Why Sunnyside?

[Saturnalia]

Why is the area between Plaster Creek and Godfrey St in Grand Rapids called "Sunnyside?"

[J T]

The answer is on this page:

http://xrailfan.com/trains/x/csxdsl/grtsub.html

[Saturnalia]

The answer is on this page:

http://xrailfan.com/trains/x/csxdsl/grtsub.html

Okay, where is it?

[trnwatcher]

The answer is on this page:

http://xrailfan.com/trains/x/csxdsl/grtsub.html

Okay, where is it?

"Sunnyside" is actually the area between Godfrey Ave east to Century Ave. Today it basically refers to the wye between Oakland and Grandville Ave. Back before the 1960's or early 70's the track arrangement was much differnent that what it is today. Chessie System and PC agreed to redo the trackage through downtown GR and they consolidated their routes to the west side. Back before this there was even more trackage allowing access to the old Union Station. There where crossovers just west of Century Ave as well as other industry tracks all along this area. How the name actually came into exsistence is probably something best found in a library. I've never heard how the name came about, but I know it's been called Sunnyside since the late 1800's.

[amtrak1007]

The answer is on this page:

http://xrailfan.com/trains/x/csxdsl/grtsub.html

Okay, where is it?

"Sunnyside" is actually the area between Godfrey Ave east to Century Ave. Today it basically refers to the wye between Oakland and Grandville Ave. Back before the 1960's or early 70's the track arrangement was much differnent that what it is today. Chessie System and PC agreed to redo the trackage through downtown GR and they consolidated their routes to the west side. Back before this there was even more trackage allowing access to the old Union Station. There where crossovers just west of Century Ave as well as other industry tracks all along this area. How the name actually came into exsistence is probably something best found in a library. I've never heard how the name came about, but I know it's been called Sunnyside since the late 1800's.

There used to be a tower located just east of Grandville Avenue on the north side of the current alignment that was designated "Sunnyside". As far as I can tell it controlled the EB access to the wye into Union Depot. Maybe the crossovers as trnwatcher indicates, but I haven't seen it in writing on any of my schematics that the tower had any real control.

[Mortsman]

It was possibly named "Sunnyside" after the Pennsylvania Railroad's passenger yard in New York City. Completed about 1910, the Sunnyside yard served Pennsylvania Station across the East River in Manhatten. This yard was considered the largest passenger yard in the U.S.

http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/licity/licity.htm

[canpac08]

Or it might be lost to the anals of time like the case of Maggie's lead. That came about from someone who owned a family farm in the area and the name stuck. Might not beable to find the answer in a book but talked to people who lived and worked in the area years ago. I learned the story of maggies lead from my grandfather who spent almost the whole decade of the 1960's as an electrican for the C&O in grand rapids

[trnwatcher]

My paternal grandfather worked for the PM back in the early part of the 20th century. My dad told the story he heard from my grandfather that Maggies lead got it's name from the madame who ran a brothel that was near the tracks back at that time. The men from the railroad would frequent her "house" and the track just "took" her name...

[Mr. Tops]

There's always a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.....or, it's always sunny on the other side of the knocking shop. Perhaps guys going east out of GR had reached the pot of gold after making a stop at Maggie's and were then on the "sunny side"?

[J T]

My paternal grandfather worked for the PM back in the early part of the 20th century. My dad told the story he heard from my grandfather that Maggies lead got it's name from the madame who ran a brothel that was near the tracks back at that time. The men from the railroad would frequent her "house" and the track just "took" her name...

Man, she must have been really dirty and smelly.