Bob Osborn

Chicago & Mackinac Railroad

The railroad that could have been.

If, in 1960, the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) would have sold their old Grand Rapids & Indiana (GR&I) rail line, running from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Mackinaw City, Michigan to a new venture/partnership consisting of the PRR, the Soo Line & the Canadian National, you would have the Chicago & Mackinac Railroad (C&M). Although it never happened in the real world, it did happen in my model railroad world!

The C&M is an all ALCO powered diesel railroad and models the GR&I from Grand Rapids, MI to Mackinaw City in the summer of 1967 in my California basement = a one car garage. The C&M is a point to point, mainly switching layout but does sport a mainline of approximately 140’, allowing for some through traffic. It is powered by a CVP Products EasyDCC wireless system and it takes a crew of 4 operators, (a yardmaster and 3 road engineers), to make it all come alive. If you like switching, and a little road work, you will probably like the Chicago & Mackinac.

Here are some photos of the railroad, however, it is a relatively new version of the C&M and is still developing, so scenes change frequently.

See Bob's C&M Website here

Updated 11/27/2024