Any good historical books on railroads of Michigan?

[BamaSubdivision94]

...Specifically Saginaw and Flint? Information is scarce on these 2 cities in general, much less on railroads and that's a shame because these 2 were once big time railroad towns and have a rich history. And I was just hoping that I was overlooking a particular source that covers both well, specifically from the 60s to the 90s.

[JStryker722]

Rails around Michigan covers 1950-1980's Michigan Railroading's Pictural History by region perfectly. It's a good buy. I own it and I think a few of us on here also own it as well as the book was brought up on another thread a while ago.

[BamaSubdivision94]

I saw that book back in 2010 after Christmas at Barnes and Noble and IIRC it was on sale. The mom even offered to buy it for me but I turned it down for some stupid reason. I guess I was satisfied with the gifts I received just days before but I regret that decision so much right now

I'll check out Amazon for a copy. Thanks!

[railohio]

Book Review: Railroads for Michigan

[EWRice]

I found a unique book in a store up north somewhere. Rail Disasters of Michigan, 1900-1940. A lot of technical info about wrecks but there are also ICC maps and other info from the time of the wrecks. Hidden gems of info within the stories of each wreck. Good resource.

[J T]

I found a unique book in a store up north somewhere. Rail Disasters of Michigan, 1900-1940. A lot of technical info about wrecks but there are also ICC maps and other info from the time of the wrecks. Hidden gems of info within the stories of each wreck. Good resource.

I believe I own that book as well. Good stuff in it!

[Norm]

If there is any information about a 1905 Pere Marquette wreck near Traverse City in which my grandfather perished let me know. I've been seeking information on that for years.

[James Sofonia]

"Sail and Rail" A narrative history of transportation in the Traverse region by Lawrence Wakefield, has 14 large photos of wrecks on the PM in the early 1900. I bought my copy at a TC bookstore in 1986. I've seen a copy in the TC library.

[EWRice]

If there is any information about a 1905 Pere Marquette wreck near Traverse City in which my grandfather perished let me know. I've been seeking information on that for years.

I will check when I get home tonight. Is there any other info you can tell me? The way the book is set up, it goes by the actual town (or station, siding, tower, etc.) so it can make finding a specific incident difficult if it is just outside of a town.

[Norm]

If there is any information about a 1905 Pere Marquette wreck near Traverse City in which my grandfather perished let me know. I've been seeking information on that for years.

I will check when I get home tonight. Is there any other info you can tell me? The way the book is set up, it goes by the actual town (or station, siding, tower, etc.) so it can make finding a specific incident difficult if it is just outside of a town.

I believe it was at Five Mile Road. That's between Traverse City and Acme. Train derailed and there was a boiler explosion. Engineer's name was Louis Echtinaw. Never have been able to find much information about it

[EWRice]

If there is any information about a 1905 Pere Marquette wreck near Traverse City in which my grandfather perished let me know. I've been seeking information on that for years.

I will check when I get home tonight. Is there any other info you can tell me? The way the book is set up, it goes by the actual town (or station, siding, tower, etc.) so it can make finding a specific incident difficult if it is just outside of a town.

I believe it was at Five Mile Road. That's between Traverse City and Acme. Train derailed and there was a boiler explosion. Engineer's name was Louis Echtinaw. Never have been able to find much information about it

Checked the book. No wrecks listed from 1905 on the PM. They show one in 1904, then skips to 1907 when they had 5 wrecks in 6 days. Not looking good for the PM back then.

[PM1946]

"Evening Before The Diesel" by Charles R. Foss is a treasure trove of all things Grand Trunk Western. It's chock full of photos, timetables, and track diagrams. Since it was published around 1979 (I believe), it may be hard to locate a copy. It'll be worth the effort though.

[Todd Cline]

There is one really great book, almost the "Holy-Grail" of Michigan RR history.. "All Aboard!" by Willis F. Dunbar. It's a bit dated, published in 1969, but one of the best overviews of Michigan RR history ever written. 308 pages of Mich. RR history written by a professor of mich. history at WMU.
More text than photos, but it covers EVERYTHING from the "Erie&Kalamazoo", (first rr in mich.), to the then current state of affairs in 1969. Out of print for decades, you can only hope to find a copy in used book stores, or ebay. I consider this book, still on my shelf, as "THE BIBLE"..


Todd

[BamaSubdivision94]

I ordered Rails Around Michigan a few weeks ago and while it doesn't touch on exactly what I want to know, it gives a good general perspective on Michigan's railroads from the 50s to the 80s with some very nice color photos (though about 90% of them are from the 70s).

I'll have to look into the other books; thanks for the suggestions guys!