What is your favorite Michigan short line operator useless opinion poll

[GRHC]

Hello everybody I think it's time again for a useless opinion poll. The question for this poll will be what is your favorite Michigan short line operator.
I have listed the Genesee and Wyoming Watco Hamilton Hartford and the Adrian and Blissfield.
I've also included Federated Railways which I believe still owns the Great Lakes Central.
The Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad which if I am correct is owned by Mr. Larkin.
The Mineral Range Railroad which is owned by Mineral Range Incorporated.
Delray Connecting Railroad which is owned by Transtar.
Other for any that I may have missed such as Patriot Rail which operates the Michigan Southern. Others would include the Indiana and Northeastern LSI etc. etc. etc.

I have set this poll to run for five days and you will have one choice that is changeable.
Remember polls are fun even useless ones.

I have chosen the Hamilton and Hartford corporation as my favorite for two reasons. The first reason is that they are kicking ass and taking no prisoners. My second reason is because they operate the Hamilton Northwestern which is my favorite local hometown short line railroad.

[brianpwestgate]

Michigan Southern is owned by Patriot Rail. Transtar is involved with steel operations.

[GRHC]

Michigan Southern is owned by Patriot Rail. Transtar is involved with steel operations.

Yes you are correct I miss read when I was looking at the wiki page and I apologize for any confusion this may have caused. I have changed Michigan Southern to the Delray Connecting Railroad.

[AARR]

Please add Patriot Rail to the options to vote for

Michigan Southern is owned by Patriot Rail. Transtar is involved with steel operations.

Yes you are correct I miss read when I was looking at the wiki page and I apologize for any confusion this may have caused. I have changed Michigan Southern to the Delray Connecting Railroad.

[GRHC]

Please add Patriot Rail to the options to vote for

Michigan Southern is owned by Patriot Rail. Transtar is involved with steel operations.

Yes you are correct I miss read when I was looking at the wiki page and I apologize for any confusion this may have caused. I have changed Michigan Southern to the Delray Connecting Railroad.

I'm sorry I do not have the ability to alter the poll without erasing all the previous votes. If patriot rail is your favorite then you'll have to vote other.
For those of you who vote other feel free to post what your favorite operator is in this section.

[Delray]

Lake State

[GRHC]

Lake State

I can't believe I did not give Lake State its own selection. Thank you for posting Delray.

Note: when I created this poll
I was tired after a long day of work and maybe I had a few too many puffs on the pipe.

[AARR]

It was difficult for me to choose between my “favorite” and what I believe is the “best managed”. Up until last Spring my favorite was being managed poorly. Thankfully they seem to have turned it around.

[jggilmore7]

What, no CSX in the poll? Heck, once they finally get rid of everything west of Plymouth they'll pretty much be down to shortline mileage...

JG

[OldBastard]

Indiana Northeastern has to go under other as well.

[GRHC]

Indiana Northeastern has to go under other as well.

Yes sir you are correct along with the Michigan Southern Lake State and a few others. At this point in the polling other has 30% of the votes 6 in total. Lake State Railroad in my opinion is probably responsible for most of those 6 votes.

[joeyuboats]

Lake State-- for keeping things going along the old D&M-- and doing good in general, and having a classy paint scheme, and Indiana Northeastern-- for the same reasons.

[Conrail Quality]

WATCO, specifically the Grand Elk. Why, because that is the rail line that runs through my town of Three Rivers. WATCO seem interested in continuing to build business with industries along this line. Unlike NS who really didn't seem interested in continuing what CR had when it operated this route. Would be cool if they could somehow get a connection back in with American Axle, however, from what I have read over the years AM wants very little to do with railroads. So that will probably never happen.

P.S., with the battery plant, Ford Connect, going in at the old Wyoming GM Stamping site and still having tracks into the site, I wonder if WATCO can get some new business there?

[joeyuboats]

You mentioned AMERICAN AXLE--- Used to deliver to them in Hamtramck,and at one time they were surrounded by GTW tracks. Today, all the tracks-- except the GT/,CN mainline, are all gone.

[AARR]

Also were serviced by CR. They were unhappy with both railroads because of unpredictable service. Sometimes their cars would be delivered in a week and other times several weeks. They spent a lot of money to remove all the tracks in their plant were happy to get rid of railroad service. But they moved all their manufacturing out of Detroit later so the railroads would have lost the business anyway.

You mentioned AMERICAN AXLE--- Used to deliver to them in Hamtramck,and at one time they were surrounded by GTW tracks. Today, all the tracks-- except the GT/,CN mainline, are all gone.

[CSXBOY]

Lake State Railway and Lake Superior and Ishpeming for me. LSRC just keeps growing and I love the paint scheme and motive power. LS&I has the coolest shots in my personal opinion

[GRHC]

Lake State-- for keeping things going along the old D&M-- and doing good in general, and having a classy paint scheme, and Indiana Northeastern-- for the same reasons.

Lake State Railway seems to be a railfan favorite. At this point in the polling other has 29% of the votes 9 in total. Lake State Railroad in my opinion is probably responsible for most of those 9 votes. Genesee and Wyoming Watco Hamilton Hartford and the Adrian and Blissfield are all tied for second and have 13% of the votes with 4 votes each.

[NickThatRailfan]

Indiana Northeastern without a doubt. Grown up with them for all my life, and they run a mile from my house.

[DLM]

The one in Carson City.

[AARR]

The Sweet Line

The one in Carson City.