Michigan Rail History Conference Lineup Set

The program schedule has been announced for the biennial Michigan Railroad History Conference to be held Sept. 16-17 in Ludington, Michigan.

The event is being held at the United Methodist Church of Ludington. The registration fee is $70 if received before Sept. 1 and $75 if paid after that date.

The fee includes morning coffee and refreshments on the Saturday or the conference, and lunch that day.

Scheduled presenters and their programs include Railroad Logging in Manistee Co. & Mapping Abandoned Lines, James Hannum, physician/mapmaker; Technological Evolution of Lake Michigan Carferries, Art Chavez, historian/author; Life and Times Aboard the Carferries by former carferry employees; Lake Michigan Carferry: Vision for the Future, Sara Spore, general manager, SS Badger; Geocaching along the Manistee and North Eastern Railroad, Kevin Springsteen, geocacher; Renaissance for Passenger Trains? Kay Chase, rail passenger advocate; Getting It Done at Ludington, Sean Atteberry, engineer/conductor; James F Joy: We Finally See You, Nick Marsh, biographer; Eber Brock Ward: Michigan’s Forgotten Steamboat, Railroad, and Iron King, Mike Nagle, biographer; Last of the Mohegan: Michigan’s First Logging Locomotive, Jeff Seaver, historian; Epworth Heights/Ludington & Northern Railroad, Paul Trap, historian.

Other events scheduled during the conference include a tour and social hour aboard the S.S. Badger on Saturday night.

That event will feature a tour of the public spaces aboard and a brief presentation of its history. Light refreshments will be provided with a cash bar.

On Friday there will be a field trip to the terminal of the Mason & Oceana Railroad. Attendees will view artifacts from the line at White Pine Village, and trace sites and right-of-way related to the Pere Marquette and its successors.

Lunch will be provided at the Mason County Historical Society Research Center.

Following that will be a tour of the Epworth League/Ludington & Northern to Epworth Heights and its hotel/museum and Hamlin Lake and return. The Friday tours are limited to 40 participants.
For more information and updates see www.michiganrailroadhistory.org. Questions contact mrhc16.2022@gmail.com.

Tags: Michigan Railroad History Conference, Railroad history, railroad history conferences