-
January 20: GTW razes its
Port Huron depot, also known as Tunnel Station.
[IT-4/1975]
-
February 3: Chessie System
closes stations at South Lyon and Fowlerville. Also
closing this month are agents in Alto, Belding, Gera,
Marlette, Vasser, Hart, Fremont, Newaygo, Sparta, Scottville,
Breckenridge, Hemlock Alma, Charlevoix, Petoskey and Ellsworth.
[IT-4/1975]
-
February 14: GTW makes last
run over their Lakeland to Jackson line. Generally, no
trains run west from South Lyon after this time. [IT-4/1975]
-
Spring: Chicago &
Northwestern retires its fleet of Fairbanks-Morse H16-66 "Baby
Train Masters" which were used in ore operations out of
Escanaba. These units were eventually replaced by
ex-Norfolk & Western high-hood Alco Century 628's.
[R&R-3/1980]
-
April 10:
Amtrak begins using
French-built RTG trainsets between Detroit and Chicago, the
first new equipment on the line since at least 1968. [MT]
-
April 30:
GTW is granted permission by the I.C.C. to use the
Detroit-Windsor tunnel and includes all track between West
Detroit and the Essex Terminal Railway in Windsor, 5.2 miles.
[MRC-7/1975]
-
May 16: GTW closes agencies
in Cass City, Pigeon and Imlay City. [IT-12/1975]
-
July 29: Fort Wayne
crossing is automated by the GTW with operation now handled by
the dispatcher in Battle Creek. The tower is razed.
[IT-12/1975]
-
July: The American Freedom
Train, visits the state with displays of the nation's treasured
documents, touring southern Michigan. [MDOT]
-
July 5: Penn Central closes
the station agency at Chelsea. [IT-2/1975]
-
August 21: Griffith,
Indiana station is closed by the GTW. [IT-12/1975]
-
August 29: Durand is
eliminated as a train order station by GTW. Order boards
were removed. [IT-12/1975]
-
September 14: The PC team
track west under the Broadway Bridge in Ann Arbor is removed to
make room for passenger parking. [IT-12/1975]
-
September 20: The
City of Detroit opens a narrow-gauge Washington lvd. trolley
line from Clifford to West Larned. The line should be
completed from Grand Circus Park to Cobo Hall by November.
[MRC-11/1976]
-
September 22: The
AARR/GTW diamond at Lakeland is removed from service, and the
GTW main line is shortened from MP 70.3 to 69.7.
[IT-2/1976]
-
October 5: The Pere
Marquette 1225, 1 2-8-4, is steam tested on the Michigan State
University campus. The locomotive, which was on static
display at MSP, is eventually moved to the Steam Railroad
Institute in Owosso for operation. [MT]
-
December 15: GTW closes its
agency at Richmond. [IT-2/1976]
-
Decembe 23: The
Grand Trunk Western eliminates 4 miles of track along the
western edge of Bay City by switching to trackage rights over
the Penn Central. [NK] From approximately Main
Street to Bay City West Side.
-
December: The GTW
roundhouse in Battle Creek, unused since 1959, is razed by a
private contractor. [IT-12/1975]
-
December: The Richmond
station agent is eliminated by the GTW. Other agencies
closed in the last year include Lapeer, Schoolcraft,
Edwardsburg, Owosso, Carson City, Fraser, Mt. Clemens and New
Haven. [IT-12/1975]
-
-
The former Penn Central
line between Cement City and Bryan Ohio is abandoned.
[MRC-2/1983]
-
Penn Central abandons the Ida
Branch, between Ida and Lenawee Jct., a distance of 19.8 miles.
[MRC-2/1975]
-
The Cadillac and Lake City
Railway is granted permission to abandon its line from Round
Lake to Lake City, a distance of 8.12 miles. [MRC-2/1975]
-
GTW
Roundhouse in Jackson is abandoned. [IT-2/80]
-
N&W Summer Street yard in Toledo
is closed. [IT-4/1975]
-
The diamond at Federman, south of
Diann, is removed. It was an interlocked crossing of the
Ann Arbor and the Penn Central. [IT-12/1975]
-
Cadillac and Lake City Railway
ends service on branch from Penn Central to Lake City.
Abandoned in 1981. [MRRC]
-
Since lightweight "Turboliner"
passenger trains have been put in service between Detroit and
Chicago, some delays have occurred due to signal malfunctions.
The new lightweight passenger trains are not heavy enough to
shake off rust accumulation. Penn Central has solved the
problem by running one of their hot shot freight trains over the
line, the first mainline freight trains to operate west of
Kalamazoo on the old MCRR in a number of years.
[MRC-8/1975]
-
The American Freedom Train,
powred by a former Reading steam locomotive No. 2101, arrives in
Detroit for a visit. The train, with 25 cars, visited the
48 contiguous states with stops in 80 cities. The train
came into town via the Norfolk & Western's line from Montpelier
to Oakwood Yard. [MRC-7/87]