July 15:  A steel strike begins and immediately effects dock and railroad workers in Michigan's Iron Range.  The strike is finally settled on November 9th.  The DSS&A ore dock in Marquette sets a record for the tons loaded in the month of December.  [RO]

July 25:  Pennsylvania RR discontinues its "Red Arrow" passenger train from Detroit to New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC.   [MDOT]

August 6:  Annpere interlocking is converted from a tower operation to an automatic interlocker.  Supervisory control is transferred to C&O dispatchers in Grand Rapids.  [MSAI]

October:  CPR replaces conventional passenger train from Sudbury to Sault Ste. Marie with an RDC car.  This was the first RDC car into the Sault.  [IT-5/81]

December 24:  "Beeliner" discontinued between Jackson and Bay City, via Owosso and Saginaw.  [MDOT]

New York Central's "Beeliner" a self-propelled passenger, baggage and mail car, ceases operations from Jackson to Grand Rapids.  [MDOT]

GTW stops using their Battle Creek roundhouse.  It is razed in 1974.  [IT-12/1975]

Welded aluminum cars without a center sill are introduced.  [SAM]

Hydrocushion underframes are introduced on railcars.  [SAM]

Heavy vertical lift bridge completed between Houghton and Hancock.  The twin-towered, vertical lift bridge carries four highway lanes on the upper segment and a railroad track on the lower level across the Portage Lake Ship canal.  When fully raised, the lift span provides a clearance of 104 feet for shipping.  [CRWS/BOM]

"Roadrailer," first experimental dual wheeled combination rail and highway vehicles in the U.S., begins operating between Grand Rapids and Traverse City on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway.  [MDOT]