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The concepts presented on this web site were developed in response to After Action Reviews of major natural disasters, and events of civil unrest. The use of hospital and surgical trains were very successful during the first and second World Wars and should be used again. Amtrak is a National Asset that has been left out of the National Response plan for mass evacuation.

Michigan Central Station


	by David Kelly

Michigan Central Station is still standing in Detroit as of June 2006. At the bottom of the page I have posted a set of CAD drawings that I created for another project. To make the files smaller there are three sets of drawings:

Front and west side elevations
Track side and eastern elevations
Plan view of the station to include the front garden area and tracks.

There are two different file types. The first is .dwg which you will need some type of CAD software to open. The other is .dwf which you can download a free viewer at www.AutoDesk.com. I created the drawings in AutoCAD but you can use just about any off the shelf CAD software to modify the drawings. The files are compressed with WinZip which you can download for free by typing in key word "WinZip". The web site will walk you through the process. When you open the files you may receive a message that the PROXY files are not visible, just click "OK" you don't need them.

If you want to make prints just go to a local blueprint shop and they should be able to make prints from the .dwf format. The drawings are on "E" size 36" X 48" sheets. You can change the drawing scale using a CAD program to suit your needs.

The Detroit Public library has many of the original drawings available for people who want to do research on the station. Most of the drawings are of the interior details with only a few of the exterior elevations and none of the passenger corridor under the tracks, or the freight docks. The library also has a nice collection of photos of the station. Some are filed under Michigan Central Station. Others can be found under immigration and the tunnel project.

The drawings I created are based upon the original design concepts. There are many differences between the drawings and what was constructed mainly in the stonework details. This is not uncommon due to cost, availability of materials or other factors. Overall the construction of the station held close to the original design concept. I omitted many of the stone details because they would not print clearly at 1/8" to a foot.

If you would like more historical information and photos of the station there is a book available from Arcadia Publishing (see below) which contains all of the station photos that the Detroit public library holds in their collection. There are also several good web sites that contain historical information and detailed photos. Unfortunately most of the photos are post abandonment which shows the aftermath of vandalism.