Rerouting the 20th Century Limited

After speaking with retired NYC personnel from Michigan Central mainline divisions in Michigan and Ontario, I was wondering when and how often it may have become necessary to reroute the 20th Century Ltd. and other name passenger trains of the NYC over the MCRR between Buffalo and Chicago. It seems reasonable to assume that action like this would have only been taken only as the result of an accidental mishap on the normal LSMS route which would have otherwise caused considerable delay to the trains in question.
I would also like to learn if any east-west freight runs would have been similarly detoured then.
This inquiry was posed on the Canada Southern site earlier with some well informed responses. Hopefully, more information about this may be available here too.

In 1960-61, a wreck on the Syracuse Division caused #25 to be
rerouted over the Auburn Road betwen Syracuse and Rochester.
Presume that Form 19 was used for clearance. I found out about it
in Syracuse, after the fact. This would have been amazing to see
from trackside, even at night (Syracuse departure was at 11:00PM).

In 1960, the single track between SS-2 (west of Syracuse) and Brighton, the Auburn Road, was operated under Manual Block System Rules 300-373. Maximum authorized speed was 40 mph.

Train 25 would have received a train order at SS-2 to Run Extra SS-2 to Brighton, and a manual block indication conveyed with Clearance Form A to the next open block station. Westward Auburn Road trains were cleared with a Form A at SS-2, and eastward Auburn Road trains received their Form A (ant train orders) at Rochester.

It was common, while detouring trains on the West Shore, the Auburn Road or other secondary parallel routes, to open temporary train order and manual block stations. When 25 (or any other regular train) was off of its normal scheduled route, the train had no superiority by right, class or direction. It was run as an extra identified by its leading engine number, as "Extra 4022 West."

At that time, NYC had parallel routes available over nearly the entire route between New York and Chicago. West from New York was the Harlem Division to Chatham, the B&A to Rensselaer, the West Shore from either Post Road or South Schenectady to Schuyler Jct. (and to Kirkville until the mid-1950's), the Auburn Road Syracuse to Brighton, the West Shore to Chili Jct and Buffalo, the Nickel Plate to Cleveland and beyond, the Norwalk Subdivision Elyria to Millbury, and the original Michigan Southern between Toledo and Elkhart. Even though the MC and the Canada Southern were fast double-track railroads, there were not many extra conductors and engineers available to act as pilots or to handle the detour trains up there.

For a detour between Buffalo and Cleveland, the Nickel Plate was the preferred solution because there were many opportunities along the route to cross over to and from the Lake Shore. The NYC Lake Division Timetable No. 12 of October 28, 1962 shows connections to the NKP at Athol Springs, Silver Creek, Dunkirk, Brocton, Westfield, North East, Harbor Creek, Wesleyville, Erie, Girard Jct, Conneaut, Ashtabula, Madison, Perry, Painesville and Wickliffe. NYC could do much better with that flexibility than to bypass all the stations between Buffalo and Toledo.

Chief, when do you show the Auburn Road shut down between Pittsford and Victor? I had thought it was 1959 but from your post it must have been a bit later. That detour of the Century would have been pretty close to the end. Amazing to picture it traveling over that line!

Chief, when do you show the Auburn Road shut down between Pittsford and Victor?

It was in service in Timetable 6 of October 25, 1959. I don't have the actual date of abandonment.

latonyco,

If a mainline derailment occurred between Elkhart and Toledo (Swan Creek), the preferred detour route was Elkhart / Jackson / Detroit / Toledo, with the Michigan Southern Old Road used for overflow.

If the mainline was blocked between Toledo (Nasby) and Toledo (Swan Creek), the detour route was through Air Line Jct. Yard.

If the mainline was blocked between Toledo (Swan Creek) and Millbury Jct. there was hell to pay because there was no convenient all-facing-point detour. If eastbound passenger trains could access the depot, they would then have to: (A) back out to get to the Toledo Terminal off the Toledo Branch, or (B) get to the B&O or C&O on the east side of the Maumee River Bridge [or use the Maumee Cut Branch after it was constructed in the 1960's] and then work their way back to the mainline.
Freight traffic would either be held for a hole to be opened or detoured via (A) the Canada Div. if could clear through the Detroit River Tunnel; (B) the Big Four via Goshen / Anderson / Bellefontaine /Berea; (C) the T&OC-E or T&OC-W / Big Four using the Toledo Terminal trackage around the North Side of Toledo because the TT's high-level Maumee River Bridge was long out of service; or (D) any of the connecting lines at Toledo (C&O, B&O, NKP (W&LE), or PRR to a point where we could return to home rails.

If the mainline was blocked between Millbury Jct. and Berea, the Norwalk Branch (old LS&MS mainline) was used with directional running for first-class trains. {Perhaps you recall seeing either of the photo spreads in old issues of Trains showing such occasions.} Freight traffic was either held for a hole or detoured to return to home rails at Sandusky (Bay Jct. CP-242), Elyria Jct. (CP-207), or Berea.

If the mainline was blocked between Berea and Collinwood, detour routes were the Cleveland Short Line , Cleveland Union Terminal, or the Big Four / Lakefront via DK / OX.

If the mainline was blocked between Collinwood and Buffalo, preferred detour route was via the NKP using any of the multiple interchnage points mentioned by Chief Troll, plus Willoughby.

That's interesting... the only detours I knew about were the occasional Harlem Division detours when there was a problem on the Hudson Division... I keep forgetting there is a whole world west of Albany.

-otto-

"I keep forgetting there's a whole world west of Albany"

Our politicians frequently suffer from that same ailment!

My family lived in Adrian, Michigan, 1946-1951. I recall a few times when my dad took me down to the NYC depot to watch the east-west mainline "varnish" detouring via the Old Road (Air Line Jct, Toledo to Lenawee Junction, thence west through Adrian, Hillsdale, Coldwater, White Pigeon to Elkhart -- or the reverse).

In those days there were still two schedued passenger trains each way over the Old Road. One was always pulled by a Hudson, the other by a Pacific (it always had three cars, so my brother and I dubbed it the "Three-Carred Train").

For a good insight on passenger detours over the Old Road, go to

http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.ne ... _railroads

and search for

File Number 3775
Railroad NEW YORK CENTRAL
Date 11/16/1957
Location WHITE PIGEON, MI.

to see how Passenger Extra 4000 East (Train 90's detour) came to grief.

Gordon

This topic forced me to re-up my account after the old sight went down some time ago. Here is what I remember.

My Father was a Dispatcher on the Michigan Division based in Jackson, and from the late fifties until the demise of the Century it was not unusual at all for the EB Century to be rerouted on the old MC Main. My recollection is that it would happen maybe once or twice a year. I do not know about rerouting the WB Century, but I am sure that it happened.

The reason I recall the EB Century is that on one occasion, my Dad, my brother, and I went down to the Depot at Jackson to witness its passage. Somewhere between Chicago and Jackson, the Century passed our Division's name train, the Twilight Limited, which was due to leave Jackson for Detroit at 8:55pm. So we made sure we were downtown about 8:30pm or so.

Our wait was paid off as we would see the Century's headlight coming down Jackson Hill into town. Soon, it went by with an A-B-A engine, something we did not often see in Jackson. Not only that, but the Century just looked classier, it was definitely cleaner and better maintained. With the double unit diner and all the sleepers, there was no doubt that it was a classy train. Even the rail joints seemed to be quieter as it went by!

The Century never stopped, even though the Engine Crew was changed in Jackson. That was a bit of a disappointment, because I had hoped to photograph the drumhead. But the passage of that distinctive observation car with the steam escaping was a fitting conclusion to the passage of the Century through our town.

I can attest to the fact that after '59, there were no rerouted passenger trains that used the Old Road, or the new Elkhart Freight Route that was once the old Michigan Air Line RR and rebuilt along with the Young Yard. The Century at least was always on the MC Main.

I also recall seeing my first GP20's on NY-2 as it passed through Spring Arbor. Some other symbol freights (LS-2?) were rerouted if the occasion required, and they did go Elkhart-Jackson-Detroit on the Freight Route rather than on the MC Main.

Regarding these routes you speak of:

the Old Road, or the new Elkhart Freight Route that was once the old Michigan Air Line RR and rebuilt along with the Young Yard. The Century at least was always on the MC Main.

I'm a south bend native, but if you could clarify which is which it would help my understanding.

The rebuilding of the Elkhart Freight Route, and I am 98% sure of this, occurred down the old Michigan Air Line from Jackson to Three Rivers. It then went south to White Pigeon, where it turned more or less west on the Old Road to Elkhart.

I do not know if new trackage was constructed at Three Rivers and White Pigeon to accomodate trains thru these junctions. But I do recall going between Concord and Homer with my Dad to watch the sledding operation as the track was rebuilt. I was amazed and impressed with the hard work that was going on.

Another detour the 20th Century was supposed to have taken was back in the 20's or late 30's due to either a hurricain or someother kind of high water storm. It was via the LV from, I think Rochester or Buffalo to Towanda, PA, then via the Sullivan and State Line/Harvey's Lake branch to Wilkes Barre. I remember reading, and questioning it, in old RAILROAD Magazines. I posed that question around Dushore, PA and was given the answer, "So someone said", but no one has evere offered me proof! Is it a myth????

I know the Falls Road from Niagara Falls to Rochester was used if the main east of Buffalo was out.