Time Line - 1898

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• January 10:  Grand Rapids, Kalkaska & Southeastern Railroad completes line from Rapid City to Stratford.  It is standard gauge and is laid with 60-lb. rail.   [COHS-1/1998/MRRC]

• February 22:  The Blizzard of 1898 drops 16 inches of snow, followed by an additional 6 inches on January 25th.  The blizzard raged on for almost a week, causing 14 foot drifts in many places, and wreaking havoc on railroad operations state-wide and stopping PM through trains for at least 5 days.  In Ludington, all four PM car ferries remained in port all week. MC and D&M trains north of Bay City are delayed for over 48 hours..  [COHS-1/1998][DFP-1898-0222]

• June 18:  A new Saxby and Farmer interlocking plant and tower is installed at Cassopolis, Michigan at the crossing of the Grand Trunk Western and the Michigan Central Air Line branch.   [MSAI]

• April 25:  Spanish-American War begins.  Ends on August 12.  [DWS]

• May:  Detroit & Lima Northern RR completes line from Dundee to Detroit.  [IC-12/79]

• May:  Detroit & Lima Northern RR acquires trackage rights from Dundee to Tecumseh on the LS&MS.   [IC-12/79]

• June 12:  Regular service begins on the Detroit, Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor interurban railroad.  [EMR4]

• June 15:  The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern standardizes the color of all passenger cars to an olive color, with gold striping.  The fast mail cars were repainted to this new paint scheme.  [LS]

• July 4:  Detroit & River St. Clair Railway opens line from Chesterfield to Algonac (electric line). [MRRC]

• July 16:  The N&NW completes its line from Steuben to McNeil's Camp.  [AATHA-Sp/1991]

• August 18:  The Detroit and Lima Northern Railway completes line from Delray to Tecumseh (partially using existing track), and from Adrian to Ohio state line.  [MRRC]

• Summer:  SNAPSHOT:  Petosky is the center of a large commuter/tourist train network, which includes 15 round trips a day to Harbor Springs, 7 to Oden, 5 south to Walloon Lake and 4 to Mackinaw City on the GR&I.  Dummy trains were run every 20 minutes to a Methodist camp in Bay View.  The Pere Marquette ran as many as 10 trips daily between Charlevoix and Petosky.  The last of these trains, from Petosky to Harbor Springs, was run in the summer of 1941.  [NK]

• August 11:  The Saginaw Grocers and Butchers association held their annual picnic at D&M's Tawas Beach.  2,000 people were brought to the location by train using 40 passenger cars.  [GW]

• September 11:  Detroit & Mackinac opens line from La Rocque to Onaway.  [NK]

• September 16:  The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern standardizes the color of all passenger stations and freight houses to a new color which matches the olive green color of their passenger cars.  This replaces the yellow tint that most stations had received up to this point.  [LS]

• September 28:  Detroit, Lake Shore and Mt. Clemens Railway opens electric line from Detroit to Mt. Clemens, via Grosse Pointe Farms.  [MRRC]

• October 5:  A new interlocking plant and tower is proposed in Clare for the crossing of the Flint & Pere Marquette and the Ann Arbor Railroad.  It is a 16 lever Union Switch & Signal frame.  The tower is located across from the union depot.  [MASI]

• October 8:  The M&NW completes a junction with the Munising Railway at the end of a branch line from Scotts to McNeils to Ackers, in Alger County, 11.5 miles long..  [AATHA-F/1990]

• November 1:  The M&NW completes their line to Shingleton.  [HH/MIHX8]

• November 11:  Calumet's local newspaper reports that the northbound train (Mineral Range?) has been late every night this week from one to two hours.  "This is accounted for by the large number of sportsmen coming to this district from outside to hunt the wily deer.  Much time is consumed in the transferring of camp outfits".  [CCEN]

• December 24:  The first interurban arrives in Dearborn.  [MRC-10/1987]

• December 31:  Manistique and Northwestern Railway opens line from Manistique to Shingleton.  [MRRC]

• December:  The Detroit, Grand Rapids & Western builds a spur line from their main line to Lyons.  The depot is located in the southwest part of town.  [I&L]

• Boyne Falls & Northeastern builds 8 mile long logging railroad from Boyne Falls northeast to T34N R4W.  [MRRC]

• The Wisconsin & Michigan builds its line from Faithorn, MI to Quinnesec between 1898 and 1902.  [MW]

• The E&LS builds its Woodlawn branch, from Woodlawn to Golden.  [EDP-12/27/1950]

• Lake Shore & Michigan Southern builds depot at Jonesville.  Depot continues to exist into 1974.  This is the stone and brick bu located 1/2 mile west of the 1870 wood depot, and is on the line to the west.  [IT-12/1974]

• The Flint & Pere Marquette standard-gauges its line between Port Huron and Grindstone City, and to Sand Beach (Harbor Beach).  [AB]

• Sugar beets are first planted in Michigan's "thumb".  [AB]

• The Michigan Central Railroad builds a new stone and brick station in Dowagiac.  It is still used today (2001) by Amtrak.  [MRP-I]

• Grand Trunk builds depot at Marcellus.  Depot continues to exist into 1974.  [IT-12/1974]

• The South Haven and Eastern (formally the Toledo and South Haven) changes it's gauge to standard gauge.  In 1903, it becomes part of the Pere Marquette system.   [AAD]

• Construction begins on the Portland Cement Plant in Alpena.  [DMAR-1899]

• The LS&I railroad begins passenger traffic to Presque Isle in Marquette from Ishpeming.  This route proves to be popular and the LS&I adds two additional passenger coaches to their equipment.  [EHMT]

 Time line Key:

• Railroad event in Michigan
• Event relating to mining
• Event related to car ferries
• Event outside of Michigan
• Improvement in Technology
• Railroad built or extended
• Railroad abandoned and/or removed
• Economic panic or depression