Ann Arbor Railroad (1988)
The Ann Arbor Railroad is a Class III Railroad that operates fifty miles of track from Toledo, Ohio to Osmer, Michigan. The railroad is operated by Watco and is based out of Toledo. Prior to Watco, the railroad was operated by the Ann Arbor Acquisition Corporation from 1988 to 2013, by the Michigan Interstate Railway from 1977 to 1988, and as a privately owned enterprise prior to 1977. Current Operations. The Ann Arbor Railroad operates of track between its main terminal, Ottawa Yard, in Toledo, Ohio and Ann Arbor, Michigan, the interchange point with the Great  Lakes Central Railroad and Norfolk Southern. A branch line known as the Saline Branch stretches four miles from Pittsfield, Michigan to Saline, Michigan. The Saline Branch has been used in the past to serve the Faurecia Automotive Components Plant located in Saline, Michigan but is not currently being used in revenue service. The Ann Arbor Railroad also leases and operates an industrial lead in Toledo, Ohio owned by the Norfolk Southern. Much of what the railroad transports is "bridge traffic" and is received at either end of the railroad and transported for interchange with another railroad at the opposite terminal . A variety of different cargoes are transported ranging from grain to liquefied petroleum gas to wooden poles. In Toledo, the railroad serves Chrysler transporting finished vehicles from the Toledo Complex. Hallett Tower, the only remaining operational interlocking tower in Ohio, ceased operation in September 2019 with all dispatching duties being shifted to the dispatch center in Pittsburg, Kansas. While the tower itself is still standing, it is now being utilized by the signal dept.