Michigan Central Railroad
| File:Michigan Central Herald.gif | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ontario |
The Michigan Central Railroad operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada. It was a predecessor of the New York Central Railroad, which later became part of Penn Central and then Conrail. With the 1998 Conrail breakup, Norfolk Southern now owns much of the former Michigan Central trackage.
Passenger Services
The Michigan Central Railroad operated passenger trains between Chicago and Detroit mostly. These trains were anywhere from locals to the crack Wolverine. Some trains were forwarded over the Canada Southern to Buffalo and New York City. While Michigan Central was an independent subsidiary of the New York Central System, passenger trains were staged from Illinois Central's Central Station as a tenant. When MC was formally merged into NYC in the 1950's, trains were re-deployed to NYC's LaSalle Street Station home, where other NYC trains such as the 20th Century Limited were staged. IC sued for breach of contract and won because the MC had a lease that ran for a few more years. The MC route to Porter, IN, is now mostly gone. The Kensington Interchange, shared with the South Shore Line, was cut out. These tracks now belong to Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, and are wooded stub tracks. Amtrak trains serving the Michigan Central Detroit line now use the former NYC to Porter, where they turn north on Michigan Central.
Joliet Line
The Joliet Line, diverging at Porter, IN, from the main and running through Dyer, IN; Chicago Heights, IL; and to Joliet is now cut back and little used. It terminates at State Street in Chicago Heights, IL, between the Union Pacific yard and Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern main tracks.
Modern Operations
As mentioned above, the MC was merged formally into NYC in the 1950's. Today, Norfolk Southern owns most trackage not abandoned in the early 1980's. Amtrak owns the Detroit line from Porter, IN, to Kalamazoo, MI. This line is a projected "high speed" line, however speeds do not top 100 miles per hour yet. Amtrak operates three Chicago-Detroit-Pontiac trains each way per day. The Port Huron train also uses this line as far as Battle Creek, MI.
External links
- MCRR homepage at Michigan's Internet Railroad History Museum
- Railroad Wreck: MCRR at Botsford Yard, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1924
- Niles-South Bend Branch Photos