Huron and Eastern Railway
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| Reporting mark | HESR |
|---|---|
| Locale | Michigan |
| Dates of operation | 1986–present |
| Predecessor | Saginaw Valley, Central Michigan, CSX, Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway, |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 384 miles (618 km) |
| Headquarters | Vassar, Michigan |
Huron and Eastern Railway (reporting mark HESR) is a short line railroad operating 384 miles (618 km) of track in The Thumb and Flint/Tri-Cities area of the lower peninsula of Michigan. It is one of many shortlines owned by Rail America, and was the first railroad owned by the conglomerate. Its headquarters is in the former Michigan Central Railroad depot in Vassar, Michigan.
HESR began operations in 1986, over 83 miles of former Chesapeake and Ohio track in Michigan's thumb area. This track served areas in Huron and Sanilac Counties, roughly between Bad Axe and Croswell, with a few spurs to outlying small towns. On December 22, 1988, HESR acquired CSX Transportation's Bad Axe Subdivision between Saginaw and Bad Axe.
On January 22, 1991, HESR again added more track to its system, acquiring a cluster of former Penn Central lines from the Tuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway. This new track crossed the current HESR track in Reese, and allowed the HESR to now serve Vassar and Caro, among other towns. On April 30, 1998, HESR purchased CSX's Port Huron Subdivision from Saginaw to Brown City. The line beyond Brown City is still in place to Avoca, but has been out of service since the HESR acquisition.
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