The Ann Arbor Railroad is a

Class III Railroad In the United States, railroad carriers are designated as Class I, II, or III, according to annual revenue criteria originally set by the Surface Transportation Board in 1992. With annual adjustments for inflation, the 2019 thresholds were US$5 ...

that operates fifty miles of track from

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

, to Osmer, Michigan. The railroad is operated by

Watco Watco Companies, L.L.C. (Watco) is a transportation company based in Pittsburg, Kansas, formed in 1983 by Charles R. Webb. Watco was composed of four divisions: transportation, mechanical, terminal and port services, and compliance. Watco is t ...

and is based out of Toledo. Prior to Watco, the railroad was operated by the Ann Arbor Acquisition Corporation from 1988 to 2013, by the Michigan Interstate Railway from 1977 to 1988, and as a privately owned enterprise prior to 1977.

Current Operations

The Ann Arbor Railroad operates of track between its main terminal, Ottawa Yard, in

, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, the interchange point with the

Great Lakes Central Railroad The Great Lakes Central Railroad is an American Class II regional railroad, operating in the state of Michigan. It was originally called the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway , which was formed on August 26, 1977, to operate over former Penn Cen ...

and

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31, ...

. A branch line known as the Saline Branch stretches four miles from Pittsfield, Michigan, to

Saline, Michigan Saline ( ') is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,948 at the 2020 census. The city borders Saline Township to the southwest, and the two are administered autonomously. History Before the 18th centur ...

. The Saline Branch has been used in the past to serve the Faurecia Automotive Components Plant located in

, but is not currently being used in revenue service. The Ann Arbor Railroad also leases and operates an industrial lead in Toledo owned by the

. Much of what the railroad transports is "bridge traffic" and is received at either end of the railroad and transported for interchange with another railroad at the opposite terminal. A variety of different cargoes are transported ranging from grain to liquefied petroleum gas to wooden poles. In Toledo, the railroad serves Chrysler transporting finished vehicles from the

Toledo Complex The Toledo Assembly Complex is a automotive factory complex located in Toledo, Ohio. Now owned by Stellantis North America, sections of the facility have operated as an automobile assembly plant since 1910, originally for Willys-Overland. The T ...

. Hallett Tower, the only remaining operational interlocking tower in Ohio, ceased operation in September 2019 with all dispatching duties being shifted to the dispatch center in Pittsburg, Kansas. While the tower itself is still standing, it is now being utilized by the signal dept.

Historical Operations

*For 1895 to 1977, see Ann Arbor Railroad (1895–1976) *For 1977 to 1988, see Michigan Interstate Railway

Current roster

Interchanges

: **

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN ...

** Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway * Osmer, Michigan: **

Milan, Michigan Milan ( ) is a city in Monroe and Washtenaw counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,079 at the 2020 census. The community was settled as early as 1831. Milan incorporated as a village in 1885 and much later as a city in ...

: **

* Diann, Michigan: **

Indiana & Ohio Railway The Indiana and Ohio Railway is an American railroad that operates of track in Ohio, southern Michigan, and parts of southeastern Indiana. It is owned and operated by Genesee & Wyoming, who acquired the railroad in the 2012 purchase of RailAmer ...

External links

Ann Arbor Railroad Technical and Historical SocietyVarious General Information
{{Ohio railroads Michigan railroads Ohio railroads Railway companies established in 1988 Transportation in Livingston County, Michigan Transportation in Monroe County, Michigan Transportation in Benzie County, Michigan Transportation in Toledo, Ohio Companies operating former New York Central Railroad lines Transportation in Ann Arbor, Michigan Watco