Selected Bibliography of Rail Related Materials at Library of Michigan

Selected Bibliography of Rail Related Materials at Library of Michigan

Rail was an important aspect of Michigan life for many years. Your Library of Michigan has a trove of materials in multiple collections to help your rail research. All Aboard!

Below is a selection of materials available at the Library of Michigan. To generate a more comprehensive list, use our online ANSWER catalog.  Also, check with your local library for other holdings

Reference Tools

Michigan state gazetteer and business directory. 1860-1932.
Michigan 2N HC107.M5 .S752

Moody’s Railroads. Multiple years.
Reference 2N HG4961 .M57z

Poole’s Index to Periodical Literature. 1802-1906.
Reference 2N AI 3 .P7

Poor’s [Manuals] railroad volumes. 1918-1924.
Reference 2N HG 4905 .P5 & HE 2721 .P8

Taber, Thomas Townsend.
Railroad Periodicals index. 1931-1999.
Reference 2N TF 1 .T3

Connelly, James.
The Railroaders Dictionary: a definitive reference for the railroader and the serious student of railroad lore. 1985.
Reference TF 9 C66

Readers Guide to Periodical Literature
Reference 2N AI 3 .R4

Selected Print Sources

Barnett, LeRoy. 
A bibliography of Michigan railroads.
Ann Arbor, Mich.: Historical Society of Michigan, 1983.
MICH 2N - Z7235.M5 B3 1983

Barnett, LeRoy. 
Railroads in Michigan : a catalog of company publications, 1836-1980 
Marquette, Mich.: Northern Michigan University Press, 1986.
MICH 2N - HE2771.M5 B37 1986

Berndt, Clarence Fredrick. 
Michigan railroads, 1837-1846 : a study in internal improvements. Completed 1967 (MA Thesis).
MICH 2N - HE2771.M5 B47 1967

Dunbar, Willis Frederick, 1902-1970. 
All aboard! A history of railroads in Michigan.
Grand Rapids, Mich., W. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. [1969]
MICH 2N - HE2771.M5 D9 1969

Gaffney, T. J. (Thomas Jay) /
Rails around the Thumb 
Charleston, SC : Arcadia Pub., 2012.
MICH 2N - HE2771.M5 G34 2012

Gilbert, Clare, 1947- 
St. Clair Tunnel : rails beneath the river 
Erin, Ont. : Boston Mills Press, c1991.
Related Title Saint Clair Tunnel. 
Rails beneath the river. 
MICH 2N - TF238.S3 G5 1991

Jones, David Dylan, 1954- 
The joy and thunder days : Michigan railroads during the twentieth century in the days of the steam locomotive 
East Lansing, Mich. : Michigan State University, c1991.
MICH 2N - HE2771.M5 J6 1991

Kelly, Michael C. 
Rails around Michigan: the wolverine state in days past
Ontario: KG Productions, 2010.
MICH 2N - HE2771.M5 K45 2010

Logging railroads of Michigan, 1870-1886 / compiled by Forrest B. Meek.
Clare, Mich.: White Pine Historical Society, c1986.
Related Title Railroads of Michigan, 1870-1886.
MICH 2N - TF24.M5 L634 1986

Meints, Graydon M. 
Along the tracks : a directory of named places on Michigan railroads  
Mount Pleasant, Mich. : Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, 1987
MICH 2N - TF300 .M45 1987

Meints, Graydon M. 
Michigan railroads and railroad companies 
East Lansing : Michigan State University Press, 1992.
MICH 2N - TF24.M5 M456 1992

Michigan Railroads Association. Public Relations Dept. 
Railroad map of Michigan
Lansing, Mich.: Michigan Railroads Association, [1956]
MICH FLAT FILE 2N - G4111.P3 1956 .M5

Michigan Railroad History Conference (12th : 2013 Bay City, Mich.) 
Program / Michigan Railroad History Conference.
Bay City, Mich.?: Michigan Railroad History Conference, [2013].
MICH RARE  - TF5 .M5 2013

Schramm, Jack E. et al.
When Eastern Michigan rode the rails 
Glendale, Calif. : Interurban Press, 1984.
MICH 2N - TF724.M5 S37 1984  v.1-v.4

Selected Periodical Titles

Ann Arbor Railroad Technical and Historical Association. 1982-1985.
TF1 .N4 Michigan Periodicals 2S

Bluewater Sentinel. 1984 - 2003.
TF1 .B5 Michigan Periodicals 2S

Pere Marquette Magazine. 1913-1932.
Library of Michigan Periodicals – microfilm 2S arranged by title

Railway Age. 1918 – 1951 in print; 1958-1996 on microfilm
Library of Michigan Periodicals – microfilm 2S arranged by title

Railway Age Gazette. 1913-1917.
Library of Michigan Periodicals – microfilm 2S arranged by title

Selected Print Journal Articles

Loomis, Bill. “The great railroad conspiracy.”
Michigan History Magazine. 97.5 (September-October 2013) p37. /
MICH 2S F561 .M57

Barnett, Le Roy. “Michigan's decorated depots: the Europeans were the first to conceive of it: the idea of adorning railroad rights-of-way with attractive ornamental plantings. Americans followed suit shortly after the Civil War, with the practice confined to roads in the eastern U.S. Then, in the 1870s, the movement started to gain favor in the Midwest.” 
Michigan History Magazine. 96.1 (January-February 2012) p42.
MICH 2S F561 .M57

Fisher, Douglas. “A forgotten force: Mexican railroad workers in wartime Michigan.”
Michigan History Magazine. 95.3 (May-June 2011) p35.
MICH 2S F561 .M57

Cosgrove, Bob. “A tunnel turns 100; for 100 years, a tunnel under the Detroit River has facilitated the transport of billions of dollars' worth of goods between the U.S. and Canada. It's not the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel at the base of the Renaissance Center. It's the Detroit River Tunnel--a twin-tube passageway that welcomes freight trains seeking the shortest all-rail route between Chicago and the East Coast.” 
Michigan History Magazine. 94.4 (July-August 2010) p44.
MICH 2S F561 .M57

Meints, Graydon M. “The fruit belt line: Southwest Michigan's failed railroad.” 
Michigan Historical Review. 31.2 (Fall 2005) p117.
MICH 2S F561 .M57

Czerwick, Hank. “Taking the trolley to downtown Detroit.” 
Michigan History Magazine. 95.4 (July-August 2011) p12.
MICH 2S F561 .M57

The Wolverine passenger.
Jackson, Mich.: Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, 1982-1997.
MICH PERIODICALS (2S) - Oversize HE2583 .W65

The Michigan passenger.
St. Clair Shores, Mich. : Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, 2000-
MICH PERIODICALS (2S)  -  Folio HE2583 .P37  v.27:no.2 (2000:Mar. 25)-v.29 (2002)
MICH PERIODICALS (2S)  -  Folio HE2583 .P37  v.30 (2003)-v.34 (2007) (incomplete)

Other Michigan Railroad periodicals can be found by searching the library catalog (answercat.org) by subject for Michigan Railroads.

Selected Michigan Documents

Annual Report of the Michigan Railroad Commission. 1872-1918.
MICH Docs 2S HE 2709 .M5

Annual Report of the Michigan Public Utilities Commission for the year ending…. 1919, 1923, 1925.
MICH Docs 2S HE 2771 .M5 M537

Selected Internet Links

Contemporary Transit Plans
Mid-West Regional Rail System
Michigan State Rail and Public Transit

Michigan Railroad History
History of Railroads in Michigan (from Wikipedia)
List of Michigan Railroads (from Wikipedia)

Other Subject Search Terms for Michigan Railroads

• Michigan Rail
• Railroad Law – Mich
• Railroad Land Grants – Mich
• Railroads – Mich
• Railroads and State

Michigan legislative and state government employees may obtain copies of any of these materials as well as additional research by calling the Library of Michigan reference desk at 517-355-1477, or emailing librarian@michigan.gov.
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 MPP [10/16/2018]