Frankemuth question

[Big Frank]

I promised the old lady to go to FM before i go back to work is there anything in the way of trains over there ? Or am i screwed and doomed to a day of headaches and misery

[Jochs]

You might be able to catch Essexville coal trains or trains coming from/going to Dow in Midland.
I'm not sure if GM is still open in Saginaw.

[conrailmike]

You won't see much in Flint. There's nowhere to park near CSX's McGrew Yard without trespassing and it doesn't see a whole lot of action to begin with. It's not in the best part of town anyway. Last time I checked there wasn't much going on at CN Flint Yard either. I don't think you can get very close to it too without trespassing, it's been awhile since I've been that way. You might catch SBS/LSRC running through Clio if you're lucky.

I'm sure some of the Saginaw guys can chime in on what there is to see in Saginaw/Bay City

[sd70accsxt700]

Junction Valley Railroad, the worlds largest quarter size railroad, is at the corner of Junction Rd. and Dixie Hwy in Bridgeport, on the way to Fmuth from I-75. Up the road from on I-75 is Saginaw, and you have the home of the SBS/LSRC in the old yard. Its off of Vetrens Memorial, and I-475, just to the north one block after getting off I-475. Only job I know you can count on is the job to Bay City, and they go on duity morning around 7. The line has lots of good photo ops on it. If you follow it, it heads out the west end of Saginaw yard, and turn north before crossing the river, and follows closley to M-13 up to Bay City. Other then that, not much around that area that sits. The HESR in the thumb is close by, power is usualy parked at Arther, behind the elevator, they usualy go on duity mid afternoon last I knew. Vassar is home to one of there locos too, they usualy go on duity early in the morning, and can go anywhere. Up in Bay City you have LSRC/SBS origonal yard, and HESR exCMGN yard. The CMGN yard is along M-13. There you usualy have 702 leaving early morning around 7, and shortly after between 8 and 10 740 the local to Saginaw and back. The LSRC yard is off of Wilder Rd. near the river.

[conrailmike]

There is much of GM left in Saginaw, Malleable Iron is closed. Grey Iron (Saginaw Metal Casting - GMPT) is still open though. Saginaw Steering Gear used to be part of Delphi but it's a different company now.

[GTW6401]

Saginaw is about a 15 minute drive from Frankenmuth and is good on weekdays. You can usually get 4-5 road or local trains around between the SBS and HESR. This would be the best bet to seeing trains acutally moving.

[OwlCaboose2853]

I promised the old lady to go to FM before i go back to work is there anything in the way of trains over there ? Or am i screwed and doomed to a day of headaches and misery

Saginaw Co map; http://michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Maps/ ... wCoMap.htm
Frankenmuth Twp map; http://michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Maps/ ... wp1920.htm

[Norm]

I promised the old lady to go to FM before i go back to work is there anything in the way of trains over there ? Or am i screwed and doomed to a day of headaches and misery

No trains, but some good chicken dinners and a taste of Bavarian beer. Also some good scenery. Take the trip; enjoy yourself, and ask the wife to drive home. That's assuming she hasn't partaken of the same pleasures you have. If the latter is the case, bring lots of cash for the taxi fare.

[Mark Rummel]

Ok, while we're discussing Frankenmuth, there was NEVER a rail line there, other than an interurban, if I remember correctly?

Now, nearby (about five miles north) at Gera there's still the closest rail line to Frankenmuth. It heads toward Saginaw and quite a bit of grain moves there. But Frankenmuth itself never had real rail -- if that's wrong, would someone please explain further? Thanks!

(P.S. - My grandfather was born three buildings from the depot in Gera back in 1895 or so...)

[Y@]

(P.S. - My grandfather was born three buildings from the depot in Gera back in 1895 or so...)

You sure that was your grandfather? You sure it wasn't....YOU?!?

[OwlCaboose2853]

Ok, while we're discussing Frankenmuth, there was NEVER a rail line there, other than an interurban, if I remember correctly?

Now, nearby (about five miles north) at Gera there's still the closest rail line to Frankenmuth. It heads toward Saginaw and quite a bit of grain moves there. But Frankenmuth itself never had real rail -- if that's wrong, would someone please explain further? Thanks!

(P.S. - My grandfather was born three buildings from the depot in Gera back in 1895 or so...)

Michigan United Railways http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_United_Railways Northeastern Division
The Northeastern Division operated several lines and branches in the Tri-Cities and Flint. The main line, which ran from Bay City to Flint, was built in stages between 1904 and 1914. The initial segment, Saginaw to Bridgeport, was built in 1904 by the Detroit, Flint & Saginaw. The same year the company built a branch line to Frankenmuth ("little Bavaria"). In 1908 the Saginaw & Flint, successor to the DF&S, branched off west of Frankenmuth and completed the line to Flint. Finally, in 1911, the S&F built north from Saginaw to Bay City, finishing the main line for a total length of 47.09 miles (75.78 km). Ownership passed to Michigan Railroad in 1919, and that company abandoned the Frankenmuth branch in 1922 and the main line in 1929. The Michigan United owned a separate Saginaw–Bay City line which had come down to it from the Saginaw–Bay City. This 13.44-mile (21.63 km) line ran along the left bank of the Saginaw River through Zilwaukee. Michigan Railroad sold the Saginaw–Zilwaukee section to Saginaw Transit in 1922 and then abandoned the rest.[8]

Detroit Transit History info -
http://www.detroittransithistory.info/S ... ibute.html co-authored by Jack E. Schramm - "When Eastern Michigan Rode the Rails" 1,2,3, and 4 volumns each books

[sd70accsxt700]

No you are right Mark, sort of. The interurban was the only rail to Frankenmuth, from a branch off the main at Junction (where JVR is and the corner of Junction and Dixie Hwy) into town. But is was not solid passenger. I did not buy the book, but there is a book by Arcadia Publishing (man I love those books) that is stictly history of Frankenmuth, that has a photo of a electric motor pulling milk and boxcars, and I believe stone, on the line. There were actually about four or five photos of the interurban in the book.

If you drive Dixie Hwy south towards Birch Run you can see the old ROW, on the west side of Dixie Hwy, especally just before the turn off at Maple Rd, where it followed Maple Rd. to the C&O in Birch Run, and then ran along the C&O south on the east side until just after Clio, where it went under the C&O and to the west side Into Mt. Morris. The line from Junction to town is impossable to find.

[Mark Rummel]

Hey Y@... don't make me come there after you (again!!!!)

Respect your elders... someday you'll be old too, but not as old as CAPTAIN CAPS PAT C... hehe

[sd70accsxt700]

Here is the book.

http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/mm5/me ... 0738561752

[conrailmike]

Hey Y@... don't make me come there after you (again!!!!)

Respect your elders... someday you'll be old too, but not as old as CAPTAIN CAPS PAT C... hehe

No one is as old as PAT C.

[OwlCaboose2853]

Here is the book.

http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/mm5/me ... 0738561752

Good, you found that book. I looked that book in Frankenmuth book store. It has photos about interurban and freight cars in Frankenmuth but not lot of images about trains.

[Big Frank]

I promised the old lady to go to FM before i go back to work is there anything in the way of trains over there ? Or am i screwed and doomed to a day of headaches and misery

No trains, but some good chicken dinners and a taste of Bavarian beer. Also some good scenery. Take the trip; enjoy yourself, and ask the wife to drive home. That's assuming she hasn't partaken of the same pleasures you have. If the latter is the case, bring lots of cash for the taxi fare.

Ive been informed to eat at Tony's as for the beer well it takes a lot of beer to put me down so ill only have a couple I lived in Germany for 5 yrs so my expectations on German beer is a lil high, but we will see

[conrailmike]

You better not eat breakfast or lunch if you're gonna eat at Tony's, you'll definitely need the room!

[Big Frank]

You better not eat breakfast or lunch if you're gonna eat at Tony's, you'll definitely need the room!

thats what ive heard lol

[SW]

You better not eat breakfast or lunch if you're gonna eat at Tony's, you'll definitely need the room!

Tony's BLT has a pound of bacon on it!