Category Archives: Train Depots

Lansing’s Old Depot

Posted on by Posted in Train Depots .

If you travel to the Capitol Building in Lansing along East Michigan Avenue you will pass by the old Union Train Depot. It was built in 1901 to handle all the passenger trains traveling through the state capitol. By 1971 passenger service ended and in 1978 the old depot was purchased and converted into a restaurant.  The restaurant closed in 2016 and now the grand old station sits empty waiting for its next purpose.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

 

 

The Albion Station

Posted on by 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.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

Niles Station

Posted on by Posted in Train Depots .

I have visited a lot of train stations around Michigan and I have to admit the depot in Niles is one of my favorites. The station building was constructed by the Michigan Central in 1892 to a design by architects Spier and Rohns. Niles station was used as a filming location for Continental Divide, Midnight Run, and Only the Lonely, the latter of which spawned an annual tradition of adding Christmas lights and decorations around the station. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Now I need to get back to the southwest corner of the state so I can see the station lit up in Christmas lights.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

enter your email address, I
promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that
lets you know there is a new post to read

The Pigeon Depot

Posted on by Posted in Thumb, Train Depots .

The Pigeon Depot was constructed in 1908 and served two railroad lines. In 1883 the Pontiac, Oxford and Port Austin Railroad, a north-south line, had been extended to Caseville and a depot was built at Berne, one mile north of here. Around 1886 the Saginaw, Tuscola and Huron Railroad built tracks through the Tamarack Swamp and crossed the north-south line at this point. This railroad stop became known as Berne Junction. Berne’s population dwindled as people moved to the junction where they established Pigeon in 1888. The Pontiac, Oxford, and Port Austin Line became the Pontiac Oxford and Northern and later the Grand Trunk Railroad. The Saginaw, Tuscola and Huron was absorbed by the Pere Marquette Railroad and then the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. The Pigeon Depot presently serves as the Pigeon Historical Society Museum.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

enter your email address, I
promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that
lets you know there is a new post to read

End Of The Road Depot

Posted on by Posted in Train Depots, upper peninsula .

The old train depot on the outskirts of downtown Ontonagon sits alone and forgotten. The railroad tracks that trains took to the station are gone. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad referred to as the Milwaukee Road built the station in the late 1800s. From the map of the railroad I saw, it looks like it was the northern most point of the line so I guess that makes it the “end of the road”

Thank you for subscribing to Lost In Michigan, if you haven’t it would mean a lot to me if you did

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

[fbcomments]

The Holly Train Depot

Posted on by 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.

Thank you for subscribing. If you haven’t it would mean a lot to me if you Subscribe to Lost In Michigan

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post

[fbcomments]

Marlette Train Depot – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on by Posted in Michigan Historical Markers, Train Depots .

marlette depot 2 s

Flint and Pere Marquette Depot

The first twenty-five miles of track for the Port Huron & Northwestern Railroad opened from Port Huron to Croswell in 1879. Marlette residents lured the railroad by raising $15,000 toward construction of the tracks. The line extended from Saginaw Junction in St. Clair County to Marlette in January 1881, and Marlette and Mayville line opened in the fall. The Flint & Pere Marquette purchased the Port Huron & Northwestern in 1889. Flint contractor E.M. Stewart built this depot in 1890 with a double waiting room, an office and a baggage room. The Marlette Historical Society bought the building in 1999.

I hope you will Subscribe to Lost In Michigan 

Do you want to know when I post something new? enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, I hate spam, its just an automated system that lets you know there is a new post

[fbcomments]

 

The Vernors Depot

Posted on by Posted in Train Depots .

The town of Byron sits between Lansing and Fenton. It was the last stop on a stagecoach run from Detroit that ran west along what is now Rose Center road and Silver Lake road. The Village of Byron was incorporated in 1873 and the Toledo, Ann Arbor & Northern Michigan Railway was built through Byron following the pledge of a $15,001 bonus and the right of way in 1885. I wonder what the significance of the $1 is. It seems like an odd number. Anyway, I saw the old train depot in Byron. It must be privately owned and it looks like the owners love Vernors. It is rather obvious with the yellow and green paint job and the Vernors signs.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend, you can order your copy HERE or from Amazon HERE

Don’t forget to enter the February book GIVEAWAY HERE

If you like what I post it would really mean a lot to me if  you will subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts, 

enter your email for updates on new posts I promise I won't send you a bunch of spam, it's just an email to let you know there is a new post to read.

[fbcomments]

 

The New Old Train Depot in Brimley

Posted on by 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.

If you like my posts I hope you will Subscribe to Lost In Michigan

Do you want to know when I post something new? enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

[fbcomments]

The Other Depot In Battle Creek

Posted on by 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.

P.S. My wife gets annoyed with me because I don’t like to fly. I don’t mind the flying through the air at 300 mph part. It’s the security, boarding, luggage and everything else that comes with flying. I wish I could hop on a train and go on a trip. I know there is Amtrack which runs south of me, but by the time I drive to the station, I might as well drive to where the train is going to. I often wish there was a passenger train that went along I-75 that I could hop on and go to Detroit for the day and then go back home.

Don’t forget to enter the February book GIVEAWAY HERE

I hope you subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts or giveaways,

enter your email for notifications on new posts

[fbcomments]