Southern Michigan Railroad
*This footage will be included in our Shortlines of Michigan DVD and will include interviews and more cab footage on this railroad.
The Michigan Southern Railroad, between 1846 and 1852, completed the former state Southern Railroad across Michigan, around Lake Michigan into Chicago. The Palmyra and Jacksonburgh Railroad was not part of the Michigan Southern Railroad's link with the western territories in American, and continued serving the railroad industry through the Civil War years.
In 1855, the Michigan Southern Railroad consolidated with the Northern Indiana Railroad and became the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad, still including the Palmyra and Jacksonburgh Branch line.
The Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad consolidated with the Lake Shore Railway in 1869 becoming the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad. Later that year, the Railroad joined the Buffalo and Erie Railroad. Rails now reached into New York. From Lake Erie into Michigan, over to Illinois and back east to New York, railroad mania had gripped the nation.
In 1915, the New York Central Railroad incorporated and grew by leaps and bounds, gathering up railroads one after another. It consolidated with the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern along with ten other railroads, bought another and leased some to become the huge New York Central System, still including the Palmyra and Jacksonburgh Branch. Operations continued through World War I.
By 1938, the onset of the automobile and its effect on people and business caused a reduction of passenger and freight traffic, and passenger service was discontinued but freight service continued through World War II. In 1963 and 1965 tracks were removed between Jackson and Clinton, and the Jackson Branch was eliminated. The Palmyra and Jacksonburgh Branch, however, continued carrying freight from its new northernmost terminal at Clinton, and soon became known as the country and its railroad industry was recovering from the Second World War, rail freight continued its downward spiral, and suddenly, in 1968 the huge New York Central System merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad into the organizational Pennsylvania New York Central Transportation Company, later to be renamed the Penn Central Transportation Company.
During 1969, the Penn Central Transportation Company received the operations of the Penn Central Railroad, which was operating the Palmyra and Jacksonburgh under the new system, and promptly began bankruptcy proceedings for Penn Central Railroad in 1970. With the track receiving limited use, Conrail filed for abandonment of the line in 1981. The little Palmyra and Jacksonburgh Branch again seemed doomed to disappear from the railroad scene.
When three high school students in Clinton, Michigan learned that the historical track would be abandoned and it was at risk to be removed permanently, Dale Pape, John Shaw, and Jeff Dobek banded together to save the track. All three were members of the Lenawee Model Railroaders association at the time. The newly formed volunteer Southern Michigan Railroad Society, Inc., purchased the Clinton Branch and transformed it into an operating railroad museum in 1985.
Faced with railroad obscurity, the Southern Michigan Railroad survived its tumultuous past making it truly the little railroad that could. Today, the Southern Michigan Railroad Society, Inc. continues to preserve, restore and educate the public about the first branch line railroad off the first railroad in the Michigan Territory. The SMRS Museum offers nostalgic train tours over the remaining track of the early Palmyra and Jacksonburgh Railroad.
The Jackson Branch Bridge No. 15, also known as the Tecumseh Railroad Bridge due to its close proximity to the city of Tecumseh, is a historic railway deck truss bridge that spans the River Raisin in rural Raisin Charter Township in Lenawee County, Michigan. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 2001.
The 254-foot-10½-inch-long (77.7 m) bridge was built in 1896 by Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway's Jackson Branch and carries a single track over the River Raisin. The railway sits 40 feet (12 m) above the river's surface. The line itself is an active railroad. The Southern Michigan Railroad Society purchased the Jackson Branch and the bridge in 1985, and operates historic trains on the bridge. The closest road to the bridge is North Raisin Center Highway approximately 250 feet (76 m) east of the bridge. The area is heavily wooded, and the bridge cannot be seen from the roadway during the summer months. Access to the bridge is strictly prohibited, however it can be crossed via passenger train.
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Let's Visit Clinton, MI
In this video, I head over to Clinton, MI located in extreme northern Lenawee County. I walk around the downtown area with sights of the Clinton Inn as well as a couple of churches and the oldest brick house in Clinton.
Clinton, Michigan - Top Facts
Clinton Charter Township is a charter township and a census-designated place (CDP) of Macomb County in the U.S
NS 171 in Sterling Heights, MI
NS 171 moves then stop.
Southern Michigan Railroad, Spring Run, Tecumseh, MI, 5/13/13
I was getting home from school, when I heard the horn on the old Conrail Line, which is now Southern Michigan Railroad. Hopped in my truck drove up the block and caught it.
SMRS #75- GE 44-ton
Clinton, Michigan - All You Have To Know
Clinton Township is a charter township and a census-designated place (CDP) of Macomb County in the U.S
The Old Road Dinner Train - Blissfield, MI
Adrian & Blissfield Railroad operates the oldest, continuously operated dinner and murder mystery train in the United States. Located in Blissfield, Michigan, the Old Road Dinner Train uses classic Pullman coaches, restored with air conditioning, to haul you on a fourteen, mile round trip ride through Southern Michigan's rural country side. The train operates over the oldest railroad mileage west of the Alleghenies, the former Erie & Kalamazoo Railroad.
For more information on the train and for how to purchase tickets, visit:
murdermysterytrain.com
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Copyright 2013
Note:
Please excuse the advertisements. Through the Google Adsense program, the advertisements help me pay for the trips I take to capture the trains.
Thanks,
-DIB
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Tipton Michigan
Late Fall drive in Michigan.
Clinton, Michigan - History and Facts
Clinton Charter Township is a charter township and a census-designated place (CDP) of Macomb County in the U.S
#Clinton #Michigan #USA #UnitedStates #city #facts #history #economy #population #demographics #religion #sport #culture #environment #government #politics #transportation #infrastructure #top #interesting
NS 15J lead by NS 1069 in Wyandotte, MI
NS 15J was lead by NS 1069 the Virginian HU EMD SD70ACe and an EMD SD70M-2 #2775.
15J originated from Newark, NJ (Doremus Auto Terminal) he usually works over west to (Fairlane Yard) Lorain, OH but on this day they routed him to Sterling Heights, MI (Sterling Yard) to his final destination there.
NS 31M on the Conrail Detroit Line in Wyandotte, MI
NS 31M is a Sterling Heights, MI to Hammond, IN bound for the Gibson Yard. He was lead by a solo GE C44-9W #9281.
[M.R. CLIPS #1] CN Geomatry Train @ Mt. Clemens, MI
It's December 9th, 2018, and we get a quick view of the CN Geomatry test train trundling by the Michigan Transit Museum depot.
NS Sterling yard. Sterling heights MI
Enjoy
Northern Indiana, Southern Michigan Trains December 1-7, 2019.
The days are short and the weather is gloomy, but here's a few trains! Featuring the NS Chicago Line and District, CN South Bend and Matteson Subs and a quick grab from the Grand Elk.
Goshen, Indiana:
00:00 Westbound Manifest
00:54 Eastbound Manifest
01:27 Westbound Intermodal
01:49 Westbound Intermodal
03:23 CP Holiday Train
Osceola, Indiana:
04:38 Westbound Intermodal
05:03 CP Holiday Train
Three Rivers, Michigan:
06:17 WAMX 4189, WAMX 4225 South, Light Power
Battle Creek, Michigan:
07:06 CN 3844 West, Autoracks
08:19 CN 2690, CN 2726, Light Power
09:08 CN 2301
Climax, Michigan:
09:29 BNSF 5897 East, Autoracks
Elkhart, Indiana:
11:28 NS 7634, NS 1085, NS 9450 East, Manifest
Mishawaka, Indiana
14:34 CN 3809, CN 3109 East, Manifest
Rolling Prairie, Indiana:
16:27 NS 7236, NS 8108 East, Intermodal
Spriggsboro, Indiana:
18:01 CSX 898, CSX 3071 East, Autoracks
20:36 NS 9349, NS 7701, NS 8175 West, Intermodal
Dyer, Indiana:
23:33 BNSF 2837, CN 3114 East, Manifest
Ogden Dunes, Indiana:
26:06 NS 4091, NS 9524 East, Intermodal
28:18 Amtrak 364
New Carlisle, Indiana:
28:46 Westbound Intermodal
29:44 Westbound Manifest
Michigan Transit Museum '14
Ada Covered Bridge - Ada, Michigan
The Ada Covered Bridge spans the Thornapple River. It was built in 1857.
When heavy snows collapsed the roof in 1879, the people of Ada mounted an all-out effort to rebuild the bridge. Shortly after the repairs were finished, the bridge was completely destroyed by fire. Undaunted and with the help of Amway Corporation, the citizens again rallied to rebuild it.
Conrail Sterling Yard 7/26/16
The Conrail Sterling Yard is located in Sterling Heights Michigan, the yard is owned by NS and sometimes CSX, when we came, it was currently owned by NS, we came here because we thought the Central Of Georgia heritage unit was in the yard, but sadly it wasn't, but we did see a lot of action. It is a good railfan place for people who live in Macomb County and the workers don't care that you are there. Filmed on 7/26/16
Fall in Manchester, MI
A fall tour of Manchester, Michigan and surrounding areas. Includes St. Joseph Shrine in Brooklyn and Alber orchard and cider mill. Set to Matt Maher's Clean Heart.
NS 121 in Sterling Heights
@2:01pm. Got a good view of the engineer ???? On 15 Mile Rd. in Sterling Heights, MI. 5 articulated autoracks.