Location: LS&I Facilities, Presque Isle, MI

For much of its history, the Lake Superior & Ishpeming and predecessor lines had locomotive facilities at Presque Isle, north of Marquette. These facilities were moved in the early 1970's to Eagle Mills where they now exist.

Photo Info: Top, the LS&I ore dock, shortly after it was built. 2nd image, the LS&I roundhouse and turntable at Presque isle. This building was torn down in the mid-1970's. 3rd photo, The LS&I former diesel shop at Presque Isle in 1969. [Both, Mark Andersen collection]

Notes

The facility included a locomotive roundhouse, car shop and large classification yard.

The LS&I repair shops at Presque Isle (Marquette) included over twenty buildings including a 20 stall roundhouse, facilities for thawing frozen iron ore, and elaborate flower beds. The entire complex was designed and built by the Arnold Construction Company of Chicago, with virtually all construction completed between 1918 and 1922. All of the complex has been torn down. The car repair shop was 69' by 301' long. The machine and erecting shop was 115' by 142'. The powerhouse was 50' by 83' and 15' high. All of these were of brick construction. In addition, there was a wood-framed sandhouse 16' by 53'. The electric powered steel turntable was 14' wide and 85' long resting in a concrete pit. [UPM]

Time Line

1943. $25,000 Loss In Roundhouse Fire. Marquette, Mich., Nov. 24 - AP - Six locomotives were damaged badly and part of the roundhouse of the Lake Superior & Ishpeming railroad was destroyed by a fire Tuesday. Railroad officials said the loss would be about $25,000. A seventh locomotive was less seriously damaged. Eight others in the roundhouse escaped the flames. The fire began in the cab of one engine and spread to the roundhouse roof. Road officials said operations would not be interrupted. [PHTH-1943-1124]

1948. Six LS&I locomotives were damaged when a freight train crashed into the rear end of a yard engine. An engine was pulling four locomotives and nine other cars in the train which hit the yard engine. It was bringing the locomotives from Ishpeming where they had been used in iron mining operations, to Marquette for storage. No one was injured. [EDP-1948-1202]