ANNOUNCING
MARP Member Meeting
Sat., Feb. 11, 2012, 11:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.,
(Executive Committee will meet at 10:30 a.m.)

The Old Dog Tavern
402 East Kalamazoo Avenue
Kalamazoo MI 49007     (269) 381-5677

Map & Driving Directions

Please note that the February meeting will begin one-half hour later than usual to accommodate those who plan to arrive on the Wolverine #351 (9:50am) or the Blue Water #365 (10:20am). Please reply by email, marprail@yahoo.com , if you plan to travel by train. We will provide transportation for you to the meeting place.

Formerly operated as Kraftbrau, the building now occupied by The Old Dog Tavern is in the heart of what was once a hub of railroad activity  —  as late at 1979 there were seven passenger train depots still extant in the area. Look for the building’s historic name “STAR PAPER” emblazoned across the front below the top floor windows.  The Grand Elk now operates on the former Chicago, Kalamazoo & Saginaw  tracks that run alongside the building. Mike Madill and John Conor, who have been instrumental in reviving interest in the history of the CK&S in recent years, will be our featured speakers.

As always, all are welcome to attend the executive committee meeting at 10:30 am, followed by the member program at 11:30. For lunch The Old Dog Tavern offers a varied menu, including pasties and pizzas.

Weather permitting, we may do a walking tour to view sites of former and existing railroad infrastructure. Or you may wish to attend a portion of what has become a winter tradition in Kalamazoo: the Cooper’s Glen Music Festival  held indoors at the Radisson Hotel. Headliners in this acoustic music celebration are Beppe Gambeta & Peter Ostroushko, along with May Erlewine & Seth Bernard and many others. If your tastes run more to jazz and show tunes, WMU’s award winning vocal jazz ensemble will be presenting  Gold Company Salutes The Oscars at 2 & 8 pm at Miller Auditorium on Saturday. For lodging information visit Discover Kalamazoo.

We look forward to seeing you in Kalamazoo!

Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers

REMINDER: The next quarterly meeting of Operation Lifesaver is Friday, February 10 at 9:30 am at Durand Union Station. The agenda includes updates from MI railroad companies, lunch hosted by Robert Chaprnka, President of the Michigan Railroads Association, and an afternoon speaker.

RSVP to:
samcrowl@comcast.net
248-823-7037

ANNOUNCING
MARP Member Meeting
Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
(Executive Committee will meet at 10:00 a.m.)
Amtrak St. Joseph Station
410 1/2 Vine Street
St. Joseph, MI 49085

Map& Driving Directions

The November 12 membership meeting will be held at the newly remodeled St. Joseph station. This will be the last meeting for 2011, wrapping up a series of meetings held in historic railroad stations. Our meetings coordinator, Jim Wallington, plans to continue this idea in 2012.

The general membership meeting begins at 11 am, but all are welcome to sit in on the Executive Committee meeting beginning at 10 am.

Our guest speaker will be Bob Meyers, Curator of the Courthouse Museum in Berrien Springs and the author of books about railroading in southwest Michigan. He will be talk about the development of the Michigan Central R.R and its importance to the development of St. Joseph.

At the close of the meeting, we will enjoy a pizza buffet lunch in the adjoining Silver Beach Pizza Restaurant. The cost of pizza and beverage (coffee, soft drink, water) will be $5 per person. I’ve been told that the freight engineers call ahead and make a brief stop at SJM to pick up a pizza. That may be apocryphal, but the pizza is that good!

For those of you who like to ride the train, the Pere Marquette morning train out of Grand Rapids arrives in St. Joe around 9:45 am. The evening train goes back to Grand Rapids at 8:00 pm.

Plan to spend the afternoon in St. Joseph. The beautiful Silver Beach Carousel, just across the tracks, will be running until 5 pm. The Curious Kids Museum is nearby – we’re all kids at heart, aren’t we? The Krasl Art Center is reknown for its sculpture collection. Or shop the Box Factory for the Artsfor items made by local artists. For more ideas, see Visitor Information

This will be a fun wrap-up to our MARP year of great meetings in great stations.
Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers

ANNOUNCING

MARP Member Meeting
Saturday, October 8, 2011, 11 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
(Executive Committee will meet at 10:00 a.m. – All are welcome to sit in)
Historic Michigan Theatre
124 North Mechanic Street
Jackson, MI 49201-1301
(517) 783-0962

Map & Directions: click HERE

This month’s meeting will be a real treat. John Guidinger, one of the founding members of MARP, will be our host as we meet in the historic Michigan Theatre. If you haven’t been to the theatre recently, you will be astonished at the progress that has been made through the hard work of some very dedicated volunteers in restoring much of the former glory of this unusual theatre.
John will also recount some of the history of the Jackson Station, just down the street, as well as the nearby NYC freight house, which now houses a Wendy’s restaurant where some of us may choose to have lunch. Others may wish to have lunch at Daryl’s or Belle Notte, just steps from the theatre.

Of course, the big attraction of the day will be the presence of the Amtrak 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train at the Jackson Station. The exhibit train will be open 10-4 both Saturday and Sunday, along with displays and exhibits within the station. The Jackson station opened to passengers of the Michigan Central in 1873 and is one of the oldest continuously functioning rail passenger stations in the country.

Westbound Wolverine #351 has been arriving in JXN ca. 9:15 am, but with the recent track work completed, it may be closer to the scheduled 8:24 am arrival time.

So do plan to make a day of it – or even a weekend!

Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers

Links of interest:
History of the Michigan Theatre

History of the Jackson Station

Amtrak’s 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train

Explore the City of Jackson

Saturday, September 10, 2011, is the date for MARP’s 38^th Annual Meeting. Clara’s On The River –the former Michigan Central depot in Battle Creek – is the place. Our keynote speaker will be former Congressman Dr. John “Joe” Schwarz, whose experience in government and lifelong interest in railroading give him a unique perspective and influential voice in the continued development of train services in Michigan. Tim Hoeffner, head of MDOT’s office of high-speed rail, and Rick Harnish, Midwest High Speed Rail Assoc., will provide updates on the many exciting initiatives to expand and improve passenger train services in our region. We will also hear about the renovation of the Battle Creek Station which is now underway.

Reservations for the meeting, which includes a catered, sit-down luncheon, must be postmarked by Wednesday, August 24. GET YOURS IN THE MAIL NOW!

Click here to download a registration form.