Lansing Manufacturers Railroad was a beltline switching railroad organized in 1904 to connect Cornelius Vanderbilt's Michigan Central mainline on the north edge of Lansing, Michigan, to automotive factories on the west and south side of the city and to Sir Henry Tyler's Grand Trunk Railroad along the north bank of the Grand River. The company's , C-shaped right of way lay entirely within the city limits. Important customers included GM's Reatta Craft Centre, Lansing Metal Center, and both plants of Lansing Car Assembly. History Corporate Founded on August 30, 1904, with an authorized capital stock of $100,000, the LMR built its first three miles (5 km) of track during 1905. The founding owners were August Smith and Samuel L. Smith of Detroit, James B. Seager and S.F. Seager of Lansing, and James H. Seager of Houghton. With an agreement signed May 29, 1905, and effective July 1, 1905, the LMR entered into a 25-year lease with the Michigan Central Railroad and Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (later incorporated into the New York Central Railroad). The agreement called for annual lease payments of $7,500 plus $50 for expenses, and for the lessors to pay the interest on the LMR's $75,000 bonded debt. The Michigan Central was to operate the line and divide earnings and expenses evenly with the Lake Shore. At that time, the LMR's route encircled the city. The New York Central Railroad became an equal partner in the lease with a December 29, 1905, agreement with the Michigan Central. By the end of 1917, the total investment in road and equipment had reached $175,000. James H. Seager served as president, S.F. Seager as secretary/treasurer, and O.A. Jenison as superintendent. Both Seagers were also among the six directors, as was James B. Seager. As part of the nationalization of American railroads during World War I, the LMR was taken over by the United States Railroad Administration on January 1, 1918, and operated under federal supervision as part of the New York Central and Michigan Central systems until March 1, 1920. In order to protect their interests in this short but important rail link, in December 1919 the board of directors of the Michigan Central approved the acquisition of one half of the stock of the Lansing Manufacturers Railroad, and assumption of one half ($18,000) of the LMR's debt. The New York Central acquired the balance. From that point on,