The Spirit of Traverse City finds a new home at Buckley
For 30 years the Spirit of Traverse City, a ¼ scale steam train made in 1948, traveled around the Clinch Park Zoo in Traverse City, Michigan.
In 2012, the Northwest Michigan Engine and Thresher Club, inc., otherwise known as the Buckley Old Engine show, obtained the Spirit of Traverse City and moved it to their show grounds one mile west of Buckley, Michigan.
In the winter of 2012, all of the passenger cars were restored from the ground up with all new wood. A caboose was built during the winter of 2013 to house an air compressor for the new air brakes that were installed on each train car.
Throughout the summer of 2014, a very dedicated crew of club members laid over 2000 feet of railroad track and built an amazing trestle for the train to travel through. They also restored the locomotive and gave it a beautiful new paint job.
All of this was done just in time for the 2014 show. The Spirit of Traverse City was a huge hit! Thousands of kids and adults enjoyed rides during the four day show.
A very big heartfelt thank you to all of the hard working members who got the Spirit of Traverse City ready and to all the members who ran it during the show.
We are proud to keep the legacy of the Spirit of Traverse City going here at Buckley.