ARMADA, MI
Armada, Michigan depot; May 2003
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Armada is about 30 miles north of Detroit. The route,
from Richmond, through Armada and Pontiac and on to Jackson, was planned
as part of the Michigan Air Line Railroad. Organizers hoped to build
a line all the way to Chicago, and lease or sell it to the Grand Trunk of
Canada. Rails were laid from Richmond to Romeo in 1869. |
| But before this scheme got too far, the New York Central
bought out the local owners. Effective February 1871, the Michigan Air Line
was leased for 999 years to the Michigan Central. The part of the Air Line
between Jackson and Niles was completed in 1871, but was NOT to become
competition for the NYC line to Chicago. It was just another branch line
of the Michigan Central. The route east of Jackson had not been built, leaving
the tracks between Richmond and Romeo an isolated, dead-end branch line.
It did not even connect to any Michigan Central tracks .
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| Apparently Michigan Central had little interest in
the route. It was spun-off as a separate railroad, allowed to go bankrupt,
and sold at forclosure in 1875. It was bought by the Michigan Airline
Railway, which was controlled by the Grand Trunk. The line was extended
slowly, finally reaching Jackson in 1884. The route was operated by the Grand
Trunk for many years. |
Street Side, May 2003.
| The building shown above is Armada's second depot.
The original depot, a frame structure
18' x 55', was built in 1890. It burned down in the 1920s and was replaced
by another slightly smaller building 18' x 35' in size and steam heated.
The new building contained a baggage room and an office/waiting room
area.
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| From 1925 to 1953, passengers could travel the Air
Line to Jackson or Richmond on a one-car, self-propelled "Doodlebug". Train
passenger service was discontinued in 1954, and a few years later, the mail
train was also discontinued. When the depot was no longer needed, village
officials moved it to the north-east corner of Floral and Depot streets.
In the 1980s, it was bought by a village resident and moved to its present
location on Church street. |
Armada's Ticket Window, May 2003
| The Grand Trunk used the line until 1998 when it was
formally abandoned. Rails were removed in 1999. Parts of the route are being
turned into a recreational trail. For more information on this, see
Friends of the Macomb Orchard Trail.
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Armada, 1940's; Dan Meinhard/RRHX Collection
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