Detroit Attractions for Train Enthusiasts

Story by Michelle Martin

Although Detroit is known as the Motor City, the city’s early industrial rise can be credited to railroads. And whether you prefer historic locomotives or small-scale models, there are many places throughout metro Detroit to see and celebrate railroads and trains. Here are six metro Detroit attractions that will inspire any train enthusiast.

The Henry Ford
Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation are part of Dearborn-based The Henry Ford, and both offer one-of-a-kind train experiences. At Greenfield Village, you can ride the 1873 Torch Lake steam locomotive, which winds its way through the historic village. You also can visit the 1884 Detroit Toledo & Milwaukee Roundhouse and pull a 1901 railroad turntable outside. Inside Henry Ford Museum, there’s a large railroad exhibit that includes the Allegheny train, one of the largest steam locomotives ever built. And on a much smaller scale, be sure to stop by the museum’s Lionel trains exhibit.

Michigan Transit Museum
Listed on National Registry of Historic Places, the Michigan Transit Museum in Mount Clemens is was once a train station where a young Thomas Edison learned how to operate the telegraph. The museum not only tells the story of how Edison saved the station agent’s son from being run over by a rolling box car, but it also features historic memorabilia that chronicles the early railroad days. The museum offers round-trip train rides that leave from Joy Park in Clinton Township on Sundays. There are also special themed train rides during the year for Halloween and the “Polar Express.”

Michigan Central Station
Michigan Central Station in Corktown was at one time considered one of the most grandiose stations in the world. The last train pulled out of the station in 1988, and the once iconic building faced years of abandonment, neglect and disrepair. Ford Motor Co. purchased the property in 2018 and has made extensive renovations to restore it to its former glory. It’s expected to reopen at the end of 2023, but in the meantime, you can see the exterior of the building from the newly reimagined Roosevelt Park.

Chi-Town Union Station
Located in Commerce, about an hour north of Detroit, Chi-Town Union Station features a 40-year-old collection of O-scale model trains – the world’s largest O-scale model layout. It’s also home to the world’s longest model train. Chi-Town Union Station features models of five major railroads – New York Central; Baltimore and Ohio; Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe; Denver and Rio Grande Western; and Southern Pacific.

Detroit Zoo
The Tauber Family Railroad at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak has been a visitor favorite since 1931. The miniature railroad takes visitors from the zoo entrance to the Africa Station at the far northwest corner of the zoo. All three locomotives were refurbished in 2018 with rebuilt engines, gears, wheels and bodies.

Detroit Historical Museum
Since the 1970s, people have enjoyed seeing the Glancy Trains at the Detroit Historical Museum in midtown Detroit. The model train layout includes rare artifacts and one-of-a-kind trains as well as buttons that let you control the trains’ various functions. The train collection was donated to the museum following the death of its owner, Alfred R. Glancy Jr., who was the former owner of the Empire State Building.