Railroad: Toledo, Saginaw and Muskegon Railway Company

This railroad was built from Ashley, Michigan to Muskegon, 96 miles in 1888. It was controlled by the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada immediately after it opened. The road had 9.9 miles of spurs and sidings. It was one of three GT main lines from the east to the west (the other two being the main line to Chicago, and the DGH&M to Grand Haven via Grand Rapids.

Built → Toledo Saginaw & Muskegon Railway → Grand Trunk Western

Built: 1887 - Ashley to Carson City. 1888 - to Muskegon.

Operated for 1 Year.

Control: 1888 - by the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada.

Merged: 1928 - into Grand Trunk Western.

Reference: [MRRC]

Notes

This was apparently a construction railroad for the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada.

Time Line

1886. Parties interested in the newly organized Toledo, Saginaw & Muskegon railroad met here and decided to capitalize the road at $2.8 million. They propose to push the work without delay. [LSJ-1886-0122] Governor Ashley says the road will be built. [LDP-1886-0129]

1886. February. Five surveyors engaged in looking over the line foer the proposed TS&M are now at Muskegon. [SAG-1886-0212]

1886. October. Phinney & Bullock of Ashley have guaranteed the payment of the entire Ashley subscription, amounting to $15,000. So the TS&M railroad will be built from that point. [WEX-1886-1014]

1886. The right-of-way, aid and depot grounds have all been secured between Ashley and Greenville. [FIN-1886-1030]

1887. Fullmer & Kitchen of Grand Rapids have begin the TS&M extension from Sparta six miles west. Work was begun yesterday. [SWC-1887-0512]

1887. The TS&M had delivered 3,000 tons of Iron rails and will begin to lay rails on the Muskegon end of the road. [SWC-1887-0602]

1887. The stockholders of the TS&M at a meeting in Detroit increased the number of directors to 11. D. Robinson Jr, was chosen President, W.V. McCraken Vice President and Manager, and Wm. Baker Secretary and Treasurer. The track will be opened for business between Ashley and Greenville November 21, and by December 15 to Muskegon. [SAG-1887-1115] James M. Ashley and John Cummings of Toledo, Lyman G. Mason of Muskegon; E. Middleton of Greenville; W.V. McCracken and George A Evans of New York, J.K. McCraken and H.M. McCraken of Fort Wayne, and B.F. Reed of Grand Rapids were also elected. [DFP-1887-1115]

1887. November 23. The TS&M will be completed its engire length by the end of the year. Trains are already running between Ashley and Greenville. [PHTH-1887-1123]

1888. February 21. Railroad mail service has been established from Ashley via Ola, Perrinton, Carson City, Vickerville, Sheridan, Greenville, Griswold, Cedar Springs, Sparta, Lisbon and Slocums Grove to Muskegon on the TS&M, six times a week. [DFP-1888-0222]

1888. March. Mr. Ashley of the Toledo, Saginaw & Muskegon is in Saginaw, arranging to complete this line from Ashley east to Saginaw.. He is attempting to secure terminal facilities. [SWC-1888-0329] Other newspaper stories suggested that this line would terminate in Saginaw, as well as Port Huron. The Flint & Pere Marquette was taking legal action to prevent this.

1888. May. President D. Robinson of the TS&M says work of construction forward in the spring will extend the road from Ashley to Saginaw. [SWC-1888-0315]. Editor's note: This extension was never made.

1888. May. Andrew Johnson was killed instantly by falling from a gravel train of the TS&M railway. This is the fourth man killed on this road this year. [FIN-1888-0505]

1888. June. After considerable negotiating, the Grand Trunk managers have acquired the control of the TS&M road and the latter will be operated in connection with the GT system on or before August 1st. The road connects with the TAA&NM (Ashley road) at Ashley. The length of the road is 96 miles. It ruins parallel to the Detroit Grand Haven & Milwaukee about 15 miles north. The GT will thus acquire its share of the lumber and other business of Muskegon and at the same time shut out any competition that the TS&M as a rival line might offer. [PHTH-1888-0609]

1888. July. The TS&M has not been sold to the Grand Trunk. An agreement was ratified by which the TS&M in return for its business over the GT practically secures a guarantee of the interest on its bonds and guarantees to Muskegon the advantage of the best trunk line systems in the country. [SWC-18888-09719]

1888. August. The GT has acquired another Michigan road in the TS&M, which runs 5 to 25 miles north of the DGH&M. The GT now has in the two roads a loop line to Muskegon, which is the second largest timber point in the state. According to the Detroit Journal, the deal was consummated at the Wayne Hotel in Detroit yesterday by Joseph Hickson, general manager, and E.W. Meddaugh, local attorney for the GT; and for the TS&M by President David Robinson of Toledo, vice president M.V. McCraken of Muskegon, and Secretary S.P., Pennington of New York. [OT-1888-0803]

1888. August. It was noted that the TS&M's headquarters is at Muskegon. [AR-1888-0810]

1903. SNAPSHOT. The road operated 26 stations and employed 112 people, including four engineers, firemen and conductors (each), 6 brakemen, 1 baggageman, 26 laborers, 5 yardmen and 62 others. The road owned four locomotives, 3 8-wheel passenger cars, two express/baggage cars, 67 box cars and 25 platform cars. Top five categories of freight hauled (in tons) were: potatoes (17%), fruit and vegetables (11%); stone and sand (10%); merchandise (9%); and grain (8%)