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Location / Name:
Cadillac MI, Wexford County - County Seat
What's Here:
Great Lakes Railway Depot
Cadillac Soo Lumber Co Shay Loco #1
Freight Shed
Data:
GPS Coordinates: as needed
Phone A/C: 231
ZIP: 49601
Access by train/transit:
None
The Scoop:
Tucked away in the middle of Michigan is Cadillac. Not much going on here today, but there is a depot definitely worthy of a stopover, in addition to a warehouse and the remnants of two yards.
If anyone has info on the train service to Cadillac, please let me know.
Acknowledgements:
Bill Hodson
Denver Todd
Bing Maps
Google Maps
Websites and other additional information sources of interest for the area:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_and_Lake_City_Railway
https://railroadfan.com/wiki/index.php/Cadillac_%26_Lake_City_Railway
https://www.railroadmichigan.com/cadillaclakecity.html excellent page on the railroad, plenty of pictures and rosters
Cadillac is not quite as convenient to get to as most of the other cities around Michigan.
The main highway in and out of Cadillac is US131. Going north out of Cadillac, it takes you up to Kalkaska, and going south on it takes you to Grand Rapids where you can finally get on an interstate.
Heading NW out of town on MI115, will take you to the coast, passing MI37, which if you go north on it, will take you into Traverse City.
The above map in a
PDF
Great Lakes Railway DepotGPS Coordinates: 44.25093, -85.40298
225 N Lake St, Cadillac MI 49601
231-775-4133
Update 2025 - Bill wrote me to let me know that the station has housed a cafe under the name of After 26 Depot since at least 2018, when Google's camera came thru and took pictures It is named so because, and I didn't know this - it gives developmentally disabled people a chance of an employment opportunity after the age of 26, when most benefits run out. Thanks for the update! -- Since my aunt no longer lives in Traverse City, I have not been thru here since 2015 or so!
The above aerial shot shows the depot in the lower right hand corner, and the freight shed in the upper left hand corner.
in 2018
Freight ShedLast used by the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay, it doesn't look like much is going on here. The track view is looking south towards the depot.
Cadillac Soo Lumber Co Shay Loco #1
The Cadillac & Lake City RailwayFrom Wikipedia: The Cadillac & Lake City Railway began operations in 1964 over former Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and ex Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad (GR&I) trackage between its namesake cities of Cadillac MI and Lake City MI - 21 miles (34 km). The actual terminus for the Cadillac end of the operation was at Missaukee Junction MI, 1 mile north of Haring MI where Ephraim Shay had a residence during the development of the Shay locomotive and just over 2 miles north of Cadillac. It was here that all traffic was transferred to and from the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR); prior to the 1968 merger of the PRR with the New York Central (NYC); thence becoming the Penn Central (PC). All operations ceased in 1971, with the entire Michigan operation abandoned in September 1984 and all rail since removed. end wiki
ALL pictures are postcards found on Ebay.... More pictures can be found on the references listed above.
Postcards
A trip thru history.....
The Depots
Motels of the 60's :-)
Other stuff around town... Like the Canal and surrounding state park
Grade Crossing at Dresden St
Grade Crossing at Lake and Cass, by the depot
Not sure of this buildings heritage, but it looks suspiciously like a railroad building. It used to be about a half a block east of the depot on Cass, but in looking at Google Streetview, even going back to 2015, it looks like the building was torn down, darn.
Mile post 227, adjacent to the depot.
Billboard promoting 9000 carloads of products produced annually, from another era....
Google 2018, repainted in 20152009-0724MI3
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