As we have done the past two years, MARP is celebrating the New Year with a January 12 visit to the Williamston Historical Depot-Museum. The town of Williamston, located on the Red Cedar River, owes its early prosperity to the coming of the railroad in 1872, connecting Detroit to the state capitol and aiding the development of agricultural enterprises. Click Here for more information on the Williamston Depot-Museum.

Our guest speaker is Z. Kris Wisniewski, Executive Director, Eastern Border Transportation Coalition. The EBTC is non-profit membership organization dedicated to improving the movement of people and goods between the United States and Canada. EBTC members are the transportation agencies of the U.S. States of Michigan, New York, Vermont and Maine and the Canadian Provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. Among the EBTC’s priorities is improving and expanding cross-border rail passenger service.

In addition, we hope to have an update on plans and progress on the new East Lansing Amtrak station.

Following the meeting, we will enjoy our usual no-host lunch at the Tavern 109, 115 East Grand River in Williamston.

You may wish to visit these downtown establishments before leaving Williamston:
Yeetown, 110 E. Grand River Ave., Suite 2, all Michigan-made cards, gifts and food
Tuesday Books, 137 W. Grand River Ave.

Mr. William Gay, Historian/Treasurer of the Essex County Historical Association and also the Essex Station Custodian, will tell us about the history of the Canada Southern Railway, its lease by the Michigan Central Railroad in the 1880’s, the original crossing of the Detroit River via Grosse Isle, the construction of the Detroit River tunnel, the construction of the Essex Station, the bankruptcy of Penn Central and the demise of the Canada Southern Railway.

Mr. Harry Gow, past president of Transport Action Canada, will also be with us to talk about the status of the new Detroit-Windsor tunnel, the challenges of passenger train service between Detroit and Windsor and what is happening with rail passenger service in Southwestern Ontario, Ontario and Canada as a whole.

CLICK HERE for driving directions. Remember to have your passport or enhanced driver’s license for re-entry into the U.S. If you would like to carpool, please reply to this email.

SEE YOU IN CANADA!

Essex Railway Station

Transport Action Canada

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS– St. Louis, Michigan, that is! This meeting promises to be a real treat. In fact, you might have had this announcement much earlier today if I had not found so many interesting by-ways as I searched for information on this fascinating small town that bills itself as “The Middle of the Mitten.”

As I crawled the web, I discovered the The Magnetic Mineral Springs, many of whose visitors arrived at the  1870 Saginaw Valley & St. Louis Railroad Depot. Then there was the more recent phenomenon of the Old US-27 Motor Tour, and, not least, The Political Roots of the Forward Pass.

But, I digress. The October 13 meeting will feature a presentation by Dave McMacken on the historic depot and passenger railroads in St Louis, with ample time for questions. Dave is a local historian and author of two books: St Louis at 150 and Saratoga of the West. His presentations are well researched and entertaining.

Plan to arrive early so you can look over the museum exhibits housed in the depot. You will enjoy the grounds with new sidewalks and a station platform redone several years ago with an MDOT Transportation Enhancement Grant. An auxiliary exhibit building was constructed, as well, at that time. A local foundation paid for repainting of the stucco station building in 2011.

We will be lunching at the River Rock Bar& Grill on Mill Street in downtown St. Louis.

You may wish to spend the rest of what we hope will be a lovely fall afternoon exploring St. Louis. Or you may wish to take the suggestion of Rosemary Horvath, our new East/Central Regional Chair, and make the short drive up US-27 to take a look at the Clare Depot which is being restored. See Rosemary’s article in the issue of ON TRACK that was sent to your inbox early Thursday.

See You Then!

39th Annual Membership Meeting
Saturday, September 22, 2012 10:30am – 2:30 pm
Durand Union Station
200 Railroad St, Durand MI 48429

Featured Speaker :

Bob Johnston
TRAINS Magazine

If you are on our mailing list, you will receive a card in the mail within a few days. We urge you to return the card, along with the $25 registration fee, in an envelope as soon as possible. Reservations must be postmarked by September 13 in order to ensure that a meal is ordered for you. If you would like to send your reservation in today, you may download the form from below.

Click here for a registration form (PDF) to print out and mail before Sept. 13

 Questions? Please email marprail@yahoo.com

Rapid Central Station, opened on June 14, 2004, is the first LEED-certified transit facility in the country. Built with a number of green features and strategies, Rapid Central Station combines cutting-edge technology with solid design to provide a passenger facility that is both functionally sound and environmentally responsible. Our guest speaker, Seth Horton, is a member of the architectural firm Progressive AE  that designed Rapid Central Station and part of the team designing the new Grand Rapids Amtrak Station to be located just south of the transit facility. Seth will have a slide presentation on the new station and after lunch we will have an opportunity to take a look at the site.

All are welcome to attend the Executive Committee meeting that begins at 10 am. The guest presentation will begin at 11 am. Lunch will be across the street at Founders Brewing, one of several venues that are part of the transformation of downtown Grand Rapids into a thriving destination spot.

See below for information on the NMRA National Convention & National Train Show which begins in Grand Rapids on Sunday, July 29.

If you would like to carpool to the meeting, reply to this message and we’ll match you with someone from your area.

Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers