January ended with CN running the old WC Jordan Spreader up to Negaunee on January 22nd at night. For what ever reason they plowed Cookes Branch at 10pm from West Wye to Diamond jct. For those wondering what Cookes Branch is, it is the former mainline that ran to Marquette from Negaunee. No trains have made this run in at least two years now. The LS&I will use about 50 cars worth of it up to Diamond Jct when they double ore trains together some days but that is about it. After plowing the branch they parked the spreader and this SD75I at Partridge for over a month. This past weekend they grabbed it at night and plowed all the way to Munising via Trout Lake with a SD60 for power.
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Later that morning I tried my hand at a blur shot between Sands and K.I. Sawyer with L549 on their run to Partridge. Nothing to amazing but I did learn some things with my camera.
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On Sundays the L549 job has been making a run all the way to Ishpeming to drop off cars for the L'Anse local, I suspect the main reason for this move is to pick up the billed Nickel loads. Here we see them coming up to Baldwin Ave in Negaunee with a few cars. Off the left is where the Ferrel Gas lead was that the LS&I was serving up until a few years ago. This summer all the track was removed up to the road.
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A little further was at Malton Rd. I'm sure Alex can correct me if I'm wrong but this rock cut is just over a mile long, and most of the cut was used to make the fill along US41 coming into Ishpeming
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After swapping cars and performing an airtest the crew heads back south to Gladstone. Here they are at Buffalo Rd on the joint LS&I track. On the left under the snow are the remains of the north track to access the long closed Tracy Mine. Here say at the bar with old timers was that the ore in the Tracy was so pure you could weld it. The companies that owned the mine went bankrupt and shuttered the mine one day.
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Standard signature shot from M35 at Goose Lake Inlet
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The next day on Feb 3rd, just by chance I caught L549 coming back north across Goose Lake. The two pulp wood cars would go back south with them after being picked up from Sawyer.
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After L549 arrived into Partridge, they handed off their short train to L540 who was waiting. L540 heading north along the CN leg of Palmer Line jct at Miller road. The tailings pile in the background is from the now shuttered Empire Mine.
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L540 coming up to LS&I Jct in Negaunee. LS&I Jct controlled access to the Mather B mine which was the last underground iron mine in the UP to be operational. It closed for good by the 1980s.
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On February 5th I caught wind that the ELS was running the 600 between Channing and Pembine. I was so late getting around after working that night that I missed the southbound run with the F leading. Here they are waiting to head back north with the ELS snow plow
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After departing Pembine we by surprised caught the Quinessec Local L552 at Hermansville
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On February 6th I returned to Escanaba to enjoy the unseasonably warm and sunny February day. First catch is L549 returning from Partridge crossing the new Escanaba River Bridge.
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The crew ended up getting a stop test shortly after crossing the bridge so once more I caught them at the old Ore Dock lead
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On February 7th I headed to Channing to catch the ELS running the plow to Amasa. Word is they hadn't been up to Amasa since late fall. The power was the 402, 600 and several empty log cars for the loadout in Amasa. Here they are at Keirnan
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Once again north of Crystal Falls in the middle of nowhere.
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Coming into the south side of Amasa
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Pulling into Amasa. The county plow truck was there to push the snow back off the crossings.
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After a several day break to plow and haul snow I once again caught the L549 job headed south, this time at a location known formely as "Swanzy". Swanzy was the location where the CNW Branch came off to head to New Swazny and Gwinn iron mines.
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Skipping about 60 miles west the next day I went for a snowshoe adventure and caught L539 climbing the L'Anse hill. Here they are at the top of the hill appropriately named 'Summit"
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Another couple day gap for a snow event, I did manage to get a pretty cool shot of the truck I've been driving hauling snow.
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On February 12th I headed out at 0700 with the snow shoes to attempt a shot from the Mather A bluff in Ishpeming. I was rewarded after 2 frigid hours in the wind with L540 departing Euclid Yard.
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On February 13th, I caught L549 headed south at M35 Crossing near McFarland. Conditions were less than ideal.
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February 16th I caught U745 with the all rail ore cars for the LS&I coming north at Little Lake passing the old spring switch indicator.
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February 23rd on accident L549 was running behind on a Sunday at 2pm and is seen entering the Goose Lake causeway. It was 50 degrees and I was snowshoing with my girlfriend when I heard their horn. 5 mins later the 902 popped out of the trees.
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February 26th I went out to catch the Mineral Range,
Crossing the old LS&I bridge over County Road CL, click the flickr link for a description on the worst mining disaster in Michigan's history that occurred here.
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Coming up on Diorite
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Coming in to Humbolt
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Back to the L549, on Feb 28th, this time heading south in Rock with 902 still leading.
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On the last day of Feb, Leap day none the less 3 of us headed out to find some trains. We were quickly rewarded with L549 turning their power at Empire Jct on the LS&I. Snow covered tailings piles from the Empire Mine dominate the skies
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We followed them to Escanaba and shot them coming over the Escanaba River Bridge.
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After making the loop in Escanaba here they are again crossing the Escanaba River on the former Soo Bridge.
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Once they yarded in Gladstone, A450 departed for Green Bay. Here they are making the turn off the connector from the old Soo Line entering the old CNW main to Green Bay.
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U745 quickly left Gladstone behind A450. We chased them all the way back home to Marquette, last light shot at Buffalo Road on the joint LS&I/ CN track in Negaunee.
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There is quite a bit of action to catch up here in the winter if you know where to look for it.