Matt and I got met in the lobby and drove over to the Roadway Inn to get Randy. As we waited for him, I used the Roadway Inn wireless from the parking lot and uploaded the trip here. We took off for Owosso.
In Corunna we saw the Corunna Court House.
A waterfall in Corunna. We drove to Owosso and parked. I told Matt I would call him when I returned from the Little River 110 Trip. I decided the first thing I would do would be catch SP 4449 leaving for Alma on the All Day Trip. The train pulled in for loading and I walked down to find the SP 4449 on the point of the train.
Southern Pacific 4449 moved forward to load more passengers.
Doyle McCormick, engineer of the Southern Pacific 4449.
The SP 4449 pulled down the tracks to load the rest of their passengers and after this picture I walked west looking for a good place to photograph the SP 4449 leaving Owosso. I walked across Michigan Highway 62 and waited under a big tree in the shade.
The SP 4449 starts its trip to Alma this morning.
Southern Pacific 4449 leaves Owosso for Alma on the All Day Trip at TrainFestival 2009. I walked back to the boarding area. There I found Bob and Elizabeth waiting for me in line and I joined them.
Little River Railroad 110 History
The Little River Railroad 4-6-2 110 is a Pacific type locomotive weighing about 58 tons. It is the smallest Pacific ever built for a standard gauge railroad. The engine was custom built for the original Little River Railroad in Townsend, Tennessee in 1911. The engine ran until 1939 in what is now Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The engine hauled log trains from the forest to the lumber mill. In 1940 the engine was sold to the Smoky Mountain Railroad until the 1950's. In the 1960's the engine was abandoned in Shook's Gap, TN. In 1972 the engine was purchased by the current Little River Railroad in Coldwater, Michigan where is has run longer than in regular service.
The 10:00 AM Shuttle Train had a diesel on one end and the Little River 110 on the other. Once the train was deemed ready, we all boarded the train for my first ride at TrainFestival 2009.
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We waited for all our passengers to board before our trip started. Our trip would leave Owosso and head out the former New York Central line towards Henderson.
Bob and Elizabeth.
The train took the curve from the switch that the SP 4449 took to Alma.
The Little River 110 is being pulled backwards by the diesel.
An old railroad siding location.
Leaving Owosso.
The train took this curve.
The steam engine was working hard while it was pulled out to the turnaround point.
There were railfans all the way out.
The train stopped after 22 minutes and headed back as we had reached the turnaround point.
Back through the trees.
By the fields.
The train steamed around the curve and headed back to the boarding area where I detrained.
Three views of the Little River 110 back in Owosso. I met Matt and we went to the Huckleberry Railroad.
Later back in OwossoOn the way back from the Saginaw Railroad Museum, I had Matt drop me off at the Michigan Highway 52 grade crossing and headed back to the tree to wait for the Little River 110 to make its last trip of the day.
The Little River 110 heads out of Owosso.
The Little River 110 returns into Owosso.
It is a great little Pacific that put on a great show today.
Great Lake Central 385. I walked back to TrainFestival 2009 and entered the grounds at 4:45 PM and started my visit.
