by Jeremy Winkworth
On June 22nd, a total of 23 motor cars assembled on the ore dock relief track in West Yard, Marquette for the Summer 1996 Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (LS&I) ride. This was the third annual ride on this railroad. Once again, the LS&I have had a very busy year, shuttling taconite pellets between the open-pit Tilden and Empire mines to their 1912 built concrete ore dock north of Marquette on Lake Superior, using a fleet of GE U23C units and vintage ore jennies. After the safety meeting, our first treat was to motor up onto the ore dock for a brief look and an explanation of current dock operations. The dock is 1250 feet long and 60 feet wide, with 200 ore pockets, which can hold a total of 50,000 tons. About 4000 tons an hour can be loaded into a ship. To my embarrassment, my own Fairmont M9 had to be towed up there as the fabric drive belt had gotten wet and tightened up enough to prevent it from being started. Fortunately, the belt stretched out enough on the dock so I could start it there.
On the run up the hill to Eagle Mills, the numerous old ties thrown to the sides of the line showed that some significant track work had been done recently. After a stop at the locomotive and car maintenance facility at Eagle Mills, to sort out some minor mechanical problems, we sped through Diamond Junction onto a tripartite section of track shared with the Wisconsin Central (WC) and the Union Pacific (ex-CNW). This took us past the town of Negaunee to Euclid Yard in Ishpeming. On this occasion, Euclid Yard contained more than 50 WC coal cars, many of which still proclaimed their West Virginia heritage. These had been used to carry taconite pellets from the Marquette area directly to the Algoma Steel plant in Sault Ste Marie during the winter months when shipping on Lake Superior was suspended. A CNW engine house and depot built in the 1950's are both still in excellent condition in this remote outpost. West of Ishpeming, we dove into the backwoods of the U.P., although the divergence of many old grades revealed the extensive mining history of this end of the Marquette Range.
At Humboldt Junction, 12 miles west of Ishpeming, a WC (ex-DSS&A) line headed north towards the Copper Country but we took the LS&I branch to Republic Mine. The track improvements on the branch that started back in 1994 when I last did this run had long been completed. The lines of rusting ore cars were gone and some of the spurs they had been stored on were lifted. The wye tracks to long disused Humboldt Mine were still connected, but totally overgrown a short distance from the switches. Forty two miles from Marquette, we entered Republic Mine, where there were lines of ex-CNW ore cars waiting to be loaded with a process byproduct from mining operations, which ceased back in the late seventies. This material is sent to a cement company in Alpena via the Escanaba ore dock. We ran backwards to the grade crossing just outside the mine and turned the cars, then it was back up the hill to Humboldt, where we lunched at the Cross Cut Cafe. During the return trip, we paused in the yard at Eagle Mills to await a train of empty jennies from West Yard. Imagine the engineer's surprise to find 23 brightly colored motor cars waiting for him ! The best part of the ride for me is going back down the hill to Marquette, with Planter and the Dead River Trestles as added interest. As soon as we were safely back into West Yard, a train of loaded jennies was dispatched from Eagle Mills and we could enjoy the sight of billowing brake smoke when the train arrived. In summary, great weather, great railroad, great day !
The shape of railroading in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan looks likely to change very soon. The ex-CNW line from the mines to the Escanaba ore dock and south to Duck Creek has been put up for sale by the Union Pacific. Selected bidders include the LS&I, WC, the Escanaba and Lake Superior plus Rail America. The winning bid was to be announced in late August or early September. If the LS&I bid is successful, a ride from Marquette to Escanaba on ex-CNW ribbon rail may well be possible in 1997.
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Last Edited 28 January, 2018