It's amazing how 5 a.m. doesn't seem too early to get up when you're going to explore a new railroad by motor car. Having everything loaded the night before helps, too. All I had to do was roust my wife and daughter out of bed and guide them to the car. After swinging by Tom Snider's and Dave Stroebe's houses to make up our caravan, we headed north to Traverse City, Mich. to ride the Leelanau Scenic Railroad.  

This 16-mile tourist line had just started operations in July of 1991, running from Traverse City to Suttons Bay, Mich. The train departs the LSR boarding platform at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The trip to downtown Suttons Bay takes about one and a half hours, with an equal amount of time to shop and eat in this little town.  After talking to our host, Bob Carr, going over some LSR rules and signing waivers, we set on at the southern end of the line. Since this is an island road (the LSR's connection with the outside rail system has been severed), the tracks stopped 30 feet from the street, making for a "roll'em over the gravel" move to the tracks. With this minor task out of the way-and the train 20 minutes ahead of us-we started our trip north under cloudy skies.

The radio that Bob provided for us came in handy for monitoring the train's progress throughout the day. It was a nice feeling to know that if needed you could easily contact the crew. It didn't take us long to discover how scenic this line really is. The light rails gracefully curved through meadows, orchards, backyard gardens and woods. Lakes, ponds and streams were everywhere. Traveling along, we could feel the gentle grades' effects on our motor cars, as we constantly adjusted our throttles to maintain a steady pace. By now it had started to sprinkle a little, nothing major; raincoats were at hand. We arrived at the LSR Suttons Bay yard in time to see the crew use both of their locomotives (LSR #3, ex-C&O #5298, an NW-2; LSR #4, ex C&O #5258, an SW-9) to switch the train around for the return trip. This completed, we turned our cars and backed into a siding out of the way before breaking for lunch at a restaurant across the street. The table conversation kept returning to how scenic this line really was. 

After lunch, the train crew informed us that they would be making a few short stops a1ong the way to trim some brush. As they pulled out of town, we waived to the passengers as they rolled by. Fifteen minutes later, we started south too. It wasn't long before we caught up to them and soon became the subject of several photographers on the rear platform (a safe distance of 500 feet was maintained.). After about five minutes of this, we came upon a siding next to the remains of an old stone building. A 40-foot Ann Arbor boxcar and a wood-sided caboose of unknown lineage simply required a photo stop. By this time it was 1:30, and our 3 1/2 year old nodded off in her mother's arms. Bob continued to pace us and take photos as we continued on our return trip. With the ever-changing backdrop, I'm sure that he was able to get a few good shots as we double clicked along. I say that because for a good portion of the line, the joints are directly across from each other. However, as you go along, the joints do start to creep to a more conventional stagger in places. Evidence of track work is a common sight along the right-of-way: new ditches, ties, and replaced rail, to mention a few. Still, extra care must be taken at some of the private crossings that can pop up in front of you on some of the wooded stretches.

As we neared the Traverse City terminus of the line, we again stopped clear of the switching operations. Lucky for me, my car was sitting on a trestle not much longer than the car itself. With a mini waterfall in the background, and six inches of bubbling water two feet below, out came the camera for a quick shot. The switching now completed, our three cars proceeded to the passing siding, allowing the train to return to the boarding platform. Then it was back out on the main and through the LSR's south yard passing a very interesting collection of railroad equipment. We rolled to a stop wishing we had the time for a second run. As the engines shut down, the quiet woke our little girl-now refreshed and ready for some shopping, dinner, and the two and a half hour drive home. Dave Stroebe, Tom; Tom ]r., and Norma Snider, along with my. wife, Mindy, and daughter, Kaitlin, had a wonderful day on the Leelanau Scenic Railroad. As we loaded our motor cars, we thanked our host one more time and suggested we set up a true meet next year sometime. Apple blossom or cherry blossom time? Hmmm...

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Last Edited 28 January, 2018