A local resident in the Middleville area bought up as much of the corridor as possible to preserve it for trail use. The Thornapple Trail Association has been trying to connect these preserved sections ever since. NIMBYs also successfully stopped any future extension of Kent Trails from Byron Center down to Allegan on the old NYC.

[Mortsman]

Hi, My first post. I was born and raised in Hastings and the MC Grand Valley Branch was a daily part of my young and early adult life. I even rode the "Beeliners" (RDC's) home on leave from the army.

Grandtrunkfan gave a very accurate recounting. Barry County is still one of the most politically rural counties in the state and the local politics are intense and very personal. The NIMBY's have apparently managed to shut down any possiblilty of a rail trail from Irving to Nashville. The same thing happened south of Delton when the CK&S pulled up the tracks in 1937. Within months, the squatters were building small homes (merely shacks then, but they have been improved greatly over the years) on the ROW around the lake and by the time the war came along, the ROW was totally occupied with a long, narrow residential area. It was occasionly challenged, but to my knowledge, no squatter was ever evicted. It was in the depths of the Great Depression and no Judge in Barry County cared to risk lynching, merely to defend a railroad.

I have a great story about the Eisenhower Campaign Special pulled by honest-to-God car bodies (E8's ?). the first I had ever seen, when it progressed from Jackson to GR in 1952, but I will save that for another time.

[Saturnalia]

Welcome to the board!

Who is the customer near 44th street in GR?

[GrandTrunkFan]

Hi, My first post. I was born and raised in Hastings and the MC Grand Valley Branch was a daily part of my young and early adult life. I even rode the "Beeliners" (RDC's) home on leave from the army.

Grandtrunkfan gave a very accurate recounting. Barry County is still one of the most politically rural counties in the state and the local politics are intense and very personal. The NIMBY's have apparently managed to shut down any possiblilty of a rail trail from Irving to Nashville. The same thing happened south of Delton when the CK&S pulled up the tracks in 1937. Within months, the squatters were building small homes (merely shacks then, but they have been improved greatly over the years) on the ROW around the lake and by the time the war came along, the ROW was totally occupied with a long, narrow residential area. It was occasionly challenged, but to my knowledge, no squatter was ever evicted. It was in the depths of the Great Depression and no Judge in Barry County cared to risk lynching, merely to defend a railroad.

I have a great story about the Eisenhower Campaign Special pulled by honest-to-God car bodies (E8's ?). the first I had ever seen, when it progressed from Jackson to GR in 1952, but I will save that for another time.

Interesting read! Ive spent a long time gathering info on that line in its twilight, 1980-83, so I chimed in what I knew without digging up my notes. Didnt know about the squatters on the CKS. Also didnt know Bradford White shipped out on rail via intermodal in Grand Rapids. And welcome to the board from another Barry County country bumpkin turned city slicker. I grew up in Woodland.

[J T]

I have a great story about the Eisenhower Campaign Special pulled by honest-to-God car bodies (E8's ?). the first I had ever seen, when it progressed from Jackson to GR in 1952, but I will save that for another time.

Please feel free to tell us some more of your experiences/knowledge on that line from GR to Jackson. The history board is a great place to start, and I'm sure you'll have more than a few "fans" of your stories.

[Ben Higdon]

I have heard a lot of plasterboard was shipped out of Grand Rapids on this line from the plaster mills on the west side of the city. Anyone know more about this traffic? Did they ship it in boxcars, or bulkhead flats?

Thanks!

[Raildudes dad]

Welcome to the board!

Who is the customer near 44th street in GR?

Great Lakes Gypsum and Supply in the old UPS building[

quote="Ben Higdon"]I have heard a lot of plasterboard was shipped out of Grand Rapids on this line from the plaster mills on the west side of the city. Anyone know more about this traffic? Did they ship it in boxcars, or bulkhead flats?[/quote]

Would have had to be box cars because it was before bulkhead flats (before my time )

[Larry G]

Just going to chime in briefly on this topic with what went on in the Charlotte area when the line was abandoned and the idea of a recreation trail surfaced here. Most folks that had property ajoining the ROW "feared an invasion that would bring crime from the big cities" as I remember and fought it to kill it.

After fighting it many were more than happy to GRAB the land when the RR sold off the grade. However I do believe that there is an electronic cable down the old ROW west of here. Currently electric utilities are working off the ROW west of Charlotte installing a higher capacity power line.

Shortly after the rails were pulled up it was possible to drive the ROW until land owners gated and blocked it at the rural road crossings.

Here are a few pictures taken west of Charlotte on this site:


You are looking WB towards Vermontville. The rails are gone and decay is underway. Still a nice hike on a crisp fall day....no bugs!!!! It has been over 35 years since the last train crept through here at 10mph!!

In this view of the trestle on the Thornapple river you can see the cable conduit across the bents.


Autumn view NYC-PC Grade Eaton County, MI 10-18-09 Looking west on former NYC-PC grade in Eaton County, MI.
Location: Kinsel Hwy northwest of Charlotte.

Sadly to say shortsighted people voided a chance to have a great recreational trip through central west Michigan.

Sorry for the editorial opinion, still is disgusting today that this potential recreational venue was lost.

[AARR]

Thanks for the pics of the old ROW Larry. I enjoy seeing where tracks once laid and trains once ran.

[Larry G]

Here's one more...taken right after PC stopped...compare with the pictures in my earlier post.




Thornapple River Trestle Near Vermontville on Penn Cental




These two photos were taken 4-10-76 after PC ceased operations. Looking WB towards Vermontville at track which once maintained to 60 mph service through here. At the end about 10 mph on this Jackson to Grand Rapid Branch. Trestle is still in place today off Shaytown Rd in western Eaton County. See digital photos in this album of current views.



More photos of the end of the PC era on this line at Charlotte here and current C&S dinner train operations if you are interested.

http://www.railroadfan.com/gallery/thumbnails-1348.html

[wyrickj]

Great information guys. I had a few questions regarding KBEC operations.

While I heard from this thread they billed users without providing service and also heard they broke a lot of water heaters was there any other problems or games they had played? I also read from a newspaper archive on Google that the KBEC had a 700% to 900% operation cost increase after the Conrail exit. Was that because of all the problems that they had caused like damaged water heaters or how bad the track was or just greedy employees?


I know the traffic dried up and thus causing them to fail but was the real reason traffic left because of horrible service/billing fraud?

It's hard to imagine people working 15 hour days on this line during the NYC days

EDIT: Err I thought this thread was in the history section. Thought I'd post it in my thread since it is relating to the original topic.

[AARR]

Grand Elk still has a customer out near the end of the line by Kzoo and 44th, otherwise the line is used mostly for storage.

Ironically there is a customer on this segment with a spur who chooses to transload from Hugart instead. I think its the cookie or cracker plant or something like that.

When the line was abandoned from Vermontville to Grand Rapids there were a handful of small customers left but the major ones, like the place in Middleville, had gone to truck.

Speaking of Bradford White, at one time they loaded flat cars with trailers circus ramp style. They could load up to 7 flat cars at a time.

[SD80MAC]

Grand Elk still has a customer out near the end of the line by Kzoo and 44th, otherwise the line is used mostly for storage.

Ironically there is a customer on this segment with a spur who chooses to transload from Hugart instead. I think its the cookie or cracker plant or something like that.

That would be the former Keebler Plant, which is now Kellogs or Sara Lee. Must be cheaper to transload at Hugart and truck it a couple of miles to the plant, or maybe they don't want to mess with direct rail service?