Category Archives: Meetings

Announcements, Meetings

MARP meets March 12, 2016 in Howell

MARP Member Meeting
Saturday, March 12, 2016
10 am – Noon
Cleary’s Pub
117 East Grand River Avenue, Howell MI 48843

Map & Directions

 MARP’s next general membership meeting will be held on Saturday, March 12, at Cleary’s Pub in Howell MI. Click on the link above for driving directions. You can park on the street or in the free lot located behind the pub.

 Our featured speaker will be Michael Benham who is the Special Assistant for Strategic Planning at the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority. As such, he is responsible for guiding the planning for one of Michigan’s first commuter rail projects. The North-South Commuter Rail Project, otherwise known as the WALLY, is seen as a cost-effective alternative to ease traffic congestion along US-23 between Howell and Ann Arbor, as well as a spur to economic development and job creation opportunities in the region.

Mr. Benham will provide an update on the technical study currently underway. This detailed study is developing ridership and cost estimates, considering locations for stations and maintenance facilities, looking at governance and funding considerations, as well as reviewing possible alternatives, such as express bus service and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on US-23.

We hope to be joined by members of The Friends of WALLY, a grassroots organization working to build support for the commuter rail project. Several MARP members are among those who are working to see this project become a reality.

Following the business meeting, we will continue conversations over our usual non-host lunch.   Cleary’s Pub enjoys a reputation for excellent food!

If you are interested in ride-sharing to the meeting, please respond to this email. And – a gentle reminder – if you have not yet paid your 2016 membership dues, please click here NOW to pay online or click here to download a mail-in form.

MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS

Announcements, Meetings

MARP Member Meeting Saturday, January 16, 2016 is in Lansing

MARP Member Meeting

Saturday, Jan, 16, 2016
10am – Noon
REO Town Depot (former GTW Depot)
1203 S Washington Ave, Lansing MI 48910
Map & Directions

It is becoming somewhat of a tradition for MARP to have its first meeting of the New Year in Lansing’s former GTW station which has been reborn as the REO Town Depot. This classic Spier & Rohn-designed structure was built in 1902 for the Grand Trunk Western Railway, but has not seen service as a passenger station since 1971. The building has been painstakingly restored in conjunction with the development of the new Lansing Board of Water & Light co-generation plant with which it shares the 5.3 acre site in the area known as REO Town. The depot is listed on the State Register of Historic Sites and the National Register of Historic Places.

Tim Hoeffner, Director of MDOT’s Office of Rail, is our featured speaker. He will give us an update on the progress made in 2015 on the Wolverine corridor upgrade as well as what to expect in 2016 for Michigan passenger trains.

Plan to arrive a bit early so you can look around the building, The BWL spent more than $2.8 million to restore it as its home for board meetings and employee training. From the terra cotta roof to the dark wood ceiling, period light fixtures, windows, and wainscoting, the restoration has been described as “stunning”.

Of particular interest is the eye-catching terra cotta roof. The tiles were 110 years old and needed to be replaced. The original manufacturer — Ludowici Roof Tile Co. of New Lexington, Ohio, a 120-year-old company with roots in Renaissance Rome and still in business — had the original plans for the depot and produced 14,600 new tiles to the original specifications.

Following the meeting, please plan to socialize over lunch at Clara’s Lansing Station, another of Lansing’s historic railway stations, at 637 East Michigan.

If you would like to arrange car-sharing to the meeting, please reply to this email. We will put you in touch with others in your area.

Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers

REO Town , located just south of Downtown Lansing, is at the core of Lansing’s automotive history and is one of Lansing’s revitalized gems. The commercial corridor and three neighborhoods of Moore’s Park, Fabulous Acres and River Point make up Reo Town. These distinct neighbors surround the former R. E. Olds Motor plant which was the backbone of Capital region labor in the early 1900’s. 

History of REO Town

Automotive History in Lansing

Things to do in Lansing

Announcements, Meetings

MARP meets Oct. 10, 2015 in Mount Pleasant

MARP Member Meeting
Sat., Oct. 10, 2015, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
CMU Research Corporation
2625 Denison Drive
Mt Pleasant, MI 48858
 
 
 
CMURC
CMURC

Please plan to join us in Mt. Pleasant as we explore the question “Passenger Trains on the Annie Again?” As you know, the folks in Traverse City have created a good deal of excitement around the idea of reviving passenger train service between Traverse City and Ann Arbor, a project they call A2TC.

 
We are fortunate to have as our speaker, Chris Bagwell, who will give his perspective as Executive Vice-President and General Manager of the Great Lakes Central Railroad (GLC) on potential for passenger services along the former “Annie“ route. He will also update us on the status of the MITRAIN equipment that was refurbished by GLC for use on the proposed WALLY and Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter routes.
 
Also on the agenda is Erin Strang, President and CEO of the Central Michigan University Research Corporation, and our host for the meeting. She will lead a group discussion of ideas for instituting a local shuttle service in Mt. Pleasant.
 
Following the program and business meeting, we will gather at one of  Mt. Pleasant’s former railroad depots for our usual no-host lunch.
 
Our Speakers:
 
Chris Bagwell is Executive Vice-President and General Manager Great Lakes Central Railroad (GLC). Chris is well known to MARP for his enthusiastic work retrofitting the MITRAIN cars and facilitating their display at events. Chris was honored in 2013 as a “Rising Star” by Progressive Railroading. You can read his profile here. Chris recently “starred” as well in a video talking about GLC operations in Michigan and promoting the proposed WALLY commuter train.

Erin Strang is President and CEO of the Central Michigan University Research Corporation. CMU-RC is a non-profit business accelerator that provides guidance to entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to market. CMU-RC is designated a Michigan SmartZone — one of 15 technology-oriented centers across the state — established to offer tax incentives while supporting research development and commercialization of new  technology to promote economic growth.

 
Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers
Announcements, Meetings

See you in Durand on Sept. 19, 2015!

FOR THE MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS
42nd ANNUAL MEETING
Durand Union Station
200 Railroad Street, Durand MI 48429
Sept. 19, 2015
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

If you have never been to the Durand Union Station, follow the train station signs on East Main Street south onto Russell Street and west onto Ann Arbor Street. Some GPS directions may lead you to take Railroad Street south from East Main Street. Railroad Street does not cross the tracks.

Click here to go to the registration page.

Announcements, Meetings

MARP June 2015 Meeting Includes a Variety of Activities at Flint’s Crossroads Village

Huckleberryrailroad-subheaderThe next MARP membership meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 20, 2015, at Crossroads Village near Flint. Don Wescott, MARP’s meetings coordinator, has been busy planning a variety of interesting activities following the 10 a.m. business meeting. Members are urged to bring their families and friends and plan to spend the day.

We will gather promptly at 10 a.m. at the Flint Township Meeting Hall in the Crossroads Village (directions below) for a brief business meeting. Following adjournment, we will shift our attention to the many interesting things to do and see at the Crossroads Village.

Folks may wish to have lunch at either the Café on Main Street or the Lakeside Grill located near the Carousel beside Mott Lake. There will be time for a stroll around the Village before the 2 p.m. “All Aboard” signal for a ride on the Huckleberry Railroad. Led by a Baldwin steam locomotive, the train makes an 8-mile loop through the 4500 acre Genesee Recreation Area.

 Crossroads Village was developed as a Bicentennial project. Most of the buildings were rescued from demolition from areas mostly in Genesee County and were moved onto farm land adjacent to the old Pere Marquette line that ran up into the Thumb. The original tracks were converted from standard gauge to 3 ft. narrow gauge to accommodate the vintage equipment that came mainly from Colorado. The engines are coal-fired steam engines and cars are maintained and all restoration of the equipment is done on site.

An added bonus of our visit will be a tour – led by MARP member Dan Mitchell and his colleague Bill Simmons – of the Restoration and Engine House where the rail equipment is maintained.

For information about the Village and its attractions, visit the website geneseecountyparks.org/pages/crossroads. The website includes a link to local accommodations should you wish to make a weekend of it. Don has negotiated a $5.00 entrance fee (a significant discount) for MARP members and their guests. This includes the train ride.

The address for Crossroads Village is 6140 Bray Rd, Flint MI 48505. Park in the parking lot. Enter the Village grounds and turn left on Railroad Street. You will find The Flint Township Meeting Hall at the end of the street. The Flint Township Meeting Hall is #28 on the Village Map.

Don would appreciate knowing how many plan to attend in order to set up enough chairs in the meeting hall and to seat us together in the railcar. Please send an email to marprail@yahoo.com