This is a common way of letting a work extra know they've lost their authority for movement. Prince, West Virginia: Boxcab E50
Seems to me there was also an office in this same city, named Kingsgate. But I'm not certain if the C&O operated past that point? I believe both "Gate" offices may have been used by the Southern Railway CNO&TP?) Queensgate (Cincinnati), Ohio: Boxcab E50
I just love this thread! I've been to most of the places that are mentioned in the flimsies. Order 33 Aug. 25, 1957 - Plaster Creek. This is Grand Rapids Michigan, technically Wyoming. Plaster Creek is the location of the East Tower, which is the main operation point on the west side of the state. Order 21 May 31, 1976 - Pleasant St. Grand Rapids. The tower here used to direct traffic north on the Baldwin Subdivision, but was shut down and all operations were taken over by the tower at Plaster Creek. Engine number 3014 was a GP-30 built in January of 1963. Lake Odessa is east of Grand Rapids, and had a really neat little depot that CSX actually donated - it has been moved and restored. Order 1 May 6, 1967 - Plymouth - this was the junction point of the Toledo and the Detroit Subdivisions. Passenger train traffic was directed from here north/south and east/west. Rougemere is a famous yard - especially if you are a fan of the photos and movies of the late Emery Gulash. Some of these movies are available from Pentrex in the B&O Odyssey series. Order 116 Oct. 30, 1978 - #5917 was a GP9 built in Dec. 1954. Order 150 Mar. 13, 1970 - Prince West Virginia - one of my favorite stations. The first of what was supposed to be a complete new look for the C&O - Art Deco styled stations, coal towers, etc. to appear with the new Chessie streamliners and the future "Train X". Of course financial difficulties brought an end to the Chessie, and Train X never got out of the dream stage. This also struck a blow to the career of Robert Young, who spearheaded these developments in passenger trains during the 1950's. This was taken in August, 2001:
Tim- Can you fill me in a bit more, on the Grand Rapids- Wyoming scene, regarding Plaster Creek? Is Wyoming a suburb of GR? Wasn't there some equipment painted up in Train X? Or am I thinking of another railroad? I know a bunch of companies did modern brick depots during the early to mid-1950's. A last gasp by those who still felt positive about passenger travel. Boxcab E50
Grand Rapids has three suburbs that the C&O (CSX) runs through; Kentwood, Wyoming, and Grandville. Heading west from Lake Odessa, the track crosses the Thornapple River at Whitneyville. Then the track continues west through Kentwood, fairly close to where I work by the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. The track goes over Patterson Avenue, over a really nice bridge with the Chessie kitten on it. The track then heads northwest into Grand Rapids, then due north and then west under U.S. 131, and then southwest into Wyoming, and the Wyoming Yard. Right before the Wyoming Yard is the split where the tracks head north by Pleasant Street, where the brick Pleaseant Street Tower used to be. This tower used to control the crossing with the PRR (later ConRail) crossing and the entrance to Grand Rapids Union Station where the great Pere Marquette streamliners would run to Chicago. All are now gone. The tracks also head north out of Grand Rapids on the Baldwin Subdivision from here. Plaster Creek Tower used to control the east approach to Wyoming Yard, and after closing of the Pleasant Street Tower, took over control of all local operations. The west end of Wyoming Yard is called Lamar. Heading out of Lamar, the tracks continue west into Grandville, and then to Hudsonville, Zeeland, and into Holland where I live. The locomotive for Train X never made it farther than the artist conception drawings. There was a two car consist cooked up between the C&O Research Department and Pullman Standard for testing, but that's as far as it went. There was a contest panned with a $1,000 prize to name the train, but of course it never came to be. The artist concept drawing of the train showed an engine somewhat similar to the GM Aerotrain, and the cars were designed to be articulated and share trucks. Robert Young had some pretty advanced thinking, and a lot of the design concepts for this train are a reality on some of today's more advanced trains such as the Acela.
That artist concept looks a lot like the old UP M-10000. So is Wyoming an incorporated community? Or would it have been, at the time of that 1957 flimsy? If so, I will need to change my files to reflect this fact. Trying to keep my records as accurate as possible, indicatng the nearest town of each station. Boxcab E50
Wyoming is fairly big - it's got a population of around 70,000, so it is a city. Wyoming was incorporated as a township in 1848, and became incorporated as a city in 1959. I work with the husband of the Mayor of Wyoming, Carol Sheets - she's a very nice person.
Was the Pennsylvania RR, (and thus successors), also in the Wyoming area? I keep thinking I've seen flimsies from them as well. Boxcab E50
Yep! Pennsylvania RR ran directly north/south through Wyoming and into Grand Rapids. PRR also had a yard just to the east of 131 in GR. The other major railroad through GR was the Grand Trunk Western.
How many? C&O locations, about 180. In my entire collection, representation approaching 13,000 locations, from about 590 companies, and probably 20 countries. I've at least a blank form, if not a single copied order, or clearance card, or even a set. This has been gathered via decades of searching... Plus boxes of extras totalling at least many, many hundreds of thousands.... During the past ten years, I've auctioned off quite a few from my excess. Amounting to many boxes worth. Probably somewhere between 100K and 200K. Will start in on the "R" offices next. Boxcab E50
