The Steam Railroading Institute is a
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
that preserves, restores, and operates historical railroad equipment and items. Located in
Owosso, Michigan
Owosso () is the largest city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 14,714 at the 2020 census. It is located west of Flint, and northeast of Lansing. The city is mostly surrounded by Owosso Township on its we ...
, it was founded in 1969 as the Michigan State University Railroad Club and later became the Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation before adopting its present name.
Headquartered at the old
Ann Arbor Railroad railyard, the organization operates a
heritage railroad
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...
that offers occasional passenger excursion trains using
steam locomotives
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
:
Pere Marquette 1225 and
Chicago and North Western 175.
It also has passenger cars and other rolling stock.
History
In the late 1950s,
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis Potter Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Rich ...
Chairman
Cyrus Eaton
Cyrus Stephen Eaton Sr. (December 27, 1883 – May 9, 1979) was a Canadian-American investment banker, businessman and philanthropist, with a career that spanned 70 years.
For decades Eaton was one of the most powerful financiers in the American ...
sought to donate No. 1225, a steam locomotive recently retired by the
Pere Marquette Railway
The Pere Marquette Railway was a railroad that operated in the Great Lakes (North America), Great Lakes region of the United States and southern parts of Ontario in Canada. It had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and the Canadi ...
, to
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...
's College of Engineering so the students could work on a piece of real equipment and keep the locomotive from the scrapyard. He convinced University Trustee Forest Akers, but not the dean of the College of Engineering, so University President
John Hannah accepted No. 1225 as a contribution to the
MSU Museum. It arrived on campus in 1957.
There it sat, getting an occasional coat of paint and visits from the public on football weekends. In 1970, the year-old Michigan State University Railroad Club, at the suggestion of Randy Paquette, decided to restore No. 1225 and use it to pull excursion trains that would bring passengers to football games at the university.
But MSU had no interest in running a steam locomotive. Eventually, University President
Edgar Harden proposed to MSURRC President Chuck Julian that a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization be founded to take ownership of No. 1225. In July 1979, the Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation was founded.
Later, the Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservation became the Steam Railroading Institute.
Equipment
Locomotives
Visiting locomotives
Former units
Rolling stock
Source:
Passenger cars
*
Via Rail
Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada.
As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...
coaches 5447, 5485, 5576, 5581, and 5646.
*Via Rail diner/lounge car 762.
*
Chesapeake & Ohio coach 1615. Owned by private individual.
*Chesapeake & Ohio Pullman Sleeper "City of Ashland" 2624.
*Chesapeake & Ohio/
Chicago Great Western
The Chicago Great Western Railway was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, and Kansas City. It was founded by Alpheus Beede Stickney in 1885 as a regional line between St. Paul and the Iowa state line called the Minnesota ...
/
Chicago & Northwestern
The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...
Baggage/Combination Car 462, now renumbered to 4062. Occasionally used as a concession car for SRI's excursions.
*
PRR 8275 "Norristown Inn"/
SEMTA/
MARC 147 coach. Leased from
B&O Railroad Museum
The B&O Railroad Museum is a museum and historic railway station exhibiting historic railroad equipment in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) company originally opened the museum on July 4, 1953, with the name of the Balt ...
in Baltimore, MD since 2005. Now owned by SRI.
*
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
89639/
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
1363/ MSTX 1363 baggage. Currently in storage.
*
MiTrain (Ex-
Metra
Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 train station, stati ...
)
Gallery Cars
Freight cars
*
Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
PS-1 Boxcar #1314
*Chesapeake & Ohio/
Pere Marquette Gondola #31262
*
Detroit & Mackinac Tank cars X-127 & X-128. Restored as
Pure Oil
Pure Oil Company was a major American petroleum company founded in 1914.
History Early history
Three companies operating in the United States have used the Pure Oil name. The first began as a group of independent oil refiners, producers, and p ...
&
Dow Chemical
The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company was among the three largest chemical producers in the world in 2021. It is the operating subsidiary of Dow Inc., ...
tank car.
*Detroit & Mackinac Gondola #3514
*Pere Marquette Automobile car #72332
*
Wabash Boxcars (later Ann Arbor X4633 and X4646)
*A couple flat cars.
Maintenance of way:
*
Rock Island #5000-series tender/ Auxiliary Tender #5000. Former Rock Island 4-8-4 5000 series locomotive tender now used for longer excursions behind PM 1225.
*Pere Marquette #361. Former Troop Sleeper. Now 1225's tool car.
*
Grand Trunk Western Track Foreman's/ Bunk Car #58332.
*
Detroit, Toledo & Ironton/ Grand Truck Burro crane #15027. A self-propelled burro crane used for light duties.
*Ex.
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
Speeder/Gasoline Motor Car.
*Ann Arbor Caboose's #2838 & 2839.
*Pere Marquette Caboose #A909.
*Detroit & Mackinac power car #7. Former troop sleeper.
Former stock
*3 ex-Amtrak/
ATSF
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996.
The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at variou ...
Hi-Level
The Hi-Level was a type of Bilevel rail car, bilevel intercity railroad passenger railroad car, passenger car used in the United States. Car types included coaches, dining cars, and lounge cars; a sleeping car variant was considered but never pr ...
cars—a step-down coach and 2 lounge cars—were sold to the
Naugatuck Railroad in January 2025.
Structures
New Buffalo Turntable
The turntable is an original turntable built in 1919 to serve the Pere Marquette railyard in New Buffalo, Michigan. It served a 16-stall roundhouse until 1984, when the Chessie System closed the New Buffalo yard. The SRI acquired the turntable, moved it to its site, and lengthened it by to accommodate larger rolling stock like the PM 1225.
SRI Visitor Center
The SRI Visitor Center sits inside a renovated freight warehouse used by the Ann Arbor road. The foundation dates back to the 1880s. It is speculated that the original structure burned down in the 1920s. Originally a creamery, the Ann Arbor used for freight storage for things like grain. Bruckman's Moving and Storage then leased the building from the railroad for storage use. The SRI purchased the building in 2004 and renovated it as their Visitor Center containing exhibits, a model train layout, and the museum's artifact and archives collection.
References
External links
Steam Railroading Institute historyPere Marquette Berkshire Type LocomotivesHome :: Steam Railroading InstituteSRI's collection page.
The Argus-Press - Google News Archive Search
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Heritage railroads in Michigan
Museums in Shiawassee County, Michigan
Railroad museums in Michigan