The Great Lakes Central Railroad is an American Class II regional railroad, operating in the state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

. It was originally called the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway , which was formed on August 26, 1977, to operate over former

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania, New York Central and th ...

lines from Millington to

Munger Munger, formerly spelt as Monghyr, is a twin city and a Municipal Corporation situated in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the administrative headquarters of Munger district and Munger Division. Munger was one of the major cities in Eastern ...

, and from Vassar to

Colling Colling is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Belinda Colling (born 1975), New Zealand netball and basketball player * Gary Colling (born 1950), Australian rules footballer *James Kellaway Colling, (1816–1905), English artist an ...

. TSBY's name was derived from the three counties it operated in: Tuscola,

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

and

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway (1982-2006)

In October 1982, the

Michigan Department of Transportation The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is a constitutional government principal department of the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstat ...

(MDOT) contracted the TSBY to operate the former Ann Arbor Railroad line from Osmer siding just north of

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

Alma, Michigan Alma is the largest city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,383 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated as the Village of Alma in 1872 and became a city in 1905. Alma hosts the annual Highland Festival on Memori ...

. On October 1, 1984, MDOT cancelled its contract with the

Michigan Northern Railway The Michigan Northern Railway was a railroad that provided service to the northern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from 1976 to 1986. At the beginning of service on April 1, 1976, the MIGN operated the former Grand Rapids and Indiana Rail ...

and the TSBY assumed operation as a 405-mile short-line freight railroad with the rest of the Ann Arbor Railroad mainline from Alma to

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed ...

, former Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway (GR&I) trackage from

Reed City Reed City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,425 at the 2010 census. It is located in southwestern Osceola County and is the county seat. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total a ...

to Petoskey (crossing in

Cadillac, Michigan Cadillac ( ) is a city in and county seat of Wexford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,371 at the 2020 census, which ranks it the third most-populated city in the Northern Michigan region after Traverse City and Al ...

) and

Walton Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada * Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingdo ...

Traverse City Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

and former

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond t ...

from Grawn to Williamsburg (through Traverse City). The track from Cadillac to Comstock Park and Chesaning to St. Charles were removed in 1991. On January 22, 1991, the TSBY sold its original lines to the Huron and Eastern Railway, now owned by

Genesee & Wyoming Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is an American short line railroad holding company, that owns or maintains an interest in 122 railroads in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and formerly Australia. It operates ...

Great Lakes Central Railroad (2006-present)

In March 2006, the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway was purchased by Federated Railways, Inc. and has changed their name to Great Lakes Central Railroad as a class II regional railroad. Great Lakes Central Railroad is the largest regional railroad in the state of Michigan covering of track.

Current operations

Today the GLC operates former Ann Arbor Railroad track from

, former

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

track from Cadillac to Petoskey and

, former

track from Grawn to Williamsburg, former

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mi ...

track from Owosso to Fergus, and former

Grand Trunk Western Railroad The Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company is an American subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Since a corporate restructuring in 1971, the railroad has been under CN's subsidiary holding ...

track from Ashley to Middleton. The GLC also operates a small portion of the abandoned

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 trac ...

Ludington Subdivision in

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

, to serve a local plastics factory.

Interchanges

GLC interchanges with Class I railroads

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 ...

in Durand and

Howell Howell may refer to: Places In the United Kingdom *Howell, Lincolnshire, England In the United States *Howell, Georgia * Howell, Evansville, a neighborhood of Evansville, Indiana *Howell, Michigan * Howell, Missouri *Howell, Utah * Howell C ...

, and shortlines Huron and Eastern Railway in Durand and Owosso, the

Mid-Michigan Railroad The Mid-Michigan Railroad is a railroad owned by Genesee & Wyoming. It operates 39.8 miles of track in Michigan. History The company incorporated in 1987, for the purpose of acquiring railway lines from the CSX Corporation. The company was owned ...

in Alma and the Ann Arbor Railroad at Osmer.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Lakes Central Railroad Michigan railroads Regional railroads in the United States