November 29, 1847 Michigan's first telegraph line is completed along the Michigan Central Railroad tracks between Detroit and Ypsilanti. The first messages sent are long and range from the price of wheat and putty to news of the Mexican War. Eventually the line will extend to Chicago and be used by the Michigan Central to dispatch trains.
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November 29, 1849 The Michigan Central schedules a second train on its Detroit-New Buffalo line, with a meet in Galesburgh. (That town no longer uses the final "h".)
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November 29, 1871 The Jackson (MI) Citizen reports that the Central Car & Manufacturing Company of that city has shipped its first order: ten platform cars to the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railway.
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November 29, 1883 The Michigan & Ohio Railroad (later CJ&M, T&M, DT&M, NOR, MC, LS&MS, MUR, NYC, PC) completes its line between Dundee and Montieth Junction MI.
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November 30, 1872 The first through train runs over Chicago & North Western tracks via Menominee WI and Escanaba MI to the national network.
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November 30, 1897 Last day of operations at the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern roundhouse in White Pigeon MI. Operations have been transferred to Elkhart IN.
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November 30, 1918 The Arcadia & Betsey River Railway is abandoned between Henry and Copemish MI. The track, tie plates and joiners are returned to the Ann Arbor Railroad, which had made the expansion from Henry possible in 1896.
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November 30, 1928 Interurban service ends between Jackson and Battle Creek MI.
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November 30, 1985 Pere Marquette 2-8-4 1225 moves under steam for the first time in 34 years.
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December 1, 1867 The Bay City & East Saginaw (later F&PM, PM, C&O) begins operations between its two namesake Michigan towns.
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December 1, 1874 The Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad completes its Flint to Ludington route via Midland, Clare and Reed City.
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December 1, 1883 The four horsecar lines operating in Grand Rapids MI combine to form a new company, the Street Railway of Grand Rapids.
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December 1, 1901 The Chicago Kalamazoo & Saginaw completes its Pavilion Branch running southeast from Kalamazoo, connecting with the Grand Trunk at Pavilion. GT (et seq.) will lease this branch for access to Kalamazoo.
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Mark Tomlonson
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Kalamazoo Model Railroad Historical Society Open House/Santa in the Caboose Saturday December 14 Noon to 4:00 pm FREE!
