Top 5 Michigan Rail Lines that should've been left in place

[MQT1223]

Got an idea for a video but I want some of your input.

Top 5 Michigan Rail Lines they shouldn’t have been removed.

I have an idea for probably 3 of them, maybe 4… but I’m not sure how to round it out. Plus I have to do research and whatnot… so I’m more or less looking for a place to start. Mostly thinking through lines, so something like Hartford to Paw Paw doesn’t really make much sense despite the local impact.

I don't have anything in the UP of Michigan because well... I don't see anything that would really make a difference up there that still is in use now or at least left in place. If anyone has suggestions I would appreciate it.

Thinking in this order… I'll include some reasoning as well. Any info or insight on these would be appreciated on these.

1. Former GT from Owosso to Ionia (and by association) former MGR&I between Penn Jct. (Marne) & Muskegon. In my book this is the #1 candidate because of the business opportunities that were ruined due to greed. Despite the fact that in order to get access to Durand he had to take the rest of the GT west of Owosso, Pinkerton should've been more reasonable in terms of selling the line west of Owosso to the state or to at least mothball it, until a willing operator such as the TSBY or someone else could be found. He intentionally priced it out of reach to have the infrastructure that came with it. This of course would also by default have kept the section from Lowell to Ionia in as well which was a long term consequence of this abandonment. Railtex, and later Rail America and G&W would've been a VERY different player in the region, as the Michigan Shore, GRE and HESR would've been one united system. Speaking of the Michigan Shore; by association, the former MGR&I between Penn Jct and Muskegon was only rebuilt within the last decade or so after the GT bought it to keep a connection in Muskegon, so it was essentially a new railroad for the most part. How would this abandonment have affected the economies of the towns along the former GT Grand Rapids Sub? A few elevators and other customers were robbed of growth and development when service abruptly ended despite their pleas. What would the MGR&I have done for the future of the Michigan Shore assuming it still would've been created as an operator to handle the former GT industrial trackage? Would CSX have kept the PM from Muskegon Heights to West Olive intact or had it and the costly swing bridge removed and given that traffic to the GRE while essentially abandoning most of the present day Fremont Sub? There is NOTHING between Muskegon Heights and West Olive that justifies keeping the rail in business wise at the current time, and Grand Haven would love nothing more then to see the rail disappear believe me.

2. Former NYC between Riga and Ottawa Lake. Probably the section of ROW with some of the most attention recently, the senseless removal of a mere 10 miles of rail on the former "Old Road" by Conrail now causes freight routed from Toledo to the ADBF to take an additional day or day and a half to route up to Detroit and down the former Wabash on NS, not to mention whatever they get off the former DT&I, now I&O. How would this affect growth of the ADBF and traffic levels on the previously mentioned railroads if the ADBF had a direct connection to Airline Yard instead of using just the two previously mentioned interchange points? Even if there was no business on that section of the line, why not sever it and leave it in place? This line of the five I've selected probably has the least amount of impact in terms of the economic footprint, but definitely has more long term consequences for the operator in question (the ADBF).

3. Former PM between Midland and Baldwin. A few years ago this might've been a stretch, but now with the recent discovery of a rich Potash deposit in Hersey this line which was at the time of its removal had portions of welded rail and full CTC would've proven VITAL. If the state or CSX had done what NS did with the "Peavine" in Ohio then this could've been fully exploited today. While GLC in the present will benefit in Clare with the transload, that means a lot more truck traffic on US-10 that will no doubt cause problems for the roads later on in and around Clare, while also limiting how much you can move at a time since unit Potash trains cannot be directly brought to the customer for loading. Who's to say that on the side, had this remained you couldn't have had local businesses on the line benefit from a rail connection later on, as a connection to the modern day Lake State at Midland on the Dean Sub provides access to Detroit along with a connection to GLC at Clare which gives you direct access to Toledo and bypassing Detroit if needed. You'd also have access to Chicago via Grand Rapids at Baldwin and could even make a case for the car ferries to get around that had the Badger and Spartan been modernized and not shut down. A lot of smaller moving pieces here, but the main one is the currently existing problem of the Potash at Hersey. Lots of potential business there, not to mention Evart has conducted studies of relaying the rail in the past few years.

4. Former PM between Alma & Greenville (And by association) the branch to Remus and Lakeview. Might be a stretch on this one, but I'm going to make a case for this one mostly on the basis of future business. While the Edmore Sub was slowly dying in its day, the lack of rail in most of this area now has really done a number economically. Your big businesses here would be agricultural in nature for sure and it would function much like the modern day Mid-Michigan between Saginaw and Alma. Lots of elevators and fertilizer places make competition which means needing to bring in large shipments of feed and fertilizers for the rival companies to compete in their local markets. Not only would the rail aspect benefit the efficiency of businesses here today, it would lessen the amount of trucks on the roads and the wear and tear of these important state highways in the region. The line remaining intact also would influence the potential for business to pop up elsewhere, and prevent the towns to falling to their current states today (has anyone been to Edmore recently? Its sleepy and dead...). Also, the fact that there is STRONG evidence to suggest that the Chessie deliberately sabotaged service on the Edmore sub and by association the Branch to Remus and Lakeview suggests that even while they claimed business was "dying" it was by their own accord simply so they wouldn't have to operate the railroad anymore. Several pleas to the government from customers complaining about poor service hurting local business fell on deaf ears and resulted in the line being pulled right as the birth of CSX was taking place. In my opinion, this line needed a second reprieve with a new operator. If Rail America and G&W had still gone the way they did with this line in place, who knows how this would've affected the modern Mid-Michigan and GRE systems. This by default would also ensure that the line between Greenville and Lowell via Belding would also remain and not be a victim of the recession. I am not including Lowell to Elmdale in this, since I believe it still would've been redundant and the former GT between Malta and Grand Rapids could've been utilized for interchange with CSX over the existing GRE and thus still have the same results.

5. Former GR&I between Grand Rapids & Cadillac. This one is a stretch but hear me out. The state owned this entire railroad and the incompetency of the Michigan Northern probably had a hand in this one going away. Yes the car ferries and deregulation had a part, but had the line been mothballed for future use I do not doubt the possibility of something popping up later on freight wise. My main argument is the current one regarding the development of the proposed Ann Arbor to Traverse City passenger service. Had the GR&I between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids been utilized along with track through Big Rapids and Cadillac then to Traverse City I think you would've had more of a case here. While Ann Arbor and Mt. Pleasant are both populated spots, access to Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids gives you a larger demographic along with the college town of Big Rapids. Throw in the fact you'd have access to not one, two, but THREE different Amtrak routes that connect with all parts of the state, Canada and Chicago and I think you could have a real winner here, but that's just me.



Anyway, these are my thoughts here. I'd really like to make this video, so if anyone has any supporting evidence or ideas or claims on these or any other lines that deserve an honorable mention I'd love to hear back. Have fun letting your imaginations run wild.

[ConrailDetr​oit]

Every track that was removed after decades of use, and now has since been recently reinstalled. Now the question is, was removing worth it? Removing and reinstalling VS keeping, maintaining, and revamping.

The 2nd Main on the Michigan Line from Dearborn to Wayne. Removed by Conrail back in the day, reinstalled years later with state funds.

The south lead on the old GTW West Detroit Yard that connected to the NYC and C&O. The 100 year old bridge over Junction St was removed and reinstalled, and so was the track with government funds. All for Amtrak to have a faster connection from the Michigan Line to the CN.

Also in Detroit, the spur from the Beltline on the Detroit Terminal to the old Dodge Main plant in Poletown. Removed in the early 80s when the neighborhood was demolished for the GM Poletown plant. Reinstalled 10 years ago for Conrail to service the plant after CN removed their connection on the other end of BOC Yard.
Currently, the less than 10 year old track is unused and rusting....

The DT&I spur into old McLouth Steel. Removed years ago, currently being reinstalled.....

[EWRice]

I think the first listed scenario could have seriously altered how railroading is done in west Michigan. I know that through Grand Haven and Spring Lake Twp there were multiple lumber yards that were served, and Johnston Boiler plus fertilizer shipments in Ferrysburg. CSX killed it all in one swoop by charging astronomical switch maintenance fees and not even trying to act like they were taking care of customers. I can think of at least 5 businesses along the old GR&I that could have benefitted from rail (one actually thought they would get served by the remaining tracks in Muskegon before they were pulled. That was part of the reason he opened the facility where he did.) Hind sight is 20-20.

[Doktor No]

Two words come to mind...PROPERTY TAXES. Every line not owned by the government or a bankrupt company paid property taxes to every township, city and county along the way. THAT ALONE helped doom everything. A few lumber cars a month ain't gonna cover any of that, or a covered hopper of fertilizer or a grain car or three in and out. Thats why Michigan agriculture went to big elevators that the railroads still service on a very regular basis.
The line north of GRR wasn't going to do diddly. How many cars per mile does it take to break even? They weren't doing that per hundred miles. Waiting for some BIG business to come along? Look at the obstacles to BIG BUSINESS thrown down for Ford in Marshall, Whoever was looking to buy land near Grad Ledge and the site up in Big Rapids. The protesters are retired people that want to preserve their farmland! That isn't theirs to begin with! They just like to look at it out their car windows.
OY!

[Raildudes dad]

Yes, RR's have to pay property taxes and as well as tax on their assets ie cars, locomotives etc. But the taxes are paid to the state not the local units of government. It used to be the RR's paid to maintain their track and paid the taxes. Then the state offered a tax credit of 25% of the track maintenance costs. The credit has since been changed to 100 % of track maintenance costs. On the federal level, the credits can be bought and sold by the RR's.
Another little quirky law relates to liquor license. Most licenses are tied to a local government jurisdiction. Since RR's go thru multiple jurisdictions, they pay the state $100 for their license.

[PatAzo]

In the trackage you picked there are some differing drivers behind each beyond low density lines. The GR&I for example was beaten and worn by the time Michigan Northern operated it. So here the 70's eastern carrier collapse and a physical plant needing a huge influx of cash. The PM Midland to Baldwin in contrast was owned by a profitable carrier. Chessie believed railroads would loose high value shipments to truck and become commodity carriers only hauling coal, grain, stone and the like. They began trimming themselves back to serve that model. Among the track they pulled up was a stretch of the B&O main to St Louis. CSX would later lament the possibilities lost. So an interesting contrast there to the PC deferred maintenance. The GTW Owosso to Ionia offers another facet of 70-80's abandonment where a lines scrap value was more than its value as a going concern. Many miles were pulled up when the scrapper outbid operators.

Mothballing sounds good but do some research on costs. Taxes have been mentioned. Weeds will still need to be sprayed to keep foliage from over taking the right of way. Ties succumb to moisture and rot even if there is no traffic. Crossings would need to be maintained. Bridges inspected and maintained. If its not sustained at a point rail equipment could roll over it in the future what would be the point in leaving the rail in place? In a sense the right of ways that are trails have been mothballed.

As you consider finances keep the 80's interests rates in mind. People today are taken back by 6% and 7% rates. Try double digit mortgage rates in the late 80's early 90's. That put pressure on investments.

[MQT1223]

In the trackage you picked there are some differing drivers behind each beyond low density lines. The GR&I for example was beaten and worn by the time Michigan Northern operated it. So here the 70's eastern carrier collapse and a physical plant needing a huge influx of cash. The PM Midland to Baldwin in contrast was owned by a profitable carrier. Chessie believed railroads would loose high value shipments to truck and become commodity carriers only hauling coal, grain, stone and the like. They began trimming themselves back to serve that model. Among the track they pulled up was a stretch of the B&O main to St Louis. CSX would later lament the possibilities lost. So an interesting contrast there to the PC deferred maintenance. The GTW Owosso to Ionia offers another facet of 70-80's abandonment where a lines scrap value was more than its value as a going concern. Many miles were pulled up when the scrapper outbid operators.

Mothballing sounds good but do some research on costs. Taxes have been mentioned. Weeds will still need to be sprayed to keep foliage from over taking the right of way. Ties succumb to moisture and rot even if there is no traffic. Crossings would need to be maintained. Bridges inspected and maintained. If its not sustained at a point rail equipment could roll over it in the future what would be the point in leaving the rail in place? In a sense the right of ways that are trails have been mothballed.

As you consider finances keep the 80's interests rates in mind. People today are taken back by 6% and 7% rates. Try double digit mortgage rates in the late 80's early 90's. That put pressure on investments.

An OOS line does not need maintenance in theory. Pave over a crossing, do periodic inspections sure but otherwise what does it need? There are lines in New England that have sat for 40 years state owned in case something comes up. It’s easier to rehab existing track then it is to put it back in.

Sever the rail and leave it be for when time comes.

All of you talk about taxes yet do you realize how much land the railroads own that they probably don’t even realize is still theirs? 70 percent of the Ionia to Grand Ledge line is still owned by CSX yet there hasn’t been a train through there in 50 years.

[Manistique]

A couple of thoughts on this topic.

I hear it costs like $10,000, maybe more, to formally abandon a line because of FRA fees to do so. That may be one reason the big railroads try to sell their lines to small railroads. The A&B and their lines are a good example and maybe the reason they haven't abandoned any, like Charlotte Southern.

I once heard the Conrail "cut" their "Old Road" line at Riga and between Adrian and Hillsdale so that there would be no future competition over it. I guess like another line to Chicago? Hard to believe that reasoning but railroads are always very fearful of other railroads.

Lastly, many lines, especially former Conrail ones now owned by NS and CSX, are overvalued on their books. So to sell them at market price would be a loss and embarrassment and explanation to stockholders. So they just abandon them or, instead of selling them, lease them to a shortline operator. What tangled webs we weave.

[PatAzo]

The early 80's Conrail was still rebuilding from the 70's bankruptcy's. They had burned through $1B in federal subsidies, were asking the fed for another $300-400M and their employees for $200M per year in concessions for five years. The White House favored breaking Conrail up and selling the profitable segments to the neighboring railroads vs. additional subsidy. In the early 80's marginal lines had to go.

Even if another carrier got ahold of the Old Road how were they going to compete? N&W/NS already had better routes east and west. It didn't get GTW or CSX anywhere. A short line could have interchanged on the east end but where would they go on the west end aside from depending on Conrail? A Conrail that was hard nosed at killing off traffic it did not want.

I am really doubtful at abandoning a line to keep from selling it below book value. The line from Smith Town to Jones Ville is valued at $100M, they sell it for less and write down the difference and explain it to Wall Street. But abandon it, walk away with nothing and the auditors don't flag it?