Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad
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| Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad | |
|---|---|
| Reporting marks | LSI |
| Locale | Michigan's Upper Peninsula |
| Dates of operation | 1896–present |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Headquarters | Marquette, Michigan |
The Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (AAR reporting marks LSI) (LS&I), a U.S. railroad offering service from Marquette, Michigan, to nearby locations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, began operations in 1896. The LS&I continues to operate as an independent railroad from its headquarters in Marquette.
[edit] History
The Lake Superior & Ishpeming has operated throughout its life under its original name. The LS&I was organized in 1892 as a subsidiary of the Cleveland-Cliffs iron ore mining company. From the start, the railroad's primary business was the transport of iron ore from the Marquette Iron Range, located west of Marquette, to docks on Lake Superior from which the ore could be shipped to steel mills on the lower Great Lakes. The primary towns on the iron range are Ishpeming and Negaunee, Michigan.
In 1923 the LS&I acquired the Munising, Marquette and South Eastern Railroad, a short line running from Marquette 40 miles (64 km) east to Munising. The LS&I's new spur ran through a section of the Upper Peninsula thickly forested with pulpwood, adding a second commodity to the LS&I's workload. The LS&I also operated a second spur from Marquette northwest to Big Bay.
Passenger operations were never a major function of the Lake Superior and Ishpeming. In 1929 the LS&I abandoned passenger service, one of the first American railroads to do so.
The Big Bay spur was sold in the 1960s, and Munising operations ended in the 1980s.
As of 2007, the Lake Superior & Ishpeming's primary remaining business continued to be the transport of iron ore over a 16 miles (26 km) short line from the Empire-Tilden Mine, operated by Cleveland-Cliffs, south of Ishpeming, to Lake Superior for transport.
[edit] Engineering
The Lake Superior & Ishpeming's historic main line operates on a relatively steep grade, called "The Hill", from Marquette to the iron mines. The steepest gradient is 1.63%.
Because of the location of the LS&I's Marquette docks, the railroad must cross the Dead River. The trestle is 565 feet (172 m) long and 104 feet (32 m) high.
[edit] Nicknames
The LS&I's nicknames include "Little Sally and Imogene" and "Lazy, Slow, and Independent".
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