Re: GTW Old Main (W side) questions
GTW old mainline was severed at Longway before I-475. The end of track ended right across from the Sloan way before the x-way was put in. There was a large factory there called Gradson Hall. They shipped out some freight cars, and there also was a trailer on flat car ramp on the site too. At one time, there was a very small yard there, where cars were made up for AC Spark Plug, and also, for what downtown customers used to be there. Another small yard along the river down by Harrison street served as a yard for what few downtown customers there were, this was prior to the tracks being pulled across Saginaw Street in the late 60's. At one time, (I was told) was that that little yard, and it's 3 story building there was a dispatching location. I can't confirm that. The last downtown customer I remember was Hubbard Hardware which had a very short spur along the north side the building just before Saginaw street. Hubbard was a multi level everything necessary hardware with lot's of business. My first Lionel Train in 1955 came from Hubbards. Their entire basement was trains. Anyway, the very last customer west of Dort Highway was a small stationary paper company called McLoy Inc. They were between Franklin and Vernon street. Once they went Kaput, the track was pulled up all the way east to the current trackage at Averill Ave. I only seen 1 flat car of steel for Hall Steel in all my travels there. As for Dort Hwy crossing, flashers without gates were there, with overhead lights as well. Vernon ave was crossbucks, Franklin was flashers only, Minnesota ave was crossbucks, and Kearsley Park Blvd was flashers only. When the tracks did cross Longway Blvd, those were flashers with overheads. I don't recall any gates on any downtown street. Just flashers. I-475 thru downtown was officially opened around 1980. Becasuse I'm basically old enough to be a fossil, I do recall Green and Vermillion GTW F units traversing the tracks thru Flint. Those were still pulling freight up until around 1972 when GTW got their first SD-40's. After that, the F-units faded into the sunset.
|