The Ramona Branch was a railroad branch line in Kent County, Michigan. First placed in service in August, 1888,[1] it ran 2.53 miles (4.07 km)[2] starting from its connection at its western end with the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad (Currently CSX) at Oakdale Park Station in southeast Grand Rapids, Michigan near present day Eastern Avenue railroad crossing on the CSX Grand Rapids Terminal Sub. It ran in a north easterly direction to end at the popular resort Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids, Michigan.[3] It is a separate line from the Grand Rapids & Reeds Lake Railway line that connected to Ramona Park in the same area.

Ramona Branch
Overview
StatusAbandoned
OwnerGrand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit Railroad
LocaleKent County, Michigan
Termini
Stations2
Service
Services1
Operator(s)Leased to Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad
History
OpenedAugust 1888
Closed1924?
Technical
Line length2.53 mi (4.07 km)
Track length2.53 mi (4.07 km)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Operating speed0 mph (0 km/h)

Remnants

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The line was abandoned. Remnants remain in a railroad spur along Ramona Street in south east Grand Rapids, Michigan, as well as in several paths and walkways. The former course of the line can be seen on city maps, as several streets are interrupted by the former course of the railbed.

References

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  1. ^ Twenty-Third Annual Report of the Commissioner of Railroads for the State of Michigan. 1895.[full citation needed]
  2. ^ Poor, Henry Varnum (1865). Manual of the Railroads of the United States. Vol. 27. New York: H.V . & H.W. Poor. p. 895. OCLC 6020508. Retrieved October 24, 2009 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Baxter, Albert (1974) [1891]. "Navigation". History of the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan: With an Appendix—History of Lowell, Michigan. Grand Rapids, MI: Grand Rapids Historical Society. p. 522. OCLC 2841595. Retrieved October 24, 2009 – via Google Books. The landings at Reeds Lake are now reached by street railway extensions and by the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad.