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Category Archives: Train Depots

The Other Depot in Battle Creek

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

A few years ago I was driving out of downtown Battle Creek and near the railroad tracks, I saw this magnificent Spanish church/castle-like building. I figured it must have been built by the railroad since It was near the tracks but there was no platform for the passengers but the twin towers looked like church steeples. I kinda forgot about the photo I took and now here we are a few years later and I finally found out it was the old Grand Trunk Railroad passenger depot. It was one of the largest depots in Michigan built in 1907 and it was used up until 1971. A grant from the Kellogg Foundation refurbished the old depot, and it is now being used by a nonprofit community group. It is definitely one of the more unique looking train depots I have seen, and I am glad it found a new purpose instead of being left to decay like so other depots around the state.

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Six Lakes Depot

Posted on December 28, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

This little old wooden depot served the town of Six Lakes. It is located between Alma and Newaygo at the junction of M-46 and M-66. It is named for (you guessed it) the six lakes that are nearby. It looks as if it has been a while since any trains have stopped at this old depot. The sign on it declares it is now a museum.

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The Red Roof and Caboose

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

I saw this old building with the red barn style roof next to the tracks in Plainwell. I am not sure what it used to be or what it is used for now but it caught my attention with the old caboose sitting next to it.  I don’t have a story or history to go along with it, I just like old buildings and cabooses. ( or is it caboosi, or whatever the plural of caboose is)

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The Old Dock

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

This strange looking dock sits along the river walk near downtown Port Huron. It was used by the railroad for a ferry that transported rail cars across the St. Clair River to Canada. It was constructed in 1903 and operated until 1933 when the need for it declined during the Great Depression.

In 1950 after Dow Chemical opened a plant in Sarnia the ferry service was put back into operation because of the rail traffic between the plants in Midland and Sarnia. In 1994 the ferry officially retired and the dock was left abandoned. In 2013 the old dock was refurbished by the Community Foundation and it makes for a nice platform to watch the many ships that travel down the St. Clair River.

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Michigan’s Deadly Knights Templar Locomotive

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

This steam locomotive sits in R.A. Greene Park in Jackson. The Grand Trunk Western 5030 was built in 1912 and proudly pulled train cars along Michigan’s railroad tracks for years.  On June 5th, 1923 A train was commissioned to take the Knights Templars of Michigan to a Masonic convention in Flint. The 5030 picked up passengers in Grand Rapids, Ionia, and stops along the way. As it was traveling near Durand the gravel roadbed gave way and the train derailed killing the engineer and fireman and three other passengers. 32 other Knight Templars riding the train were injured.

The locomotive was repaired and continued riding the rails of Michigan. It traveled to Jackson on a regular basis and after it was retired from service in the 1950s it was donated to the city. It is surrounded by chain-link fence, probably to keep people from climbing on it, but it feels more like a caged animal to protect people from getting hurt.

Last thing I read about it was that Jackson sold the locomotive to a historic train organization in Pennsylvania. As far as I know it is still in the park until funds are raised to move it to its new home out east.

PS. Thank you so much to all the people that came out to see me last night in Lakeview. It was nice to meet all of you, and thank you to the Tamarack District Library for Inviting me.

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Nahma Locomotive

Posted on July 1, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots, upper peninsula .

The historic town of Nahma started as a company sawmill town. It sits along Lake Michigan a few miles from US-2.  The town of Nahma was established in 1881 by the Bay De Noquet Lumber Company. They built a railroad to haul logs to the sawmill. In 1912, The Nahma and Northern Railway purchased Locomotive #5. The tracks are gone but the old locomotive sits in a park in town. If you have kids that like trains, or a big kid like me that likes trains it is a nice little side trip from US-2 to see this old locomotive.

I have a story about the town of Nahma in my latest volume of Lost In Michigan HERE.

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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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