Location: Clarendon, MI - MCRR Coaling Tower

The Michigan Central Railroad's Air Line Branch was unusual in that it hosted a large, concrete coaling facility.  These were usually reserved for main line operations but the MC used the Air Line between Jackson and Niles for a time as am eastbound freight main (paired with westbound freights on the Main Line between the same two towns).

Clarendon was roughly halfway between Chicago and Detroit, using this branch prior to 1900 as part of a longer thoroughfare that included the then-single track main line.  As you will note from the map, Clarendon also had water facilities which was unusual for large fueling towers in out-of-the-way locations. 

Image credit: Top, an eastward view of the existing coal station after the Air Line branch was pulled up. This coal tower still exists on private land. [AN]. 2nd photo, a rare view coming upon the abandoned facility by an Air Line engineer in his locomotive westbound, taken in 1978 in the Penn Central era.  [Ted Zerbe], 3rd image, a map drawn from blue prints held at the State of Michigan Archives. It shows the location of the tower next to the branch line, as well as a cinder pit for dropping ashes, and sand house (for loading traction sand into the locomotive), a shop, phone booth (to call the dispatcher), and even the water closet (or privy). Nearby was the St. Joseph River which was used as a source of water.  [Dale Berry drawing]. 4th image, from a Fairbanks Morse catalog showing the available commercially coal stations. The Clarendon station was of the COR1 type, third from left, 150 to 300 ton capacity. Locomotives were served along side, with newly arrived coal brought up under the "drive thru".

Notes

This coaling tower still exists although it is on private property and very difficult to see from adjacent roads. The Air Line branch no longer exists today. It is visible in Google maps.

According to the drawing in the State of Michigan Archives, this coal station was proposed in 1929. It may have been a new installation at that time or a replacement of a previous coal tower. The location also had water facilities from the nearby St, Joseph River.

This coal station held at least 150,000 tons of coal. The main line of the branch passed the tower on the side, loading from a pocket slide. The tower was filled by bringing loaded coal cars through the "drive thru". The coal was dumped into a pocket below the car and then brought to the top of the station by an elevator.

A 1943 MC employee timetable indicates that a railroad telephone to reach the dispatcher was located at the "Coaling Station" in a box near the chutes.

Time Line

This facility was discontinued with the end of steam locomotives around 1955, if not sooner.