Just off I-96 between Grand Rapids and the lakeshore, the Coopersville & Marne Railway offers a timeless slice of American railroading.
This volunteer-driven heritage railroad operates restored vintage coaches and classic diesel power over a roughly seven-mile stretch of track between the small towns of Coopersville and Marne.
A living railroad, not a museum behind glass
What sets Coopersville & Marne apart is that it’s a working railroad. While its public face is excursion service, the organization preserves rolling stock, maintains track, and, as a federally certified common carrier, is capable of moving freight when needed.
That means visitors aren’t just looking at static displays; they’re stepping into cars that still do what they were built to do. The coaches—restored to the warm, wood-and-steel ambiance of mid-20th-century travel—carry riders through open country, past barns and creeks, and into a landscape that changes with the seasons…