Alex Bogert of Clinton Township loved trains as a boy and his passion only grew after his father took him for a ride on the Michigan Transit Museum’s passenger train.
Being greeted by a friendly conductor.
Having his ticket punched.
The anticipation of the leisurely ride on a Sunday afternoon.
Hearing the chug-a-chug sounds of a diesel locomotive as it pulled the passenger car down the tracks while watching the scenery and waving to people with the same enthusiasm as a child living in the past when trains played a major role in how families traveled from town to town and across the state.
It was all part of the experience and one that is still offered by the Michigan Transit Museum, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
“I remember thinking how cool it was that we had this train in our town,” said Bogert.
He was only 6-years-old at the time but even then he knew the train’s value not only for boys and girls who loved trains but for anyone interested in machines, transportation, engineering, history or nostalgia.
His dad saw the value, too, and by the time Bogert was a teenager both he and his father were volunteers for Michigan Transit Museum, the nonprofit organization that was founded in 1973 by a bunch of train enthusiasts who wanted to promote the history of railroading. Today the group of dedicated volunteers, whose ages range from 14 to 80, operate and maintain the historical train and depot that goes back 150 years.
Designed by Francis Thompson, a British architect who did a lot of other stations in the United Kingdom, Mount Clemens Depot served as one of several functional stations for Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTWR) and its passengers who traveled from Port Huron to Detroit or stopped in Mount Clemens to enjoy its world class spas. In 1859, the station had living quarters for the station’s agent. Renovations through the years included added separate waiting rooms for women and children, a modern restroom and electricity.
A highlight noted in its history is the fact that shortly after opening the Port Huron to Detroit line, GTWR hired Thomas Edison, who was 12 years old at the time, to work on the train selling newspapers and candy.
“He was actually taught to operate a telegraph here,” said Bogert, referring to the Mount Clemens depot and the tasks that sparked Edison’s interest in machines and other technology that improved people’s lives.
When Bogert and his father rode the train it traveled along a track that ran through Selfridge Air National Guard base in Harrison Township but due to security reasons that’s no longer part of its weekend route.
This Sunday and every Sunday from June through October passengers board the train from a depot in Joy Park, near Joy Boulevard and Gratiot Avenue in Clinton Township at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m.
A special event put on by the volunteers — who dress up for the occasion — are the Michigan Transit Museum’s Halloween rides held on the last two Sundays in October and a Holiday Express ride in November.
“The entire operation has been run by unpaid volunteers for all of its 50 years,” said Karl Joost, a longtime volunteer who moved to Chicago for a job and still provides support for the group from a distance. “I joined when I was 15 in 1987 and I’m 52 years old now.”
“It’s a lot of fun. We’re like one big family,” said Bogert, who serves as vice-president of the museum and depot curator, while leaning on the counter in the depot where visitors can purchase everything from train patches and keychains to an official conductor’s hat and books about the historical impact that trains have had on the nation and Mount Clemens in particular. Guests will also find numerous artifacts and pieces of train history and machinery that’s evolved over the years including a telegraph like the one Edison learned on.
“Everything here tells a story,” Bogert said. “This came from the Fort Street Union Depot that was demolished in the early 70s and these were in the Brush Street Station. It’s the brass rails from the ticket booth. There were two and we were lucky enough to get these.”
Even on the grounds outside visitors will find a real caboose used by railroad workers up until 2009. It features a stove and sleeping quarters, a desk for writing, a closet for clothes and a checkerboard table to help pass the time between stops.
“It was restored in 2014 to its original 1925 era,” Bogert said. “It spent its life going down to Toledo from Michigan.”
The Michigan Transit Museum has more than 100 members who support operations and maintenance of the train and depot as well as events through donations and networking. Also part of the corps are 10 volunteers having fun while keeping the wheels turning.
“What are you waiting for,” Joost said. “If you can help out once a month or once a year, sign up. We’ll find something for you to do that you enjoy. We accept applications year round. Not everyone is able to run a train but we’ll figure that out.
The Michigan Transit Museum Depot is at 200 Grand Ave., in Mount Clemens. It is open every Sunday from 12-6 p.m. Admission is free and donations are appreciated. Tickets for train rides can be purchased online, or at the platform, space permitting. September and October earlier train rides tend to sell quickly, so volunteers recommend online purchases on those days.
For tickets and more information, visit michigantransitmuseum.com.
586-690-7500
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