Station: Battle Creek, MI - GTW Facilities

The Grand Trunk Western railroad had major locomotive and car shops in northeast Battle Creek and the town was a division point for the railroad.

Image info: Top, GTW 1951, an Alco RS-1, at the GTW Battle Creek shops in 1976. [Charlie Whipp] 2nd and 3rd images, landscape views of the shops in 1976. [Charlie Whipp], 4th image, a postcard view the GTW shops, date unknown. [Tim Shanahan]. 5th, a derailment in Battle Creek Yard which brought out the wrecker outfit. 1988 [Charles Geletzke]. 6th, an inside view of the machine shop at Battle Creek. Note the belts which operate individual machines in the shop. 7th image, a Sanborn Map showing the Battle Creek roundhouse. 8th image, an inside view of the engine maintenance building at Battle Creek, which had a gantry crane which moved locomotives from track to track. 9th image, GTW 5800 is photographed inside the Battle Creek shops in 1984 [Jim Slater]. 10th photo, a view of the shops during the winter of 1993. [Charles Geletzke Jr.]

Notes

The GTW had a 90' electrically operated turntable here, which was removed in the 1980's.

Time Line

1886. At the C&GT shops there is a drive well 40 feet deep in sand rock, that for four years has supplied perfectly pure, cold water. Since the earthquake the water is full of white animaleuae (sic) (?) resembling little serpents. [AR-1886-0917]

1889. The GTW installs a 60' steel turntable at Nichols Yard. The through-girder turntable is manufactured by the D.B. & Iron Works. [GTBB]

1881, The GTW builds a 34'x130' 22' high frame ice house at Nichols yard. [GTBB]

1942. A machinist employed by the GTW died today of injuries suffered at work Saturday night. He was crushed between a moving switch engine and the roundhouse door. He was standing on a footboard at the front end of an engine that was being moved from the roundhouse turntable into a locomotive stall, when a heavy door, supposedly moved by the wind, swung shut just as the engine reached the doorway. He jumped but too late to escape being caught. The engine broke the door and was stopped by the hostler within a few feet. [BCE-1942-0406]