Lodi
Junction II - Ann Arbor Revisited
Background
The story of my small N scale layout begins with the recollection of
Jim’s article because my love for trains was sparked by the very scenes
that Jim captured with his camera and words.
While Jim was trekking across Michigan in pursuit of the Annie (as the Ann
Arbor is affectionately known by its fans), I spent many Saturday mornings
watching the ferries in Elberta while traveling up north with my family.
Equally fascinating were visits to
Ann Arbor and other places along the route. With each trip, scenes of the Annie were
etched in my mind.
Unfortunately, many of the scenes and operations recorded in the 1973 RMC
article were ultimately consigned to the history books. The railroad
declared bankruptcy after defaulting on a loan to parent DT&I,
resulting in significant organizational changes as the venerable operation
struggled to survive in the mid-70s.
In 1976 the State of Michigan
purchased the line to preserve rail service in the region. The
state leased the operation of the route to Conrail in 1976-77, and then the line was leased to Michigan Interstate for the next 5
years.
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