Timetable: Ann Arbor Railroad - Main Line - Toledo to Owosso - 1st Division

The Ann Arbor Railroad main line was broken up into three divisions between Toledo and Frankfort.

Key:  C=Coal | D=Open during the day | DN=Day and night | H=Half Interlocked | J=Junction | N=Open at night | P=Passing Track w/40' car capacity | S=Scales | TC=Telegraph call | W=Water | X=Crossing | Y=Wye | Yard=Yard

[REF]=AARR Employee Time Table 106, September 27, 1936 plus additions.

Notes

This line was double tracked from Boulevard to Alexis (via Hallett) with automatic block signals. [ETT-1942]

This line had automatic block signals from Milan north to Ferry Yard in Ann Arbor, used to coordinate passenger special trains to the University of Michigan football stadium, which was next to Ferry. [ETT-1942]

Time Line

1895. October. The Michigan Railroad Commission approves the use of the Ann Arbor road of the airline division of the Chicago & Grand Trunk between Hamburg and Hamburg Junction at a cost of $2,000 annual rental, with the understanding that the C&GT will give the Ann Arbor road a line of its own between these two points. [LSJ-1895-1002]

1900. Passenger Train SNAPSHOT:

• Toledo to Frankfort - #1/4 - 1 round trip Daily xSun. Lv. Toledo at 7:30 am (12 hours)
• Toledo to Cadillac - #3/2 - 1 round trip Daily xSun. Lv. Toledo at 3:30 pm (8 hours)
• Toledo to Ann Arbor - #5/6 - 1 round trip Daily xSun. Lv. Toledo at 9:30 am (2 hours)

1909. July. The new steel train on the Ann Arbor made its initial run through Mt. Pleasant Monday evening. This is one of the finest trains that is run on any road in the country. The coaches are lighted by electricity, and the engine carries an electric headlight that is remarkably brilliant. The train makes daily trips between Cadillac and Toledo. It goes south in the morning at 6:14 am (at Mt. Pleasant), and returns in the late afternoon. [CMT-1909-0716]

1942.  Ferry Yard in Ann Arbor had water and fuel available. [ETT-1942]

1942. The railroad operated one passenger train each way, daily except Sunday. Trains 51 (NB) and 52 (SB). They were scheduled to meet at Ashley, about 20 miles northwest of Owosso. [ETT-1945]

1969. This branch began handling Consumers Power coal to Essexville and Dow Chemical unit coal trains to Midland. The trains had been taken off their regular routing via the Penn Central Mackinaw Branch from Detroit to Saginaw following a sizable derailment on that line at Yates (between Utica and Rochester in June, 1968. The rerouted trains came up the AA to Owosso, and then up the PC to Paines. In time, the heavy unit coal trains began to erode the AA line as well and routing was temporarily changed to the GTW in 1975. The GTW took ownership of the PC lines upon the creation of Conrail. [MHS]

1976. April 1. The GTW bought the Ann Arbor right-of-way between Durand and Ashley on "Conrail Day". The GTW installed new switches off its line to access customers on the AA at Vernon and Corunna. The remainder of the line between Durand and San junction (by Legion Road) was abandoned except for the portion through Durand yard. That remnant was kept to just west of the I-69 overpass, but was cut back to just short of Lansing Road during an overpass replacement in the early 1990's. [Steve Burns]

Additional Information

• Football Specials and the Ann Arbor Railroad's Ferry Yard - 1950's and 1960's
• Crossing The Mitten - The Race To Chicago and the West