What's Here:
Lake State RR
Huron and Eastern RR
Three Yards
Two Wyes
Two Swing Bridges
Data:
GPS Coordinates: as needed
Phone A/C: 989
ZIP: 48701
Access by train/transit:
None
The Scoop:
Bay City hosts three yards, two belong to the Lake State RR, and
the other to the Huron and Eastern (formerly Central of Michigan).
There are also two swing bridges, and
three wyes, altho one of them has had one of it's legs "cut" off.
Waiting for trains to go over the bridges may take more
patience than you have, so a stop to the yards for some info may prove to be
worthwhile - if anyone is around.
Note: Bing Maps no longer has a "birds eye view" for Bay City :-(
Acknowledgements:
Denver Todd
Google Maps
Bing Maps
Websites and other additional information sources of interest for the area: https://www.lsrc.com/
I haven't caught anything running on the few trips I have
been to Bay City, but then, for some reason, I almost always seem to come
thru during the weekends.
From their website: Lake State Railway Company was created by the vision of
the late Jim George in 1992 when he acquired the railroad lines previously
operated by Detroit & Mackinac Railway Company (D&M). His passion for expanding
the railroad and providing exceptional freight transportation services is what
brought these lines from being nearly abandoned, to being a successful railroad.
In 2005, LSRC acquired rail property from CSX in the Saginaw, Michigan area.
These lines were operated under the name Saginaw Bay Southern Railway (SBS)
until January 2012, when LSRC merged these two companies together under the
name Lake State Railway Company. In April 2012, SBS interchanges and railroad
accounting practices were converted to LSRC, completing the consolidation.
Consistent investment in rail infrastructure, equipment and facilities has
positioned LSRC to continue to expand its' business. To drive this continuous
improvement, LSRC has developed a rolling five-year track maintenance and improvement plan.
Grain, fertilizer, coal, chemicals, aggregates, cement, steel, and scrap metal
are just a few of the commodities that are transported along the lines. LSRC
continues to be a consistently profitable railroad and shows a high priority
to maintaining and improving its' rail infrastructure. LSRC strives to maintain
a proactive position towards safe operations.
Above: Looking in from Wilder Road, and what you can see from
there... Not much here, and their track ends on the other side of the
yard... I guess they lost their customers up there. Below: The Lake State shops.
The Lake State radio freqs
A few pictures from Google Streetview, taken from Wilder Rd.
Huron & Eastern RR
On the day we were there, there was quite a collection of
equipment sitting around.... In addition to the H&E stuff, there were still
a few geeps painted CM hanging around, as well as a few units in Rail
America and Central Oregon and Pacific, and a couple of "B" units, which
today are really rare.... A great break from the big class one's!
NOTE: #4065 below is a cabless "B" unit - pretty rare these days - maybe
it's a leftover from the Santa Fe?
I finally managed to snag a train coming
into town on my last visit in 2011. I was headed out of town filling
the tank on truck when I heard the unmistakable sound of trains at a
crossing (yeah, I know, it could be a truck), but I took a chance and drove
back into the southern part of town where I was delightfully surprised by
the train below.
Three aerial views of the Huron & Eastern yard, and the frequencies.
The Park off State Street
The park used to sport a wye, but one side of it has been
removed. It must still be pretty cool to see a freight come through if
you're there for a game (of course, the baseball fans might not think so :-)
Small Yard off Woodside - Lake State
If you don't know where this yard is, you can go right on past it
when driving down Woodside Ave. You can usually find a lone engine sitting here.
the "Western" Swing Bridge along Woodside
Ave and the Wye Approach
GPS Coordinates: 43.60536, -83.88964
Adjacent to Vermont Street / Woodside Avenue
The sidewalk on Liberty bridge affords an excellent view of the bridge and a
train going over it if you can catch one!
the "Eastern" Swing Bridge
GPS Coordinates: 43.61295, -83.85700
H&E Bridge / Linwood
GPS Coordinates: 43.65395, -83.94407
Abandoned and Removed Bridge
GPS Coordinates: 43.65280, -83.89412
A couple of houses have been built on what used to be the right-of-way
For the signal fan, sorry, not much happening in town :-(
However, if we go back up to the small yard at #5, we can find what is
leftover of a signal from days past..... A number of years ago,
I had a gentleman in England send me a CD with pictures of Tilting Target
signals he had taken here in the U.S. (click
here for the page they are on). One of them was in Bay City. I looked all over for it,
and never saw it until I emailed him, and he told me where it was.
Well, if you look to the left in the picture on the left, you will just
barely make out that very same signal. I need some new glasses I
guess. Well, maybe next year I can stop by again and get my own
pictures (dunno why, John did an excellent job).... All of the photos below
are by John except for the one on the left.
Tilting Target
GPS Coordinates: 43.61101, -83.85754
Off Atlantic St via Woodside Lane
At least, as of 2012, the Tilting Target was still there.....
I got lost and came across this by accident, I guess
someone was watching over me..... I don't know if they have another
facility or not. It is on N Johnson St, off Woodside where you come
over the river on the Truman Pkwy.
Unusual Turn Signals
These are at the junction of Tierman Rd and E Wilder Rd. Looks like things haven't changed in 10 years.
2009
2019
2019
Disclaimers:
I love trains, and I love signals. I am not an expert. My webpages reflect what I find on the topic of the page. This is something I have fun with while
trying to help others.
Please Note: Since the main focus of my two websites is railroad signals, the railfan guides are oriented towards the signal fan being able to locate them.
For those of you into the modeling aspect of our hobby, my
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an error may creep in :-)
My philosophy: Pictures and maps are worth a thousand words, especially for railfanning. Text descriptions only get you so far, especially if you get lost or
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railroads on them. If you can find em, I like the National Geographic map book of the U.S..... good, clear, and concise graphics, and they do a really good job
of showing you where tourist type attractions are, although they too lack the railroads. Other notes about specific areas will show up on that page if known.
Aerial shots were taken from either Google or Bing Maps as noted. Screen captures are made
with Snagit, a Techsmith product... a great tool if you have never used it!
By the way, floobydust is a term I picked up 30-40 years ago from a National Semiconductor data book, and means miscellaneous
and/or other stuff.
Pictures and additional information is always needed if anyone feels inclined to take 'em, send 'em, and share 'em, or if you have something to add or correct.... credit
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