Riding the TSBY - An Excursion
on
ex-Pennsy Trackage in Mid-Michigan
by Jeremy Winkworth
On September 14th, 1997, a group of 14 motor cars and 2 hi-rails rode the 40 miles between Cadillac and Kalkaska, both in mid-Michigan. This stretch of rails was originally the main line of the Grand Rapids and Indiana, then it became part of the Pennsylvania, then Penn Central. Conrail did not choose to include any of the old GR&I route north of Grand Rapids so the line through Cadillac and Kalkaska to Mackinaw City was bought by the State of Michigan. The first operator was the Michigan Northern, to be followed in the late 1980's by the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railroad (TSBY). The TSBY still operates as far north as Petoskey, but the days of rail service to Mackinaw City and the Chief Wawatam steaming across the straits to the Upper Peninsula ended in the mid 1980's.
Under an overcast sky, we loaded our cars on the engine house track in the ex-Pennsy yard in Cadillac. Our friendly and flexible TSBY hosts for the day were Barry and Dave. The first sight during the excursion was of light traffic in the yard, including a string of hoppers still in a black Ann Arbor paint scheme from the 60's. The hulk of stripped Michigan Northern GP7 #1604, in that distinctive green and white paint scheme, could also be seen. This unit started its career on the Nashville, Chattanooga and St Louis, faraway in both time and distance! At the north end of the yard, a brand new potash unloading facility had been installed and was awaiting its first use. Three miles north of town, sharp eyes could pick out the overgrown roadbed of the Cadillac and Lake City Railroad curving away to the east. This railroad was famous for steam powered tourist trains in the 1960's but it withered in the 1970's. The next seven miles to the town of Manton was through the fields and backwoods of mid-Michigan, including a stretch in the Pere Marquette State Forest, apparently a haven not just for animals but for off-road enthusiasts too.
Condition of the rail and trackbed were excellent, reflecting significant investment by the State of Michigan during the 90's. After a stop at Manton, giving Chuck Pearson a chance to make adjustments to the engine of his restored Fairmont S2, we motored on another six miles to a photo stop at the substantial bridge over the Manistee River. Several miles past the bridge was Walton Junction, where the 25 mile long secondary to Traverse City angled off to the West via a full wye. I was told by Barry that the route from Cadillac to Walton Junction is used daily. North of the junction, we rode through more beautiful forest dotted with vacation homes and then along the shore of Fife Lake. Per suggestion from Dave, we stopped at the North end of this lake, where the owner of the ice-cream store informed us that as this was his final business day of the year, all ice-cream was half-price. This caused a rush of riders to partake in such a gastronomic and economic delight ! Eventually we regrouped and motored the last 15 miles or so to Kalkaska, mostly alongside US-131, which is the main road for vacationers headed north into Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We did not see many active railroad customers as the main TSBY traffic base on this line is located north of Kalkaska.
After a quick lunch break, we started back for Cadillac and arrived before 6 PM, allowing most people to get home that evening. There were no significant mechanical problems and everyone thoroughly enjoyed this excursion, the first in mid-Michigan for many years. A big thanks to the TSBY for allowing us to ride on their rails. Michiganders are hoping that this might be the start of a renaissance for motor car excursions on short lines in the lower part of their state !
See the Baldwin Sharks at Cadillac
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Last Edited 28 January, 2018
