Michigan Northern

Company History: The MIGN was established in 1976 to operate a line from Grand Rapids north to Mackinaw City, Michigan that was to be excluded from Conrail. This line had been the northern half of the Grand Rapids & Indiana (and had continued to be known as the GR&I Line by locals when it was part of the Pennsylvania Railroad.) The MIGN also included braches to Charlevoix and Traverse City. At Mackinaw City, MIGN connected with the Detroit & Mackinaw who then ferried rail cars across the straights to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Traffic was light until 1978 when a relative flood of through traffic began to use this rail/water route. This was not due to aggressive marketing by the MIGN or D&M or even to some new source of traffic. Rather it was the side effect of a peculiar rate ruling by the Interstate Commerce Commission. Two years later, when railroad de-regulation went into effect, this traffic fled to more sensible routes. In 1984, faltering subsidies from the cash-strapped state of Michigan led to the closing of the MIGN between Grand Rapids and Reed City. More segments followed until the Spring of 1987 when the last Michigan Northern train was run.

Successor/Parent History: This line was incorporated on April 26, 1977, to operate the former New York Central rails in Michigan. In Oct.1982, it was designated by the State of Michigan to operate former Ann Arbor line from Ann Arbor to Alma. In March 2006 the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway was purchased by Federated Railways, Inc. and has changed their name to Great Lakes Central Railroad

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.