Ann Arbor Railroad

The Ann Arbor Railroad opened in 1878 between Toledo, Ohio, and Frankfort, Michigan. Frankfort was chosen as it's terminal because of the harbor and port facilities at Eberta. The Ann Arbor transited Lake Michigan with a fleet of car ferries. When the Ann Arbor began it car ferry operations in 1892, it was the first railroad to do so.

In 1925, the Wabash Railroad gained control of the Ann Arbor and operated the line until 1963 when it sold its holdings to the Detroit, Toledo, & Ironton Railroad. In 1973, the Ann Arbor defaulted on its bonds and went into receivership. In 1974, it joined other Northeastern and Midwest railroads in the massive reorganization under the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976. The United States Railway Administration (USRA) deemed that the southern portion of the line, between Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Toledo was reorganizeable and included it in the Final System Plan. The State of Michigan, however, deemed that the entire line was important to the state's economy and communities and arranged to purchased the entire line from the USRA. For a while, Conrail was the Designated Operator (DO) of the line.

In October 1977, a new entity, the Michigan Interstate Railway Company ("Michigan Interstate") became the DO of the line. In 1983, however, Michigan Interstate entered receivership. This receivership led to the eventual break-up of the railroad. In 1985, the southern portion was purchased by a trustee and was again sold, in 1988, to the Ann Arbor Acquisition Corporation. The northern section was purchased by the Tuscola & Saginaw Bay Railway Co., Inc. (TSBY). North of Cadillac, Michigan, the line was abandoned.