Located just across from the B&B gas station is Shepherd’s very own Train Depot, which now serves as a delightful collection of history. From the gazebo alone any visitors are introduced to the general theme through its outdoor exhibits, quickly introducing us to a small railroad motor car—a “speeder.” These cars were used to inspect the long length of track, and larger models could even carry half a dozen workers with tools.The Train Depot Museum does of course have some far larger models to take in.

(SHEPHERD HAS HAD THIS SPEEDER FOR AT LEAST 23 YEARS)

Along a track adjacent to the train depot are four railcars. The very first, painted in bright red, stands as a testament to the Ann Arbor railroad, which is still largely in use today. Second down the line is yet another rather interesting piece of railroad history, a green and yellow cart belonging to the DT&I railroad. Operational for nearly seventy-eight years, the Detroit Toledo and Ironton railroad stretched 518 miles, and was temporarily owned and improved by Henry Ford—he sold the line in 1929—fifty four years before in-operation—finding regulations to be too burdensome.

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Of the four main carts, and the many in more disrepair seen in the distance, those first two are definitely more show stoppers then the rest. Yet I still highly recommend checking out all you’re able to see on your visit, there’s something immensely interesting about walking past such pinnacles of earlier industry.

(THE TRAIN DEPOT MUSEUM AT TIMES STRUGGLES WITH STAFFING, SHOULD THIS OCCUR, CONSIDER VISITING ONE OF THE OTHER NEARBY MUSEUMS)

-Caleb Stevens

SHS Sophmore

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