Re: Yale Depot demolition
I don't recall the exact date, but it may have been sometime in 1978? I was working the operators' extra board and dispatching out of Saginaw at that time. I didn't happen to be dispatching the PH Sub the morning of the derailment. I know it was eastbound PH77 that derailed into the depot. At the end of 1976, Yale along with Gera, Vassar and Marlette were all closed as agency/train order offices. However, our lineman who maintained the highway crossing flashers/gates on the line still maintained an office in the Yale depot. He was actually waiting at the M-19 crossing on his way to his office when the train derailed! I understand he was running a little bit late, and had he been on time would have been in the depot when the train derailed!! Boy, that would cause you to do some thinking about life, huh?? We had a microphone (announciater) attached to the Yale depot so we got an audible when a train was passing. It came in handy before we had a radio system to alert PH Yard that "their" train was getting close. After the depot was demolished, they installed it on a pole where the depot used to be. As a side note, at that time, any agency work was handled by a mobile agent who worked out of Croswell. I worked that job a few times off the extra board. Now, after all of that, hopefully someone will have an exact date for you!
|