Whats year did th GT yard @ Leonard and Plainfeild
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- Yooper Foamer
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Whats year did th GT yard @ Leonard and Plainfeild
when did the GT close down shop there, and did they do any major work there, or just the little things brake shoes/ pads, ect.
- trainjunkie47
- Railroadfan...fan
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That would be Grand Rapids he's referring to. I wish I knew the answer to that as well. I DO know that the Choo Choo Grill at the corner of Leonard & Plainfield has been in operation as a hamburger joint since the late 40's. The BEST burgers in town, and if you get a chance to stop in for a bite, you'll see TONS of RR memorabilia (both local and national)...but I'm sure that's probably been mentioned here before.
- tsinoms
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ahhh choo choo grill loved that place, that is right next to the GRE line. I remember one i saw old passenger cars from the steam age. but i did see a thing that looked a platform? That may be it!! hope I helped
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- Yooper Foamer
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- Roadmaster
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There was a steam roundhouse there at one time. At the end of the Trunk, the engine house was a chain link fence In the steam era, they ran pushers both ways out of GR- west to just east of Fruit Ridge and east to Dewey (just east of M-21). The original depot was downtown where the Post Office is today. The depot on Leonard & Plainfield was built in the 50's? The concrete structure west of the tracks west of the Choo-Choo is what's left of a coal dock. There was a coal yard on Taylor and the cars were spotted on top and emptied into the bins you can see today.
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- Roadmaster
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Not sure which track you say was ripped out in the last year or 2. The track to the depot was were Canal Park is and the park by the 6th Street dam. That track has been gone a long time - 10 years or more? The depot was on a stub track. It ended there. The interurban crossed the Bridge Street bridge there too.
The track that goes in back of Water Works and runs parallel with Bond St (one block east of Monroe), that USED to go all the way to the P.O. In the last year or so, they've either paved over it or ripped it out (south of Newberry). Just as recently as a couple of years ago, I saw a train servicing the post office (the tracks went under 196 and it was quite common to see a few boxcars sitting there).
I have one of those Metro city wall maps from about 10 years ago, and on it shows the track I speak of, but actually going along the river bank near the park you mentioned. The section of track that goes to the P.O. along Bond is NOT on this map. Hmmm....
I have one of those Metro city wall maps from about 10 years ago, and on it shows the track I speak of, but actually going along the river bank near the park you mentioned. The section of track that goes to the P.O. along Bond is NOT on this map. Hmmm....
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- Yooper Foamer
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JT that siding use to go to GR press and they get a boxcar every day or other?, Reguardless it was used until the Press moved and as far as I know the line ended at the highway. But how it curves there at the park, I almost think it use to follow the river banks and go into downtown GR. Can anyone back that up?
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- Roadmaster
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The track down to the Press was (is) refered to as the Bond Street spur. Sackner Products was there and B&G Terminal formerly Berkey & Gay Furniture (Now Waterworks Condo's). There was a runaround south of Bond Street. The track at one time went to Michigan Street (pre-freeway & Press). I don't remember tracks south of Michigan but there was a walkway "1 track" wide for the first block south (late 50's). MDOT built a bridge over the tracks and when the Press built there in 64? they ended the track under the bridge and built their loading dock under there. There's a conveyor from there that goes under the parking lot into the paper storage in the basement. They tried to keep 30 days of newsprint on hand. They recieved about 325 cars per year, a little over a car a day. Problem was they would come in 12-14 car blocks. They p****d and moaned if they had to pay demurrage (could only get 3 cars at the dock at a time).
The track along the river went south from the curve at the real Waterworks (Coldbrook Street pumping station) The pumping station was also an coal fired power plant at one time. The power plant provided elelctriclity to the city street lighting system plus the pumps. They had their own run through spur for coal and there was (still?) is evidence of a diamond to the west. The GTW team tracks / outdoor dock/ramp was were the Canal Park is. The GTW freight house was on Monroe south of 6th. The tracks ended at the depot on Michigan. They did not go further south. There was a power canal south of Michigan Street.
The track along the river went south from the curve at the real Waterworks (Coldbrook Street pumping station) The pumping station was also an coal fired power plant at one time. The power plant provided elelctriclity to the city street lighting system plus the pumps. They had their own run through spur for coal and there was (still?) is evidence of a diamond to the west. The GTW team tracks / outdoor dock/ramp was were the Canal Park is. The GTW freight house was on Monroe south of 6th. The tracks ended at the depot on Michigan. They did not go further south. There was a power canal south of Michigan Street.
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- Roadmaster
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- Railroadfan...fan
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- Yooper Foamer
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