Michigan Railway -- Book Review

Long-time IRM member Norm Krentel has been working for many years on a definitive treatment of his favorite subject, the interurbans of Michigan.  Volume I is now available.

Michigan Railway Company -- The Northern and Southern Divisions

Norman L. Krentel      c. 2024, Michigan State University Press

Michigan in the early 1900's had a large number of interurban lines, some of which were unified under one management, but gaps in the system were never filled, and for various reasons the entire interurban network was swept away relatively early.  As a result, the Michigan interurban lines are generally not as well-known as those in Indiana or Ohio, for instance, which is unfortunate.

Like many interurban networks, the lines of the Michigan Electric had diverse origins.  Some parts of the system began when a city streetcar company started building a side-of-the-road extension to a nearby town.  Other lines were built to extremely high standards, in some cases by electrifying a steam road.  And all of this took place using the typically complex and confusing financial methods of the early twentieth century.  Keeping track of all the reorganizations, renamings, and so on is not easy, but the author has done an admirable job of organizing the information.  In many cases the story of the personality conflicts and skullduggery between competing promoters can be very amusing.  And because he also happens to be an expert in all aspects of interurban technology, there are important technical details one doesn't usually get from corporate histories. 

Volume I covers the development of the Northern Division, from Jackson north to Lansing and Owosso, and the Southern Division, from Jackson west to Kalamazoo.  Grandiose plans to build a trunk line from Detroit to Chicago never came close to completion, of course, and the Northeastern Division was never connected to the rest of the system.

There are lots of excellent photographs and maps included throughout.

The book is well printed and bound, and the photographic reproduction on the whole is excellent.  The remaining two volumes are in preparation.

Disclosure: Since the author has been a friend of mine for 50 years, I may not be completely objective.  And he was nice enough to autograph my copy.  But I'm not getting a cut of the profits! :)