Copper Range - 29 steam locomotive (2-8-0) & tender

The Copper Range Railroad was a former U.S.

Class I railroad In the United States, railroad carriers are designated as Class I, II, or III, according to annual revenue criteria originally set by the Surface Transportation Board in 1992. With annual adjustments for inflation, the 2019 thresholds were US$5 ...

that operated from 1899 to 1972 in the western Upper Peninsula of the state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

History

The Copper Range Railroad was incorporated in 1899 as a successor to the Northern Michigan Railroad. The railroad was controlled by the Copper Range Company, the second largest producer of copper in the

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh w ...

district. The line was opened from Gay to McKeever, Michigan that same year. Reorganization was necessary by 1930. In 1944 the railroad reinstated passenger service (only mixed train service had been offered from some time) with the ''Chippewa'', which ran between Houghton and McKeever where it connected with the

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experienced ...

's ''Chippewa'', providing daytime service between the

Keweenaw Peninsula The Keweenaw Peninsula ( , sometimes locally ) is the northernmost part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States, leading to its moniker of " Copper Country." As ...

and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. The service was a wartime measure and was discontinued by 1946. From 1909 to 1945, some students were transported to and from Jeffers High School via a special train on the Copper Range Railroad. The Copper Range Railroad operated until October 27, 1972; it was dismantled soon after. Service to Houghton via Soo Line's ex- Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic branch lasted less than a decade longer. During its life span, the Copper Range Railroad rostered 24 steam and 3 diesel locomotives.

Legacy

Copper Range #29 is currently under restoration at the

Mid-Continent Railway Museum The Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a railroad museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin, United States. The museum consists of static displays as well as a round trip ride aboard preserved railroad cars. History The rail line used by the Mid-Contin ...

, in North Freedom, Wisconsin, which also owns two former Copper Range Railroad Coaches #60 And Copper Range combine #25

References

External links

Copper Range Railroad Historical & Technical Society, Inc.

Copper Range Railroad and Keweenaw copper mining history

Copper Country Explorer
Defunct Michigan railroads Transportation in Houghton County, Michigan 1899 establishments in Michigan Railway companies disestablished in 1972 Former Class I railroads in the United States Railway companies established in 1899 {{Michigan-transport-stub