Copper Range Railroad
Railway line in the United States of America
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
The Copper Range Railroad (reporting marks CR, COPR) was a former U.S. Class I railroad that operated from 1899 to 1972 in the western Upper Peninsula of the state of Michigan.
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 district. The line was opened from Gay to McKeever, Michigan that same year.[1]
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's Chippewa, providing daytime service between the Keweenaw Peninsula and Chicago. The service was a wartime measure and was discontinued by 1946.[1]
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.[1] 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, in North Freedom, Wisconsin, which also owns two former Copper Range Railroad Coaches #60 And Copper Range combine #25
References
- ^ a b c d Drury, George H. (1994). The Historical Guide to North American Railroads: Histories, Figures, and Features of more than 160 Railroads Abandoned or Merged since 1930. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. p. 105. ISBN 0-89024-072-8.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Copper Range Railroad.
- Copper Range Railroad Historical & Technical Society, Inc.
- Copper Range Railroad and Keweenaw copper mining history
- Copper Country Explorer
- Copper Range Railroad: The heart and veins of Houghton and the Upper Peninsula, Michigan Tech University
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Class I railroads of North America
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- 1910–1929
- 1930–1976
- 1977–present
Railroads in italics meet the revenue specifications for Class I status, but are not technically Class I railroads due to being passenger-only railroads with no freight component.
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