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!

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…

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…

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!

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…

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,…

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…

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.

We are pleased to announce that the John H. Emery Rail Heritage Trust has granted $10,000 toward the movement and stabilization of our heavyweight Pullman sleeper ‘Emerald Vale’! This is one of 19 grants totaling $250,000 toward preservation of the “Golden Age” of railway travel, from 1920 to 1960. The Trust’s founder, John H. Emery, wanted to ensure future generations could share his experiences of rail travel, and we are excited to help carry out his mission. The ‘Emerald Vale’ is a heavyweight Pullman sleeper car. It was originally built as ‘Wetamoo’ in 1915 by The Pullman Company for use…

#2022 arrived with a severely deteriorated steel floor. In many spots, the cab floor was rotted complete through to the mechanical space below the cab! Volunteers have installed a new wood floor in the cab that will bring this locomotive one step closer to service!