Romeo has a fascinating transportation history. It's had automotive assembly plants, trolleys, and railroads in the area. Today, we'll highlight one aspect of that: the Grand Trunk Depot.
The Grand Trunk Depot was built around 1890. It was 16 feet, 4 inches by 56 inches, 9 inches. The station was located south of St. Clair Street on the west side of the tracks. The photo you see here was taken in 1917.
Romeo had trains coming through long before the depot was constructed. The village was served by the Michigan Air Line Railway. That company consolidated on August 25, 1868, and it ran from Jackson to Richmond. It became a part of the Grand Trunk system on October 15, 1877 and was incorporated into the Grand Trunk Western Railroad along with nine other railroads on May 9, 1928.
The interesting part of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad is that it's owned by a Canadian company, more specifically the Canadian National. It's one of three U.S. properties owned by that organization. Currently, the railroad is under a subsidiary holding company known as Grand Trunk Corporation according to the Grand Trunk Western Historical Society.
As for the Romeo Grand Trunk Depot, it no longer exists. The station was removed a long time ago although when The Romeo Observer featured an article about the Grand Trunk Western Railroad in 1980, special reporter Nancy Parmenter mentioned that it was being used as a real estate office.
Do you have memories of the Romeo Grand Trunk Depot? Share them with the Romeo Community Archives.
To learn more about the Grand Trunk Depot and transportation in Romeo, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890.
Images and sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives; Melvin E. and Joan D. Bleich Collection, The Romeo Observer, January 16, 1980, p.10 and The Romeo Observer Centennial Supplement, August 11, 1966, p.1