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Written by Paul D. Race for Family Garden Trains(tm)
and New Boston and Donnels Creek: |
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The Little River Railroad - Northern DivisionIn August of 2008, we visited the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company museum in Townsend Tennessee. Later, while I was doing further research for an article about the railroad and the museum, I discovered that one of the Little River RR's unique locomotives is still operating, in Coldwater, Michigan, about 550 miles away from its one-time home.In October, 2008, I drove to Michigan, picked up my father in Grosse Ile (near Detroit), traveled around the state some, then drove to Coldwater (south central Michigan) to see one of the most unique operating steam engines in the world - a standard-gauge Pacific (passenger engine) that is smaller than many "yard goats" (local switch engines). We discovered that Michigan's edition of the "Little River Railroad" has many nice additional features, and has been able to preserve several unique railroad cars as well. Number 110 - the Heart of the Little River RailroadMichigan's "Little River Railroad" takes its inspiration from its best exhibit, a unique locomotive with a unique history to match. If you've read our article on the Unique Features of the Little River Railroad, you'll recall that Col. Townsend built his logging railroad to standard gauge (56.5" between the rails) instead of narrow gauge (36" or less between the wheels). This way his lumber cars could run on the railroads he linked up to, and their passenger cars could run on his. But he laid the track of his railroad the way most companies laid the track for narrow-gauge logging railroads, using lightweight rails and the bare minimum of grading and support. As a result, even the smallest and most sure-footed locomotives strugged to stay on the track.
For a time, 110 ran on the Smoky Mountain Railroad, a "common carrier" in the Smokies. In 1966 she was abandoned at Shook's Gap. One version of the story is that she had crossed a trestle that they didn't think was safe for her to cross back over, so she was "trapped." In 1972, Terry Bloom, of northeastern Indiana, rescued her and had her hauled to Brookville, Ohio to be rebuilt. In 1975, she traveled "on her own wheels" to Angola, Indiana, and has been running ever since. She is now running out of the depot at Coldwater Michigan, making a 15-mile trip to Quincy twice most weekends. Terry likes to point out that 110 has been running longer for him than she ran for either of her previous owners.
I also asked Terry if the gift shop had any books about number 110 or the development of Michigan's "Little River Railroad," but he said there weren't any yet. I told him I knew a good writer. . . .
I walked around the train and tried to get a good shot of the right side, which was lit by the sun. I was hoping the camera would pick up enough detail to use to build a model if I ever got around to it. 110 in OperationDuring our visit, we road behind the 110 in a heavyweight coach that was following a B&O wooden caboose and two stock cars that had been fitted with seats for observing. The train didn't exceed 20mph. On certain sections of track, each stroke of the drivers caused the car to lurch a little in that direction. The back-and-forth motion may be a problem for the folks prone to car-sickness. I imagine it would settle down some if the train was running faster, and also if we were following other heavyweights instead of light-weight cars. (Actually, on the way back, we were behind two streamlined coaches, and the ride was smoother, but that could have been because we were going slower over that part of the track, too.)
110 was Terry backed #110 past the train and over a quarter of a mile beyond, where he reached another turnout. While I watched him, I took a look at the passing track and its roadbed. It looks like many of Eventually #110 passed the next turnout, and, with the help of the ground crew, pulled back onto onto the "mainline" behind the train.
Other Features of the Little River Railroad (Northern Division)Terry Bloom and company have gone beyond rescuing one unique locomotive. They have acquired a "backup" (always a good idea) and an unusual collection of other cars, several of which I passed through, or at least saw. A few cars we didn't see on our visit are listed in the museum's printed materials. Those sources provided most of the details in the following discriptions as well:![]() Locomotive #1 - #1 is an 0-4-0T locomotive, which means it has no pilot or trailing wheels and it carries its water in a tank on top of the boiler, instead of in a trailing car. This was a good acquisition for the LRRR, because it gives them a backup on the few days when #110 is out of service. However #1's "pedigree" isn't quite as clear as #110's - it contains parts from at least two different locomotives, the oldest parts dating back to 1908. #1 wasn't on display the day we were there - I borrowed the thumbnail above from the LRRR's web site. Still if you get a chance to see it, #1 is a great example of a typical switching locomotive used by many industries between 1900 and 1960.
The Cabeese are from B&O, built between 1924 and 1929. They really are the same color and have the same number of windows - I took the photo on the left from the shady side of the train, and I took the photo on the right from the sunny side of the train.
The "open air" cars were built as stock cars in 1933 for the Northern Pacific railroad. They have steel side-frames and wooden slats. The top several rows of boards have been removed so passengers can easily see out. All of the floorboards have been replaced with fresh lumber, a wise and sanitary move, in my opinion. The Heavyweight we rode in was a combine (half baggage-car) built for the Chicago and Alton railroad in 1925. It has been repainted to match the "Milwaukee"-colored coaches.
The unique brick station served the railroad under several different road names. Beautifully preserved, the building houses a small gift store, a ticket office, and several displays. (When we were there, it was also decorated for Halloween, but that isn't a permanent feature.)
ConclusionFor me, the trip to see #110 was the culmination of a three-month project to document one of the most unusual North American railroads ever - a logging road with common carrier aspects and a willingness to experiment. We did combine this stop with other stops, so in a sense our visit only added 80 miles to a trip that was already almost 800 miles long. Was it worth 80 miles? Yes, if nothing else, the pictures were worth the trip. (Click on the title photo to see the blow-up if you're not convincedl) Would it have been worth 800 miles? Probably not. However, the LRRR (Northern Division) does have several longer, unique runs a year that provide many unusual photo opportunities. Check their schedule page once you click on their link below.Better yet, if you could combine a ride on the LRRR with, say, a ride behind a Pere Marquette Berkshire at Owosso, Michigan, that would give you a sampling of the most powerful and the most compact road locomotives. To me, that would be the makings of a great vacation! Click here for more information. LinksFor more information on the Little River Railroad that operates at Coldwater, Michigan, visit the Little River Railroad's Web Site. The following links provide information on the original Townsend, Tennessee Little River Railroad | ![]() |
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