While we are on the subject of Michigan railroads, I have to mention one of my favorite roads, Grand Trunk Western. As as kid, we lived five houses down from the GTW mainline on the southwest side of Chicago. Whenever, I would hear a steam whistle blow, I was out of the house racing down the sidewalk to watch a train roar by at mainline speeds.
The Grand Trunk Western was a reorganization of the Chicago & Grand Trunk railroad and various lines in Michigan between 1900 and 1930. It was owned by Canadian National railroad interests and ultimately absorbed by the CN. The GTW operated main lines from Port Huron to Chicago, as well as from Port Huron to Detroit, and Detroit to Durand. The railroad also absorbed the Detroit & Toledo Shore Line from Detroit to Toledo, and the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton, ultimately selling that but retaining the line from Trenton to Flat Rock.
Grand Trunk Western is the American arm of Canadian National operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Since a corporate restructuring by CN in 1971 the railroad has been under a subsidiary holding company known as the Grand Trunk Corporation.
Grand Trunk Westernâs mainline, known as its Chicago Division, runs between Chicago, Illinois and Port Huron, Michigan. It serves as a connection between the railroad interchanges in Chicago and the rail lines in eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States. The railroad also has extensive trackage in Detroit, Michigan, and Ohio. Its presence in Detroit has made the railroad an essential link for the automotive industry. GTW has become known as a major hauler of parts and autos from manufacturing plants around Detroit and across Michigan.
Interesting that just last night I saw a four-axle GT unit (with the noodle on a blue hood with red ends!) MUed behind one of the IC SD70s (complete with Death Star on the nose and not CN) going north in the middle of the night.
I routinely see a unit with this paint doing local runs down the âbluffsâ near Central Station, and in the little yard at Chelsea St. north of the entrance to CSX Leewood Yard.
The Detroit to Durand line used to continue to Grand Haven and thru trackage rights to Muskegon. From there they used to run car ferries across Lake Michigan until the mid 1970s. The Durand station serves Amtrak, and has a museum, and is a major train watching spotâŚ
Grand Haven and Muskegon are easily recognizable towns along the east coast of Michigan. On several occasions, we took trips by car from Chicago to Mackinaw City and passed through both towns. I was curious how the Grand Trunk Western ran that Durand line, so I Googled it and found this route map. It is interesting how the route split between Grand Haven and Muskegon. Thanks for posting.
My first exposure to the Grand Trunk Western was with my dad who brought me along on some CN/GTW fan trips in the 1960s. One was from Detroit to Stratford, Ontario, then on the return trip we went via Sarnia and Port Huron for a âcircleâ trip.
On another occasion we stopped for a while at the big Durand junction where I climbed around on some steam engines stored there. One of the engines was an S-3a 2-8-2 No. 4070. Years later I would reunite with this engine and have about a ten-year relationship with repairing, firing and sometimes operating this engine in the Cleveland - Pittsburgh area.
Before the 1958 renumbering the 4070 was numbered 3734 which I have an HO model of:
Thanks for that discussion, Ed. I envy the fact that you, as a child, were able to get up close and personal with actual locomotives. As a kid, I had a great time with my American Flyer stuff, but the closest I ever got to a real steam locomotive was standing behind an 8 foot high chain link fence along the GTW mainline.
To me, one of the best things about watching or chasing GTW 4070 on the CVSR in the 1980âs, was that it ran every Saturday. That meant that, if it was raining or I had chores to do, I could afford to miss it, because I knew it would be back the following weekend. These days itâs usually a rare one-day opportunity to see a steam locomotive. But to see a fine one every Saturday, and only 20 miles away, was just great.
Ed, I had no idea you were in the cab on those trips; Iâm envious.
I also bought an âI Rode Behind 4070â button but I donât know where it is at the moment. Anyhow, this postcard shows 4070 just after her starring role in âThe Naturalâ. I donât know what MRPS has planned for the tender, but this is definitely the look theyâre going for in the current restoration of the locomotive.
In the group photo thatâs Russ Jaite on the left. Ironically, he was involved when the C&O 2707 was pulled out of Brookside Park some years later (1984 or so). The 2707 finally wound up at the Illinois Railroad Museum. The guy in the white hat climbing into the vestibule looks like Mel Knopp.
Ed, your early exposure to real trains at such a young age is truly amazing. To get up close and personal way back then obviously set the tone for a lifetime of railfanning and model railroading. Very cool!
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