Quincy & Torch Lake Railroad

We began our exploration on the west terminus – at the mine itself. Just past the majesty of the still-standing #2 shaft-house, we turn onto Kowsit Lats road. A funny name that most locals refer to by a different, but similar sounding phrase. Right near the turn there is a turn off on the right side. We parked the car here, noticing a break in the trees behind us. Walking back to check it out we found ourselves coming out on top of a poor rock pile, hidden from view of the road due to the simple fact that it sits directly up against the hill face

It was clear what we would find down “Roundhouse Road”. Every railroad will have one, used for the shelter, maintenance, and repair of locomotives. Essentially garages, these buildings got their name from their usual semi-circle – or round – footprint. Roundhouses would circle a central turntable, used to turn and direct locomotives to their respective berth in the building. What we found on “Roundhouse Road” however, wasn’t exactly what we expected.

Take a comprehensive look inside the old Quincy and Torch Lake Railroad Roundhouse with this 360 view from the inside.

It sat hidden in the trees along a small ridgeline that ran along the side of the line. It stood two stories, covered in a weathered gray wood that succeeded in camouflaging it against casual observers. On its midline a metal collar plate apparently once supported a round pipe. To one side a long metal exhaust pipe pointed to the sky. This only could be one thing – a water tank.

Sitting just off the track in the woods were the remains of what appeared to be a train wreck. That view from a hundred years ago must have been better then we had thought. As we hopped down a short wall and into the woods we could see two rail cars. The first was basically a steel box with a notch on the far side. It appeared to be upside down, lying on its top. A tender perhaps?

After a short distance traveling along the trail, we came to a clearing. In front of us, crossing the trail and blocking our path, was a rail line. This line, however, was intact and relatively new looking. What’s more, it was actually three rails. The rails on the outside were normal enough, but the third rail in the center had a series of teeth along its length, looking more like the edge of a saw. Looking down its length the line dropped off the edge the hill beyond our view. In the distance we could see the lift bridge towers rising just above the ridgeline. Amazingly this rail ran directly down the side of the hill.

Moving past the cog-rail, we rejoin the Quincy and Torch Lake Railroad on its journey east. High up on the hill beyond we could make out the silhouettes of the Quincy #2 complex, now the only remnants of a vast industrial skyline that once graced this hill. To those in the valley floor, the industrial power of the Keweenaw was on full display each day as this hill moaned and breathed with life. Now, however, only silence was our companion as we moved on down the line.

We have seen our fair share of graffiti on the ruins and relics of the Keweenaw. But after a few hours along the Quincy and Torch Lake we found a recurring mark on the relics we were finding which begged further explanation then simple graffiti. Both the upside down tender and the abandoned rail car were branded with a red “S”.

If you look closely along the ridge above Ripley, you can see them. Sitting atop an apparent poor rock pile, they stand watch over the valley below. Left on a siding at some time during the railroads life, they sit waiting for a passing locomotive to pick them up; a locomotive that will never come. For unknown to them, the railroad has long since closed, the rails torn up, the locomotives sold or scrapped, and they have been forgotten.

We return today to the Quincy & Torch Lake Roundhouse – at least what’s left of it. Since our last visit to the site over a year ago some more rehabilitation work has been undertaken on the structure. Along with a great deal of the other ruins at Quincy, the top of the roundhouse walls has been strengthened by a type of concrete cap. Also a good deal more brush has been whacked down around it so even more of it can be seen. Today we return for a few more panoramics – this time along the outside of the building.