The Railroad in its Heyday The growth of Ann Arbor's railroads can be divided in two phases -- freight and passengers. At first, railroads were used primarily to transport cargo. Goods that Ann Arbor did not produce locally were brought in while surpluses were shipped for sale to neighboring towns and cities. Railroads were more cost effective than other forms of transportation, including shipping on the Huron River. The growth of the railroad closely parallels the city's development. As the population of Ann Arbor increased, more goods and supplies were needed and additional trains were added to meet demand. Railroads imported meat and other food, coal, oil, lumber, concrete, and manufactured goods such as clothing and machines. Goods which Ann Arbor exported included ice, grain, wool, and diary products. Over time, the founding of the University of Michigan and expansion of Ann Arbor's population increased the demand for passenger travel. Both the Michigan Central Railroad and Ann Arbor Railroad Company began to operate trains for passengers only. No longer just a luxury, railroads developed different classes of travel, with different priced tickets. All kinds of people were taking the train for business and pleasure. Nearly thirty passenger trains left Ann Arbor carrying a total of over two hundred passengers each day. Special trains were added during football season to bring in the thousands of people attending University of Michigan games. By contrast, fewer than six trains leave Ann Arbor today. To see where passengers were traveling, click here for an example of a timetable from the Ann Arbor Railroad Company . Business boomed for both railroad companies. At its peak during World War II, the Ann Arbor Railroad Company ran almost 300 miles of rails, ranging from Toledo, Ohio to Frankfort, Michigan and over water via car ferry to parts of Wisconsin and Michigan. The company owned as many as six car ferries, each longer than a football field, which operated across Lake Michigan. Click here to read a newspaper article about Ann Arbor Railroad activities . Click here to listen to the sound of a train approaching and leaving the Ann Arbor Railroad Station Questions for discussion: Why did Ann Arbor's population grow after the University of Michigan was founded? What would a growing number of residents mean for railroad transportation? Why was the peak of the Ann Arbor Railroad Company during World War II? Why didn't it continue to develop (think about changes in transportation over the past fifty years)? What kinds of information do you think would have been included on an Ann Arbor Railroad Company ticket? Click here to see examples of railroad tickets. Compare your answers to the ticket -- what was the same and what was different? More about Ann Arbor's Railroads

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