MARP MEMBER MEETING
Saturday, March 18, 2017
10 a.m. – Noon
Clinton Northern Railway Museum
(former Grand Trunk Railroad Depot)
107 East Railroad Street, St. Johns MI 48879
Map & Directions
MARP members and community friends have a treat in store when our regular monthly meeting convenes on March 18 in the restored Grand Trunk Railroad Depot in St. Johns. Our speakers will be Jenny and Gary McCampbell, who have been associated with this ambitious preservation project from the beginning in 1981.
The building in which our meeting takes place, the former Grand Trunk Railroad Depot, has an interesting history which we will hear more about from Jenny and Gary. As the dedicated volunteer managers of the Clinton Northern Railway Museum occupying the former depot, the McCampbells stepped up when the original prime movers left due to illness and job relocation. With the help of a cadre of fellow volunteers, Jenny and Gary are on a mission to instill an appreciation of the rich history of railroading in the area.
Current restoration efforts are focused on the “Sault Sainte Marie”, a 1902 Barney and Smith Sleeper car built for the Duluth South Shore and Atlantic that served passengers on the St. Ignace-Soo-Duluth route until 1936. Restoration work has uncovered beautiful wood inlays in the mahogany veneer of the interior. Also on display at the station: a 1903 RPO Car, which now receives children’s letters to Santa each Christmas, and a 1926 Ann Arbor Crew Car .
If you are interested in ride-sharing to the meeting, please reply to this email. We will do our best to put you in touch with others in your area.
See you in St. Johns!
Visit clintonnorthernrailway.org to learn more about the work at the Museum.
History of the Railroad in St. Johns
1853 – St.Johns is organized by a group of speculators who anticipate the building of the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad through the area
1920 – Grand Trunk Railroad Depot, which is now home to the Clinton Northern Railway, is built on Railroad Street
1964 – The last Passenger Train ran through St.Johns
1992 – The last Freight Train ran through St.Johns
1996 – The last of the railroad tracks through the city are removed
2006 – A short section of track is laid behind the depot and a 1926 Ann Arbor Crew Car is placed there.