Unusual Industry #5 - Diamond Match Matchbook Plant

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

This is my PET Industry: Lived near, often rode past plant on my bike, when a kid.

Built in 1920s in southwest Springfield, MA… The single track New Haven RR, Highland freight branch [ then PC, then Conrail ] ran north from CT, by west side of plant. Spur went south to plant; branched east into 3 [ shipping/ receiving, power plant ]. Main building: Huge, 2-story, U-shaped, reinforced concrete, flat roof. 250’ sq. ft. w/ 50’ wide wings. Center of U filled w/ one story, wood-framed supply storage/ maint. dept… Each dock spur had a long roof overhanging track. Power plant was south of receiving wing; made steam for heat/ mfg. processes. It was coal-fired, then converted to oil. Steam entered main building through large, insulated overhead piping. Note: Steam plant was kept isolated from main building because of the dangerous, highly flammable chemical mixtures used in the matchmaking process. Small, 2 story office building was on north side; accessed the north wing, through covered passage over shipping spur. Visitor, office, employee parking was on north side, around office area and possibly elsewhere on property.

OUTGOING: Countless cartons of matchbooks over the years [some were very colorful, historic; are now collectibles]. BOX most common rolling stock, with some GON, FLAT. Scrap shipments: Old chemicals, machinery, pipe, etc. and items for repair, resale or transfer to other D M plants.

INCOMING: Tons of cardboard sheets for matchbook panels, ground glass for striker strip friction, paraffin for dipping match heads to waterproof and stabilize burn, metal staples for matchbook assembly, a variety of safe chemicals and shipping cartons, box

2

Not so unusual sounding to me – IIRC, Diamond Match was owned by the brothers who ran the Rock Island into bankruptcy.

Someone had a layout years ago with a match factory that made full sized matches on his O or HO scale layout.

3

I believe Daimond match was somehow related to the DIAMOND & CALDOR logging railroad in California Sierras. The railroad hauled logs for matchsticks and for architectural millwork (Caldor = California Door).

4

That brings back some history of my city’s early years.

The Eddie Match Company had a factory here. They harvested logs to the west of us in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains then floated them downstream on the river that runs through our city to their mill ponds here. The plant made mathces by the thousands and shipped them out via a siding off the CPR (Red Deer Sub) to Calgary and points east & west across Canada.

All that remained when I was growing up was the old mill ponds and some bits and pieces of heavy macherny that hadn’t been collected for scrap during WWI.

Those same millponds today have been turned into a beautiful park bounded by the river to the south and multiple ponds etc.

History is Neat.

Choo Choo Willie