|
Pinconning & Blind River Railroad
Fairview, Michigan |
|
History |
Welcome to the Pinconning & Blind River Railroad information archive. The information presented here has been collected from various sources over the last couple years and the author has made every effort to insure the information presented here, is as accurate as possible. This particular railroad is no longer open to the general public, but many like it still are that operate to railway fans young & old alike, and one such nearby railroad is the Michigan Ausable Valley Railroad operated by the Schrader family. My fascination with the P&BR which is actually a miniature 16'' gauge railroad began around 1971 on a family trip from our nearby summer home in East Tawas, Michigan. I can only remember 2 perhaps 3 trips over to this railroad in the summer time before it ceased operation permanently, but it's legacy has left a mark on me that even today I can't explain. To start with the railroad is located in the northern portion of Michigan's lower peninsula in the town of Fairview. Built sometime in the early 1950's by Carrington Eddy and operated with his wife Helen, it began as a hobby more or less.
My understanding is that Mr. Eddy was a
retired auto engineer from General Motors, where he is credited
with
the design of the Dyna-Flow transmission and I suspect a great many
other talents for things mechanical. After retirement he moved to the
town of Fairview, where he purchased what must have been several hundred
acres of land with Jack Pine trees and swamp land a plenty. I'm sure he
enlisted the help of many friends & family to help lay the track and ties
for what would prove to be a great undertaking. At some point he purchased at
least one possibly two small diesel like
locomotives ( #692) from the Miniature
Train & Railroad Company of Elmhurst, Il and possibly some
passenger cars or possibly he built them himself. Also in addition he built
several wooden trestles and a
tunnel complete with concrete portals that today still bears the date of
completion 1957 .
After a five to seven year period Mr. Eddy completed # 5661, based on a Hudson locomotive which was a real oil fired steam engine. Mr. Eddy also completed a second locomotive, a Shay type shortly before his death and today his nephew Bob Jenner maintains it . I have heard that that when Mr. Eddy decided to open his railroad to the general public he didn't think anyone would come that far back in the woods to ride a train, but arrive they did. Busloads of school children on class field trips and adults arrived for a peaceful relaxing ride through this piece of Michigan forest during Summer and Fall foliage. One thing I remember are the flora and fauna having signs to identify them, as you road slowly past showing that this was an operation someone put a lot of heart and soul into. Unfortunately all of this came to an untimely end with the passing of Mr. Eddy in 1973, and it would be another 25 years before someone with a similar passion for providing train excursions in the northern Michigan woods would arrive just over the valley. I hope you find this site as enjoying as I have and if you were lucky enough to have visited in the 1960's and 1970's I hope it brings back many fond memories. I would like to thank Bob Jenner and Howard Schrader for taking time to share their stories with me. If you have any questions or stories that you would like to share please send them to me at "PBR-Stationmaster@telmore.com". .
-Thomas G.
Elmore
|
Articles & Links |
Pictures from 1965-1971
Courtesy of Chuck Snyder & Herron Rail Video
Articles
MTC
Miniature Train Corporation
Michigan
Ausable Valley Railroad
(currently open during the summer)
Schrader's
Railroad Catalog
Images of the closed P&BR RR
P&BR Hudson Locomotive #5661 with builder E.C. Eddy circa late 1960's
Pinconning & Blind River Railroad
F-3 16" gauge Diesel #692 Circa 1953
(Diesel manufactured by the
" Miniature Train & Railroad Company of Elmhurst, Il.)
www.pinconningandblindriverrailroad.com