It has been a crazy last few weeks as we have moved FIVE pieces of equipment to our main trackage! In 2023, we announced that the John H. Emery Rail Heritage Trust awarded $10,000 toward the relocation of our Pullman sleeper Emerald Vale. This past Saturday, we brought the Emerald Vale to our main track for the first time in our 39 year ownership of the car. The car was unloaded in Tecumseh and arrived in Clinton by rail later that evening, an arrival that was long overdue. We plan to restore this car for use in our passenger train.…
New Donation: N&W #518021
Check out our new display track! Built in 1914 by the shops in Roanoke, Virginia, Norfolk & Western caboose #518021 joins our roster as the oldest piece of rolling stock in our collection. This caboose was donated by N&W to the United Way in the 1970s, and subsequently sold to a railroad museum in Ohio. It changed hands to another museum before being sold as surplus. It eventually ended up in a farm in Hillsdale before being donated to our organization by Mr. Grover Johnson. We are excited to place this piece on permanent display and we are looking forward…
Project Update: ‘Little Red’ Gets a Touch-Up
More like a makeover! Thanks to the work of a small crew of volunteers, SMRS #2022 is now repainted into a flashy full coat of red! New vinyl graphics bring our logo to the cab and will really make her pop on our trains! In addition, Maple City Glass, Inc out of Adrian helped us out when a vandal broke one of the cab windows. We are grateful for their quick ability to help us out and ensure that ‘Little Red’ is looking her best!
Project Update: Trains Return to Tecumseh and #3 Stretches Her Legs
With the completion of our track construction projects, we are pleased to announce that a train has returned to Tecumseh for the first time since 2022! These projects were a huge undertaking for our volunteers and we could not be more proud of the hard work and dedication they put in to get these projects completed! We also took this opportunity to break in #3, our newest locomotive! We anticipate #3 to enter service on one of our trains very soon. Check back for more information about our train schedules in the coming weeks. We can’t wait to have you…
Project Update: Bidwell Street Railroad Crossing Rebuild
We are pleased to announce the reconstruction of Bidwell Street in Tecumseh! This project would not have been possible without the work of our dedicated volunteers, Troy Rohrbach at the City of Tecumseh DPW for facilitating road closures, and Slusarski Excavating & Paving for helping with the paving of this crossing. The project was completed by building a ‘panel track’ – a section of track built off-site that can be slotted into a gap in the track. By using this process, we were able to keep the road open until we were ready to undertake the replacement. The road was…
Project Update: Newburg Meadows Railroad Crossings Completed
We are proud to announce the completion of 2 huge projects! In partnership with Newburg Meadows, we have constructed two new railroad crossings to facilitate their neighborhood expansion. We’d like to thank our dedicated volunteers for their hard work and Slusarski Excavating & Paving for helping with the paving of these crossings. We are thrilled with the success of this partnership with Newburg Meadows and are excited to see the expansion of housing opportunities in our community!
Project Update: SMRS #3 Becomes SMRS #3
A group of volunteers have taken on the task of making #3 feel truly at home here with us. The former railroad’s name has been removed and our logo has been applied with some robust vinyl. Eventually #3 will receive a full repaint as time and money allows, but this will do for now! There truly are projects for folks of any background here at the railroad. Even small jobs like this wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated volunteers and supporters. If you are interested in helping out with any project – BIG or small – consider joining our membership…
New Acquisition: SMRS #3
SPECIAL DELIVERY – We are pleased to announce our acquisition of former Charlotte Southern Railroad #3, a 44 ton diesel locomotive! #3 enters our locomotive fleet as the third 44 ton locomotive in our lineup, joining Western Maryland #75 and Detroit & Mackinac #10. This locomotive was built in 1956 as #1 for the Dansville and Mount Morris Railroad, located in New York, and is significant in that it was the last 44 ton locomotive manufactured by General Electric. In 1986, the locomotive was sold to the Bay Colony Railroad, located in Massachusetts, where it served as #411. In 1998,…
Project Update: ‘Little Red’ Gets Her Time to Shine!
SMRS #2022, or ‘Little Red’, entered service this weekend on our Fall Color Tours! After some extensive work to replace some missing windows, install a new horn, replace the cab floor, install new engineer and fireman seats, and give the locomotive a general tune up, our volunteers are excited to see the hard work pay off. For the first time in decades, our train was pulled by a locomotive in each direction, improving safety at our road crossings and providing a smoother ride for our passengers. With some shake down runs completed, we expect ‘Little Red’ to be a staple…
Project Update: CSS&SB #1 Receives a New Roof
Our Chicago, South Shore, & South Bend #1 received a new metal roof! This new roof replaces a failing fiberglass roof that was allowing water into the car. We anticipate this roof to last many years and help us preserve this car for generations to come. At almost 100 years old, this car is an excellent example of a bygone day of commuter travel and it still retains it’s historic interior layout. Projects like this help us ensure that this piece of railroad history continues to tell a story and be a part of your experience aboard the rails.