Time Line - 1972

Last Year | Next Year

• January: The Ann Arbor Railroad completes installation of its Traffic Control System (TCS) between Alexis and Diann. The interlocking at Federman was automated in this process, and the shanty and lever frame was removed. [AATHA-W/1990]

• February: The Lancaster Dispatcher, a newsletter of the National Railway Historical Society, reports that more mileage of the nation's railroad trackage is currently in bankruptcy, than during the depression in the early 1930's. [IT-10/1972]

• May: The New York Central abandons more of its "Old Road" from Osseo west to Hillsdale, about 5 miles. [GM]

• July 12: The Cadillac and Lake City Railroad, a former branch line of the GR&I/PRR, is officially abandoned. [IT-10/1972]

• August 24: The ICC grants permission to abandon the entire Copper Range Railroad line. The order is stayed because of a union appeal. [CRH]

• November 3: The final Copper Range train comes back to Houghton from McKeever with one car and a load of wood products out of the Northwoods facet at South Range. [CRH]

• Late: Chesapeake & Ohio and Baltimore and Ohio announce the new name of their coordinated operations: The Chessie System. [IT-10/1972]

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• The Electro-Motive Division of General Motors celebrates it's 50th anniversary. [IT-10/1972]

• The Penn Central Railroad's tax burden for 1970 was cancelled by the United States Supreme Court. [IT-10/1972]

• Roller bearings are required for all cars having 6 1/2" by 1" wheel journals. [SAM]

• The Greenfield Village railroad, a standard gauge 2.5 mile loop, is constructed in Dearborn. [MIS-2024-Q2]

Timeline 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