telephoto lens to obtain the best results. Continuing about 15 miles east on M- 81 you’ll arrive in Reese, a village of nearly 1500 people along the Tuscola County border. Reese is full of railroad history, and is where the Bad Axe Sub- division crosses the former New York Central trackage that heads south to Vassar. This area presents a number of photographic opportunities with the railroad often having engines tied down near a pair of grain elevators in the area throughout the week. Another important spot in Tuscola County is located ten miles from Reese in Vassar. Trackage stretches in each direction out of this city, with the ma- jority of traffic heading to Reese, or eastward to Caro. A lightly used line al- so heads south from Vassar along M-15 to serve a grain elevator in Millington as well. The Cass River has played an important role in the town’s history, causing major flooding in the down- town area in years past. The bridges that span this body of water is also some the most photographed locations in the area. Moving further into the Thumb re- gion of Michigan presents more railfan- ning and photography challenges. This area of the state is mostly rural with many areas of the region being more than an hour away from the nearest in- terstate highways, but it is worth the trip for those looking to observe and photograph the operations on the vari- ous branch lines in Huron and Sanilac counties.
TOP: Huron & Eastern 740 is pulling into Wenona Yard in Bay City on September 10, 2012, with a New England Central unit leading. Locomotives from all over the RailAmerica system could be found on the HESR over the years. ABOVE: Train 740 heads south through Bay City with a matched set of Central Oregon & Pacific power on November 24, 2011. This train will hand off its grain traffic to the Lake States Railway in Saginaw.
easiest strategy is to take M-13 from Saginaw to Lennon, where the main line will cross through the center of town. It is only another six miles from there into Durand.
Many railfans who visit Michigan of-
ten make a stop in Durand, whose his- tory is directly related to its location along the Grand Trunk Western Rail- road. The turn of the century depot pro- vides a great railfan friendly vantage point for the Huron & Eastern entering the yard, which requires a backing move around a wye directly in front of the depot. Durand also sees the pas- sage
of many Canadian National
freights, along with the Great Lakes Central Railroad.
Heading east from Saginaw, you’ll
find the transition from urban to rural areas along the railroad. The Bad Axe subdivision runs parallel to M-81 for the entire trip between Saginaw and Reese. One mile east of Interstate 75 is Tow- erline Road, where crew members will go on duty from weekday mornings be- fore heading into Saginaw. Trains are also tied down here for the weekend af- ter arriving early Saturday morning. Photography is best here in the after- noon hours during the weekend using a
Weekday operations will have the crew go on duty from the engine house in Bad Axe, first switching in the small yard in town, then likely heading for the various branch lines that extend outward from Bad Axe. Photographers can take advantage of the line’s south- ward direction for the majority of the year, along with movements that head west out of town toward Sebewaing during the longer summer months. A detailed Michigan road atlas or GPS devices are highly recommended when railfanning in the thumb region. The Huron & Eastern has proven to be a successful short line since its cre- ation and continues to have a strong fu- ture, even during this transitional peri- od going into Genesee & Wyoming’s ownership. The railroad’s employees continuing the tradition of moving freight across Michigan as their prede- cessors did for the past century, while continuing to draw attention of railfans looking to capture a glimpse into one largest short line operations in the state.
Steve Davey is a Michigan native who has been railfanning many of the lines featured in this article since his child- hood while growing up in Bay City.
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