The Michigan Air Line Railway was a railroad company in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It was incorporated in 1875 and constructed a line between Richmond, Michigan, and

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is a city in Jackson County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 31,309 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along Interstate 94 in Michigan, Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127 in Michigan, U.S ...

, between 1877 and 1884. It was under the control of the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...

for most of its existence and merged into the

Grand Trunk Western Railroad The Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company was an American subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway, later of the Canadian National Railway operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Since a corporate restructuring in 1971, the railroad ha ...

in 1928. Its line was abandoned in stages between 1975 and 2011. It is one of three similarly-named railroad companies that exist or have existed in the state of Michigan. The Michigan Air Line Railroad (1868–1916) built part of the Michigan Air Line Railway's line but otherwise enjoyed a separate existence. The shortline Michigan Air-Line Railway (2006–2011) operated a small part of the Michigan Air Line Railway's line.

History

The Michigan Air Line Railroad had constructed a line between Romeo, Michigan, and Richmond, Michigan, (then called Ridgeway) in 1869. In Richmond, the line connected with the

's line between

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in and seat of government of St. Clair County, Michigan, United States. The population was 28,983 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the west by Port Huron Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Po ...

, and

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. The Michigan Air Line Railroad subsequently leased this line, but not its other properties, to the St. Clair River, Pontiac and Jackson Railroad in 1872. That company was renamed the St. Clair and Chicago Air Line Railroad the same year; no further expansion occurred through 1875. The Michigan Air Line Railway was incorporated on November 18, 1875, to reorganize the St. Clair and Chicago Air Line Railroad. In 1877, the Grand Trunk Railway took control of the company to prevent a competitor from developing a competing line to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Beginning in 1879 the company built west toward

. It reached Rochester in March 1879, and the Grand Trunk's existing line between Pontiac and Detroit in October 1880. The line reached South Lyon in October 1883 and Jackson on September 1, 1884. The company was formally merged into the Grand Trunk on November 1, 1928.

Route

Under Grand Trunk Western ownership the line was known as the Jackson Subdivision. The Grand Trunk Western abandoned the line between Jackson and Lakeland in 1975, Lakeland and South Lyon in 1983, and South Lyon and Wixom in 1984. It also sold between Wixom and Walled Lake to Coe Rail in 1984. It abandoned the remainder of line between 1984 and 1998. The Michigan Air-Line Railway, successor to Coe Rail, abandoned its small section in 2010 and 2011.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Michigan Air Line Railway Predecessors of the Grand Trunk Railway Railway companies established in 1875 Railway companies disestablished in 1928 Defunct Michigan railroads