Michigan Northern Railway Company
Incorporated Mar. 18, 1976 to operate former GR&I (Penn Central) rails for the State of Michigan.
MIGN ran on the old GR&I mainline from Grand Rapids to Mackinaw City where they served the Chief Wawatam car ferry until it's demise.
Just north of Cadillac, at Walton Junction, they also ran the GR&I branch to Traverse City and also served the ex C&O (PM) line from Traverse
City to Grawn and Traverse City to Williamsburg. At Petoskey, they returned to C&O rails and serviced Charlevoix.
I'm not quite sure what role they played on the former Ann Arbor mainline but I think from Cadillac to Alma (east) and from Cadillac to Yuma (west)
where there is a large silica sand plant now serviced by the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay.
I loved the MIGN when it ran and was very saddened to here Michigan broke their contract with them (to this day I still don't know why) .
Agreement was cancelled Oct. 1, 1984
(above info provided by USPatriot43)
Michigan Northern Railway History
This short history of the Michigan Northern Railway was put together around 1998 by Fred Paepke from an article in TRAINS magazine,
and some local news paper articles from the period. used with permission
Baldwin RS12 212
Cadillac, MI 5/79 photo
©Andre Menard
Wells, MI 3/6/80 photo
©Ron Cady
Wells, MI 8/31/02
Baldwin RS12 213
Cadillac, MI 9/23/78 photo
©Gary L. Powell
Cadillac, MI 10/2/78
photo ©C. Tillcock
Cadillac, MI 10/8/78
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Cadillac, MI 5/79 photo
©Andre Menard
Wells, MI 8/31/02
information not noted
RS12 215
SBD 215 location not noted 4/75
photo ©Robert Olesski
Cadillac, MI 10/8/78
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Cadillac, MI 5/2/80
photo ©Joseph R Quinn
E&LS 300
(former MIGN 215) Channing, MI 6/5/84
photo ©Allen Rider
E&LS 300
(former MIGN 215) Wells, MI 8/23/84
photo ©Robert C. Anderson
Wells, MI 9/85
photo ©Bob Yanosey
Baldwin RF16 "Sharks" 1205 & 1216
Middle Granville, NY 9/20/75
postcard
photo ©Walter E Zullig Jr.
Cadillac, MI 4/23/78
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Cadillac, MI 7/10/78
photo ©Bob Heathorn
Wells, MI 9/8/82
photo ©Francis J. Wiener
Escanaba, MI 5/23/88
photo ©J M Seidi
Alco RS2 1501
Wisconsin Rapids, MI 6/8/68
photo ©Rail Photos Unlimited
Green Bay, WI 10/26/76
photo ©Francis J. Wiener
location not noted 4/27/77
photo ©Phillip C Faudi
Cadillac, MI 8/31/78
photo ©Michael Hoff
Big Rapids, MI 6-19-79
photo ©Keith Mellin
location not noted 8/19/79
photo ©J David Ingles
Cadillac, MI 5/3/80
photo ©Joseph R Quinn
Cadillac, MI 5/3/80
photo ©Joseph R Quinn
Reed City,
MI Bob
Lenardson postcard photo
Cadillac, MI 12/20/80
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Cadillac, MI 10/83
photo ©Jeff Williams
Alco RS3 1553
Cadillac, MI 9/2/78
photo ©John C Benson
Cadillac, MI 10/2/78 photo ©C
Tillcock
Cadillac, MI 10/8/78
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
St Paul, MN 2/79 photo ©Ed
Kanak
St Paul, MN 9/6/82 photo ©Steve
Gartner
Alco RS3 1554
Cadillac, MI 11/19/77
photo ©C G Parsons
Cadillac, MI 4/16/78
photo ©James Claflin
Cadillac, MI 12/20/80
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Cadillac, MI 6/26/82
photo ©James Claflin
Alco RS3 1601
Cadillac, MI 10/17/77
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Cadillac, MI 12/10/77
photographer not noted
Alco RS3 2037
Cadillac, MI 5/78 photo
©Harry J Bailey
Cadillac, MI 6/23/78
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Cadillac, MI 5/79 photo
©Andre Menard
Cadillac, MI 5/15/79
photo ©Charley's Slides
EMD GP7 1601
Mackinaw City, MI 4/16/79
photo ©J M Seidel
Cadillac, MI
10/24/81
photo ©Bob Graham
Mackinaw City, MI 9/83
photographer not noted
Cadillac, MI 5/1/82
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Paw Paw, MI
EMD GP7 1602
Cadillac, MI 7/4/79
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Cadillac, MI 5/1/82
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
EMD GP7 1603
Cadillac, MI 5/1/82
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Cadillac, MI 10/17/82
photo ©Paul Hunnell
Riverdale, IL 2/11/89
photo ©Paul Hunnell
EMD GP7 1604
5/1982
location,
photographer not noted
10/4/84
location,
photographer not noted
4/88
location,
photographer not noted
location, date,
photographer not noted
EMD GP7 1605
Alma, MI 2/7/82
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
10/4/84
location,
photographer not noted
EMD GP7 1606
Cadillac, MI 5/1/82
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Cadillac, MI 9/26/84
photo ©George Horna
Pellston, MI 6/29/85
photo ©Larry Zimmerman
location, date,
photographer not noted
Brewster, OH
undated
photo ©CHASE
EMD GP7 1607
Alma, MI 4/28/84
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
location, date, photographer not noted
EMD GP7 1608
10/4/84
location, photographer not noted
Pellston, MI 4/9/87
photographer not noted
date & location not noted photo© Vincent Porreca
5/89
photo ©Fritz Milhaupt
Owosso, MI 5/11/89
photo ©Ted Ellis
Laramie, WY 6/17/90
photo ©Vincent J Porreca
EMD GP7 1505
Rockford MI 7/22/79
photo ©David MonteVerde
EMD GP7 539
Cadillac MI 8/80
photo ©John Greene
Cadillac MI 9/27//80
photo ©Arthur H Peterson
Leased Units
GP7
4552
GP9
5800 Cumberland, MD 4/6/85
photo ©John Greene
GP9
6151 Riverdale, IL 8/21/78
photo ©
Alco S41519 (Indiana Hi Rail
119) 5/4/07 French Lick, IN
EMD E8B 671 Steam Generator Car
Cadillac, MI 2/26/84
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Union, IL 9/91 IRM
Union, IL 5/23/03 IRM
Wisconsin Southern RR rebuild
line Horicon, WI 5/6/07
photo ©Davie E. Hearn
Boxcar
100002 Cadillac, MI 9/16/84
photo ©Dennis Schmidt
Boxcars 757
& 760
Grand Rapids, MI 7/83
photo ©Fritz Milhaupt
Timetable June 11th, 1983
Timetable July 1-11, 1983
Timetable July 16, 1985
Links
Michigan Northern Photos at Railfan Junction
Michigan Northern Photos at Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online
The Baldwin Diesel Zone - Michigan Northern
Michigan Northern Photos at Fallen Flags Railroad Photos
Reference
Diesel Era J/A 92 Baldwin’s Light Road Switcher - the RS12 Warren Calloway
Extra 2200 Issues:64,72,75,77,80,82,84,85,93,113
Trains August 1978 "Sharks survive -once again" James W. Thomas
Trains October 1978 "Michigan Metamorphosis" Ron Cady
11/31/09