STEAM LOCOMOTIVES

DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES

Detroit & Mackinac 44-ton Diesel

Built in 1942 by General Electric of Erie, PA, this type of locomotive was used in light switching at industrial centers. The locomotive was used until 1980 by the Detroit & Mackinac Railway, and was saved for preservation by the Pinkerton family. It is currently awaiting restoration. It will be eventually used at SRI for light switching and as backup power for our weekend excursions.

Ann Arbor PS-1 Box Car #1314

Built in 1957 for the Ann Arbor Railway to replace the 1100-series ex-Wabash cars, this car was acquired by MSTRP/ SRI in 1985 from the State of Michigan. It has since been redone with the help of HTP into a 1950's era livery, and is a staple car in our Photo Freights.

Chesapeake & Ohio/ Pere Marquette Gondola (#31262) 

Built in December 1939 for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, it was converted to a wheel car at Russell, Kentucky in 1969. Used for many years in Maintenance of Way by successors Chessie and CSX, Bluewater NRHS acquired the car in the late 1980's. It came to us in 2007, and was restored to a duel Pere Marquette/ C&O scheme over this past winter.

Detroit & Mackinac Tank Cars  X-127 & X-128 (Ex- Dept. of Defense)

These 8,000 gallon tank cars were built in the early 1940's,
and were used by the US Army until acquired in the 1960's
by the Detroit & Mackinac Railway. One car was restored
to a Pure Oil tank car this past winter, and the other will soon
to be restored to a Dow Chemical scheme, thanks to a recent
grant from the Gerstacker Foundation.

Grand Trunk Western Track Foreman's/ Bunk Car #58332

Built sometime around World War I, this was originally
constructed as an Automobile Car for transporting Model A's
and Model T's. Several of these cars were rebuilt by the
GTW's Port Huron Car Shops in the late 1950's and early
1960's. This car was stationed at Pontiac, Michigan for a
number of years, and initially saved by the Bluewater NRHS. 
UPDATE 7/2/08: MSTRP/ SRI just received a 2008 NRHS
Grant to redo the wood exterior of this car. This is being done
in coordination with Andrew Munerance, as an Eagle
Scout project.

Originally Double-sheathed wood cars from Wabash series
23000-24000, consisting of two groups of similar cars built in
1922 and 1923.   These cars were later re-numbered into the
Wabash 82000-82512 series.  From 1946 through 1950
random cars in the Wabash 82000-82512 series were equipped
with engine racks.  These cars were re-numbered into the 82513-
82513, 82850-82999, and 81900-81999 series.  Cars not receiv-
ing engine racks remained in the 82000-82512 series.  The Ann
Arbor purchased 50 cars from the above series on 6/15/1954, none
having engine racks.  More history on these cars can be found at  Ann Arbor #1100-series cars. 

Auxiliary Tender

A former Rock Island Railroad 5000-series steam locomotive tender, it was converted to an auxiliary water car for use behind the 1225 on longer excursions. It has an approximate water capacity of 30,000 gallons.

Grand Trunk Western Burro Crane

A former GTW Burro Crane, used for light maintenace duties, and is unusual in that it is self-propelled. At the SRI, this crane has been used for a variety of duties, including helping to set the turntable bridge.

Speeder/Gasoline Motor Car

Built in 1983 by the Plasser American Corporation for the U.S. Army. These types of vehicles replaced hand pump-cars for track gangs as they performed inspections along the line.

Ann Arbor Caboose #2838

Built in January of 1952, this caboose served the Ann Arbor Railroad between Frankfort and Toledo. During its career with the railroad, this car was serviced in the adjacent Ann Arbor Railroad shops, now operated by the Tuscola & Saginaw Railway Co. Sometime during its Ann Arbor career, this caboose suffered a fire that was started by the desk lamp, and had its interior completely rebuilt by the Owosso Car Shops of the Ann Arbor sometime in the 1960's. The caboose came to the SRI in late October of 2007 via the Blue Water Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and restoration to its DT&I-era livery has been just begun by SRI Volunteers.  UPDATE: The family and  friends of Ted E. Wilson, who worked as a Brakeman for the Ann Arbor from the 1940's through 1982, made a recent donation in his memory towards the restoration of this caboose. December 1st -We recently received a $5300 grant from the Frederick Krauss Foundation to help complete the restoration, which includes interior graphic panels which explain the role that the Ann Arbor Railway played in the lives of the communities it served. 

Ann Arbor Caboose #2839

Built in March of 1952, this caboose served the Ann Arbor Railroad between Franfort and Toledo. During its career with the railroad, this car was serviced in the adjacent Ann Arbor Railroad shops, now operated by the Tuscola & Saginaw Railway Co. The caboose came to the SRI in late December of 2004 and was restored by SRI volunteers. It is owned by one of our long time members, and used in our summer weekend excursions

Detroit & Mackinac Caboose/ Power Car #7

PM Caboose  #A909

Built in 1934 and used on the Pere Marquette Railway. After
retirement it was displayed on a spur west of downtown Owosso before coming to the Steam Railroading Institute. It was overhauled in 2004 by the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway shops and is used today to give rides around the SRI site and for passengers on special SRI excursions.

PASSENGER EQUIPMENT

Baltimore & Ohio Coach #1615

Built by Pullman in June of 1950 for passenger service on the B&O, the coach originally carried the number 1615. Upon retirement, it was used by a bank in Traverse City, MI as an office where it was outfitted with forced air vents and electrical outlets. The SRI acquired it for office use and as a board/conference room. (Photo courtesy Eddie Gross)

Canadian National Passenger Coaches #5576, 5581 & 5646 (SRI Excursion Cars)

In February of 2005, the Steam Railroading Institute purchased four coaches from the Tuscola & Saginaw Railway Co. These were ex-VIA Rail Canada, ex-Canadian National cars that had been bought by the Tuscola & Saginaw Bay Railway. Co. for passenger operations. The TSB modernized the cars with Diesel generators and new heating and air-conditioning. One similar car was retained by TSB.

All four cars were part of two orders in 1952 and 1953 for 218, 80-seat coaches for the modernization of Canadian National Railways passenger service, and delivered from Canadian Car and Foundry in early 1954. Cars 5576, 5581 and 5646 were converted to 76-seat coaches in the 1960’s with the addition of luggage racks, and redecorated by VIA after 1977.

The cars were used on the Canadian National’s premier trains of the 1950’s. They were delivered in the distinguished green-and-black “maple leaf” paint scheme, and were changed to the grey-and-black scheme in CN’s 1966 image makeover. The cars may have operated through Michigan on the International and other through trains between Toronto and Chicago. (Text courtesy Aarne Frobom)

Canadian National Passenger Coach #762 (nee-#5567, #3052)

Car 762 was originally coach 5567, and was converted to coach-café car 3025 in 1965. In 1969 its vestibule was removed and it was converted to café-lounge car 762, with 22 lounge seats, 20 dining-room seats, and 5 counter seats.

Chesapeake & Ohio Pullman Sleeper “City of Ashland” #2624

Built by the Pullman Car Company in 1950, this car was dubbed a  ‘sleeper’ since it provided berthing areas for passengers. While in service on the C&O it carried the number 2624 and has a classification number of 10-6. The car is being used as an interpretive car for museum visitors, revealing what overnight travel was like during the twilight of steam.

Chesapeake & Ohio/ Chicago Great Western/ C&NW Combine

Built 1931 by the Pressed Steel Company for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway as a "Jim Crow" car, it was sold shortly thereafter to the Chicago & Great Western, later the Chicago & North Western, where it was used in commuter service. It is classified as a “combine” because the coach combines passenger seating with a baggage area.  Currently, the car now serves as a crew car for SRI long-distance excursions.  Plans are in place for futher restoration into a multi-use car.

Pere Marquette (C&O) Baggage Car #361/ Former Troop Sleeper/ #1225 Tool Car
Originally built as a troop sleeper, it housed soldiers in wartime as a cheap alternative to passenger type sleeping cars as they traveled to seaports. After its war service, it was purchased by the Pere Marquette/ Chesapeake & Ohio and used as a Baggage Car. The car served the SRI for many years as a tool and utility car that traveled with 1225 on excursions. At present, it is used for storage.

STRUCTURES

New Buffalo Turntable

Built in 1919 with a 90-foot length, it was put in service on the Pere Marquette Railway at the New Buffalo yard. There, it serviced a 16-stall roundhouse and continued operations until 1984 when the Chessie System, the successor to the Pere Marquette through a series of mergers, ceased operations at the New Buffalo site. Today, the relocated turntable functions much as it did during the steam era. SRI uses it to turn steam locomotives, provide service to the equipment barn (and will eventually service the proposed roundhouse), and for demonstrative purposes for visitors. Locomotive 1225 used this turntable during its service years on the Pere Marquette, despite its short length. SRI, upon purchasing the New Buffalo Turntable, added an additional ten feet to the length of the bridge making it easier to accommodate 1225 and other large steam locomotives and pieces of rolling stock.

SRI Visitor Center
The SRI visitor center is located in a renovated freight warehouse that was originally serviced by the Ann Arbor Railroad. Its construction date is unclear but a structure sat on its current foundation as early as the late 1880s. It is speculated that this structure burned down and the current one was built in the 1920s on the original foundation. The building was originally used as a creamery, then as a warehouse for storing sacks of grain. Bruckman’s Moving and Storage then leased the building from the railroad and used it for storage. In 2004, the building was purchased by the Steam Railroading Institute from the Tuscola & Saginaw Bay Railway Co. and was renovated for use as the museum’s visitor center. It contains exhibits, a model train layout, and the museum’s collection of archival materials and artifacts.

Owosso was traditionally a furniture and casket making city, known for its master woodworkers and the SRI visitor center is an example of this facet of city history. The building’s floor is incredibly solid, capable of handling heavy loads and the ceiling is of solid wood trusses with king post supports on the ceiling.