The Port Huron and Northwestern Railway (PH&NW) is a defunct railroad which operated in the Thumb

The Thumb

The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten; thus the Thumb is the area that looks like the thumb of the mitten. The Thumb is generally considered to be in the Mid-Michigan area of the state, located east of Flint/Tri-Cities...

 area of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

 during the 1880s. The company was chartered by a group of Port Huron, Michigan

Port Huron, Michigan

Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...

 businessmen on March 23, 1878, and opened its first line, Port Huron to Croswell

Croswell, Michigan

Croswell is a city in Sanilac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,467 at the 2000 census.-Geography:*According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land....

, on May 12, 1879. The PH&NW's main line ran from Port Huron through Vassar

Vassar, Michigan

Vassar is a city in Tuscola County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The small town was founded March 1, 1849. The population was 2,697 at the 2010 census and 2,823 at the 2000 census...

 to East Saginaw

East Saginaw, Michigan

East Saginaw is a defunct city in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan.East Saginaw was founded in 1850, and was incorporated as a village in 1855 and as a city in 1857...

; this 91 miles (146.4 km) stretch opened on February 21, 1882. In addition the PH&NW operated three branch lines: Sand Beach, which was a continuation of the original Croswell line and ran up the Lake Huron

Lake Huron

Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...

 coast; Port Austin

Port Austin, Michigan

Port Austin is a village in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 737 at the 2000 census. The village is within Port Austin Township.-Geography:...

, which split from "Sand Beach" at Palms and went through Bad Axe before reaching the northern tip of the Thumb; and Almont

Almont, Michigan

Almont is a village in Lapeer County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,803 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Almont Township....

, which ran due west from Port Huron.

The Sand Beach branch opened completely on September 13, 1880, the Port Austin on December 11, 1882, and the Almont on October 3, 1882. The entire system, including the main line, was 3 feet (914.4 mm) narrow gauge

Narrow gauge

A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...

.

On April 1, 1889, the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad

Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad

The Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad is a defunct railroad which operated in the U.S. state of Michigan between 1857 and 1899. It was one of the three companies which merged to become the Pere Marquette Railway.-Early history:...

bought the PH&NW, which then ceased to exist as a separate company.