Railroad: Algonac Transit Company

The Algonac Transit railroad operated in St. Clair County from 1930 to 1957. The railroad was reportedly owned by the Chris-Craft boat company, an Algonac manufacturer of recreational boats. The line served their facility for industrial purposes, connecting with the Port Huron & Detroit railroad in Marine City.

Bought → Algonac Transit railroad → Dissolved

Bought: A private railroad from Marine City to Algonac in 1930.

Operated for 27 years.

Ended: Railroad operations ended in 1957.

Reference: [MRRC]

Notes

Time Line

1930. The railroad line linking the Chris-Craft corporation in South Algonac with the Port Huron & Detroit railway in Marine City has been incorporated under the name of the Algonac Transit Company, with a capitalization of $25,000. The railroad line is held by the sons of Chris Smith of the Chris-Craft corporation, but not connected with the boat firm. The line was formerly part of the Rapid Railway, now out of existence. The Chris-Craft corporation uses the rail line to ship its boats to market. The Transit company owns two gasoline locomotives which are used in hauling freight between Algonac and Marine City. [PHTH-1930-1130]

1938. An engineer for the Algonac Transit injures his eye while working in the shipping area of the Chris-Craft plant. He worked in the plant when not operating the train. [PHTH-1938-0515]

1957. The death knell for this surviving 8-mile link is sounded in a statement from Chris-Craft reading, "The Algonac Transit company, eight-mile private rail line established to link Chris-Craft Corporation's Algonac, Michigan plant with the PH&D line at Marine City is being disbanded." Former rail shipments will be trucked from the PH&D Marine City depot. J.S. Goldman Iron & Metal Co. has been awarded the contract to remove the tracks, will begin its work about October 1. The company's two road locomotives are included in the sale.

The line had its start in 1885 by William P. Edison, uncle of Thomas A. Edison. It was described as the first electric street car system in the U.S. The railroad marked the first use of Edison incandescent bulbs to light interurban cars. In 1899, owners of the City Electric Railroad of Port Huron organized the Port Huron, St. Clair and Marine City Railroad Company, obtained franchises and began construction of an electric railway from Port Huron to Marine City. After that line was completed in 1900, all corporate rights in electric roads between Detroit and Port Huron were purchased by the Detroit United Railway Company of Detroit in 1902.

A "local" line was installed from Port Huron to St. Clair, Marine City and Algonac, Mt. Clemens and Detroit. In 1902, a cutoff branch was built direct from Marine City to Anchorville to furnish "limited" runs from Port Huron to Detroit.

One of the old-time conductors was Arthur Nelson of St. Clair. He recalls starting on the Port Huron city run in 1913 with an hourly pay of 18¢ as a conductor. Working up to a conductor on the limited runs to Detroit.9 He recalls runs to Detroit were made at speeds that sometimes reached 90 miles per hour. The line was so successful that it had 18 "local runs" each day from Port Huron to Detroit. The "limited runs" were made very two hours each way, which is as rapid and frequent a public service as exists today, while the "locals" via Algonac ran hourly. [PHTH-1957-0615]