Time Line - 2021

Last Year | Next Year

• Spring: Lake State Railway opens the new Flint Vehicle Distribution Center (VDC) in the location of the former Buick City plant. The VDC transports autorack cars in and out of the facility. New cars are sent south. Northbound cars are unloaded for truck haul into northern Michigan dealerships. Loaded tri-level cars are brought in and sorted. The cars are interchanged with CSX at Novi for points south and at CN in Flint.

• Spring: The last two Blue Water Chapter, NRHS passenger cars leave Saginaw. At one time, several dozen cars were marshalled here ad used for excursion passenger trains in the region. The cars were owned either by the club, or by and affiliated individual owners. The Blue Water Chapter was closed down several years ago the the cars sold. [MRF-20021-06]

• May: Amtrak celebrates its 50th birthday.

• May: Amtrak announces that the maximum speed for passenger trains on the state-owned Michigan line between Albion and Kalamazoo will increase to 110 mph, joining the speed on the Amtrak line between Kalamazoo and Porter, IN. Maximum speed east of Albion will remain 79 mph. [Amtrak]

• June: Amtrak resumes most passenger trains, and the COVID-19 pandemic released its hold on the country.

• June 4,2021. The Adrian & Blissfield announces to employees that the railroad will be sold this summer, pending regulatory approval to a new company called Transportation Holdings, LLC. This is the new company's first railroad. The railroad, including other subsidiaries, will be locally branded and will retain the same staff. [ADBF]

• Summer: The Huckleberry Railroad receives a used GE centercab, #12 from Mchugh Co. in Pennsylvania. This diesel will back up steam locomotives in the event they are not available. [MRF-2021-08]

• August: The City of Plymouth becomes the first community in Michigan to provide a phone app to advise when road crossings are blocked by a train.

• Fall: A 1907 Shay locomotive arrives at Harbor Springs to be restored and serve tribute to Ephraim Shay. This locomotive previously served the W. T. Lumber Company in East Texas and was on display. It was obtained from Stephen Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. [MRF-2021-12]

• Fall. The Lake State Railway wins Railway Age's Regional System of the year award for 2021. [MRF-2021-12]

No general entries.

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