Trains
This section is on trains. In Comstock there were three main types of trains. They were called the Michigan Southern, the Michigan Central, and the Interurban. This report focuses on the Interurban.
Interurban running over Michigan Central
The Interurban was a train that ran from Kalamazoo to Jackson. The train carried passengers, mail, freight, and express. It started running in 1900 and stopped service in 1929. It was a good way to travel until the automobile was invented.
The Interurban cars were colored bright orange or rich dark green. An overpass had to be built in order for the Interurban to run over the Michigan Central Railroad. The beams on this bridge weighed hundreds of pounds each. The bolts were two feet long, and the iron washers weighed three pounds each. Some people who rode the train say the scariest part of the ride was going over the Galesburg Trestle.
Interesting train facts: By some of the railroad crossings there were signs that said: "Danger, Look Out For Mail Pouches Thrown From Trains At This Point." The reason they needed the signs was because when the trains dropped off mail they could miss the delivery hook and the mail bag would go flying.
Sources:
Comstock Bicentennial
Social Studies Third Grade Local History by Alice Weber
by Kevin
