IONIA -- After more than a century of use, a railroad line between Ionia and Lowell is being shut down.
Once an area rail hub with two depots and two train lines running through, an era ended Tuesday when a train engine hooked up a train car and pulled out of Gallagher's Farm Service in Ionia.
The Sentinel-Standard of Ionia reports Gallagher's had its last delivery by rail of anhydrous ammonia for fertilizer.
A section east of Ionia has been out of service for a while and is being developed into a recreation trail, while the Ionia to Lowell section has seen a small amount of traffic in recent years.
Plans are in the works to convert the Ionia to Lowell section into a recreation trail.