Today we take a quick look at what is somewhat of an oddity here in the Copper Country – a functioning railroad trestle. Though all of the CC’s common carrier and private railroads have all disappeared off the map (along with most of their infrastructure) there does remain one operational railroad to carry on their legacy. This is the Lake Linden & Torch Lake Railroad, an extremely short line (less then half a mile) narrow gauge railroad that makes a small circle route from the old Lake Linden Mineral Range depot to the old Lake Linden Mineral Range depot. Along the way the route crosses over this small-statured trestle.
Here’s another view of the trestle in question, this time looking at it from the vantage point of the nearby marina parking lot. It almost looks as if its been here for decades, though it reality its less then five years old.
The LL&TL runs clockwise along an oval that swings around the ruins of the old Calumet Mill, cutting its way between it and the neighboring Hecla Mill ruins on the return trip. The railroad consists of two locos: an small gas/hydraulic switcher and an original steam-powered model (designated as No.3) that was once used at the mill itself by C&H. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of that steam powered model handy (the only one I do have is one I took when my son rode it several years ago – but I couldn’t find it). Fortunately the Houghton County Historical Museum – which runs the LL&TL railroad – has some pics over at its website HERE. Check it out….
I see there is no plates between the rails and ties was that common up in CC?Down here in southern Michigan all the rails I ever laid we always used plates.When the sun warms the rails they expand,on a hot day when you are working near them you can here the joints slaming together.We were always warned not to sit over a joint in the rails or you might get a half moon taken out of your behind.
In the early days of railroads, at least for narrow guage or mining lines that saw more out-of-the-way traffic, it was a common practice to lay rails without plates. Much of the track laid like this was later ripped up and relaid with plates. However, this is just a genearalization and i’m not sure this is 100% true specifically in the Keweenaw. In fact i’m sure that the old Copper Range (originally Mineral Range) right-of-way in front of my house up there in Mohawk was laid with plates; just walk down the line and you’ll find dozens of them.
I think they were tight on money… When we laid the rail to the caboose with the mine team we didn’t put down plates. to move the caboose we laied track out front, pulled it on with a front end loader, then dragged the tail of the track over and pushed it home.
Underground we used to never lay plate, even in heavily used adits… But that was underground, when we came out of the portal in Az we used them!