Nostalgia & History > Grand Rapids

Today Amtrak travels to Grand Rapids from Chicago and terminates there.
Does the line continue anywhere as freight or is it now the end of the line.
Can anyone share information of the history of this line?
Thanks

Hal

The Amtrak Pere Marquette takes its namesake from the railroad on which it runs. THe Pere Marquette became the C&O, Chessie, then CSX. The Chicago to Grand Rapids segment is part of a secondary main line running between Chicago and Detroit. It sees a few scheduled through freights each way plus extra grain and coal trains.

If you're talking about the "spur" off the Chicago-Detroit main line, on which the Amtrak station in GR is located, the line continues north to Baldwin, before curving west to Walhalla, and splitting up for Ludington and Manistee. This line used to have the same pedigree as the main line, but it is now leased to Marquette Rail, L.L.C. For such a bland geographic area as Michigan generally is, this line cuts through some pretty impressive scenery and railroad artifacts.

The line between Grand Rapids and Chicago is pretty neat, too, with a stiff grade out of the Kalamazoo River valley from New Richmond to East Saugatuck, a small stretch along Lake Michigan south (west) of St. Joseph, and the jam-packed railroad/industrial scenery between Porter, Indiana, and Chicago while the train travels over NS.

Thanks very much for the info since I plan to take this train to Grand Rapids during the 2012 NMRA convention (Grand Rails 2012).
Hal