Opinion ID: 761262
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: History of the track

Text: 7 This action concerns a stretch of track that runs north-south in Leelanau County, Michigan, from Northport to Suttons Bay, and continues in the same direction from Suttons Bay to Hatch's Crossing. The track then runs southeasterly from Hatch's Crossing to Rennie's Station, and continues in the same direction to Traverse City, where there is a railroad station connecting the track with the interstate system. 8 Northport Suttons Bay Hatch's Crossing Rennie's Station Traverse City southerly southerly southeasterly southeasterly ---------- 9 The stretch from Northport to Hatch's Crossing is known as the Leelanau Line. From 1920 to 1994, the Leelanau Line was owned by Leelanau Transit Company (LTC), a common carrier that merged into RLTD in 1994. The segments between Hatch's Crossing and Traverse City were once owned by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company (C & O). At one time, the C & O leased LTC's line and operated both. 10 On February 10, 1975, the ICC issued an order and certificate permitting conditional abandonment by the C & O and LTC of their lines and operations, except for the short stretch of track between Traverse City and Rennie's Station. See The Chesapeake & Ohio Ry. Co. Abandonment--Between Hatch's Crossing and Northport, Leelanau County, Mich., 348 I.C.C. 343 (1975). Each railroad's abandonment was subject to the condition that each send a letter asserting that it had abandoned. After a stay of the effectiveness of the order, on March 1, 1978, the ICC lifted the stay. The conditions again came into effect, giving the railroads until March 1, 1979, to fulfill the conditions. The LTC requested a six-month extension of time to consummate, which was granted, giving it until August 1, 1979. The C & O sent a letter to the Commission, exercising its authority to abandon. The LTC sent no such letter. Subsequent to the C & O's abandonment, the LTC purchased the segment between Rennie's Station and Hatch's Crossing. 11 On September 29, 1980, the C & O filed another application to abandon a long stretch of track which extended north to include the segment from Traverse City to Rennie's Station, and the ICC authorized abandonment on June 12, 1981. The C & O then consummated the abandonment, leaving the LTC with no working connection to the interstate rail system. 12 From May 1, 1991, until October 24, 1993, LTC's track was operated as a scenic tourist railroad under a lease to the Leelanau Scenic Railroad Company. This seems to be the only rail use of the line since the C & O abandoned the Traverse City-Rennie's Station segment in 1981. In March of 1994, LTC merged into the Leelanau Transit Holding Company, which then merged into RLTD. In the same month, RLTD sold the section of track north of Suttons Bay to the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa, and it contracted to sell the remaining southern portion of its track to petitioner LTA. The line from Northport to Suttons Bay has been salvaged, and portions of the southern end of the track have been paved over. 13 This action arises from the RLTD's application to abandon the Leelanau Line. Dependent upon a successful abandonment is the LTA's application to railbank the stretch of track from Hatch's Crossing to Suttons Bay. 3