Alpena's Fletcher Industrial Branch

[Saturnalia]

While I was up in Alpena recently, I took the time to go take a bunch of pictures of the old industrial branch. Wow is a lot of it gone! Anyway, here is the set on Flickr (no way I'm linking 52 photos!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89601546@N ... 131894582/

Enjoy

[AARR]

Fletcher closed in 1994 IIRC. They were a steady customer for D&M. I think they closed because of something with the union.

The big customer on the line was the hardboard plant by the lake. It has had quite a few operators over the years (most of them Abitibi & Something). However, demand for its product must fallen off because shipments in (wood resins) and out (hard board) fell next to nothing. Ironically after the spur was removed the plant started shipping a wood ethanol (unfortunately by truck) and also transloading hardboard again at LSRC's Alpena yard.

[HughJ]

Flecther Paper got their raw material (recycled carboard boxes) by box car. For a while in the early 1990's there was coal for the second boiler (did not work out and was shut down) The main boiler was natural gas. I saw them ship finished product once in awhlie in box cars ( when I worked there it was mainly by truck).

The union did go out on strike and the mill was closed.

[LSRC]

Fletcher closed in 1994 IIRC. They were a steady customer for D&M. I think they closed because of something with the union.

I'm fairly certain that it was later than 94, as I moved to the Alpena area in 94 and it was open for a few more years after that. A rough guess would be more like 99-00.