Southern Michigan Railroad Society facts for kids

The Southern Michigan Railroad Society is a cool railway museum located in Clinton, Michigan, United States. It's a place where old trains come to life! They have saved about 13.5 miles (21.7 km) of train tracks. They also have many different types of old train equipment. This includes a very special train engine called the GMDH-3, which is the only one ever made! You can ride these trains during certain times of the year.

How the Railroad Museum Started

Museum exterior

Museum interior

The Southern Michigan Railroad Society began with a group of train fans. They called themselves the "Lenawee Area Railroaders." This group of friends loved trains and built model trains. They met every month in towns like Tecumseh, Clinton, and Adrian, Michigan. In 1981, they even started their own newsletter called "The Cross Tracks."

In 1982, they learned that a big railroad company, Conrail, was going to close a train line. This line was the Clinton Secondary Track. So, the train fans decided to do something amazing! They started the Southern Michigan Railroad Society. It's a group of volunteers who wanted to buy and save this old train line. This line used to be part of the New York Central Railroad.

In 1983, the Society bought an old building next to the railroad. It was the former Clinton Engines building. They bought it from the Village of Clinton for a very small price. Then, in 1984, they made a deal with Conrail. They bought the train line for $100,000!

Early Train Rides

In 1985, the Society received a small train car as a gift. It was a special car called a "track speeder." During Clinton's Fall Festival, they gave rides to people on this speeder. Everyone loved it! This was a big success.

The Society then got more of these small motorcars. For several years, they offered fun passenger rides. They used these rides to earn money. This money helped them bring in bigger train equipment later. At one point, they had two "motorcar trains" running at the same time. Each train had up to five motorcars! They ran between Clinton and Tecumseh.

More Trains Arrive

The first big train equipment they got was a working Plymouth locomotive. They also got two cabooses. A caboose is the last car on a freight train. A few years later, they added a special car. It was a pipe gondola car that they changed to carry passengers.

Then, a 1920 Chicago South Shore interurban car joined the train. This car was a type of electric train. More train engines arrived too. These included a GE 44-ton engine from the Western Maryland Railway. They also got the very unique GMDH-3 engine.

In 2013, the Society got a large building in Clinton. It's a 22,000 square foot shop. They use this building to fix and restore their trains.

The Historic Train Line

Southern Michigan Railroad route map

The Southern Michigan Railroad runs for about 13.5 miles (21.7 km). It goes from Clinton, Michigan, through Tecumseh, Michigan, to Lenawee Junction, Michigan. This train line is very old and important. It was the second railroad ever built in Michigan! It was also the first branch line.

It was originally called the Palmyra and Jacksonburgh Railroad. It connected Palmyra (which is near Lenawee Junction) and Jackson, Michigan.

Train Routes Today

During the summer, the train runs about 5 miles (8 km). This route is between the towns of Clinton and Tecumseh. In other months, it runs about 6.5 miles (10.5 km). This longer route goes from Tecumseh to Raisin Center. Raisin Center is a rural spot where the track used to cross another main train line.

There are also two more miles of track. This part runs from Raisin Center to Lenawee Junction. However, it is not connected to the northern section anymore. Most trains run between Clinton and Tecumseh. This allows passengers to stop and explore the towns.

In October, the railroad offers "Fall Color Tours." These tours used to go on the longer 6.5-mile (10.5 km) route to Raisin Center. In 2014 and 2015, they ran between Clinton and Tecumseh. But in 2016, the Fall Color Tours went back to their traditional longer route.

A special part of the line is Bridge 15. This is a Howe deck truss bridge. It's so important that it's listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

How the Trains Operate

The trains usually run from May to October. They also run in December. Most trips are between Clinton and Tecumseh.

There are also special events:

• Clinton's Fall Festival happens in late September.
• Color tours are in October, going between Tecumseh and Raisin Center.
• A fun "Santa train" runs in December.

A typical train ride includes a South Shore car and a passenger gondola. It also has one or two cabooses. A 44-ton diesel engine usually pulls the train.

What Trains They Have

The Southern Michigan Railroad Society has many cool pieces of train equipment:

• Two Ann Arbor ALCO RS-1 train engines, #20 and #21. Engine #20 is on display in Shepherd, Michigan. Engine #21 is being checked to see if it can run again.
• The only General Motors GMDH-3 diesel-hydraulic engine ever built. It is not running right now.
• A former Western Maryland GE 44-ton switcher engine, #75. This engine is often used for trips.
• A former Detroit and Mackinac Railway GE 44-ton Switcher engine, #10. This engine was recently acquired and is waiting to be fixed up to run.
• The last New York Central MU Car, #4330. This car is still in good mechanical shape.
• Two 1920 Chicago South Shore cars, #1 and #36.
• The old Pullman sleeper car "Emerald Vale." This car was later used by the Ann Arbor Railroad for work.
• A New York Central bay window caboose, #21692.
• A New Haven Railroad caboose, #C-626. For a while, it was painted as Penn Central #19882. This caboose actually ran on this very line!
• A large collection of small "track speeder" railway motorcars.
• A small Plymouth locomotive.
• An Ann Arbor Railroad boxcar.
• Two flat cars.
• A Grand Trunk Western transfer caboose, #75053.
• An NYC Pipe Gondola car that was changed into an open-air passenger car.