Detroit and Mackinac Railway
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| Detroit and Mackinac Railway | |
|---|---|
| Reporting marks | DM |
| Locale | Michigan |
| Dates of operation | 1894 – 1995 |
| Successor line | Lake State Railway |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Headquarters | |
The Detroit and Mackinac Railway, informally known as the "Turtle Line", was a railroad operating in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Michigan. The main line stretched from the southern hub at Bay City, to its northern hub at Cheboygan. It operated from 1894 to 1995.
The Detroit, Bay City & Alpena, a short line operating from Bay City northward to the Lake Huron port of Alpena, was reorganized into the Detroit and Mackinac (D & M) on December 17, 1894. During the late 1890s and the first decade of the Twentieth Century, the timber resources of northeastern Michigan were fully utilized and the D & M expanded its trackage northward from Alpena to Cheboygan. The D & M also built many spur lines into tracks of adjacent timberland. One spur, in service for many years, served the limestone quarries of Rogers City.
In March, 1976, the Detroit & Mackinac reached its maximum extent, purchasing a combination of trackage and operating trackage rights from the remains of the bankrupt Penn Central that created an alternate main line from Bay City northward, through Gaylord and Cheboygan, to Mackinaw City.
However, adverse economic conditions continued to affect railroad operations in the northeastern United States. The Detroit & Mackinac sold itself to the Lake State Railway Company in 1995, and ended its existence as an independent railroad.
The Detroit & Mackinac's logo symbol was "Mackinac Mac". It bore the hostile nickname of "Defeated & Maltreated".
| Current (operating) Class I railroads of North America |
|---|
| United States: AMTK, BNSF, CSXT, GTW, KCS, NS, SOO, UP - Canada: CN, CP, VIA - Mexico: FXE, TFM, KCSM See also: List of USA/Canada/Mexico Class I Railroads, List of USA/Canadian Class II Railroads, Class III railroad, Class 2 Railroads in Canada, Short-line railroad, List of United States railroads, List of Canadian railroads, list of Mexican railroads |
