We don’t know the identity of the photographer who made this photo of East Jordan & Southern No. 6, probably in or near East Jordan, Michigan. The slide was processed in September 1960. The EJ&S still used steam until the early 1960s.
This image portrays a tourist train, but the EJ&S got its start as a lumber railroad. It transported harvested lumber to a connection with the Chicago & Western Michigan. The EJ&S also served other industries that helped to sustain it after the lumber mills shut down in the 1920s. The short line connected in Bellaire with the Pere Marquette.
The EJ&S operated between 1901 and 1962. It had regulatory approval to cease operations in 1932, but management instead decided to press ahead, hauling passengers and freight.
Every year on Independence Day the railroad offered free rides. No. 6 shown above is a 2-6-0 built in 1909 by the Pittsburgh Steam Engine Company. The EJ&S also had two other steam locomotives on its roster.
A last run was staged on Aug. 12, 1962, just ahead of the end of operations. The tracks were later pulled up. No. 6 survives today on East Jordan on static display.
Collection of Robert Farkas
Tags: 2-6-0 steam locomotives, East Jordan & Southern, Michigan short line railroads, Pittsburgh Steam Engine Company, Steam excursion trains, steam excursions, steam locomotives
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