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Category Archives: Train Depots

A Grand Coal Tipple

Posted on May 15, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

This giant concrete structure towers over the Lake Michigan town of Grand Haven. It is a coal tipple used to feed coal into steam locomotives. The Grand Trunk Western Railroad operated a large rail yard in Grand Haven when ferry service transported rail cars across Lake Michigan. In the 1950s diesel powered locomotives replace the old steam ones and the tipple was no longer used. In the 1970s the Grand Trunk ended freight service to Grand Haven and the rail yard was abandoned. The area has since been turned into a park and the old 1223 locomotive and a few historic rail cars stand on display in the park.

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The Leprechaun Line

Posted on April 19, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Train Depots .

A few yards off the road north of Reed City is a rusting old railroad bridge. It looks different than your ordinary bridge since it is a lot smaller with narrow tracks. On the side in faded white paint lettering are the words, Leprechaun Line. This was part of a miniature railroad that local businessman Jim Miller built. He owned a successful manufacturing company in Reed City that built storefronts. In the 1960s he built a small railroad on his property surrounding his home and gave rides to local children. The little railroad ran for a few decades but all that remains now is the old bridge and memories.

Miller also built the abandoned airport that stands nearby, you can see my post about it HERE 

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The Witch’s Hat in Saranac

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

This old depot was one of only a few train depots in Michigan with “Witch’s Hat” design. It was built in 1907 and stands in the town of Saranac between Ionia and Grand Rapids. It has  been a while since any train has stopped at the old depot. It now serves as a history museum and the old railroad tracks are now the Fred Meijer Grand River Valley Trail.

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The Holly Train Depot

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

The town of Holly had two railroad lines and together they built this beautiful red and yellow brick depot. The Detroit and Milwaukee Railway and the Flint and Holly Railroad founded by Michigan Governor Henry Crapo carried passengers into Holly. Probably to the now famous Battle Ally, which you can read my post about it HERE. The two railroads built a wooden depot in 1864 which burned down in 1884. The current depot was constructed in 1886. It had two ticket windows, one for each railroad. The last passenger train left Holly and the brick depot in 1964.

A non-profit group is in the process of trying to move and restore the old depot. you can see thier facebook page HERE

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The Union Depot in Muskegon

Posted on March 4, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

Sometimes I think that I was born in the wrong century. I often wonder what it was like riding the train from town to town in Michigan in the early 1900’s. I have to admit when it comes to trains I am a buff like Sheldon Cooper and have visited train museums. I like to visit the old train depots left over from that bygone era, like the beautiful old depot in Muskegon. The Historical marker next to it reads:

The Union Depot was opened in 1895 to serve the Chicago & West Michigan Railway; The Muskegon, Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad; and the Toledo, Saginaw & Muskegon Railroad. A.W. Rush and Son of Grand Rapids designed the Richardsonian Romanesque station. Several national political figures paused at the depot during whistle-stop campaigns. In 1896, William Jennings Bryan stopped during the first of three unsuccessful presidential bids. The 1952 campaign brought Republican vice presidential candidate, and future president Richard M. Nixon to Muskegon as well as President Harry S Truman who stopped on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson. The Union Depot closed in 1971. It was donated to Muskegon County in 1992 and restored as a visitors’ center and museum.

Reminder. I will be at the Walker Memorial Library giving a presentation on March 16th, at 6 pm.

 

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The New Old Train Depot in Brimley

Posted on February 2, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots, upper peninsula .

brimley train depot
When visiting Whitefish Point and the T-falls I like to go through the town of Brimley and follow the Lake Superior shoreline. After getting something to eat at Clyde’s Drive Inn on US-2 in St Ignace, Brimley is a nice place to stop for a bathroom break and pick up a bottle of Faygo Redpop for the trip to see the falls.  The community on Lake Superior was founded by European Americans in 1887 as the town of Superior. It was renamed in 1896 for a local postal official to avoid confusion with a station in Minnesota on the same railroad line that was also named Superior.

I love the little train depot in town, and I had to stop and take a pic of it to go with my collection of train depot pics. I did a little research on the internets to find out the history of the depot, and what I found out is that it’s a new depot. It was built by the historical society as a replica of the old depot. I thought it was a brilliant idea to build an important building from the past like this nice little train depot.

P.S. Sorry my posts got mixed up today and you got a double notification of yesterdays post about the canton school. Sorry for the inconvenience and confusion. Hopefully my posts are back on track now. 

 

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Bloomingdale Depot

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

This tan and green depot stands in the small town of Bloomingdale. It is between Kalamazoo and South Haven and the depot was originally called the Kalamazoo and South Haven Railroad Depot, it was completed in December 1870. Harvey Howard, owner of the local sawmill, and his brothers Zenas and Joseph supplied the lumber and built the depot. Its original location was an acre of land donated by Augustus Haven. The park built on the depot grounds in 1912 is named in Haven’s honor. The first passenger train arrived in Bloomingdale on July 4, 1870. The railroad stopped using the rail line in the 1970s. It is now part of the Kal-Haven Trail State Park for bikers and hikers to enjoy. Bloomingdale is about the halfway point of the 33 mile trail.

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Alden’s Depot

Posted on December 29, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

Alden is a beautiful little tourist town on the east side of Torch Lake. It’s probably most known for the Alden Mill House but I also like this old train depot south of town. A historical marker next to it reads:

In 1891-92 the Chicago and West Michigan Railway, precursor to the Pere Marquette Railroad, extended the line between Traverse City and Petoskey through Spencer Creek. William Alden Smith, the railway’s general counsel, advocated the line through Spencer Creek, and in 1891 the town renamed Alden in his honor. Its location aided travel and shipping between Chicago and Petosky, supporting agriculture, lumbering and eventually tourism. The Pere Marquette built this depot in 1907 to replace one that burned in 1906. Northern Michigan newspapers called it the railroad’s finest depot north of Grand Rapids. In 1981 the last train left Alden. Helena Township acquired the depot in 1986.

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The One Dollar Railroad Depot

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

I took this photo from the other side of the tracks on a freezing cold Michigan evening, but I love the way the Durand Union station looks all decorated for the Holidays.

Built in 1903 by the Detroit firm of Spier and Rohns it had a high volume of rail traffic as the Grand Trunk Western and Ann Arbor railroads crossed in Durand. It was almost destroyed by fire in 1905, but quickly rebuilt. At its peak, 42 passenger, 22 mail, and 78 freight trains passed through Durand on a daily basis and it serviced almost 3,000 passengers a day.

In 1974, Grand Trunk Western decided to close the station due to declining traffic. The historic building was going to be torn down, however, the city of Durand filed for an injunction to stop the demolition and eventually purchased the station in 1979 for $1.00 and I think it was the best one dollar investment in the state of Michigan.

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The Albion Station

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

The brick train depot in Albion has been welcoming visitors since 1882. It served the town for decades greeting passenger trains until 1972. It was eventually restored and is still used today by Amtrack and as a bus depot.

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