Time Line - 2019

Last Year | Next Year

• March 9. The Lake State Railway takes over operation of the CSX line between Mt. Morris and Plymouth.

• Summer: Genesee & Wyoming (owner of the Huron & Eastern, is sold to Brookfield Infrastructure, an international company for $8.4 million.

• Summer: The Huron & Eastern begins construction of an engine house addition at Bay City. This is a 6,000 sq. foot addition to the north side of the existing building and includes two new inspection pits. [MRF]

• Summer: The former Conrail office building in Dearborn is up for sale by successor owner Norfolk Southern. This building is across from Ford world headquarters. The building, under Conrail ownership, was full and included a regional dispatching center. NS operations here have been moved to Toledo. [MRF]

• September 6: The Ann Arbor Railroad closes Hallett Tower in Toledo. Dispatching functions on the AA, formerly handled by the operator here, were transferred to Watco's national dispatch center in Wichita, Kansas. [Toledo Blade] Interlocking functions were remote controlled by the CSX.

• Fall: The Village of Holly receives a $150,000 grant from Partners in Preservation to relocate and preserve the historic Holly Union Depot. [MRF]

• Fall: With the lease of the CSX line from Saginaw to Plymouth, the Lake State Railway begins to move terminal operations from Saginaw to McGrew Yard in Flint. This is the second transition of terminals, which were formally located in North Bay City. The LSRC interchanges with CSX at Novi or Wixom. The railroad also reopens the interchange with the CN at Belsay in Flint. [MRF]

• Fall: The Michigan Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee has received a $120,000 grant to rehabilitate a 1862 vertical boiler locomotive manufactured by the alexander Chapin Co. in cotland for use in the Michigan iron mines. The locomotive, called the Yankee, started a major technological change in removing iron ore from the mines. [MRF]

• SNAPSHOT: Marquette Rail in west Michigan operates regular trains out of three locations, Sparta (to Grand Rapids, and to Baldwin); Manistee (to Baldwin and serving loca industry); and Ludington (to Baldwin, and serving industried, mostly brine and calcium chloride). [MRF]

• Amtrak begins using Siemans Mobility "Charger" series locomotives on Michigan trains, in a front-back, push-pull arrangement. These SC-44 diesel locomotives provide 4,400 h.p. and are geared to reach speeds on 125 mph. [R&R-2021-05]

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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