Station: Harbor Beach, MI

Harbor Beach is a city on the east side of Huron County along the Lake Huron shore. It was settled about 1837 and called Sand Beach. The name was later changed. It became a village in 1882 and a city in 1910. [MPN]

Photo Info: Top, an early view of a PM train at the Harbor Beach depot. [CMUL]. 2nd photo, this is the C&O Harbor Beach depot taken in 1974. [Charles Geletzke Jr.]. 3rd photo, the dock at Harbor Beach. Note the railroad box cars at the left which came right up to the dock. This is in the 1930's.

Notes

Sand Beach Township surrounds the city of Harbor Beach.

Sand Beach was identified in D&C Navigation brochures as a stop for lake passenger boats on their route from Detroit to Mackinac Island (along with Alpena, Cheboygan and other ports). Sand Beach also had a small harbor (in case of storms) and was a coaling facility for lake ships. 

Time Line

1898. This was the north end of the F&PM Sand Beach Division. The railroad had water the coaling facilities here for locomotives, and the station was staffed by a daytime agent/operator.

1905.  The PM builds a new well and standpipe at Harbor Beach. [PMAR-1905]

1994. The Sensient Technologies used a 0-4-0F No. 4 steam tank engine to switch its plant until about 1994. After ending operation, the blue-painted locomotive was put on display. [RRF]