This week started out unseasonably cool here in the foothills of the Sierra...by which I mean highs in the low 90s instead of the upper 90s. Perhaps looking at pictures of the cold will make me feel cold. Winter in Chicagoland. Bensenville IL area or thereabouts.
It's been a busy week. We took our daughter to the upper peninsula and left her there. (Actually, she's attending Northern Michigan University. She's already called home asking for money, so it looks like things are right on track) I did manage to get a little railfanning in, starting in Marlette, where the tie replacement project just seems to be getting bigger. Next, on the way up north, I caught these former Indiana Southern (now HESR) units tied up in Vassar. Finally, on M28 (roughly 120 miles of woods and swamps across the upper peninsula), there is a 30 mile stretch where the railroad parallels the road. I'm not sure about the lineage of this line- maybe Soo Line to Wisconsin Central, but it's now CN. First time I've ever seen a train there, track speed is very low, one locomotive and ten or so cars. This was the only spot where I could get a clear shot.
OK, Here ya go, Box. As is often the case, I may be playing "Too Much Information", but..... Line runs through Seney, Mc Millin, Newberry, Dollarville, Strongs, Eckerman and Soo Junction on the way to Sault St. Marie. Brings back some old connections for me. My Dad's uncle had a place in McMillin which is still there (we visited occasionally when I was a kid), although he passed on many years ago and my parents camped and fished near Eckerman long before I was born. There is also trackage at Munising, but I was not able to trace it on google maps. At Soo Junction, a line splits off and heads roughly Southeast to Trout Lake, a very cool old town that looks almost like it belongs out along the Rio Grande narrow gauge somewhere with its depot worked around a curve and old false front structures. It looks like that line formerly ran from Trout Lake down to St. Ignace where the car ferry Chief Wawatam provided a connection across the straits to the New York Central/ Michigan Central at Mackinaw City. http://www.boatnerd.com/pictures/historic/perspectives/chiefwawatam/default.htm Depot at Trout Lake through the truck windshield. Although it's been facelifted, it's easy to see where the operator's bay was. The second floor was no doubt his living quarters.
Just discovered that this was former D.S.S.& A. Also found some nice video from the Wisconsin Central era here: As a side note, I remember my dad's uncle telling me that steam was still in occasional use there in the mid 60's due to flooding problems along the line.
