Category Archives: Announcements

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Announcements, Meetings

MARP meets Oct. 12, 2013 in Bangor

October 12, 2013
Bangor Amtrak Station 555 Railroad St
Bangor, MI 49013 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

The October 12 MARP meeting will be in the former C&O passenger depot in Bangor. For those of you who have never been there, it is a very inviting station with a cozy waiting room, a great platform on which to wait for the morning train, and an excellent cafe. Our meetings here are always “working lunch” affairs where our lunch is brought to us as we continue our discussions. We will order lunch from the Bangor Railroad Cafe menu. Ken Ratzlaff, who owns the station and operates his business out of the second floor, is very proud of the station and displays much interesting train “stuff” throughout the building.
To accommodate folks who might like to travel by train, we will provide rides from the Kalamazoo Amtrak station at 9:35am for Wolverine #351. You will be returned to Kalamazoo in time to board Wolverine #352 at 4:08 p.m. We are not currently planning to meet the Blue Water.
PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO  marprail@yahoo.com   if you are planning to take the train. LET US KNOW WHAT TRAIN you will be on. We need this information to assure we have enough cars to shuttle you to and from Bangor.
IF YOU ARE DRIVING and could pick up some passengers at the Kalamazoo station, let us know. We will likely need at least one more car beyond what we have already arranged. PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO   marprail@yahoo.com    if you can pick up passengers at the Kalamazoo Amtrak station c. 9:35 am and return them to the station following the meeting.
Announcements, FYI, News

TRACK IMPROVEMENT PROJECT MOVES WEST – Modified schedules affect some weekday Wolverine trains

amtrakskedchangeThe second of three Michigan track improvement phases for the 2013 construction season begins between Jackson and Battle Creek on Sept. 30. While the project will cause some delays and modified schedules, the result will be upgraded tracks and more reliable service for Amtrak Wolverine Service and Blue Water trains as part of the Accelerated Rail Program being carried out by Amtrak for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).

This phase of the project will largely take place west of Jackson to Battle Creek, Mondays through Thursdays, with the tracks open for all trains on regular schedules on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Trains 350 & 353 will terminate and originate in Battle Creek, rather than Pontiac, through Oct. 10. Alternate transportation for these trains will be provided in both directions as chartered buses between Pontiac and Battle Creek.

When all 2013 phases of the project are complete in November, more than 30 miles of new track and 130,000 new crossties will be installed by crews working ten-hour days.

“This track improvement work is an upgrade to the route owned by the state of Michigan,” said Tim Hoeffner, Director of MDOT’s Office of Rail.

“This work provides great benefits from more reliable track conditions and eliminates the need for similar track disruptions next year between Dearborn and Kalamazoo,” said Al Johnson, MDOT Rail Operations Manager.

MDOT is leading a three-state effort to improve the 300-mile corridor from Pontiac and Detroit across Michigan, through northwest Indiana and to Chicago. The result of these and future infrastructure improvements will allow Amtrak trains in mid-Michigan to operate at speeds up to 110 miles per hour, as they do now for 80 miles in southwestern Michigan and part of Indiana.

Michigan has the longest stretch of higher-speeds in the Midwest, with the Wolverine and Blue Water trains carrying Amtrak passengers at the highest speeds available outside the Northeast U.S.

A goal of the project is to reduce the end-to-end travel time between Detroit/Pontiac and Chicago by approximately two hours from the current 6 hours and 30 minutes. For more information, visit GreatLakesRail.org.

The attached Passenger Service Notice will be distributed on trains and at stations to explain the Monday-Thursday schedule changes and provide more information about possible delays. The track improvement work is supervised by an MDOT/Amtrak team and began earlier this month between Dearborn and Jackson.

Amtrak passengers can opt in when they make their round-trip or one-way reservations to be automatically notified when their trains are behind schedule due to construction work or for any other reason.

Sourcce: Amtrak  Press Release

Announcements, FYI

Library of Michigan to Host 2013 Michigan Rails Conference

1d8e8ce0-ac36-4ae8-9986-3e6b5e93af8bLibrary of Michigan will host the 2013 Michigan Rails Conference on Saturday, September 21, 2013.  The conference features keynote speaker Michael H. Hodges, author of the award-winning Michigan’s Historic Railroad Stations, and capstone speaker Graydon M. Meints, railroad scholar and author of Railroads for Michigan.

“We are delighted to host the Michigan Rails Conference,” said State Librarian Nancy Robertson, “we expect that train enthusiasts, teachers, and students will find it fun and informative.”

Presentations on historical Michigan rail and modern Michigan rail transportation will be available concurrently.  Modern Michigan rail sessions include interurban railways of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Transportation’s ongoing statewide railway projects and the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers discussion on passenger rail travel.

Highlights of the historical Michigan rail presentations include an opportunity to discuss the Michigan Railroad History Museum’s programs and railroad postcards. The Library of Michigan’s Martha W. Griffiths Michigan Rare Book Room also will display antiquarian railroad materials.

The conference cost is $15 per participant and includes admission to all sessions, a continental breakfast and box lunch. Parking is free.  Registration is from 8-9 a.m. on Saturday, September 21, 2013 and available online.  For a full schedule or to select sessions and register please visit:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HCXFFNQ.

Announcements, FYI, News

Amtrak repairs to shut down railroad crossings in Ypsilanti

From mlive.com:

Amtrak railroad repair enhancements will close four railroad crossings in Ypsilanti during the week of Sept. 16.

Ypsilanti’s Department of Public Service’s Director Stan Kirton said the following crossings will be shut down temporarily:

  • 203 N. Grove on Monday, Sept. 16
  • 219 N. Park Street – Tuesday, Sept. 17
  • 23 E. Forest Avenue – Wednesday, Sept. 18
  • 1199 LeForge Road – Thursday, Sept.19

“They won’t be closed at the same time,” Kirton said. “There will always be access across the tracks.”

Kirton said Amtrak is enhancing the tracks for higher speed trains that might come through the Ypsilanti area in the near future.

“They have to make sure the crossings are really tight and in shape,” Kirton said.

Source: http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2013/09/amtrak_repairs_to_shut_down_ra.html

Announcements, FYI

Michigan Railroad History Conference to be held in Bay City on Oct. 5, 2013

The 12th Michigan Railroad History Conference will take place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, in downtown Bay City on Oct. 5, 2013. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. The program begins at 8:30 a.m. and lasts until 5:00 p.m. There will be an Afterglow (location announced at conference) with an opportunity for informal discussions about Michigan railroad history after the conference.

Field trips will be caravan style with no additional cost if attending the conference. RSVP necessary to attend (trips may be canceled due to low attendance). Field guides will be handed out at point of embarkation. The DBC&W field trip will start at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, October 4th and run from Bay City to the east. The Interurban field trip will start at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 6th and run from Bay City to the south. Field trip participants will be contacted with the assembly points.

The Saginaw Valley Railroad Historical Society will have their museum facilities open for tour Friday afternoon and evening October 4th. Highlights of the museum include the Hemlock depot and the Mershon Tower. The museum is located at 900 Maple Street in Saginaw. A map to the museum can be obtained by emailing the conference chair.

Poster presentations are still accepted until August 15, 2013; contact conference chairperson if interested in exhibiting a poster. Poster presentations are static visual presentations to be exhibited in the areas around the presentation room. They should be able to communicate the story of the subject without the poster presenter being present and be of reasonable size.

Check for conference updates on www.MichiganRailroadHistory.org or the Michigan Railroad Calendar at www.MichiganRailroads.com, a major source for contemporary and historic railroad information.

For questions, contact the MRHC Chairperson, Mark Worrall, at markxworrall@hotmail.com (preferred) or at 616-881-1375 and for hotel rooms blocked for discounted price..

Directions to the Hilton: From Interstate I-75, Exit 162A East (M-25) for 2 miles. Hotel is just over the bridge on the left along the Saginaw River. After crossing the bridge, turn left at the first light which is Saginaw Street. Drive two blocks, turn left on 6th Street. Entry is straight ahead. In the heart of downtown Bay City between 6th and 7th streets on the East bank of the Saginaw River.

Click on this image for a printable registration form.
Click on this image for a printable registration form.