Railroads

Slides 145 - 154

1.  The Jackson Lansing and Saginaw Railroad reached Otsego Lake Village in 1872.  A year later – 1873 – the line was extended to Gaylord where for seven years it was the terminal – the getting off place for people going north.  This locomotive was a wood burner.  Note the strange looking stack – it was called a spark catcher.

2.  Another wood burner hauling passenger cars.  It was an eleven hour all day trip to Bay City .

3.  Grading the railroad right-of-way first was done by the use of horses.  Later the use of the steam shovel greatly speeded up the process.

4.  This railroad trestle which was located west of Gaylord was part of the Boyne City , Gaylord and Alpena Railroad.  It was generally referred to as the B.C.G.&A.  For years, Gaylord was an important railroad junction for the two railroads.

5.  Trains – both passenger and freight – ran daily.  In the winter, snow removal was quite a problem.

6.  Once in a while, a train or some of its cars would jump the track causing considerable damage to freight, passengers, personnel, and equipment.  This wreck took place in Waters in 1914.

7.  The railroad depot was always a busy and important place.  At one time, 14 passenger trains going north, south, east, and west passed through Gaylord daily.  Passengers – express – freight and mail arrived or left on each train.

8.  During the summer resort season, passenger traffic was heavy and the local trains stopped at Otsego Lake Village , Arbutus Beach , Wah-Wah Soo, and Oak Grove to discharge and take on passengers.

9.  Sometimes trains were a combination of freight and passengers.  The B.C.G. &A. quite often used a number of such trains.

10.   Before the B.C.G. &A. abandoned the line in 1933, it operated this motorized car to handle the passenger service.  The railroad that still operates between Boyne City and Boyne Falls is all that is left of the old B.C.G.&A.