Niles, Michigan

Abandoned Rails of Niles

Picture Point of Interest

(Forwarded from the Saint Joseph Valley Railroad)
Showing of

Former NYC/Conrail street trackage. Photo by Jeremy Harris, October 2007.

Niles, Michigan was once the home of many railroads: the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & Saint Louis, the Elkhart, Niles and Lake Michigan Railroad, Michigan Central Railroad, the Saint Joseph Valley railroad, and the Michigan Air-Line Railroad, to name a few. Today, only the Norfolk Southern and AMTRAK travel through town.

The map at this link contains brief histories for each of the abandoned lines. Please view it to learn more about this city in Michigan.

cool site wish there were more pictures and some older pictures what the yard looked like in the 40's

Tim Shanahan
Kalamazoo, MI
2/15/2009

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I been trying to search/genelogy on my dad's railroad career and I know he start to work for a railroad company in cass county Michigan. I would guess it would be 1918 to 1922. I hope you can help and give me some contact info that may help me.

I know there is a Niles connection, my granddad lived there.

Dora
Naples, ID
12/5/2009

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I come from a railroad family. My gandfather and two of his brothers came from Michigan City (on a daily basis) on the air-line to work in the NYC shops in Niles. My grandfather was what was referred to as a "car knocker". He repaired the big engines...the cars...and went out if there was a wreck to clear the tracks. My uncle Ben (his brother) was also a car knocker. My grandfather's other brother (who's railroad occupation I never knew) went on to found one of the biggest construction companies in Michigan City (Tonn & Blank).

My father and his brother worked on the railroad as well. My father was a brakeman & freight conductor. My uncle (I never knew what his job was) went on to be one of Niles' more prominent doctors and podiatrist. I never followed in my father's footsteps. I know he really wished that I had.

Niles' train legacy came to an end with "poor decision making" on behalf of the city government being the greatest cause. The largest classification yard in the world at one time was gone with most of it's business going on to the Robert Young Yard in Elkhart, Indiana.

Michael
Niles, MI
12/11/2009

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I grew up in Niles and I remember all the railroad connections. Our scout troop used to walk along the tracks from our house on Cass St. to the Ft. St. Joseph Rock and back. Our troop leader, Mr. Willard, lived out near the round house. We would walk to Plym Park through the tunnel where the old inter-urban ran. We would go to F.O.P. park and play on the railroad trestle over the St. Joe River. There was a hobo jungle not far from our house at 214 Cass St. and sometimes the hobos would come by looking for some work or a handout. Sure are a lot of memories now if I hear a train whistle because I used to go to sleep hearing them. Who from Niles my age(60) and even younger can't remember the viaduct near the depot? My grandfather worked at French's Paper Mill. I remember when the train used to pick up freight there too.

Ricky Riddle
Friendship, TN
1/22/2010

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I visit the fallen flags web site often, there are many old photo's of steam and diesel engines on there one shows part of the shops building with a building to the left which to me looks like a freight house or something. That building still stands today but has been sided and it red I have no clue what it was. I am in Kalamazoo I have several photos I took from 2007-2009 of the buildings and things still there. I have one 8x10 black and white photo of a NYC steam engine on the turntable at Niles with part of the roundhouse in the background, but I have no scanner to get the image on the Internet. Here is the link to fallen flags. I wish I could get a hold of the people if still alive to get permission to get prints for my collection.

Tim Shanahan
Kalamazoo, MI
8/14/2010

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I follwed the street line to Indiana. it connected to another abandoned rail.

Justin
Brighton, MI
11/7/2011

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Michael, you might go to the Niles Library and ask for "An American Colossus" by William Taylor, Jr. It is a treasure of Niles railroad history including photos, several seniority lists.

While in Niles please checkout the Big 4 Railroad historical marker in Riverfront Park next the railroad trestle. We dedicated this marker in May 2009.

Herb & Donna Ochenryder
Niles, MI
11/11/2011

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Shortened Link: http://a-r.us/60h
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