Station: Evart, MI

Evart was settled about 1870. It became a village in 1872 and a city in 1938. [MPN] Evart was located on the Flint & Pere Marquette's Saginaw to Ludington line in southern Osceola County. It is about 15 miles east of Reed City.

Photo Info: Top, an old view of the Evart depot with a crowd waiting for the train. [David McNeill collection]. 2nd photo, an old view of the Pere Marquette Evart depot with an arriving passenger train. The signal mast in front of the depot held train order/block signals for both directions. It was larger than most block signals of the day. [Alan Loftis collection]. 3rd photo, a view of the depot in 1986 under CSX ownership. The signal in front of the station controls the entrance to the controlled siding on the Saginaw to Ludington main line. [Charlie Whipp]. 4th photo, a 2004 photo of the renovated Evart depot, with tracks gone. [Alan Loftis]

Notes 

Time Line

1891. December 24. A serious accident occurred on the F&PM railroad early this morning directly in front of the depot at Evart, by a special through freight running into the local. A brakeman named Judd was killed and two other brakemen hurt. The local was due to leave Evart at 5 o'clock and was on the main track making up. It consisted of the engine and one car of wood and the way car, in the latter of which were the three men who were injured or killed. The through freight was heavily loaded and engine No. 79 badly wrecked. Eight or ten cars loaded with flour, grain, bran and feed lay scattered in every direction. The engineer of the special received what he supposed was a signal given for him to come ahead and struck the train. [DFP-1891-1225]

Mid-1980's. SNAPSHOT: There was an agent on duty here M-F up to the mid-1980's who also handled Hersey and Reed City. The Ludington-Evart local crew (a "turn") left Ludington mid-morning working their way east. Cars for Evart Products were stored in yard tracks at Hersey, so a stop was usually made there on the eastbound trip. The local turned their engine in the wye at Evart for the return trip. The wye was located off the main line, west of the depot on the south side. [DH]