Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road Co. making repairs, updates to rail crossing in Blissfield

Brad Heineman, The Daily Telegram
·4 min read
A railroad crossing in Blissfield along North Lane Street and near the U.S. 223 intersection has been blocked off to traffic since Monday as the Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road Co. is replacing more than 100 feet of rail.
A railroad crossing in Blissfield along North Lane Street and near the U.S. 223 intersection has been blocked off to traffic since Monday as the Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road Co. is replacing more than 100 feet of rail.

BLISSFIELD — Repair work to a railroad crossing just north of downtown Blissfield and the village’s business district is underway, with the work expected to continue through the remainder of the week and possibly into next week.

Crews from the Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road Co. began work at the railroad crossing site near the intersection of U.S. 223 and North Lane Street on Monday with tear out and removal of several feet of railroad ties, which A&B President Chris Bagwell said could be anywhere from 70-100 years old. Some markings and dates on the railroad tracks that were removed Monday were dated as far back as 1924.

“We’re finding some stuff in some of these old ties and pins that we have been pulling out that are nearing 100 years old,” Bagwell said at the railroad site Tuesday. “…If you’re seeing rail that’s been run on since 1924, it’s still in real good shape.”

At least 100 feet of rail has been removed from the tracks and is in the process of being replaced with new steel tracks, new cross ties and all new welded joints. New asphalt will also be laid.

At least 100 feet of rail has been removed from the tracks in Blissfield along North Lane Street near the intersection of U.S. 223 and is in the process of being replaced with new steel tracks, pictured, as well as new cross ties and new welded joints. New asphalt will also be laid.
At least 100 feet of rail has been removed from the tracks in Blissfield along North Lane Street near the intersection of U.S. 223 and is in the process of being replaced with new steel tracks, pictured, as well as new cross ties and new welded joints. New asphalt will also be laid.

“That’s what our trains will be running on for the long future,” he said.

On Tuesday, crews were digging up dirt and were in the process of leveling the ground for the laying of the new rails. Of the railroad it maintains, Bagwell said the North Lane Street crossing in Blissfield “is one of the worst we have on the railroad.” The A&B operates five short-line railroads in southeastern Michigan, including the historic line running through Lenawee County. The company also operates the Charlotte Southern Railroad, the Detroit Connecting Railroad, the Jackson & Lansing Railroad and the Lapeer Industrial Railroad, which links Michigan to the Canadian National, CSX and the Norfolk Southern railroads.

As the work continues, motorists will not be able to cross the tracks onto North Lane Street. The village of Blissfield has worked with the railroad company to come up with a detour for motorists to head east on U.S. 223 and turn onto Jipson Street to access North Lane Street and the surrounding roads. The public has been great, Bagwell said, in dealing with the detour.

A detour route through the village of Blissfield so that motorists can access North Lane Street and surrounding roads while repair work to the railroad crossing at North Lane Street continues is pictured. The detour route takes motorists east along U.S. 223 and turning north onto Jipson Street. From there, North Lane Street can be accessed via Railroad or Sherman streets.

The closure of the area of North Lane Street affects businesses and parking spaces for places such as Binns Realty Inc., the Blissfield Area Historical Society and Depot Museum, and the Rusted Roost antique store, which operates out of the historic Blissfield Hotel. A sidewalk to the historical museum and depot, 105 N. Lane St., will be installed by the railroad, Bagwell said.

The concern about the rails already in place — besides them being close to 100 years old — is that over time, the wear and tear of vehicles, train engines, weather and salt on the steel rails begins to “tear the base of the rail,” Bagwell said.

“The rail is supposed to be 56 and a half inches wide,” Bagwell said. “As it eats those bases out, it will spread and cause derailments. The problem with coming right through here (heading east along the track) with the grain trains pulling is if we were to derail, I’m worried about the train turning over and wiping out one of these buildings.”

The project is known as a 60-40 project, Bagwell said, with the state paying for 60% of the project and the railroad company handling the remaining 40% of the project. The anticipated total amount of the project is $300,000.

At least 100 feet of rail has been removed from the Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road Co. tracks in Blissfield at the North Lane Street crossing. It is in the process of being replaced with new steel tracks, new cross ties and new welded joints. New asphalt will also be laid. The crossing is seen Tuesday afternoon looking east with the rails removed.
At least 100 feet of rail has been removed from the Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road Co. tracks in Blissfield at the North Lane Street crossing. It is in the process of being replaced with new steel tracks, new cross ties and new welded joints. New asphalt will also be laid. The crossing is seen Tuesday afternoon looking east with the rails removed.

Blissfield’s track is the first of three major rail projects the company is handling this year. The other two are in Leslie that will be rebuilt into a three-rail system, Bagwell said.

Later this summer, the railroad company will be back in Blissfield to remove the current railroad signals in place at the North Lane Street track and replace them with crossing gates. The portion of that project is not included in the 60-40 funding with the state but will be funded by different mechanisms.

“This is an old way of doing signal systems,” Bagwell said. “People smack these things with their cars all the time. A truck trying to make a turn down here might hit them, and it really becomes problematic for everybody. We’re bringing a little bit of modernization to the area.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road Company updating crossing in Blissfield