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

The Copper Range Railroad was a former

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

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$ ...

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

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

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 Copper Range Company was a major copper-mining company in the Copper Country of Michigan, United States. It began as the Copper Range Company in the late 19th century as a holding company specializing in shares in the copper mines south of Hou ...

, 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 wa ...

district. The line was opened from

Gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

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 Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States fr ...

'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 o ...

and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. 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 Jeffers High School is a public school in Painesdale, Michigan. It serves students in grades 7–12 for the Adams Township School District. History Before 1949, Jeffers was called Painesdale High School. It was built in 1909, replacing the origin ...

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

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

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-Conti ...

, in

North Freedom, Wisconsin North Freedom is a village along the Baraboo River in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 701 at the 2010 census. History North Freedom was named from the American ideal of freedom. Geography North Freedom is located a ...

, 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