Muir station. No.10 had a wheel arrangement
of a 4-4-0. This was called the American type
and was built in greater numbers than any
other wheel arrangement used in the United
States. Some 25,000 locomotives of this
design were placed in service from about 1831
through 1905. The 4-4-0 was ideally suited
for conditions on early American railroads
where the roadbed was light and uneven, the
rails light, the curves sharp, and the grades
steep. These early locomotives on the D.&M.
had mechanical brakes on the tender that
were set by the fireman. In emergencies the
engineer would also reverse the engine and
apply sand to the rails. All the D.&M
locomotives had their bell mounted on the pilot
as seen here in this photograph. Rule No.3
Enginemen will not start their train until signalled by the Conductors, nor until the bell is rung. Bells will be rung 200
yards from every road crossing. Trains must be run as near to time as possible, under no circumstances leaving a
Station earlier than Card time.
At the end of 1872 the D. & M. had 34 locomotives on their roster. During this year they consumed 23,191 cords of
wood and 448 tons of coal. In the winter season, the farmers east of St. Johns would cut and stack wood along the
track to be bought and used by the D. & M. Railway. Photograph from Gordon Lydeksen collection.
train standing at the St. Johns depot.
This locomotive was built by Rhode
Island Locomotive Co. in 1882 and was
assigned to Chicago & Grand Trunk as
No.62. In 1898 the engine number was
changed to 1075. In 1910 the number
was again changed to Grand Trunk
Western No.2246. Engine 2246 was a
class H-2, 4-4-0, with 18 by 24 in.
cylinders. Locomotives at this date are
now equipt with air brakes. The 4-4-0's
of this date are more powerful than the
D. & M. 4-4-0's of 1856. Note the bus
waiting to take passengers to the Steel
Hotel in downtown St. Johns.
Photograph from a postcard.
sitting on the roof of the St. Johns Stock
Yards is taking in the show of a freight
train eastbound for Durand from
Muskegon. We can't make out the
engine number but the outline makes it
look like one of G.T.W.'s 3700's. There
were three different classes of this
engine. They were a 2-8-2 type and all
were built by Alco. The traction effort of
these engines were from 51,637 to
54,724 pounds, depending on the class
of the engine. Boiler pressures were
from 175 pounds to 200 pounds. The
early tenders held 7200 gallons and 14
tons of coal. Later tenders held 12,000
gallons of water and 16 tons of coal.
This west view was taken from the
Whittemore street overpass. The track
on the left is the spur to Elmer Emmons
Cider Mill. In the upper left is the freight
M.'s enginehouse and repair shop back in 1865. In the lower right hand corner is the roof of the section house with
some ties lying next to it. Photograph from Bement Library.
photograph of train No.56 storming out
of St. Johns. On the point is Grand
Trunk Western 5628, a class K-4-a
pacific type locomotive with a wheel
arrangement of 4-6-2. Grand Trunk had
five locomotives in this class. Number
5628 had 40,750 pounds of traction at
200 pounds of boiler pressure. Total
weight of engine and tender in working
order was 488,300 pounds. Tender
capacity was 10,000 gallons of water
and 18 tons of coal. This locomotive was
scrapped in 1960.
Train No.56, from time table No.210, was
carded out of Muskegon at 12:45 pm
and left St. Johns at 3:03 pm with arrival
in Detroit at 5:55 pm. The last steam run
from Muskegon, through St. Johns to
Detroit was December 2, 1958.
Locomotive 6408, a class U-4-b, 4-8-4,
was on the point.
demolition. My brother-law, Glenn Whitford, remembers around 1958 removing lumber from this cider mill for
construction of pig pens on his farm. In the lower right hand corner of this photograph is the site of the track
maintenance facility. Note the supply of rail and switch parts.
Whittemore street overpass. This post
card was post marked March 18, 1913.
In this time period the railroad is the
Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee
Railway Co. This overpass was built in
May,1911 to replace the original
wooden structure damage by fire.
were no airbrakes. The way a train was stopped in emergencies was, the engineer would whistle for down brakes.
When the brakemen in the caboose heard this whistle, they would run along the tops of the cars and set the hand
brakes on each car. On the locomotive the fireman would set the hand brake on the tender and the engineer would
reverse the engine. This took a lot of time. Coupling was done with link and pin and frogs on cross overs and
turnouts were not blocked with wood so a brakeman could catch his foot in them and be caught fast. The following
are a few accidents I took from The Clinton Republican that happened in St. Johns.
May 27, 1864
BRAKEMAN --
On Friday morning last a young man named Chas. McMillin, a brakeman on the D. & M. Railroad was instantly killed
at this station while in the act of coupling freight cars, laden with staves. Several staves projected beyond the frame
work of the cars having been placed for the purpose of binding loads. The head of the unfortunate victim was caught
between these protruding ends and crushed causing instant death. His remains were taken to Detroit, where his
parents reside.
November 18, 1864
A SMASH UP --
The mixed train on the D. & M. Railroad due here at 1:20 am arrived at the station yesterday morning with its engine
in a disabled condition and laid over upon the track for repairs. The mixed 4:45 am train from the East arrived here
on time, and being under some headway, ran into the train upon the track, wellnigh wrecking one or two freight cars,
breaking open boxes of freight, loosening axles from their fastenings, injuring the engine of the westward - bound
train, and covering the ground with debris of the wreck. One passenger only was slightly injured. No blame, we
understand, attaches to any employees of the road. The loss to the company will probably be $10,000.
May 19, 1865
FATAL ACCIDENT --
A train of cars left this place for the west on Sunday morning last and proceeded to Ionia, where a brakeman named
John Kelly was caught by the foot in a switch while coupling cars, and so mangled by the wheels of the moving train
that he died a few hours afterwards.
In the report to the Commissioner of Railroads dated December 31, 1872, there were five accidents to brakemen on
the D. & M. Railroad for that year. Most of these resulted in amputation of limbs.
