Time Line - 1875

Last Year | Next Year

• Depression continues.

• January 25: The Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad's engine 205 and a baggage car ran off their track 1/2 mile north of Godfrey's mill siding, killing the Engineer and injuring the Fireman. [MCR-75]

• January: The State Supreme Court rules in favor of the Detroit, Lansing & Lake Michigan, in a claim made by a local minister who hoped to force the railroad to build a depot and stop trains in Sangsters Station in Orleans Township. [I&L]

• February 13: A major snow storm stops railroads in southern Michigan. Three DL&LM trains were stopped in their tracks, at Grand Trunk Junction (now West Detroit), Palmer station, and near Stebbinsville. A JL&S train derails in the snow in Lansing, blocking their route which is shared with the DL&LM. Drifting of snow piled as high as five feet above the track in places. The storm lasted three days. [I&L]

• May 27: C. Moore, an employee of the Grand Trunk, stepped in between two cars to pull the pin, and caught his foot in the frog. He was killed instantly. The Coroner's jury ruled the case an accident. In future years, the Michigan Railroad Commission required railroads to affix a plank board in the frog to minimize this common killer of railroad employees. [MCR-75]

• June 3: First communications transmitted by telephone by Alexander Graham Bell. [DWS]

• June 7: The Flint & Pere Marquette begin using the Michigan Central's 3rd Street Station, giving up usage of the D&M depot. [EMR4]

• June 30: The Flint & Pere Marquette runs its passenger trains from Wayne Jct. to the MC Third Street Station, using trackage rights on the MCRR. [MRC-10/1976]

• July 14: The Pere Marquette negotiates trackage rights on the Michigan Central tracks through the City of Lansing, 1.08 miles of track. This agreement covers the joint use of the union station. [PM45]

• July 20: The Sandwich & Windsor Passenger Railway began operating from Windsor to Sandwich. [EMR4]

• August 15: Chicago, Saginaw and Canada Railroad opens line from St. Louis to Riverdale. [MRRC][MCR-75] lists this as St. Louis to Rosedale, not Riverdale.

• September 24: Grand Rapids, Newaygo and Lake Shore Rail Road completes line from Sparta to White Cloud.[MRRC]

• September 24: The Grand Rapids, Newaygo and Lake Shore open their line from Newaygo to Morgan. [MCR-75]

• December 1: The Chicago, Saginaw & Canada completes their line from Rosedale to Cedar Lake. [CCR-75]

• December 1: Mrs. A. Clark, a passenger on a Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore train No. 3, fell or walked off the rear of the train one mile north of Norris station. "It is supposed she was partly asleep." [MCR-75]

• First bridge between Houghton and Hancock is built. Wooden frame with middle span swing. [SSJB]

• The Chicago, Saginaw & Canada Railroad builds a line from Cedar Lake to Alma. Later becomes part of the Pere Marquette. [PM45]

• The Grand Rapids, Newaygo & Lake Shore Railroad Co. opens a line from Newaygo to White Cloud. Later becomes the Chicago & West Michigan (PM). [PM45]

• The Chicago, Saginaw and Canada Railroad opens a 20 mile long line from St. Louis westward to Cedar Lake. [MCR/75]

• Lake Shore & Michigan Southern builds depot at Deerfield. Depot continues to exist as of 1974. [IT-12/1974]

• The Bay View Assembly is created near Petosky. [MPN]

• There are 752 railroad stations in the State of Michigan. Thirty five railroad corporations in Michigan employ 14,691 employees in Michigan, a decrease from the previous year of 1,344. [MCR/75]

• SNAPSHOT: All no-logging railroads in Michigan are 4' 8 1/2" in gauge, except for the following roads: The Grand Rapids & Indiana and the Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan railroads are 4' 9 1/4 inches; The Hecla & Torch Lake is 4' 1" in gauge. The Mineral Range Railroad is 3' in gauge. [MCR/75]

• SNAPSHOT: Total number of passengers carried in Michigan is10,716,227 with the average distance being ttravelled at 45.86 miles. No passengers were killed this year, but six were injured. [MCR/75]

• SNAPSHOT: There were 201 reported accidents in 1875, 5 more than the previous year. 67 people die and 134 were injured. 48 accidents resulted from the coupling of cars, including five employees who lost their lives and 48 who suffered injuries which "vary from bruising to severe maiming". [MCR/75]

• The Michigan Railroad Commissioner takes up the issue of ventilation of passenger cars, for the purpose of improving health and comfort of passengers. The Commissioner reports that the Michigan Central is testing two passenger cars with a device known as the "Winchell patent", which may help car ventilation. [MCR/75]

• SNAPSHOT: The Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad rostered 25 locomotives, 3 snow plows, 18 passenger mail and baggage cars, and 602 freight cars. The railroad has 82 stations, and employs 827 in Michigan. [MCR-75]

• SNAPSHOT: The Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad owns 34 locomotives, of which 12 are equipped with train brakes. They also own, 1 snow plow, 39 passenger, baggage and mail cars and 448 other freight cars. This equipment covers their line from Detroit to Grand Haven, 189 miles - all single track.  68 miles are steel rail, with the remaining iron. They have 35 stations and carried 366,622 passengers this year, or about 1,000 per day. Six people were killed in accidents on the road, including 1 passenger and 2 employees. [MCR-75]

• The Lake Shore begins service with the "FAST MAIL", a dramatic and important improvement to the development of railroads. The regularly scheduled express train, from New York to Chicago, via the Air Line, included all-white cars which were showy. Schedules were reduced from 36 to 26 hours. [LS]

• The Pullman Company introduces the Parlor Car. [SAM] 

Time line Key:

• Railroad event in Michigan
• Event relating to mining
• Event related to car ferries
• Event outside of Michigan
• Improvement in Technology
• Railroad built or extended
• Railroad abandoned and/or removed
• Economic panic or depression