Printed References

"The Grand Rapids & Indiana (like the Michigan Northern and the Tuscola & Saginaw Bay) was a regional railroad, and thus was the subject of few written works. Even as a part of the enormous Pennsylvania and Penn Central Systems, the G R &I only rates as a footnote in texts dedicated to those lines. Nonetheless, the resourceful reader can locate books and articles related to the G R &I if enough effort is put forth. What follows is an annotated list of some of the better examples.

LeRoy Barnett. Railroads in Michigan: A Catalog of Company Publications, 1836-1980. Marquette, Mich.: Northern Michigan University Press, 1986.

Barnett's catalog lists publications from all of the GR&I's operators through the Michigan Northern.  The book is most useful for its listing of the countless promotional pamphlets issued by the GR&I during its tourist days. The book also includes call numbers for locating listed publications in the State Archives of Michigan.

Frances D. Burgtorf. Chief Wawatam: The Story of a Hand-Bomber. Cheboygan, Mich.: Review Printing Co., 1976.

For 73 years the Chief Wawatam ferried railcars between Michigan's two peninsulas. The GR&I had a third interest in the boat - as did the Pennsy, the Penn Central a half interest, and the Michigan Northern full control. Most of the Chief's life is chronicled in Burgtorf's book through newspaper clippings, ship's logs, and oral histories. For the record, the rest of the story is as follows: the Chief stopped sailing in 1984 (not because of a problem with the boat, but with one of the slips she loaded cars at) and was sold in 1988, after which she was stripped of her decks and reduced to a barge.

Ron Cady. "Michigan Metamorphosis." Trains October 1987: 26-38.

This magnificent Trains cover story is essential reading for anyone interested in Michigan railroading in the immediate post-Conrail era. The rise and fall of the Michigan Northern is explained, as is the growth of the Tuscola & Saginaw Bay.

George H. Drury. The Historical Guide to North American Railroads. Waukesha, Wis.: Kalmbach Publishing Co., 1994. This book includes an entry for the Tuscola & Saginaw Bay.

The Trainwatcher's Guide to North American Railroads. 2nd ed. Waukesha, Wis.: Kalmbach Publishing Co., 1992.

Willis Frederick Dunbar. All Aboard! A History of Railroads in Michigan. 
After three decades this book remains the starting point for any serious study of Michigan railroading. 

Frank N. Elliot. When the Railroad Was King. 2nd ed. Lansing, Mich.: Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State, 1988.

While the writing concentrates on pre Civil War Michigan railroading, the pictures include many images of GR&I trains.

"Grubbing and Grading for the GR&I." Michigan History Magazine March/April 1980: 16.

This article is comprised of entries from the journal of Edward T. Couch, an Ontario native who came to Michigan in 1872 to work on the GR&I. His comments on building the line reveal much about the back-breaking labor involved. 

Cornelius Hauck. "Pullmans, Lounge Cars and 2-10-2's: The Pennsylvania Railroad in Northern Michigan." The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society Newsletter Summer 1999: 1-2.

For those interested in the operations of the Pennsy's Northern Arrow, this is the place to go. Hauck's piece covers schedules, power and consists for the deluxe train between Cincinnati and Mackinaw City. Also be sure to see Hauck's follow-up piece, "Northern Arrow," from the Summer 2000 issue of The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society Newsletter. Further details about the train are provided, as well as a few stories from former passengers.

George W. Hilton. The Great Lakes Car Ferries. Berkeley: Howell-North, 1962.

The Ann Arbor Railroad it wasn't, but the Grand Rapids & Indiana did maintain an open-water car ferry service that was both unprofitable and short-lived. Operated as the Manistique, Marquette & Northern Railroad, the ferry service ran from Northport in Michigan's Lower Peninsula to Manistique in the Upper Peninsula. The route opened in 1903, then struggled for a while until the GR&I pulled out in 1914. This service, along with the more successful Straits of Mackinac route, is profiled in Hilton's seminal, though dated, study. This book deserves an update too.

J. G. Inglis. Northern Michigan Handbook for Travelers. Petoskey, Mich.: Geo. E. Sprang, 1898;reprint, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Black Letter Press, 1987.

Originally printed as a guide for rail and steamboat travelers touring Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula, today the book provides a rare glimpse into Great Lakes State railroading at the close of the 19th century. Pages 35 through 40 and 126 through 128 describe the journey - via the GR&I - from Grand Rapids to Mackinaw City. 

Graydon M. Meints. Michigan Railroads and Railroad Companies. East Lansing, Mich.: Michigan State University Press, 1992.

All the details and dates regarding the charters of the GR&I and each of its successors.

Michigan Railroad Commissioner. Annual Report of the Commissioner of Railroads of the State of Michigan. Lansing, Mich.: W.S. George & Co., ca. 1870-1920.

These annual reports list the particulars (miles of track, number of cars and locomotives, number of stations, passenger and freight revenues, capital expenditures, etc.) for every railroad operating within the State of Michigan. Of course the G R &I is one of them.

Richard S. Simons and Francis H. Parker. Railroads of Indiana. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1997.

The G R &I was, for all intents and purposes, a Michigan line, but let's not forget what the "I" stood for. Simons's and Parker's text contains many references to the road.

Lawrence and Lucille Wakefield. Sail and Rail: A Narrative History of Transportation in Western Michigan. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Press, 1980; reprint, Holt, Mich.: Thunder Bay Press, 1996.

A lively look at transportation in the Traverse City, Michigan, area. The Wakefield's  share many stories regarding the G R &I's Walton Junction - Traverse City branch.

Frank York. Ghost Junctions: Four Tours Through Michigan's Recent Past. Big Rapids, Mich.: Frank York, 1992.

York's book deals with the old G R &I line after it was abandoned. The work is a study of four Michigan communities that, through the 1970s, had rail service in four different directions, but by the 1990s, had no rail service at all. Junctions on the G R &I in the book include Wasepi and Reed City. York catalogued a number of railroad related structures that were still standing as he wrote; sadly some of these are now gone.

Links

Links to other pages that contain information related to the G R &I. Each entry has been annotated for convenience.

I. Lumber

The Library of Congress American Memory Project

In addition to countless photographs related to American History, this Library of Congress page houses a number of  historic railroad maps. The maps can be zoomed in and out, allowing page visitors to study them in detail. Included at the site are two maps of the Grand Rapids & Indiana. The first is a map of the G R &I itself from circa 1871. The second is a map of the G R &I and other Pennsylvania Railroad-affiliated connections from circa 1874.

 H-Michigan Discussion Network

This is the official discussion list for all aspects of Michigan history.

II. Tourists

H-Michigan Discussion Network

III. The Pennsylvania Railroad

Web sites dedicated to this G R&I successor are legion (after all, it was the Standard Railroad of the World), but one of the best is the home page of the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society. Other Pennsylvania Railroadlinks page. pages can be accessed from the Society's thorough

The Railcar Ferry, Chief Wawatam

For three quarters of a century the Chief ferried railcars between Michigan's peninsulas. In that time she sailed under GR&I, Pennsylvania, Penn Central, and Michigan Northern flags. Bob Strauss has created a fine site dedicated the the boat.

Car Ferry History, has informatrion on Ferries from the United States & other parts of the world.

IV. Short Lines

The Michigan Northern Railway

There is an interesting employer status determination document concerning the Michigan Northern posted online. It's a straight legal document, but worth looking at nonetheless. (Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this paper.) Also of note Eddie Gross's Michigan Railroad Page 

The Tuscola & Saginaw Bay Railway

The Tuscola & Saginaw Bay now operates the GR&I between Cadillac and Petoskey, as well as the Walton Junction-Traverse City branch. Look for the routes on the T&SB's system map.

Norfolk Southern Corporation

The Thoroughbred of Transportation operates the GR&I trackage between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.

The Michigan Southern Railroad

The Michigan Southern Railroad's Kendallville Division is actually a 1.1 mile portion of the former G R&I. Check out the Kendallville section of David Safdy's Fort Wayne Railfan page for some pictures of the operation.

The Grand Traverse Dinner Train

It is worth noting that you still can ride as a passenger over a portion of Grand Rapids & Indiana iron. The Grand Traverse Dinner Train offers evening excursions, with cuisine, from Traverse City to Walton Junction over the ex-G R &I branch line between those two points.