April 23rd.. Coming south from L'Anse on their way back to Ishpeming, L539 trundles south across one of the numerous Tama Creek crossings. Skillfully placed boulders cut the turbulence of the small water way as it meanders down from the Huron Mountains along the former Soo Line line main between Nestoria and Houghton. Pancake Ice formations can be seen swirling around in the small whirlpool before the creek ducks under the trestle. It was a 4 mile round trip hike off of Herman Nestoria road through some rugged terrain filled with moose tracks.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49809867593_d20580d93d_c.jpg)
April 27th.. IC 3102 a GP40R once employed to haul the Illinois Central Stack trains at high speeds now spends its retirement in Michigan's Upper Peninsula trundling at 10mph on the Newberry Sub. On a quick 6 hour round trip down to Rogers City I spotted these guys tied up at the Paper Mill in Munising, on my return I caught them at Driggs mile post 88. At one point during the DSSA years there was a passing siding here albiet a short one before the dirt bike jump of a bridge in the background.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49827262442_deb910bdc6_c.jpg)
Now fast Forward to June the snow is finally gone. I managed to catch L549 one Sunday Afternoon first out by Gentian near Goose Lake.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50029914177_91e8ab383b_c.jpg)
Again at Eagle Mills Jct making their Sunday only run to Ishpeming peaking through the trees on top of the rock cut.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50029116053_a0fbfe25cc_c.jpg)
Getting out of work early one Tuesday helped me to catch U745 headed backsouth at Dusk near Sands at on my favorite truck trail.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50035817982_d0f72f46fc_c.jpg)
Almost a week later I managed to catch U745 this time headed north by K.I. Sawyer. I am a couple of bends away from the iconic M94 overpass shot that everybody seems to get. I like venturing away from where most shoot when they come to visit. It helps break up the status quo normally seen of the few trains we do have here.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50063860271_d7f0de5d36_c.jpg)
Friday July 3rd around 7am L540 heads east at East Negaunee on their way to Partridge.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50071978476_490d785d5b_c.jpg)
Monday July 8th, CN 5404 and 5456 split the derelict search lights in the Malton cut near the Cambria- Jackson Mine on their way to Partridge Lite consist.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50083854646_db2e0ce7fc_c.jpg)
CN 5456 with 30 cars in tow runs down the "new alignment" between West Wye and Eagle Mills Jct. The tracks in the foreground is the former DSSA Mainline that went into downtown Negaunee. Present day CR480 takes up most of the route now. When Jones & Laughlin Mining realigned the LS&I, Soo Line and CNW tracks the old tracks in the foreground became the connector forming a large triangle out in the swamps between the Carp River and Negaunee Mine. The best way to describe the tracks in this area is as if somebody took a bunch of spaghetti and threw it at the wall and where ever it fell is where the tracks were laid.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50083271498_958affc18f_c.jpg)
About an hour later on accident I heard the Mineral Range shoving to Eulcid Yard to interchange with the CN. Here they are by the Section 16 Mine in Salisbury Location (Ishpeming)
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50083270918_f3afffc427_c.jpg)
While the Pluto Crew was shoving to Euclid I heard the iconic horn on the 1323 and headed west. After a short wait I was rewarded with them coming into Humboldt on a hot, hazzy, muggy and buggy July day.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50084088692_5a3b2f7081_c.jpg)