c&o historical society magazine · such announcements and/or reviews are provided as a service,...

the Chesapeake & Ohio

Historical MagazineSeptember/October 2018

22

Editor’s Note

In This Issue...

to make it an article for a future issue.

We have announced the 2019 series of quarterly books in this issue's flyer. If you have not signed up for 2019, let us know soon and we'll get you on the list. Although we try to get the quarterly issues out on time, they are sometimes late.

Subscribers have both 1st and 2nd for this year, but it looks like 3rd and 4th will both appear in the 4th quarter. They are both well on the way on production.

Respectfully,Tom Dixon

THE CHESAPEAKE & OHIO HISTORICAL MAGAZINESEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 VOLUME 50, Nos. 9&10

ON THE COVER... E8 No. 4001 is ready to leave the Charlevoix, Mich. depot in 1957 as a family watches from the platform. This coincides with the article about Charlevoix which starts on page 30. This photo was taken by the C&O official photographer and is obviously posed. (C&O Ry. photo, C&OHS Collection, CSPR 10469-539)

This issue's main focus is on the Pere Marquette bridge near Charlevoix, Mich., by Al Kresse. Al is preparing one of our History Series quarterly books about PM bridges that will be published next year. See the ad in this magazine's flyer material.

It is sometimes difficult to balance a single magazine, but we try to give most aspects of the C&O some treatment throughout a full year's publications. However, this still in some way depends on what we receive in the way of articles from members. Please send us something on what you are most interested in or knowledgeable about and we will work with you

C&Oddity - Special GM Paint for C&O E7 3

14

C&O Scene: Ticket Office at the Greenbrier Hotel 9

Prestonsburg, Kentucky Depot

Memories of Walbridge - Part I 4C&O's Spartan Combines 6

From The Archives: C&O/B&O Pipe Gondolas 10

18The C&O/B&O Passenger Coach

24C&O EMD SW7 Switchers

Chairman and President Emeritus and Chief Historian/Magazine Managing Editor

Thomas W. Dixon, Jr.312 E. Ridgeway St. Clifton Forge, VA 24422

Phone: 434.610.8959

Magazine Design & Composition Michael Dixon

312 E. Ridgeway St. Clifton Forge, VA 24422 Phone: 540-862-2210 [email protected]

Technical Editor – Karen [email protected]

Modeling Consultant – Bob Hundman5115 Monticello Rd.Edmonds, WA 98026

[email protected] Car Editor – Al Kresse

8664 Gates, Romeo, MI [email protected]

Hocking Valley Historian - Cliff Clements [email protected]

Chicago Division Historian – Jeffrey Kehler8935 Jaywick Dr. #205, Fishers, IN 46037

[email protected]

Archives Consultants: John Maugans, Dan Kitchen

Senior Copy Editor of C&OHS PublicationsRick Van Horn

Contribute to The CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO HISTORICAL MAGAZINE.: Please send Current News, Motive Power, My Brush With Chessie History, or Modeling submissions to the appropriate associate editor noted above. Contact the Editor regarding feature submissions.

Back issues are available from the C&O Historical Society 312 E. Ridgeway St.

Clifton Forge, Va. 24422 or call 540-862-2210. From time to time, the C&O Historical Society may review models, books, etc., of general interest to members, and note their availability from various vendors. Such announcements and/or reviews are provided as a service, and are not to be considered an endorsement by the COHS. The COHS and its officers disclaim any responsibility or liability for any loss, damage, or misrepresentation resulting from contacts made through the Magazine or at functions sponsored by the COHS. C&O, C&O For Progress, Chessie, Chessie System, and CSX trademarks are the property of CSX Corporation

and are used with permission. Printed in the United States of America.

Official Publication of theChesapeake & OhioHistorical Society, Inc.

312 E. Ridgeway Street, Clifton Forge, VA 24422

Research/Order Inquiries (540) 862-2210Fax: (540) 863-9159 e-mail: [email protected]

www.chessieshop.com - www.cohs.org

The contents and format of this publication are protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. Reproduction, repurposing, archiving or storage, by any means and in any form, of material presented in The CHESAPEAKE & OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY MAGAZINE is strictly prohibited without the express prior written permission of the COHS.

Address inquiries to COHS headquarters.The COHS is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the historical preservation and dissemination of information about the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, its predecessors and successors. Annual regular membership dues within the United States are $45.

Editorial-Publications Staff

ISSN 0886-6287 ©2018 All Rights Reserved

The C&O Railway Heritage Center705 Main Street Clifton Forge, VA

(540) 862-8653 www.candoher i tage.org

AND

C&O Historical Society Newsletter Web EditionCoordinator - Michael Dixon - [email protected]

To subscribe contact [email protected]

COHS Headquarters StaffFinancial Administrator Kim Spinks

Shipping & Customer Service Wendy MontgomeryCustomer Services Coordinator Brandy Dudley

Publication Composition & Design Michael Dixon

COHS Board of DirectorsChairman James J. Corbett

President Mark L. TottenVice-Chairman E. S. (Tod) Hanger, Jr.

Asst. Vice-Pres./Treasurer Kim SpinksWilliam F. Michie, III

Vice-President J. C. Watson

Robert E. Jackson

SecretaryPhilip L. HatchettLegal Counsel

Engineering CommitteeAndrew K. Bostic

C. Bryan Kidd

DirectorThomas W. Dixon, Jr.Director

Director

C&O Railway Heritage Center Staff

Facilities Management Coordinator Leo WrightInterpreter Tom Hefner

Heritage Center Manager Andrew K. Bostic

28The Little-Known Pusher: K-4s Out of Handley, W. Va.Charlevoix Railroad Drawbridge 30

PM/C&O Inbound Freight Station - Chicago 45

C&Oditty 47

Errata:C&OHS Member Dave Stephenson has corrected our captioning of photos in the Chessie Cabin Dome article in the last issue:Page 7, top: Taken from Dwg Rm B looking into A, facing A end of car.Page 8, top: Taken in Dwg Rm C facing door.Page 8, bottom: Dwg Rm B made up for sleeping.Page 9, top: Dwg Rm B looking toward B end of car.Page 9, bottom: Dwg Rm B taken through A.Thanks to Dave for this most welcome correction/additions.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 3

explainable in 1963 when the E7s were surplus and being transferred to B&O, but in 1955 they were not. They should have been in exclusive passenger use. Perhaps it was all just a test to see if C&O wanted to do this for some publicity purpose? One thing that might help explain it all as a test is that No. 105 on the passenger train has the GM lettering, but the same engine on the freight train has no lettering other than a C&O For Progress under the cab window.

Regardless, this is a definite oddity. Can anyone help us with more information? (C&O Ry. photos, CSPR 10130-2 and 10130-11)

April, 1955. Some are of the unit on a passenger train and others show it in company with another E7 in PM scheme on a freight train. Unfortunately, the photos were taken on a heavily overcast day or days, so they are not very clear.

We don't have any information about the arrangement whereby C&O advertised GM on one of its passenger engines, or for how long or even if it ran in regular service. If any member has information, we would like to have it.

A second oddity is that one of the photos is a pair of E7s on a freight train. This might have been

General Motors Corp. was one of C&O's largest and most important customers. The railway's trains carried finished autos from plants to distribution points to be trucked the final legs to dealerships. Trains also carried parts between plants, and raw materials (such as coal, ore, etc.) to GM factories. Much of this traffic was centered in Michigan.

The photos here are of C&O E7 No. 105 painted gold with lettering reading: "GENERAL MOTORS" and "50 Million Cars." We have 11 negatives taken at Plymouth, Mich., by C&O's Public Relations Department depicting this specially-painted locomotive in

C&ODDIT Y - SPECIAL GM PAINT FOR C&O E7

MAGAZINE4

engine crew had checked over their engines and were ready to go, the head brakeman would contact the yardmaster to get the route they were to take to their train.

The A-B-A set of F7s on the middle ready track is waiting for its Hocking Division crew to arrive, so they can lead an eastbound train to Columbus. Columbus Subdivision engines were normally placed on the east end of these three ready tracks and PM Michigan train power was normally placed on the west end of the same tracks. The RSD-5 on one of the servicing tracks is next to the fueling hoses. There were several other servicing tracks to the right that are not seen in the photo. A 500-ton coaling station was located about 200 feet to the rear of this photo.

left of the photo is the roundhouse parking lot and the single track mainline that paralleled the Walbridge yard on its east side. A switching lead for Yard D is next, followed by a running track, three Columbus Subdivision ready tracks, sand tower, an inbound servicing track, and the sand drying house. The east side of the roundhouse appears in the upper right corner of the photo, but its 115-foot turntable is not shown. The roundhouse foreman’s office was in the northeast corner of the building where engine crews obtained engine assignments for their trains. Engine assignments were written on a large chalkboard that hung on the wall and looked like it had been there for 50 years. The head brakeman would use the crank phone in the office to call the yardmaster to learn where his train was located. Once the

BRUSH WITH HISTORY

This photo was taken in July, 1956, from the old sanding tower at Walbridge, Ohio, looking railroad east (geographic south) toward the expansive Walbridge yard and toward Columbus, Ohio. C&O’s engine servicing facilities at Walbridge were located at the west end of the yard and serviced the light maintenance needs of engines used in the yard for switching and puller service, road engines that arrived from Columbus on the Columbus Subdivision, and road engines that arrived from Michigan on trains of the former Pere Marquette (PM) lines. When a lot of trains were running, it was a very busy place.

All the buildings in the photo are are from the steam era and continued to be used for diesels when the Hocking Division ran its last steam in 1952. Starting at the

(C&O

Ry.

phot

o, C

&OH

S C

olle

ctio

n, C

SPR

103

77-1

08)

Memories of Walbridge - Part I→


The steam era roundhouse and other structures were torn down in 1985 and replaced by a new metal building, new servicing equipment, and a new track arrangement. As one can imagine, the activity today is a mere shadow of what it used to be. -Cliff Clements Former C&O Conductor

locomotive sets, and moving serviced engines to the ready tracks.

The light-colored piles of sand along the rails in the ready tracks are where engine crews tested their sanders before picking up their trains. Over time, this caused the servicing areas to become like walking on a beach while going between Fitzgerald’s bunk house and the roundhouse.

When their trains had been yarded, inbound power off trains from Columbus and Michigan was taken to the west end of the engine terminal and left there on the inbound servicing tracks so the hostlers could inspect, service, and reconfigure them if needed, and place them in outbound ready tracks. Engines needing minor repairs were repaired in place or taken to the roundhouse. Hostlers did all the fueling, sanding, assembling and disassembling

3

56

7

8

9

→

10

11

2

→

1

→4

This aerial photo of the Walbridge yard was taken in the mid-1950s. The facilities are as follows: (1) fuel and water tank farm; (2) single track main-line; (3) roundhouse; (4) 500-ton coaling station; (5) box cars and tank cars sitting on former inbound steam servicing tracks; (6) three ready tracks where PM engines would have been positioned on the west end and Hocking Division engines on the east end; (7) location of Fitzgerald’s crew hotel; (8) coal that has been humped and switched; (9) Walbridge Yard Office; (10) east end of Walbridge yard; (11) car repair shop area. (C&O Ry. photo, C&OHS Collection, CSPR 4318)

MAGAZINE6

no background data about it at all. The photo shows it on the five-mile-long Powellton Branch off the Kanawha Subdivision. It looks about the same as No. 90187 except it has eight window sets, whereas 90137 had nine.Use

Why would such crude cars, which we are calling "spartan combines" because of their crude construction and accommodations, be built at so late a date? In the period up to 1915 when the valuation photos were taken, C&O operated a considerable fleet of short wooden combines, but they all had clerestories, and looked like "regular" passenger cars of the prevestibule days. These were built in the 1870s-1890s.

By 1901-1909, when these three spartan combines were built, C&O was buying large, wide-vestibule combine cars of composite steel-underframe wooden-body design. This was just before the all-steel cars became standard for new C&O passenger equipment beginning in 1911. Therefore, such crude cars were an anachronism even then.

type seats for 24 passengers, a single restroom, and coal stove. The baggage/express/storage mail compartment was 12-feet, 2-½ inches in length and also had a coal stove for heat. Unlike regular C&O passenger cars, this car was only 8 feet/8-½ inches wide, about two feet narrower than the standard cars.No. 90137

The second car that looked very much like No. 236 was, however, numbered 90137 when the valuation photograph was taken at Mt. Sterling, Ky., on Aug. 17, 1915. The typed wording on the print indicates it was built by Huntington shop in 1906. We have no record of any renumbering or the date of retirement, but apparently it did not survive much longer than the other cars.

Whereas No. 236 had eight windows in its coach section, No. 90137 had nine. It also had windows facing to the rear, making it much more useful as a caboose for a mixed train.No. 90187

The valuation photo from 1915 shows a third spartan combine, No. 90187, but we have

6

We have three photos taken in 1915 as part of the Valuation Survey that depict unusual combination passenger and baggage/express cars Nos. 236 and Nos. 90137 and 90187. See the January/Feruary, 2013 issue of this magazine for an explanation of the Valuation Survey. Outwardly, the cars look as if they were from the pre-Civil War era: No clerestory roof, stove heat, plain square windows, and open platforms. But, they are not. The cars are "spartan" combines built in 1901, 1906, and 1909 respectively. This article is a description of the cars and a theory as to how they may have been used.No. 236

The first of these cars was originally numbered 236 and was built at Huntington shops; released for operation on July 28, 1901. It was later renumbered to 400 in the mid-1920s, and to 406 on Aug. 16, 1930. The car was dismantled a year later, on Dec. 7, 1931, according to notations on its mechanical diagram.

The surviving diagram sheet for No. 406 (ex-400, ex-236) has a floor plan showing walkover

C&O spartan combine No. 236 photographed at Carter, Ky., as part of the Valuation Study on Aug. 10, 1915. Carter was the end point of the Kinniconnick & Freestone Subdivision. Note that it has eight windows per side. (C&OHS Collection, COHS 3917)

C&O'S SPARTAN COMBINES


built five years and eight years after No. 236, respectively.

The K&SA was a narrow gauge line when C&O acquired it in 1888 and converted it to standard gauge in 1896. So, when No. 90137 was built, it was operating on a standard gauge line, but seems to have been built to be narrow gauge size. Looking at the photos, it's hard to see if Nos. 90137 and 90187 were the same smaller size, or were the usual, full 10-feet wide.

C&O timetables show a mixed train operating on the K&SA branch up to its abandonment in 1931. The K&F was not abandoned until 1941, and it also had a mixed train operating nearly to its demise. The Powellton Branch had a mixed train until the mid-1930s.

on a spindly wooden trestle on the K&F branch. The K&F Branch's traffic was agricultural products as well as stone taken from the Kentucky Freestone deposits. A quarry at Carter supplied large quantities of stone ballast for C&O. The fourth photo in the collection was taken at Powellton, W. Va., at the end of the Powellton Subdivision.

No. 90187 appears in a valuation photo taken in October, 1915 at Powellton, W. Va. The Powellton Subdivision was another short line that served coal mines. It ran from a connection with the mainline at Mt. Carbon on the Kanawha Subdivision, just five miles to Powellton. This very short run was an obvious candidate for one of these spartan cars.

We do not have a diagram or any description of Nos. 90137 or 90187. They seem to have been

The spartan combines must have been for specific needs. We believe two of them were used on the following branches: the Kentucky & South Atlantic (K&SA) (from near Mt. Sterling on the Lexington Subdivision, 20 miles to Rothwell), and the Kinniconnick & Freestone (K&F), from Garrison, Ky., on the Cincinnati Division, 20 miles to Carter, Ky. These two, little-known rural Kentucky lines were abandoned in 1931 and 1941 respectively. The use of the combines is inferred from the available photos reproduced with this article. The photo of No. 236 was taken at Carter on Aug. 10, 1915, at the end of the K&F branch. No. 90137 is shown at Mt. Sterling, near the junction of the K&SA branch on Aug. 17, 1915. All three were taken as part of the Valuation Survey. The third picture seems to be No. 90137 posed with archaic 4-4-0 No. 87

The other similar combine was No. 90137, seen in this Valuation photo taken at Mt. Sterling, Ky., Aug. 17, 1915. Comparing it with No. 236 we see it had an additional set of windows in the passenger compartment and rear-facing windows. It also seems to be less well-built. (C&OHS Collection, COHS 3928)

Train on the Kinniconnick & Freestone with C&O 4-4-0 No. 87 (built by Alco, Schenectady in 1880) and a spartan combine. Although the number is not visible, the car's configuration with nine windows indicates it was No. 90137. This would seem the two cars were interchanged between the two branches, as needed—a further mystery about the use of this pair of combines. (C&OHS Collection, COHS 5346)

MAGAZINE8

C&O mechanical diagram of combine No 406 (ex-400, ex- 236) as it appeared at its scrapping in 1931. We do not have a diagram for No. 90137 or 90187. (C&OHS drawing No. 18091 dated 5-11-25, revised 11-1-30, C&OHS Collection)

No. 90187 has only eight windows per side and does not seem to have the rear-facing windows. (C&OHS Collection, COHS 3929)

(Below) This photo is of the C&O "depot" at Chambers, Ky., on the K&SA branch as it appeared at the time of the line's abandonment in 1931. This may be the most ramshackle railroad depot of all time! It seems to fit with the crude spartan combines. (C&OHS Collection, COHS 7332))


the space, in order to get its release. This kept stations that held space, such as Washington, Newport News, Richmond, White Sulphur Springs, Huntington, and Cincinnati, busy adjusting space. The C&O replaced this complex system with a "Central Reservation Bureau" in Huntington that opened about the time this photo was taken. It held all space and centrally distributed it as needed by all the selling agents. Unfortunately, it lasted only a couple of years and the old system was resumed.(C&OHS Collection, COHS 38207)

ads, signage, etc. We don't know how long this great tapestry remained in the ticket office, but someone saved it and it is now on display at the Hinton Railroad Museum.

White Sulphur Springs had two ticket offices, one at the depot and another in the hotel for the convenience of its guests. They could make their reservations right down the hall from their rooms.

In that period Pullman sleeping car space was assigned to various stations based on normal usage patterns. When a ticket agent wanted to make a reservation for space held by one of these stations, he had to send a telegram to the agent holding

This photo is of C&O's ticket office in the Greenbrier Hotel at White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., in 1948. The large tapestry has the publicity image of The Chessie train with its huge steam-turbine-electric locomotive. This means that the photo most likely was taken some time that year.

The Chessie was heavily advertised as a coming attraction in 1947 and early 1948. The three M-l steam-turbine- electric engines (500-502) were delivered December, 1947 and mid-1948. The cars arrived in August, 1948, but then the train was cancelled in September. After that its image was removed from the C&O Public Relations Department brochures,

C&O SCENE Ticket Office at the Greenbrier Hotel

MAGAZINE10

visibility for crane operators loading pipe, especially at night.

We have photos of the G-27A series that are reproduced with this article.

The general specifications for this class of car are as follows:

Cubic capacity: 3,352 cu. ft.Avg. load limit: 142,900 lbs.Avg. light weight 77,100 lbs.Clearance: Plate "C"Wheels: 33" I.W.W.S.Truck Weight: 6,410 lbs.

Floor: Composite oak and steel

carried on flat cars. C&O/B&O's marketing and mechanical officials apparently decided to create a new gondola type in the late 1960s that was especially configured for pipe loading.

All these high-side type GBS mill gondola cars with eight-foot-high bulkheads were similar in design and specifications. Cars beginning with B&O G-27 series 364200-364299 had white interiors. The C&O cars in the G-27A class also had white interiors. This allowed a better

10

Specialty railroad freight cars became more common starting in the 1950s and this trend accelerated through the 1970s. Specialty cars were built or arranged for loading specific cargoes.

The purpose of these cars was either to retain business or to gain new traffic for products that did not fit, or fit poorly, into standard railroad cars. These cars were part of railroading's answer to highway trucks. See the July/August, 2018 issue of this magazine for one such car, a box car specially equipped for carrying bottled spirits.

Gondolas had long been used for carrying steel mill products such as large pipes. Of course, the very largest pipes were usually

FROM THE ARCHIVES - C&O/B&O PIPE GONDOL AS

C&O/B&O official mechanical diagram for the G-27a class of C&O pipe gondolas Nos. 364500-364524. (From C&O/B&O Freight Car Diagram Book, C&OHS catalog No. DS-7-038)

Class Road Numbers Builder/DateG-27 B&O 364200-364299 Greenville, 1969G-27A C&O 364500-364524

B&O 364400-364499 Bethlehem, 1970


Bethlehem builder broadside of C&O pipe gondola. Note the lettering "FOR PIPE LOADING." The Placard reads: "RETURN EMPTY TO C&O RWY COALTON, KY." (C&OHS Collection, COHS 48234)

Builder's 3/4 B-end portrait of No. 364516, from C&O 364500- 364524 series. The end extensions allowed stacks of large pipes to extend above the car sides. Note the white interior visible on the far end extension. The cars were painted white inside for visibility as they were being loaded. (C&OHS Collection, COHS 48233)

MAGAZINE12 MAGAZINE12

B-end (left) and A-end (right) of No. 364516. Note triangular gussets under and in the extensions. (C&OHS Collection, COHS 48235 and 48236)

C&O/B&O Market Manager Murray Campbell and Donald S. Day, vice-president Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co., hold a 9-foot, 3-inch measuring stick indicating the car was the widest of its kind on American railroads. This photo also illustrates the white interior. Youngstown was a B&O customer and used these new cars for a shipment of pipe to Texas. An article about these cars appears in the March 31, 1969, issue of Chessie News. (C&OHS Collection, CSPR 11965-D3)

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018 13JULY/AUGUST 2018

Loading one of the new B&O pipe gondolas at Youngstown, Pa., in March, 1969. (C&OHS Collection, CSPR 11965-E7)

13

Pipes loaded on the new cars for their first trip in March, 1969. Pipes are tied down to interior laden strap anchors. (C&OHS Collection, CSPR 11965-C3)

MAGAZINE14

Sandy line still passes through the town.

We do not have data that indicates when the Prestonsburg depot was built, but it can be safely inferred that this occurred soon after the line was completed to the town in the 1903-04 era. The structure itself was a simplified design without gable vergeboard decorative features. It also had the semicircular vent at each end, near the top of the gable. This particular feature is found on frame station structures at many Kentucky locations, most built in the 1905-1915 era.

Prestonsburg was also a town of over 500 people and was the seat of Floyd County even before the C&O arrived. Since it served a large agricultural and mineral area the freight station building was large, to accommodate local business.

The building was what is called a combined station, meaning that it served both passengers and freight. This type of depot structure was used often in smaller locations, where the C&O did not want to separate the freight function from passenger operations. By placing them both in the same building

C&O's most prolific coal fields that continued its important position right up into recent years.

The Middle Creek Subdivision (one of the Big Sandy branches mentioned above), joined the main stem at Prestonsburg. It ran nine miles, and like the other branches, served coal mines.

The 1918/19 C&O/USRA Official Industrial and Shippers Directory gives us the following data about Prestonsburg at that date:

Population 1,250, County SeatElectric Power: Prestonsburg Electric Light Co.Telephone: Southern Bell Schools: Grammar and High Bank: First NationalHotels: A. P. ElizabethChurches: Baptist, Methodist, PresbyterianLand: Average price of improved land: $75.00/acre ($1,350 in2018 funds)Manufacturing: Saw Mills, planning mills, produce, hides, posts/poles/tie shipping, and coal mining.

Today, Prestonsburg has a population of 3,612 (2010 census). It can be reached on U. S. Route 23. Of course, CSX's (ex-C&O) Big

This article is about the unusually large frame depot building at Prestonsburg, Ky. Prestonsburg is located at milepost 73 on C&O's Big Sandy Subdivision. This places it about halfway on the main stem of the important coal-producing branch between Catlettsburg and Elkhorn City, Ky.

The first part of the Big Sandy line was built by the Chattaroi Railway from Ashland (BS Junction, Catlettsburg) 25 miles to Louisa, in 1880. The Chatteroi was extended another 18 miles to Richardson in 1883. A section from Richardson to White House was built by the Ohio, Kentucky & Virginia Railway Co. (a C. P. Huntington-controlled line), only eight miles, in 1887. It was not until 1902-06 that C&O took control and completed the line to Elkhorn City, Ky. Once it reached this point the line was 128.13 miles long. It connected with the new Clinchfield, Carolina & Ohio (Clinchfield) Railroad at Elkhorn City. Over the following decades 15 branches were either built by C&O or acquired from others, all of which served coal mines. The whole Big Sandy District served one of

"Street" (back) side of the Prestonsburg depot in September, 1975. This view gives a good idea of the length of the building, even after a portion of it had been torn down. (T. W. Dixon, Jr. photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 4410)

Prestonsburg, Kentucky DepotBy Thomas W. Dixon, Jr.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

Since the expansion and renovation work was done in 1928-29, at the height of the "Jim Crow" laws in Kentucky, the passenger waiting area included a "colored" section and general waiting rooms. The station was equipped with indoor plumbing and had inside toilets rather than the common outside "privies." The baggage/express room was rather small, while the freight room was large, composing all of the 1928-29 addition.

The Big Sandy line was one of the last branches to have passenger service. Local trains were handled by an FP7 and several cars after 1953 until 1957 when Rail Diesel Cars replaced the standard trains, by which time only one train set was running. These RDCs maintained the service until 1964. The trains were, in fact, the last truly branch line service on C&O.

Drawing No. X-23535 in our collection indicates the demolition of the station building in August, 1981.

The drawing reproduced in this article. The large size of the structure is evident in the drawing. It is unfortunate we do not have photos of the depot in the period after 1929. They would indicate show the structure in its busiest days. The photos that are used in this article of the depot in 1975, when the portion west of the bay window had been removed. However, these 1975 photos still illustrate how large the building really was. It may have been the largest combination depot of the wood frame design C&O ever built.

it saved not only on construction costs, but some utilities did not have to be replicated. The agency operations could function for both freight and passenger business resulting in further savings.

Business at the station must have been booming in the mid-to-late 1920s, because C&O enlarged the freight portion of the building and revised the passenger/express areas. It is thanks to this work, started October, 1928, and completed on February, 1929, that we have a drawing in our collection.

No. 35No. 38

No. 37No. 39

AshlandLv. 6:30 a.m.Lv. 5:55 p.m.

Elkhorn CityLv. 6:10 a.m.Lv. 3:00 p.m.

PrestonsburgLv. 10:37 a.m.Lv. 8:52 p.m.

PrestonsburgLv. 8:35 a.m.Lv. 5:53 p.m.

Elkhorn CityAr. 1:35 p.m.Ar. 11:30 p.m.

AshlandAr. 11:59 a.m.Ar. 9:05 p.m.

Passenger service to/from Prestonsburg in 1928, the year the depot was refurbished, consisted of four trains, two each way. These were local trains operating between Ashland and Elkhorn City

This schedule allowed connections to and from mainline through trains at Ashland with varying periods of layover for through passengers.

Track side of the large Prestonsburg depot, photographed on Sept. 19, 1975. Note that the end of the building, west of the bay window, has been torn away by this time. The train order semaphore signal indicates the station was still in use and had an operator at this date, just six years before it was demolished. (T. W. Dixon, Jr. photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 40742)

15

MAGAZINE16


NOT REPRODUCED TO SCALE.Digital copies of this drawing or prints may be purchased from COHS at 540-862-2210 by indicating drawing numbers 8365 and 8365-a)

MAGAZINE18

mainline Washington/Newport News/Cincinnati/Louisville/Detroit trains. There were also enough to reequip the Michigan trains operating on the Pere Marquette District (former Pere Marquette Railway, merged into C&O in June, 1947), when they finally arrived in mid-1950.

These cars allowed C&O to eliminate heavyweight coaches from its regular operations, retaining some of them for specials and heavy traffic periods.

The lightweight cars were retained as a unified fleet except: Nos. 1610-1611 were converted to coach-diners in 1956; No. 1646 was converted to Roadway Inspection Car No. RI-4; Nos. 1656-1663, and 1667-1668 were sold to Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1958; and Nos. 1664-1666 were traded to Chicago & North Western Railroad for Rail Diesel Cars in 1957.

As time passed, cars built by Pullman-Standard suffered from a major problem. The stainless-steel fluting that covered the lower l/3rd of the cars interacted with the carbon steel framing as water seeped in, causing the framing members to rust. The fluted siding on many of these cars was loose

cars. Spacious men's and women's restrooms were larger than most on other railroads. The seats were of the Heywood-Wakefield "Sleepy Hollow" reclining style, and were spaced to allow adequate legroom. This permitted only 52 seats instead of the more common 60-seat arrangement for long-distance coaches.

The coaches were part of a 284-car order announced by C&O on Nov. 10, 1946. This was the largest passenger car order ever placed with a single builder (Pullman-Standard). This order for coach, sleeping, dining, and lounge cars was enough to reequip all C&O trains operating as of that date. However, the glut of postwar car orders from many large railroads caused delivery of the cars to be delayed. During that delay C&O cut its through train operations by about 40% as steep declines in passenger traffic occurred. Many of the cars in the big order were cancelled or sold to other railroads before they were delivered to C&O. Even after the delivery of the remaining cars, C&O sold still others. However, at the end of all this, 59 coaches remained in 1950. They were used to reequip remaining trains on the C&O's old

MAGAZINE18

Anyone who has photographed passenger trains operated by C&O, or has modeled C&O trains in the 1950-1971 era, is familiar with the 1610-1668 series lightweight 52-seat coaches. They were the backbone of the fleet during those 21 years.

The story of C&O's postwar lightweight passenger car order from Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company has been covered in many books and articles and is very well known to C&O modelers and historians.

The cars were probably the best coach accommodations of their era. They seated 52 passengers, 26 in each of two sections separated by an etched-glass partition with a curved passageway. The curved aisle had a chilled-water drinking fountain, a large, stylized map of the C&O system, and shelves for magazines and publications for passengers during their trip.

For background: The central partition broke up the "bowling alley" effect that was the common feature of most standard coaches, both of the heavyweight era and then of the new postwar lightweight coaches being built contemporaneously with the C&O

C&O lightweight coach No. 1610, new in 1950, on a Detroit train. This is the car's paint scheme is as delivered new from Pullman-Standard. The C&O For Progress herald/logo is the first (1948) style. This photo is of the "aisle" side of the car with the two center windows. (C&O Ry. photo, C&OHS Collection, CSPR 2653)

The C&O/B&O Passenger CoachBy Thomas W. Dixon, Jr.


showing passengers boarding a coach with both C&O and B&O heralds on the side. A close examination of the photo reveals that the two logos were "pasted" on for the photo. They didn't have Photoshop in those days.

The cars sold to Amtrak were repainted to its colors before they were resold in 1976, but we have only one photo in our collection. Can any members supply us with others?

logo. The first paint scheme used a single herald at the vestibule end, while the re-lettered/rebuilt cars had the herald at both ends.

B&O heritage cars also began receiving C&O tri-color paint schemes in this era, also minus a road name and with only the Capitol Dome logo to identify ownership.

Despite their problems, some of the 1600-series cars retained their fluting and road name right up to the end of C&O-operated passenger service. Indeed, a review of photos indicates that some were actually repainted in the full, original scheme just a few years before the end. At least a few photos have one or two of the cars with the fluting still on but the road name missing.

Amtrak liked the design of the C&O coaches, but didn't like their Pullman-Standard heritage. It wanted stainless-steel trains. However, seven of the coaches did go to Amtrak as part of C&O's "buy-in" to the company. Amtrak sold them in 1976.

The illustrations in this article include one made by C&O's Public Relations and Advertising Department in March, 1963

and even falling off by the mid-1960s. C&O's solution was to remove the fluted sides altogether and replace them with standard smooth steel siding. The new siding was painted gray to simulate the silvery stainless-steel fluting it replaced.

We are calling these rebuilt cars "C&O/B&O cars" not only because the rebuilding was done during the 1963-1971 era of C&O/B&O Railroads, but because many of the 1600-series lightweight coaches were used on B&O trains in the period. In fact, Nos. 1638-1655 were fitted with hard springs for use on B&O, where trackage was not as smooth as C&O and tunnel clearances were, in many cases, very tight.

Their basic paint scheme was modified at the same time these cars were resided. First, as mentioned, the new smooth sides were painted gray so that they would visually fit in with other cars that still had fluting. Additionally, the road name that had appeared on the letterboard in C&O's distinctive script lettering was entirely eliminated. The only identification of the owning railway was a C&O For Progress herald/

19

Pullman-Standard took this 3/4 view of C&O lightweight coach No. 1623 as the builder portrait for the series. It has the original paint scheme/design with stainless-steel fluted siding and full road name. The window strip was Enchantment Blue as were the roof and trucks/underbody, while the letterboard was Federal Yellow with blue lettering. Note that the "C" of "Chesapeake" is of the slanted/curved style. See the next photos in this article for the later styling. (C&OHS Collection, COHS 8125)

MAGAZINE20

The drawings below illustrate the two different styles of C&O script lettering that were used on lightweight cars. Note particularly the changed shape of the "C."

These two essentially broadside photos illustrate the difference between the first and second road name lettering. The top illustrates the original "C" with a slant and serif, while the bottom shows the more "squared" C of the second style. Top: No. 1643 is at Charlottesville, Va., on July 6, 1957. Note that it still has skirts as well as fluting. The "C" in the roadname is the first style with the slant and the serif. (J. R. Kean photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 48237) Bottom: No. 1649 is on B&O train No. 10 at Willard, Ohio on July, 30, 1966. Note that it still has its fluted siding (minus skirts) but the roadname now has the "squared" "C." (J. W. Bernard photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 48328)

No. 1623 is seen again, this time on an excursion train at Ronceverte, W. Va., on May 21, 1971. Although it had not been re-sided, the road name had been removed during the C&O/B&O era. (T. W. Dixon, Jr. photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 33010)

(Copyright Tod Hanger, 2000)


The C&O/B&O Re-sided/Repainted "Coaches"

C&O painting/lettering diagram for the C&O/B&O era cars. Note that it shows the herald on only one end although all the cars had it on both ends.(C&OHS Collection)

A "standard" 1600-series coach of the C&O/B&O era: No. 1637 at Chicago in June, 1970. This is the aisle side with the two windows at the center. It has the blank letterboard, smooth sides, and two C&O logos. The rebuilt/repainted cars used the post-1954 redesigned C&O For Progress herald. Note heralds at both ends. (Owen Leander photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 2614)

No. 1650 at Washington, D. C., in April, 1969, was one of the cars reequipped with hard springs for B&O service. This is the side with the blank center panel opposite the aisle where the map was positioned. It has logos at both ends. (H. H. Harwood, Jr. photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 48239)

MAGAZINE22

(Above) This C&O publicity photo was taken in March, 1963, to illustrate the new affiliation between the two lines. A close examination of the photo reveals that both the B&O and C&O heralds were"pasted" onto the car for the posed photo. (C&O Ry. photo, C&OHS Collection, CSPR CL-879-26X)

(Left) No. 1641 in Amtrak Train No. 50, The James Whitcomb Riley, on the C&O at Charlottesville, Va., Nov. 5, 1972. This car had been in Amtrak service for over a year at this time. It became Amtrak No. 5240 until it was sold to a private individual in Florida in 1976. See next photo. (T. W. Dixon, Jr. photo, C&OHS Collection, 48240)

Amtrak No. 5240 (ex-C&O 1641 - see previous photo) in Amtrak colors at Washington in March, 1973. (H. H. Harwood, Jr., photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 14)


(Above) No. 1637 at Charlottesville, Va. in September, 1972 with its B&O/C&O simplified configuration. It is on Amtrak train No. 98, the Charlottesville-Newport News connection. Note the dome car which was being used at that time. (T. W. Dixon, Jr. photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 3403)

(Left) Vestibule end of refurbished coach No. 1634 parked at Newport News, Va. Nov. 5, 1972. (T. W. Dixon, Jr. photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 33007)

Interior of a C&O 1600-series coach taken after its refurbishment at Huntington shops in 1968. Although the exterior of most of these cars was changed, the interiors remained essentially as they were when first placed into service in 1950. (C&O Ry. photo, C&OHS Collection, CSPR 11875-1)

MAGAZINE24

of cab windows, such as are found on SW9s.)

"[Some] SW7s were equipped for multiple-unit operation. These units had end handrails similar to those on NW2 units 5060-5065. In addition, these four [SW7] units were equipped with overlarge twin-beam headlights (possibly those were rebuilt from Mars lights removed from GP7s 5700-5719). These units, along with SW9s 5262-5265, were initially used in groups of two or three on freight trains between Muskegon and Holland, Michigan, and between New Buffalo, Michigan, and LaCrosse, Indiana. The remaining m. u.-equipped SW7s and SW9s reportedly operated in the vicinity of Saginaw and Bay City, Michigan. . . ."

Some of these units were retired, sold, or transferred to B&O in the mid-1960s, while others lasted into the mid-1980s. They kept their C&O road numbers to the end.

General Motors introduced the 1,200 horsepower SW7 model in October, 1949, and produced 491 units through the end of the model in January, 1951.

The following paragraphs are lifted from the C&O Diesels book by Carl Shaver cited above:

"When the C&O placed the order for these units, they were to have been NW2s. What probably happened was that when the 1,200 horsepower SW7 model was introduced . . . , the C&O decided to change its order from NW2s, except for the first 14 [NW2] units: 5200-5213, which had been completed by that time. The order number is different, and there is a lapse of a few months in production dates, but the order's numbers of the NW2s and the SW7s are consecutive, i. e., C&O 5211, and NW2, was EMD number 10272, and C&O 5214, an SW7, carried number 10273. In fact, these units are, in Extra 2200 South's terminology 'Phase I' SW7s—differing externally from NW2s only in the size of the front radiator opening ('Phase I' SW7s are relatively rare; 'Phase II' had a different style

This brief summary history covers C&O's SW7 EMD-built switchers. These units have been mentioned briefly in this magazine over the years and a capsule history was published in our book Chesapeake & Ohio Diesel Locomotives (issued by C&OHS in 1994). This article reproduces some photos from the collection and most of the text from that book.

Dieselization on C&O began with a large order for switch engines in 1949. It was stated at the time that switching work was appropriate for diesels and they could be replaced in about five years with the new-technology coal fueled gas-turbine locomotives then in research and development. The largest quantity of these switchers was the Alco S-2 model as well as EMD NW2s and TR3s. The SW7 model arrived as road numbers 5214-5239 in 1950. Construction was:

5214-5235 Jan.-Feb. 19505236-5239 March, 1950Electro-Motive Division of

C&O EMD SW7 Switchers By Thomas W. Dixon, Jr.

SW7 No. 5231 was photographed at Grand Rapids by C&O when the company took pictures of each class of diesel in operation, apparently for Mechanical Department officials in 1955. (C&O Ry. photo, C&OHS Collection, CSPR 3677)


The four photos on this page showing left and right broadside and ends of SW7 No. 5231, were taken in 1955 for use by C&O's Mechanical Department. (C&OHS Collection, CSPR 10228-13, -14, -15, -16)

MAGAZINE

No. 5231 loading C&O Car Ferry Badger at Ludington, Mich., August, 1975. (C. J. Bocklage photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 23424)

No. 3236 was one of the four SW7s equipped for multiple-unit operation. Note the m. u. connection. By the time this photo was taken at Columbus' Parsons Yard in December, 1974, spark arrestors had been added to the stacks. (Gene Huddleston photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 48255)

26

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018

No. 5239 in the "Big C&O" at the Saginaw, Mich., roundhouse on Thanksgiving Day in 1973. (Gene Huddleston photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 20260)

C&O SW-7 No 5239. Chessie System paint scheme. Saginaw, Mich. (C&OHS Collection, COHS 32407)

27

MAGAZINE28

the eastbound traffic. This was the year when C&O was forced to recall some of the steam locomotives it had retired and "stored serviceable." This renewal of steam operations was because business increased so rapidly in 1954-56 that C&O did not yet have enough new diesels to handle it. This is the problem that caused C&O to lease Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac 4-8-4s, as well as reviving some of its own stored engines.

The photos printed here were used in our first C&O History Series quarterly books, Chesapeake Ohio K-4 Class 2-8-4 Steam Locomotives, still available as C&OHS catalog No. BK-13-729).

at Thurmond or Quinnimont to fill out the train to Hinton. In either case the H-8 was the motive power. However, in the later years of steam a K-4 2-8-4 was occasionaly dispatched from Handley as the road engine, and another K-4 placed on the rear as a pusher through to Hinton.

It is not widely understood that there is a considerable eastbound grade on the New River Subdivision as it follows the river east. That is why H-8s were standard power there, just as they were east over the steeper Alleghany grade from Hinton.

The two photos that illustrate the Handley-Hinton pusher operation are reproduced here, and as far as we know are all the data we have on the operation. They were taken in August, 1955, in the last year of C&O's steam operations. Perhaps there were not enough H-8s left in service at this time to completely cover

C&O had to use pushers, or in the more common terminology "helpers," at several locations where grades required assistance to road locomotives. Probably the best known of these operations was the Alleghany pusher. Gene Huddleston discussed the Limeville pusher in C&O Power, and we have covered the Powell Hill pushers out of Columbus in this magazine. But one of the pusher operations essentially unknown was operated for just a few years, at the end of steam, eastbound out of Handley, W. Va., yard.

We know about this pusher operation only through the two photos reproduced here and Gene Huddleston's comments on them. According to Dr. Huddleston, the regular late-steam era operation was to dispatch H-8 2-6-6-6s eastbound from Handley with a full load of hoppers for Hinton, or to send an H-8 out with less than a full train. In the latter case, it would then pick up other loads

The Little-Known Pusher: K-4s From Handley, W. Va.

(Above) No. 2749 pushes the train through Mt. Carbon, W. Va., with its caboose trailing in the summer of 1955. This may be the only photo of this short-lived operation ever taken. (Gene Huddleston photgo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 1185)


This profile of the C&O mainline between Handley and Hinton, W. Va., well-illustrates the consistant grade between those two points. Although the Alleghany grade east of Hinton was steeper, the increase in elevation between Handley and Hinton eastbound ranged from 0.18% to 0.40%, and averaged 0.2% as shown in the graph above. Although H-8 Allegheny 2-6-6-6s could handle their assigned tonnage without pushers over this portion of the line, when C&O used K-4 2-8-4s in the mid-1950s, just before the end of steam, a pusher was required for a full train east from Handley. (C&OHS Collection, CED 5006-a, dated Oct. 28, 1929, revised March 4, 1931)

K-4 road engine No. 2770 passes the water tank at Mt. Carbon eastbound out of Handley yard in August, 1955. (Gene Huddleston photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 1184)

MAGAZINE30

across the Big Manistee River in 1889 and was approaching Traverse City. Petoskey and Mackinaw City, with boat ferries to Mackinaw Island, were getting their railroad connections to Detroit. That left Charlevoix stuck with access only by steamboat and stage coach transportation.

So how does a small village, with many wealthy cottage owners and prospering businesses, get a railroad to build a line to it? It has to induce a railroad line’s investors by funding a local bond issue to finance the most expensive portion of the line, the drawbridge across the Pine River, and then selling them the bonds to construct the bridge. That railroad was the Detroit, Charlevoix & Escanaba Rail Road Company, incorporated in 1887. However, it had problems raising cash to build its line. In 1888, the village of Charlevoix approved the bond issue to fund the bridge The DC&E folded shortly after starting construction, well before the bridge went in. The Chicago & West Michigan Railway took over the acquired right-of-way and full-franchisee rights, and handled construction through completion up to Bay Shore with connections to Mackinaw City.

large cities on the east coast.Let’s also set the situation in

Charlevoix in 1890. It was on the Great Lakes steamboat routes between Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, N. Y. There was a patchwork of small railroads scattered around the state of Michigan, mostly serving the logging industry. Charlevoix is located on the confluence of Lake Michigan and the Upper and Lower Pine River that ran through town, both created in 1869. The Upper Pine River had been dredged to Pine Lake (later renamed Lake Charlevoix) that was fed by rivers going inland to logging territory. The Lower Pine River had an “Armstrong powered” drawbridge at the Lake Michigan end of town for wagon and carriage traffic. This bridge had to be opened for the steamboats to dock passengers and goods. Three clubs, with clubhouses and cottages such as Chicago Summer Resort Association, or the "Chicago Club,” plus other inns or hotels, had been established. The Chicago & West Michigan Railroad Company, incorporated in 1869, had been steadily building from New Buffalo, Mich. up the western coast line of Lake Michigan. It had completed the 1,170-foot-long “High Bridge”

This article will cover the history of the Charlevoix, Mich. railroad drawbridge and associated operations in that city. It was built and operated by the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad, then the PM, C&O, and Chessie System, with the last tracks of the branch disappearing in the CSX era. At the time this bridge was built most moveable bridges in this region were swing-type. Contrary to the modern context for the term “draw” and visions of medieval castle history, these were still called drawbridges and had draw-spans or draws.

Since only a small percentage of our subscribers are also Pere Marquette Historical Society members, we will orient you to where Charlevoix is. Charlevoix is located on the northeastern sandy shores of Lake Michigan between Grand Traverse Bay and Little Traverse Bay. It, along with Traverse City, Petoskey and Mackinaw Island was a commercial port and summer fresh air resort area for the well-off living in the urban areas around the Great Lakes. The “inns” in these towns served the same purpose as the Homestead and Greenbrier hotels and spas in the Virginias did in the same age of industrialization in the

This is an upper channel view of the passenger steamer Illinois passing by the fully-open railroad drawbridge through 90-foot-wide channel. Notice the timber bumper wrapped around the turntable pier. (Courtesy of the Charlevoix Historical Society)

Charlevoix Railroad DrawbridgeBy Al Kresse and David Miles


Partial map from PM 1942 Stations and Agents book showing Traverse City, Charlevoix, Petoskey, and Bay View.

Round Lake to Pine Lake/Lake Charlevoix channel with timber cribbing revetments holding back the sand that had already been dredged in 1869. Note the barge with a dredge just out of the channel in 1888 before the railroad bridge was built. Photo taken from Round Lake. (Charlevoix Historical Society CHXHS photo)

MAGAZINE32

The C&WM’s construction crews built a pier and spur to unload materials and then built north 15.5 miles so it could quickly interchange with existing railroads to get some needed cash coming in. Initially, the rails and a work train were shipped or barged into Charlevoix. Timber was purchased locally. From then on much of the materials needed came via the Grand Rapids and Indiana (GR&I) to Petoskey, then was transshipped via the new rails to Charlevoix.

The line from Petoskey to Charlevoix was complete Dec. 10, 1891. The 24 feet by 80 feet Charlevoix freight house with its 16-foot wide platform was completed in April, 1892. The last rail from the south was put down by the C&WM work train crew at 4:00 p.m. May 28th.

The Charlevoix drawbridge was swung the first time on June 4, 1892. The Charlevoix depot was still uncompleted by the time the first train arrived on June 26, 1892; passenger tickets were sold for the next four weeks from the separate freight depot a little ways to the north. But the C&WM’s first timetable was issued to be effective that day.

The C&WM, along with two other railroads, came into the hands of the Pere Marquette in November, 1899 and PM operations under common rules and timetables began on Jan. 1, 1900.

The C&WM 1892 Annual Report noted that the C&WM leased 79.04 miles of tracks between Traverse City and Petoskey. What it did on March 1, 1891, was to form the new Chicago & North Michigan Rail Road Company to fund construction, including the Traverse City to Bay View branch, which it then leased back to itself. The C&NM also had a first Mortgage (Boston, Mass.) on the branch dated May 1, 1891. The C&WM’s 1891 estimated cost for finishing the 150-foot-long trestle and 200-foot drawbridge was $35,000.

That was $10,000 more than the escrow fund for the bridge supported by the Charlevoix bond. By default, because this series of companies had failed to pay their coupons due on the bond, Charlevoix actually “owned,” or had the first lien, on the drawbridge.

The Inn, built by C&WM in 1898 and later enhanced by the PM. It had 250 rooms and could sleep 800 guests at full capacity. Here in the 1930s it already has parking problems. (Courtesy of the Charlevoix Historical Society)


to Traverse City, Mich. The 79 miles of track between Boardman Junction and Bay View was owned the Chicago & North Michigan, which was wholly owned by the C&WM, still had bonds which were due May 1, 1931.

So it appears that Charlevoix still had a lien, or ownership, on the bridge proper from the DC&E

some time into the season for the lake waters to warm up to a comfortable level for many of the Inn’s patrons.

The Dec. 31, 1900, Pere Marquette Railroad Company annual report shows the absorbed Chicago & West Michigan owned 480 miles of track including 301 miles from La Crosse, Ind.,

On July 4, 1892, Charlevoix celebrated with a grand parade the first excursion train from the south. The C&NM line to Bay View was completed July 17, 1892. The Belvedere depot opened August, 1892. The C&WM’s The Inn was opened in the summer of 1898 along its adjacent indoor heated pool in the Natatorium. It took

Chicago & West Michigan 4-4-0 locomotive No.105 and 14 flat cars were barged into Charlevoix harbor to support the construction of the new line. Rails came on a freighter and barges (scows). Afterwards, “Materials for the bridge over the upper channel were transported to Petoskey via the Grand Rapids & Indiana line and brought southwest to Charlevoix on the new line.” (The Railroad in Charlevoix Courtesy of the Charlevoix Historical society collection)

This was a staged photograph of the construction crew standing on the seat against the face of the back wall and floating barge, nearing completion of the north masonry abutment with back wall and wings in 1892. The seat was for the swing span bearings and locks to rest on. These appear to be offsite saw-cut blocks with hand shaping on their exposed faces. One wonders how they laid the footings and lower abutment below the water line with the channel’s porous sandy soil. (Courtesy of the Charlevoix Historical Society)

MAGAZINE34

Just completed south approach trestle and swing span masonry abutment with a central back wall, wing walls, bumper supports and bearing pads on the abutment seat. The roadbed to the south has been graded but the tracks have not been laid. (Courtesy of the Charlevoix Historical Society)

Last of tracks being laid for C&WM’s in May-June, 1892. Note there are still more rails on the cart next to the bridge, the crew is still bolting down the outer safety rails, and it lacks inner safety rails. The center section just has eyebars at the top to support the cantilevered arm sections. (Courtesy the Charlevoix Historical Society)

One of the first passenger trains across the rip-rap and fill soil north approach and cut stone abutment with a larger C&WM 4-4-0 locomotive and open-vestibule coaches. This view also shows the draw-span’s pin-connected lower chord details quite well. (Photo courtesy the Charlevoix Historical Society)


making I-beams. The diagonals were forged eye-bars and top pediments were iron castings. There were towers with marker lights at the ends and center of the span.

There was also a straight southwestern approach built with 33 14-foot-long (maximum) timber deck stringer spans that was last replaced in 1949. The bridge’s overall length was 664 feet. The 1902 PM Annual Report says it's being hand-powered. To save the cost of a second operator it was converted to motor power at a later time. The draw span had a low side mounted tender’s house, navigational markers, and was protected by an interlocked signals and derail switches.(Vander Yacht, PM in 1945).

The south derailer was 572 feet from the draw and the south signal was 50 feet south of the derailer. The north derailer was 300 feet from the draw and north signal was 50 feet north of the derailer.

The Chicago & West Michigan’s initial estimate for the cost of a drawbridge meeting the Secretary of War’s specifications was $35,000 for a 200-foot-long metal draw span and a 150-foot-long wooden approach span. That approach length was less than half the final trestle length.

The bridge maintenance records cards imply the iron/steel structure was most likely built by Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company from Milwaukee in 1891-92. The new turning mechanism was built by American Bridge Company in 1913.

The main span was a constant-section iron pin-connected through-truss draw-span that had a length of 214 feet. This iron span had three and half panels per cantilevered arm plus a central tension panel above the turning gears. The end and top chords were riveted beams with lattice webs and side-posts with fabricated angles and plates

and C&WM/C&NM successor railroads. The Charlevoix Historical Society has an undated article with clues from the 1920s or 1930s stating that the bond issue had been settled years before the abandonment. Due to some financial technicalities never fully explained, Charlevoix ended up paying over $50,000 in interest, more than the estimated cost of purchasing the drawbridge structure.Description and operations of the Charlevoix/Belvedere drawbridge

To the Pere Marquette and later Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad’s Bridge Department it was Bridge No. 362.2 located between the Belvedere and Charlevoix Depots on the Petoskey Subdivision crossing over the Upper Pine River between Lake Charlevoix (prior to 1926, called Pine Lake) and Round Lake then leading into the Lower Pine River and Lake Michigan.

Bridge tender and assistant turning the bridge gears with “strong arm power” and the “keys” or levers. Notice there are no inside guard rails and the triple conduits with roller bearing supports used to switch the bridge locks. (Photo image courtesy of the Charlevoix Historical Society)

View of the “safety locked” gear-reduction and roller wheel bearing mechanism on the turntable pier. There were at least two gear-reductions between the “key” wheel and large bottom gear, necessitating the tenders to circle many, many times to turn the bridge 90 degrees. The downstream Charlevoix highway swing bridge was upgraded with a steam-powered motor in 1901. The visible stringers and cross-bearers were fabricated girder plate construction. (Photo CHXHS)

MAGAZINE36

in 1964. There were multiple replacements of roller-bearing wheels and gears in the turntable mechanism.

These records confirm that swinging drawbridges were high-maintenance mechanisms. Large Bascule-lift drawbridges were more robust, but they required solid down to bedrock pilings and heavy foundations. The eastern shores of Lake Michigan are comprised of shifting sands and lent themselves to supporting structures with a balanced swing draw-span.C&WM and Pere Marquette service to Charlevoix

The Chicago & West Michigan ran regular passenger service with a baggage car and varying numbers of coaches from Porter, Ind. to Traverse City and up to Petoskey/Bay View. Within a very few years, the railroad started a shuttle passenger service between Bellaire (junction with East Jordan & Southern Railroad) through Belvedere/Charlevoix and up to Petoskey/Bay View (junction with Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad). The shuttle consist was a small locomotive and a single coach Charlevoix-The-Beautiful that ran back and forth four to 10 times per day as needed. In 1913, the summer-only shuttle was changed to a motorized coach (PM Power).

To compete with the passenger steamboats on Lake Michigan, the PM instituted seasonal Summer Resort Specials in 1904. These trains provided an escape from the industrialized cities, such as Chicago and Detroit, still lacking air-conditioning for cooling houses and apartments during the summers and allergy seasons. Trains carried diners, lounge cars,

engine be allowed to stand on the draw-span or draw.

The bridge cards for Charlevoix Bridge No. 362.2 detailed the following changes: Apparently, per a Sept. 15, 1913, drawing from the American Bridge & Iron Company, the PM purchased the same motor mechanism and steel modifications for the Charlevoix Bridge as used on the St. Joseph Bridge. The floor was strengthened in 1931. Replacement bridge lift and lock components were purchased from Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Co (implied as the original builder) in 1936 and 1949. The rail locks for new 112-pound rail were upgraded in 1942 by Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Co. (originally designed for 70-pound rail). The south masonry abutment was replaced with a new concrete abutment in 1946 and pier protection was rebuilt in1948. Finally, the last entry on the cards lists that the Army Corps of Engineers re-dredged the channel

The Pere Marquette’s Grand Rapids District Employee Time Table No. 20, dated Dec. 15, 1903, had the following relevant instructions: Trains making station stops at Charlevoix south-bound or Belvedere north-bound need not make additional stops for drawbridge when signals are shown clear for the bridge. The drawbridge at the Pine River at Charlevoix is under the charge of a watchman, who must never be absent from the bridge. Additionally, the bridge will remain open for vessels and will be closed for passing trains. The train must be under perfect control upon approaching to come to a full stop 300 feet from either end of the draw while observing the bridge in daylight or tower lights at night to satisfy that the bridge is closed. In no case shall the train run over the bridge at a speed greater than ten miles per hour nor under no circumstances will any part of the

One of the first passenger trains across the rip-rap and fill soil north approach and cut stone abutment with a larger C&WM 4-4-0 locomotive and open-vestibule coaches. This view also shows the draw span’s pin-connected lower chord details quite well. (Photo courtesy the Charlevoix Historical Society)

Post-1900 view of train with PM 4-4-0 locomotive No. 65 and closed vestibule coaches crossing the draw-span, taken from the Federal Revenue Cutter or Coast Guard buoy tender service facility wharf. This was located on the north side of Round Lake next to the train bridge and equipped with a spur track. (Photo courtesy of Charlevoix Historical Society)


information: David L. Miles, Charlevoix Historical Society curator; Fritz Milhaupt, Pere Marquette Historical Society editor and historian; and Robert VandeVusse, president of the Pere Marquette Historical Society. Photographs were provided by the Charlevoix, Chesapeake & Ohio and Pere Marquette Historical Societies and Facebook associates. David Miles and Rick Van Horn also provided rewrites and editorial inputs.

This article is a prelude to a broader, but in less depth, publication covering a slice of the Pere Marquette’s bridges in Michigan and Ontario. There is enough material on the referenced “PM Summer Resort Specials” for a separate article.References:

1. Bridge Engineer’s Office, Pere Marquette Railway Company, “Charlevoix Bridges No. 362.2 Station Index Cards” 1-7, covering 1891-1964, C&OHS Archives.

2. Bridge Engineer’s Office, Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company, Huntington. W. Va., C&O Northern Region Bridge Book last revised late 1955, C&OHS DS-7-041

3. Chicago & North Michigan Rail Road Company annual report for period ending May 15, 1891.

4. Goslee, Steve; Lewis, Karen; Miles, David L.; Reynolds, Betsy; The Railroad in Charlevoix, Charlevoix Historical Society, 2009.

5. Hyde, Charles K. (PhD), The Lower Peninsula of Michigan: An Inventory of Historical Engineering and Industrial Sites, Historic American Engineering Record, page 257, published 1976.

Resort Special was cut back to weekend service only. The last C&O Resort Special ran on Sept. 4, 1957.

After petitioning and receiving approval from the Michigan Railroad Commission and the Federal Interstate Commerce Commission, Chessie System passenger service ceased. The last C&O passenger train left Charlevoix on Sept. 1, 1962. Chessie Systems freight operations ceased in 1982. It was then determined that the unmanned open bridge constituted a navigational hazard. After a local developer, living on Mackinaw Island, expressed interest in purchasing the bridge to build a restaurant on it, the city of Charlevoix asserted it claim, or lien, in the local circuit court. A stay on demolition of bridge was issued. When a firm offer wasn’t presented, the city council dropped its lien and the bridge was disassembled and scrapped in October, 1983. The pilings, trestles, and tracks heading southwest were then pulled out.

To service local businesses, the Michigan Northern Railroad continued operations on the abandoned line northward between Charlevoix and Petoskey. That continued into 1984 when there was a storm-induced track washout and neither railroad offered to foot the rebuilding costs, thus ending the service. The last CSX tracks were pulled up in 1990.

Your co-author would like to thank the following for providing invaluable background

sleeping coaches and multiple coaches sometimes requiring double-headed locomotives. A 1909 picture post card shows the “PM Flyer” with PM 4-6-0 locomotive No. 175 pulling a baggage car and four coaches across the Charlevoix drawbridge. A similar pre-WW I photo depicted a single locomotive and a consist of nine or 10 cars. The PM provided illustrated Michigan Summer Resorts booklets listing resorts and boarding houses for the St. Joseph-Pentwater and the Grand Traverse Bay-Straits of Mackinaw areas.

C&WM’s freight service was geared towards servicing the lumber industry. The C&WM built a long wharf, or transshipment dock, with tracks into Lake Charlevoix even before the drawbridge was finished. The lumber business peaked in the 1900s and crashed in 1915. The PM supported local agriculture and industrial businesses. It also shipped block ice cut from Lake Charlevoix for use in its dining and refrigerator cars and for sale to restaurants.Slow demise of the Petoskey Branch and demolishing the drawbridge

The Great Depression and World War II triggered the slow demise of the Resort Special from Chicago to Petoskey. In 1940, due to competition from better highways making the automobile a preferred method of traveling to the Northern Michigan resorts, the PM closed The Inn in 1940. The resort had virtually no parking space available. By 1950, the

There was competition for transporting tourists between the passenger liners and railroads. This is a view of the channel with both swing bridges open (the partially-open highway bridge and channel-side bumper guards are in foreground). The docked SS Manitou was built in 1893 and scrapped after a fire in 1936. (CHXHS)

MAGAZINE38

This is an upper channel view of the passenger steamer Illinois passing by the fully-open railroad drawbridge through 90-foot-wide channel. Notice the timber bumper wrapped around the turntable pier. (Courtesy of the Charlevoix Historical Society)

The open railroad drawbridge and approaches from the Belvedere Hotel circa WW1. Both horse-drawn and motor-powered vehicles are coexisting. Also note the fire hydrants and utilities. (Photo courtesy of the Charlevoix Historical Society)

Here is the temporary Belvedere platform stop used before the Belvedere depot was built. This staged stop of a larger C&WM, or PM 4-4-0 locomotive, leading a passenger consist with three open vestibule cars most likely occurred after both depots had opened. (Photo courtesy CHXHS)


C&WM or PM passenger train with a polished 4-4-0 locomotive still with a link-and-pin coupler extension on the pilot at Charlevoix depot in C&WM livery (original paint scheme). Passengers are being met by commercial covered horse-drawn coaches (or taxis) and drays (wagons without sides) for their luggage. PM used C&WM 4-4-0s into the 1920s. (Photo courtesy of Charlevoix Historical Society collection)

PM mixed passenger-freight or freight train with 2-8-0 locomotive No. 158 crossing or waiting on the creosote trestle No. 361.5 approaching the Belvedere depot circa 1897. (Photo courtesy CHXHS)

This is a silhouette of an early freight train led by a light PM 2-8-0 locomotive (No. 737). It is equipped with regular couplers and is on the south bridge approach. (Photo courtesy of CHXHS)

MAGAZINE40

Between 1913 and 1930 second-class shuttle service for summer guests between Bellaire, Belvedere, Charlevoix, Petoskey, and Bay View was provided by a GE motor car, PM No. 17. PM No. 17 would return to Saginaw for maintenance and spent the off-season working between Saginaw and Bad Axe. C&OHS Collection, cohs-697.

A lonely C&O locomotive No. 96 on the Petoskey turntable, circa 1960, being prepared to return southwest. This turntable is now restored and used in Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mich. (Doug Hefty photograph)

(Below) B&O and C&O GP-35s lead Chessie System-era freight consist on the south approach, with new abutment, crossing the bridge. (Photo courtesy of Michael C. Kelly collection. The photo was shot on 10-30-79 by Neil Plagens, Sr.)


C&O passenger train north of Charlevoix crossing the “new” US-31 overpass or bridge No. 369.8 in summer of 1957. This abandoned structure is still on Google Maps. (C&OHS Collection, CSPR 10469-531)

Looking south at the interlocked semaphore signals and derail switch for open Charlevoix bridge circa 1979. Horizon over horizontal equals Red over Red signaling STOP. (T W. Dixon, Jr. C&OHS Collection, COHS 38138)

Approaching bridge from the south in Chessie System era with semaphores at Yellow (Diagonal) over RED signaling APPROACH at 10 mph. (Doug Hefty Collection)

MAGAZINE42

Mid-1960’s C&O caboose No. 3319 exiting the Charlevoix bridge. Note there are now tie-plates under the 112-pound rails but the exposed conduit has been moved or removed. Did the bridge get updated with electric relay controlled locks sometime after the addition of the swing motor? The tender’s house woodwork is due for some scraping and a repaint. (Courtesy of Charlevoix Historical Society)

(Below) Well-maintained ballast on curved south approach deck to an open drawbridge at TBD date. Notice the signal and derail conduit pipes and rollers on the right side. (Gene Huddleston photo, C&OHS Collection, COGH 488)

View of the derail switch, the semaphore signals in full-stop position for an open bridge and the switching-pipes in rollers running from the south abutment. (Gene Huddleston slide, C&OHS collection, COGH 1187)


Sequential photos of crews removing cantilevered upper superstructures above the deck first, then the deck and finally the center superstructure. Next the center or turntable pier and approaches were removed. (All three CHXHS images)

MAGAZINE

Cutting out rivets and removing the last of the superstructure in the center section of the Charlevoix draw-span above the turn table. (Oct. 10, 1983 photo by Alex Huff from Greg Bruce’s collection)

End of the line in 1984 with overgrown tracks, control pipes, and north abutment. The tracks south of the bridge and navigation hazards have been removed. Instead of a 90-foot channel there now is a 200-foot-wide channel. The masonry abutment and tracks north to Petoskey were not pulled up. From the air one could still see the stub-remains of the cut timber pilings of the south approach . . . still visible today. (Greg Bruce photo)

44


from street vehicles to cars." There were five platform scales of 6x5-foot size. Two larger ones, 6x8 and 7x12 feet in platform size, were also installed. "The teamway along the side of the freight house is graded to give a maximum of convenience in the transfer of freight between street vehicles and the house. Along the out-bound house where the movement is from the wagons to the house, the roadway is only three feet lower than the floor level so that the floor would be higher relative to the wagons."

The design and supervision of construction were under the control of F. L. Stuart, chief engineer of the B&OCT, and the actual work was done by Drumm Construction Co. of Chicago.

The station remained in use after the C&O merger and was eliminated with the decline and eventual abandonment of less- than-carload freight in the early 1960s.

area where incoming freight was stored until consignees could be notified by mail or telephone to pick up their goods. The second- floor space was used not only for storage of freight awaiting pickup, but space was leased to shippers to collect and store their goods. The third floor was entirely occupied by offices for administration of the freight traffic.

The Otis Elevator Co. installed inclined plane elevators for transporting freight to the second-floor storage area. These unusual elevators actually were 16-degree inclined planes up which the freight was wheeled, with the assistance of an endless chain equipped with hooks that engaged the axles of the freight hand trucks. The first floor had a 12xl8-foot cold storage room and a 6x8-foot Fairbanks self-recording scale.

The outbound portion of the station was, in the words of the Railway Age article, "intended purely for the transfer of freight

The Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT) (a B&O subsidiary) built an inbound freight station for use by the Pere Marquette Railway's inbound LCL freight. The PM was a tenant, using the B&OCT trackage for its business in Chicago.

An article appeared in the Railway Age, the premier railroad trade publication, detailing the new structure. The following data is extracted from that article, as well as a couple of the illustrations.

The inbound area of the structure was 280½ feet x 52½ feet, half of which was two-story and the other half was three- story. The outbound portion of the structure was 250x18 feet and consisted basically of just a covered platform. This was the case because most outbound freight arrived at the loading dock and was immediately transferred to cars waiting on the nearby tracks. The inbound area required considerable warehouse

C&O's freight house in Chicago as it appeared in 1950. The structure was originally built by the Pere Marquette in 1909. (C&OHS Collection, COHS 48256)

Pere Marquette/C&O Inbound Freight Station - Chicago

MAGAZINE46

(Above) Trackside at the station with cars being unloaded. (C&OHS Collection, COHS 48257)

Cross section of the PM/C&O Chicago inbound freight house as it was originally built. (C&OHS collection)

The track arrangement for the freight station. Note there were two team tracks spaced so wagons, and later trucks, could unload freight between them (top of drawing). Two house tracks are positioned beside the station while three others dead end at the building. A covered platform was provided where you see the word "platform" on this drawing. Where the driveway appears, the dramen or truckers came to pick up freight.


flower. The R&A purchased the canal right-of-way and built its line between Richmond and Clifton Forge, but was never profitable. Its countryside was largely rural, as it is to this day.

The R&A was purchased by C&O as the latter was beginning to expand its coal business. Because of R&A's water-level downgrade eastbound, this line became C&O's conduit for heavy coal trains from Clifton Forge to Richmond and on to the sea at Newport News, a function it still serves today.(C&OHS Collection, COHS 43198)

Richmond & Alleghany Railroad in 1889. Could it be that this is an R&A-era photo? If not, it must be in the early to mid-1890s.

Regardless, the photo is interesting and shows how late 19th century railroading was often crude and makeshift. The R&A was built in 1881 along the towpath of the James River & Kanawha Canal. The canal had been built as far as Buchanan before the War Between the States, and some of its proponents tried to revive it after the war. However, by that time the age of the canal had closed and the railway age was in full

C&ODDIT Y

This is photo is indeed an enigma. It appears to be the body of a reused narrow-gauge car that has been converted for use as a flag stop shelter station.

The station name is Rocky Point, located about six miles west of Buchanan, Va., on the James River Subdivision. The clothes of the women imply that it is late 19th century. The signal seems to be of the "tilting target" style of an archaic design.

The James River and Rivanna Subdivisions became part of the C&O when it purchased the

MAGAZINE4848

E8 No. 4027 has just arrived at Newport News, Va. with train No. 42 , the Virginia section of The George Washington. The Greyhound bus will take passengers on to Norfolk. The date is Feb. 7, 1971, just a few weeks before Amtrak would begin to change all of this. The train has one of the smooth-sided 1600-series coaches discussed in the article beginning on page 18. The car still with the fluted sides is actually No. 1610 that had been converted to a coach-diner in 1956. (T. W. Dixon, Jr. photo, C&OHS Collection, COHS 28737)

c&o historical society magazine · such announcements and/or reviews are provided as a service,...

Documents