Grand Trunk Shops photo

**Detroitnerd** · May-28-09, 11:03 AM

An interesting find at the antiques mall at Eastern Market, this picture of the Master Mechanic's General Offices for the Grand Trunk Railroad Shops. Thought I'd reproduce it here and ask if, based on the information, anybody could help me pinpoint where this was. Don't have the print right here, but I'm pretty sure the wall calendar was for 1919.
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**Ray1936** · May-28-09, 11:47 AM

Nice find, nerd! I was going to say "about 1920" before I caught your line about the 1919 calendar. I've gotten pretty good on dating early 20th century photos thanks to my genealogy hobby.

Looking at the size of those ledger books they are using, I would say that whole office could be handled by one computer operator today.

**Sstashmoo** · May-28-09, 12:56 PM

Curious term "Machinic" It's like Mechanic and Machinist mixed. Anyone have any history on that term?

**Reality_Check** · May-28-09, 02:08 PM

How evocative! One moment with many details.

* I want that wall clock and those light fixtures.

* I don't want those desk chairs.

* That wire wastebasket, on the other hand . . .

* I've worn ties that skinny.

* I'm glad skirts are shorter.

Thanks for posting this, DN.

**Ray1936** · May-28-09, 02:17 PM

Reality_check, you can have the light fixtures, but you and I are gonna do battle over that wall clock!

**jiminnm** · May-28-09, 02:27 PM

I suggest you Google Grand Trunk shops. There are several mentions of Michigan locations, including Port Huron, Battle Creek and Michigan Central Station, as well as Canadian.

**the rock** · May-28-09, 02:41 PM

The Grand Trunk Historical Society has their very interesting and educational offices on the 2nd floor of the classic Durand train station. I bet they could shed some light on those photos.

**Detroitnerd** · May-28-09, 03:18 PM

Thanks for the input, everybody! No comments on the inkwells and blotters?

**Sstashmoo** · May-28-09, 04:05 PM

The odd thing is, you can tell it is sunny outside and they have all the shades drawn and the lights on. Also in the foreground, is that a telegraph key? Check out the dude brown-nosing the boss, some things never change.

**Detroitnerd** · May-28-09, 04:08 PM

Maybe the lights were on and the windows were shut for photographic purposes? Or to showcase how "modern" the office was?

I think that's a blotter, not a t-graph key. Could be wrong, though.

**Flanders** · May-28-09, 04:34 PM

30 years ago, I was sitting in a wooden chair with a metal mesh wastebasket next to it, and working at a desk that was identical to the that the woman in the foreground, with the pull-out typewriter boards above the drawers on both sides @ the MCS.

Oh yeah, my office fortunately was located in the southeastern wing, and we did not receive the afternoon sun in the summer, as the MCS "A/C" was fans. My boss' office had a window air conditioner.

Retroit · May-28-09, 09:38 PM

The Grand Trunk ran through the Dequinder Cut and out to Pontiac. Near where the Poletown Plant is now, another line branched off to Mt. Clemens paralleling Groesbeck [[this is the line that Thomas Edison worked on). I would guess the "Machinic Shop" was along one of these lines.

Since Grand Trunk was a Canadian railway, I wonder if Machinic is a Canadian term. So it could possibly be a shop in Canada. Here's their route map:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1885_GT.jpg

They had a ticket office on Woodward [[Foran's Pub), but I wouldn't think they'd have a shop there.

**reddog289** · May-28-09, 11:50 PM

Neat photo, While looking at the photo to spot stuff I am reminded of the games other family members play on the computer.

**douglasm** · May-29-09, 06:19 AM

Notimpressed......
......I asked a fellow I know who would know these kinds of things and he confirms your view that the shots are of the Master Mechanic's office [[in the Stores Building), Battle Creek.

**douglasm** · May-29-09, 04:24 PM

Well, let's blow this idea to smithereens. Got a note from someone else who should know that the Stores Building was part of the 1927 construction of the Grand Rapids roundhouse, not the 1908 building of the shops. He wonders if the picture was taken at the Grand Rapids depot, because he says that there was not an office space like it in the Grand Rapids shops themselves.

Sorry to confuse the issue. Give me a couple of days and I'll see if I can come up with something better in the way of info.......

**punky1** · May-29-09, 06:57 PM

Hi, relatively new to this website. The different threads are fascinating, especially this one. I was interested in the machine that looks like some kind of adding machine. As I explored the web I found this site you might be interested in checking out. http://www.officemuseum.com/ Check "Exhibits". Besides lots of photos of offices back in the early 1900s, and before and after, there is a wealth of info on office equipment. I think her machine is a comptograph.

**Detroitnerd** · June-01-09, 08:46 AM

OK, turns out I remembered the year wrong. It's not 1919; that wall calendar is actually for 1923 ...

**Detroitnerd** · June-02-09, 09:24 AM

I got some more detail shots that may interest you guys.

I never knew there was a women's fashion tendency toward this sort of open sleeve in the 1920s.
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That adding machine sure does look huge and old.
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She doesn't look happy!
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The wall calendar! It's 1923. Anybody know that company?
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**vintagesoul** · June-04-09, 12:09 PM

i poked around on google a bit, and it looks like Flannery Bolt was only located in Pittsburgh as it lists on the calendar. appears they are long-time defunct or perhaps purchased by someone. either way, considering that most businesses like that were close to their customers [[being they didn't have the means to reach everyone like they do now of course) i would hazard a guess that this office was close to there?

unless grand trunk line didn't go through that area... then my theory is shot to heck. lol.

**Sstashmoo** · June-04-09, 05:23 PM

Quote: "it looks like Flannery Bolt was only located in Pittsburgh as it lists on the calendar. appears they are long-time defunct or perhaps purchased by someone. either way, considering that most businesses like that"

They sold "stay bolts", those were used in steam boiler assembly for the locomotives. The boilers had stays inside, essentially long bars running from one side to the other, it was to keep the sides from deforming under the heat and pressure. A real problem on the ends as they were often flat, not curved like the sides. That's why modern tanks like your grill's propane tanks has rounded ends, much stronger.

Retroit · June-04-09, 07:40 PM

The close-up shots were very interesting! I wonder what that large ceiling-to-floor "tube/duct" is to the left of the calendar? Some type of telephone? Heating/cooling supply? Mail chute?

**Sandhouse** · June-05-09, 01:56 PM

I love this old picture. The Flannery Bolt Company was the main, and probably the only, supplier of flexible staybolts. Steam-locomotive boilers were subject to such terrific stresses and dimensional changes as they went from cold to hot [[lengthening by almost an inch for the big ones) that the bolts connecting the various surfaces had to have ball joints at one end. All connections with the back end of the boiler had to be flexible.

I suspect this photo is of the office building just north of the massive Battle Creek backshop, where all heavy overhauls of steam locomotives on the Grand Trunk Western were done. [[Roundhouses such as the one at Milwaukee Junction were for between-trip maintenance and light repairs.) No other place on the system would have had this many bookkeepers devoted to maintenance of equipment. I was in this building just once around 1980 to meet with the GTW's superintendent of motive power, and I think I remember the high ceiling.

The tube or pipe looks like it might have a door in it, suggesting that it's a pneumatic tube. The master mechanic's building would be too small to have a tube system, but it might have communicated with the backshop, for delivery of time slips, receipts, and such to the bookkeepers.