Station: North Lansing, MI

North Lansing was settled in 1842 will a mill and dam on the Grand River, north of downtown Lansing. A station was located here on both the Pere Marquette and the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern. North Lansing ultimately was absorbed by the City of Lansing.

Photo info: Top, the North Lansing depot about 1900. Note the two different train order signals. The Left is labeled Michigan Central and the right is labeled Pere Marquette. Though this is a union depot, both railroads may have had separate operator/agents as it appears the train order signals are controlled by two different extensions from the depot. 2nd, a modern day (2003) photo of the former Lake Shore depot at North Lansing. This location is near the northern-most terminus of the Lake Shore's Lansing Branch which went between the buildings and terminated at the PM north of here. Note the concrete survey marker at the corner of the building. [Dale Berry]. 3rd photo, the Michigan Central/Pere Marquette depot at North Lansing. The Pere Marquette tracks veer to the left and the Michigan Central tracks to the right. This was taken in 1898. 4th photo, taken about 1918. This is a MC tax evaluation photo. [Dale Berry collection]

Notes

The MC had a roundhouse at North Lansing, northeast of the junction on the west side of the branch to Saginaw. It was just north of David Street and appears to have about five engine bays and a turntable. [NYC track sheet "C" 1960]

Time Line 

1879. A new water reservoir together with pump house and standpipe were built here for the joint use of the Michigan Central and the DL&N with each company sharing the expenses. [DL&N-1879]

1881. May. Shortly after 3 o'clock this morning, a freight train bound south on the Saginaw division of the Michigan Central collided with a west-bound Detroit, Lansing & Northern freight train standing on the main track near the North Lansing station. Both companies use the same track at this point, the running arrangement being controlled by the MC. The DL&N train had just completed switching on the cars to be attachred at that station, when the MC train came up at full speed. Both engines were demolished and cars broken into pieces. The wreck caught fire as one of the cars was loaded with kerosene oil. Fire spread until five cars of the MC train and three of the DL&N were consumed. A load of reapers and mowers on the DL&N was smashed into small fragments. No one was seriously injured as they jumped before the collision. The accident is thought to have been due to the unfamiliarity of the MC engineer with the road, his train having been an extra one and he had been taken from the main line to make the new run. [DFP-1881-0522]

1917. The MC had an operator-agent here around-the-clock. [TRT]

1917. February. The Franklin avenue union station (known as North Lansing) is being thoroughly painted and the coal smoke entirely submerged in a pleasing cream color. A crew of professional station painters is now on the job and when it is through the station will look much like a coed wearing a football team's colors.

The fact that the station is being smeared puts a damper on the hopes of many that the MC company would eventually tear down the old station and erect one large enough to hold at least two fat folks and a suitcase. Since the station is only painted every leap year, it looks like another four years of it. Nevertheless the new colors will not interfere much with the other landscape. The painting of the station, especially with the high prices of paint, at least shows the good will of the railroad company, say patrons. [LSJ-1917-0222]