The End of the Cadillac & Lake City Railway:1964-1971

The Cadillac and Lake City Railway, thus named because it ran between Cadillac and Lake City, featured steam trains that carried passengers on a scenic trip. The trains traveled through the Michigan forests, along shimmering lakes, and more found in the beautiful Michigan countryside of Wexford and Missaukee counties.

The Cadillac & Lake City Railway began operating in 1964 over a 21-23 mile journey. The central location for the Cadillac end was at Missaukee Junction, Michigan.

The railway began as part of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad, when on March 26, 1921 the GR & I became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It included what became the Missaukee Branch of the Pennsylvania that ran from Missaukee Junction to Lake City.

Get our free mobile app

In early 1964 the Cadillac & Lake City Railway Company was formed, a 23-mile span that opened to the public in June 1964, carrying freight and summertime sightseers. According to postcards of the 1960s, “The old-time steam locomotive and railroad cars of another era recall the thrill of railroading. The Cadillac & Lake City Railway Company offers trips through Michigan's forests and along beautiful lakes on runs between Cadillac and Lake City, Michigan.”

The railway trips stopped in 1971, that entire particular Michigan railway operation was abandoned in September 1984 and since then, some of the tracks – but not all - have been ripped up.