Railroad: Inland Lime and Stone Company

Built → Inland Lime and Stone railroad → Carmeuse Corporation

From: 1928

Operating for 94+ years, continuing

Ended Operations - Continuing

Reference: [MRRC]

Notes

This was an electric powered industrial railroad which ran from quarries to Port Inland, east of the Garden Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula until 1989, when diesel locomotives took over as motive power.

The railroad was built in 1928 and a crushing and screening plant was opened in 1930 at a port known as Port Inland, about 20 miles east of Manistique. The railway was seven miles long and built to standard gauge. It has an interchange with the Minneapolis St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie (Soo Line) 4.5 miles north of the port. 

Trains with electric propulsion consisted of an electric locomotive/dump box and nine 30 yard dump trailers. Current was 600v DC picked up by the motor from a side trolley. Each train had a 2 person crew who were in radio contact with a dispatcher. 

Normal operating cycle was 50 minutes for loading, 20 minutes on the road, 20 minutes unloading and 20 minutes to return to the quarry. Trains usually ran every 20 minutes.

Passing sidings were located south of Inland Jct. at Woods and Cherry Ridge sidings. North of Inland Jct., passing sidings were located at Overhead and Huntsfur.

Electric operation of this railroad ended in 1989. One motor-trailer is displayed non-working along US-2 near the plant.

Today, the railroad is powered by diesel locomotives with longer trains being used. As of the late 2010's, the railroad had at least three diesel locomotives on site.

Time Line

1928. Conditions favorable to the location of a dock at the natural harbor about two miles east of Manistique are being brought to the attention of officials of the Inland Lime and Stone Co., whose program of operations in Schoolcraft County are to be formulated within the coming year. The company is based in Chicago. The company would build docks and a main plant just east of Seul Choix, where construction of about 11 miles of railroad to the water was expected to prove necessary. [EDP-1928-1222]

1928. H.L. Mann of the Soo Line railroad offered the cooperation of his company in the work of the Inland Lime and Stone Company. [EDP-1928-1215]

2000's. The railroad is changed from electric to diesel operation.