I ran across a reference on the internet today, to a U. S. Army kitchen car at the Sanilac County Historic Village & Museum located in Port Sanilac, Michigan. I did a lot of checking on the net and found out that this car was apparently once owned by the PH&DRHS. Also found out the disposition of a couple of other pieces owned by the group. I don't believe this info has appeared on RyPN previously, so here is what I found:

1. Grand Trunk Western brine refrigerator car #206447 ended up going to the group in Durand, Michigan where it will be repainted and once again lettered as GTW 206447.

2. PH&D bay window caboose # 62 to the Michigan Transit Museum in Mt. Clemens, MI.

3. PH&D Alco # 52 sold to a private owner who intends to cosmetically restore the unit.

4. The forementioned Army kitchen car, its exterior in very poor shape, has been nicely restored and painted in a shade of Pullman Green and now sits on a short piece of track next to the old 1883 Pere Marquette depot from Deckerville , Michigan on the museum property there in Port Sanilac.

It should be noted that the Alco and the kitchen car, had never been at the societies site at the old PH&D roundhouse property there in Port Huron.

So, a very nice ending for a sad story of the demise of the Port Huron & Detroit Railroad Historical Society. In addition to these equipment placements, there were apparently a number of other donations made by the society. Only thing missing is info on the kitchen car as to its railroad and U. S. Army heritage.

Les

This has not been moved yet.



I believe the caboose is no longer going to MTM and will instead stay in Port Huron where it will remain in good hands.

Can confirm the caboose will be staying in Port Huron.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... n__=%2C%3B

NS 3322 and GTW Dude -

Thanks for the updated status on PH&D caboose #62. Interesting comment by Mr. Kent (President of the Michigan Transit Museum) hinting of a possible new PH&D historical society there in Port Huron. I guess time will tell.

Les

As a supporter and former volunteer of the PH&D RRHS, I joined the forum to clarify some of what was posted above in this thread about the organization, who is receiving certain assets and what their relationship/connection to the organization is. My statements are based on personal interaction and past involvement in the organization and should not be interpreted as anything other than the (somewhat rambling) personal observations of one person.

The same individual purchased the PH&D RRHS building/property, caboose 52 and locomotive 52. He's a past president and founding board member of the original organization, which is currently being dissolved. My understanding is that he has also filed 501c3 paperwork with the IRS to re-establish the organization using the same bylaws and mission statement that the original organization was established using. Those bylaws establish the organization as a directorship, give the President the power to veto anything he doesn't agree with and state that directors and officers aren't allowed to personally profit from the organization.

I also understand that, at the time of his removal from the board of the PH&D RRHS, this individual was supposed to be working on the relocation of locomotive 52 from Tennessee to Michigan and was not communicating with the organization's contact on the other end of the move. I was a member of the organization during that period of time but not active. I was given this information later as justification for the individual's removal from the board by those who were behind that decision. I have not been able to verify exactly what remained to be done to move the locomotive to Michigan, but I believe that that point was the closest locomotive 52 came to leaving Tennessee.

Following his removal from the organization's board, this individual began a campaign to destroy the reputation of the PH&D RRHS (and the directors who were key to his removal) in the eyes of the organization's membership and in the surrounding community.

I don't believe the new organization has received its 501c3 authorization from the IRS yet and I don't know if they'll make the mistakes that were made that allowed the Tunnel City group to redirect the organization away from what the original mission of the organization was. My understanding is that most of the individuals involved with the new organization were involved with the original organization up to just before the leadership change in 2018. While the caboose is currently safe where it sits, there are no guarantees that that will continue to be the case in the years to come. Several of the reasons stated by the original organization's current leadership as reasons to dissolve the organization were decisions and/or policies established by the individual behind the new organization- not the Tunnel City group who took over in 2018.

I am aware that several members here resent when posters don't post using their real name. I apologize for not doing so, but I also don't want angry phone calls about my comments here.

Something frustrating to me personally is that very little of what happened during the later years of the organization has been said, outside of an occasional watered down post on the organization's Facebook page and speculation in other threads on this forum. However, most of what I've written can be verified using communication from the PH&D RRHS through the years, including the Marker Light, (which was the official newsletter of the organization up until it was replaced by the Telegraph in 2019) and I believe the bylaws can be found on the State of Michigan's LARA corporate filings website.

Sincerely,

A Fan of the PH&D RR

This U.S. Army Kitchen car has now been lettered including being given its road number: K-102.

Les