Come and ride the last passenger train into Muskegon Michigan. Hear the recording I made 39 years ago on April 30th 1971. I have included photos of GP9 6088 which pulled #203 the last passenger train into Muskegon. At the time I did not own a video camera. See heavy weight coach 725 in both the unrestored and restored condition. See a night shot of this train at Holland Station and a shot of the Holland Depot as it is today serving Amtraks Pere Marquette. This train likely would not have lasted that long if it hadnt been for the hauling of freight. No it wasnt a mixed train(freight & passenger). It would leave as a passenger train. Arrive in Holland where after it let its passengers off(If there were some besides my Dad dead heading= Railroad for employee traveling on a pass). The 6088 or 6084 would take the train to the house track where my Dad would clean it. It would wait until number 8 the Grand Rapids-Chicago train to arrive. After #9`s departure, the 6088 would head to Waverly yard and haul freight north to Muskegon. This was known as the Waverly Muskegon Local. Once in Muskegons North Yards,(now Michigan Shore RR) the loco would be assigned either to the Fremont job where it switched the Gerber Baby Food Company or be doubled with either a GP7 another GP9 or a GP30 or GP35 for the Hart Job. This ran through Montague to service the Hooker, DuPont or Union Carbide(when it made acetylene for DuPonts neoprene rubber production) then up to Hart where it serviced the ...
Showing posts with label Passenger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Passenger. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
South Shore Rail Passenger Train
Oh how sweet it is! Samuel Insull purchased the railroad at public auction in June, 1925 and renamed it The Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad. Insull immediately began a program of moderization which restored the railroad to top condition. Insull purchased new cars, built new stations, and converted the railroad from AC electric system to its current 1500 volt DC system. This was an important change, for new South Shore trains could operate directly and continuously over the trackage of the Illinois Central Railroad from Kensington to downtown Chicago, helping assure the South Shore's long term survival. The railroad remained privately owned with NICTD responsible for paying for the service. Under NICTD's tutelage, a steady series of improvements was funded and ridership increased from 1.48 million passengers carried in 1978 to over 3.5 million passengers at the turn of the century. The railroad is now in the hands of the public sector and profit is no longer the motivation for providing rail passenger service. NICTD operates the rail service as a public service because the people and economy of Northwest Indiana need an alternative, reliable form of transportation to get to jobs, schools, museums, and recreational opportunities found in the City of Chicago. NICTD has helped make the South Shore strong once again. In turn, by providing a balanced transportation system, the South Shore can help make, and keep, the Northwest Indiana economy strong.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |