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Meetings

MARP meets in Vicksburg, MI on June 15, 2013

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT
Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers
Saturday, June 15, 2013
10:30 am – 1:00 pm
Vicksburg Historic Village And Depot Museum
300 N Richardson St, Vicksburg MI 49097

VicksburgUnionDepot(MarkWorrallCollection)The June 15th MARP meeting will give us another glimpse into history as well as the exhilarating experience of the frequent CN trains that don’t slow down as they roar past the grounds of the Vicksburg Historic Village.

The very interesting story of Vicksburg’s Sunset Lake ice harvesting and the Grand Trunk will be the subject of Dr. Ronald D. Smith’s presentation. MARP member Gerald “Smitty” Smith (is there a relationship here?) will have some stories about the place of railroading in the history of Vicksburg.

>We will meet in a building constructed in the 1890’s to serve as one of two original Brady Township Halls. The building was restored by volunteers with the help of the Heritage Company of Kalamazoo, who donated authentic period windows and doors. Township Hall contains displays explaining both the development of local townships in the 1830’s and a brief history of the Native Americans who resided in the area.

Following the presentations and the business meeting, we will adjourn for our usual no-host lunch at the Main Street Pub, a few blocks away. If you would like to carpool to the meeting with someone from your area, please reply to this email.

The Historic Village is operated by the Vicksburg Historical Society and the Village of Vicksburg and currently consists of a Depot Museum, Express Office, Caboose and Boxcar, Print Shop, School House, Farm House and Barn, Gazebo, Township Hall and Cemetery. All the buildings and equipment will be open to us.

John Langdon is organizing a car pool for people that plan on riding Amtrak Train #351 to Kalamazoo and need a ride from their to Vicksburg. Contact him at john-langdon@sbcglobal.net

Please plan to attend!

Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers

News

Amtrak train strikes semi-trailer in Ann Arbor Township

From AnnArbor.com:

Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com
Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com

An Amtrak passenger train struck a semitrailer carrying kayaks on the tracks near North Maple Road and Huron River Drive in Ann Arbor Township Saturday afternoon.

No one was injured in the crash, which occurred about 12:50 p.m., said Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derrick Jackson.

The train struck the semitrailer, splitting it in two, Jackson said. One half lay on the north side of the tracks with kayaks spilled out shortly before 2 p.m. The other half lay on its side on the south side of the tracks.

Jackson said the truck driver had been rerouted to Huron River Drive from his original route, After discovering he could not cross the one-lane bridge over the river because the truck was too heavy and too wide, he tried to back up.

While he was trying to maneuver the rig back across the tracks with the help of another man, the train began approaching and the crossing gate came down. The trailer was still on the tracks when the westbound Amtrak train came through the crossing. The driver was able to get out of the truck cab before the crash occurred.

Passenger Mary Bak, who got on the train in Dearborn, where she lives, said she didn’t even feel the crash. “I just noticed we were stopped and then we were told that the train hit somebody.”

Another passenger, Gabrielle Dickson, who also boarded the train in Dearborn, said she heard and felt the crash and then saw the split open trailer and the spilled kayaks. Passengers were told no one was injured, she said.

John Biancke lives near the railroad tracks. He and his wife were working outside when they heard the commotion.

“We were out in the yard and heard a thump and knew that something unusual had happened.”

An Amtrak spokeswoman said the train was the Wolverine 353, which runs between Pontiac and Chicago. It was carrying 253 people, including passengers and crew, Vernae Graham said.

The train, which had two locomotives and about six passenger cars, was still blocking the railroad crossing at North Maple Road about 2:30 p.m. Passengers were still on the train.

As of about 4:15 p.m., the train had been cleared to continue on its route, but officials were waiting for the completion of a track inspection before proceeding, Graham said.

The westbound Wolverine runs daily between Pontiac and Chicago three times a day. The 353’s scheduled departure from Pontiac was 10:35 a.m. It  was to have departed Ann Arbor at 12:17 p.m. and arrive in Chicago at 3:38 p.m.

An eastbound Amtrak train was also been delayed by the accident. The Wolverine 350, which runs between Chicago and Pontiac, and had been scheduled to arrive in Ann Arbor at 1:05 p.m., was waiting on a siding near Chelsea, Graham said at 4:15 p.m. About 3:15 p.m., Jackson said the train was stopped somewhere near Chelsea waiting for the track in Ann Arbor Township to be cleared.

Source: http://www.annarbor.com/news/amtrak-train-strikes-semi-trailer-in-ann-arbor-township/

News

Port Huron is getting onboard with train travel

From the Port Huron Times-Herald:

Jake Rescoe, 3, of Clinton Township climbs down the steps of a bay window style caboose painted with the Port Huron & Detroit Railroad logo during a National Train Day event at the former Port Huron and Detroit Railroad yard. / MELISSA WAWZYSKO/TIMES HERALD
Jake Rescoe, 3, of Clinton Township climbs down the steps of a bay window style caboose painted with the Port Huron & Detroit Railroad logo during a National Train Day event at the former Port Huron and Detroit Railroad yard. / MELISSA WAWZYSKO/TIMES HERALD

 

Fort Gratiot resident Jeff Melvin takes a train to the University of Michigan-Flint campus twice a week. The round trip from Port Huron to Flint costs him $6. He likes to sit in the café car in the morning on the way to classes, chatting with the hostess and the conductor.

“It’s convenient, it’s cheap, and it’s relaxing,” Melvin said.

Melvin was among the people who came to the old Port Huron & Detroit Railroad yard in Port Huron Township on Saturday to reaffirm that trains matter.

They joined with 23 Michigan and 250 national sites celebrating the sixth annual National Train Day. Participants were able to tour the historical PH&D buildings, view the inside of a blue caboose, watch a model train swap meet, share some buffalo dogs, and chat with train lovers from far and wide.

Orville Swick, 90, of Port Huron knows a thing or two about railroads. He retired in 1983 after 42 years working on the railroad.

“For long haul, you can’t beat the train,” Swick said.

Swick said the trend toward building more expressways is “a no-win situation.”

“Sooner or later, America is gonna have to come back to rail for mass transportation,” he said. “Look at how much cheaper it is on energy. There’s no comparison between a train and a truck.”

Candace Sawdon of Gaylord came with her family for the afternoon to pose for a picture next to the blue caboose as she did when she was younger.

“If gas prices keep going up we’re going to have to rely on trains,” she said.

Her mother, Debbie Sawdon, prefers traveling by rail.

“On a plane or from a highway you don’t get to see America,” she said.

She likes being able to wave at the people along the tracks or view the rolling farm land from a rail car.

Tom Boswell of St. Clair is vice president of the railroad society.

“I would be interested in going into the downtown (Detroit) if trains would run there,” he said.

In the last six months the Wolverine, which runs between Chicago and Detroit, saw a net increase of 8.2 percent in ridership, said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.

Both the Wolverine and Blue Water lines, which runs from Port Huron to Chicago, have increased speed to 110 mph in the last year, and Amtrak is working closely with MDOT to add more 110-mph territory, Magliari said.

Michigan also recently purchased 135 miles of rail from Detroit to Dearborn and 80 miles from Kalamazoo to Porter, Indiana.

“The state’s engagement illustrates the bright future of rail in Michigan,” Magliari said.

National Train Day was started by Amtrak in 2008 to raise awareness of travel alternatives available to American consumers.

Source: http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201305112035/NEWS01/305110005&nclick_check=1

FYI, News

Students Clean Dowagiac Train Depot

From WSJM-AM 1400 & FM 94.9:

2503123Spring cleaning is underway in Dowagiac. Choir Instructor for Dowagiac Union Schools Jeff Robinson and his students volunteered their time May 8 to clean the historic Dowagiac train depot. The group washed all 110 windows. The effort was coordinated by Ron Leatz, a volunteer of the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers. The City of Dowagiac treated the students to ice cream after the cleaning. Built in 1903, the Dowagiac train depot is serviced daily by Amtrak.