Location: Antoine, MI - Antoine Yard

Antoine was the location of the CNW main yard facilities for the Iron Mountain area. There was a wye here and locomotive facilities here.

The yard was built around a wye. The C&NW main line went northwest to Stager; the northeast leg of the wye led to the ore line and the loop line; and the north side of the wye connected the two.

Photo info: Top, CNW 1560, a Baldwin AS-616, operates as the Iron Mountain switch engine, shown at Antoine Yard in 1973. [Greg Bunce]. 2nd photo, the CNW Antoine Yard office, now abandoned. [Dale Berry].

Notes

The C&NW had a coal chute on the main line just south of the south wye switch.

The C&NW Antoine depot was on the west leg of the wye, just north of the coal chute. It was a bay window design.

The coaling plant held 150 tons of coal and was constructed in 1923. It straddled two tracks at the south wye. A water tower was located here.

The C&NW engine house and turntable lead was within the south wye junction, in the center of the wye. It appears to have four stalls inside and 4 stalls outside. One of the inside stalls was extended through the back of the building. There was a car body office here.

The C&NW yard had seven yard tracks on the north side of the wye, likely to stage ore cars for the trip to and from Escanaba on the ore line. [CNWV]

The C&NW appears to have had automatic block signals on their main line here.

At Antoine Junction, just east of the east wye connection, the C&NW loop line crossed the EIM&W railway as well as the Milwaukee Road (MILW) Quinnesec branch to the Norway area. This triple crossing was originally protected by a tower interlocker, and later protected by a gate. [CNWV]. Loop Line Junction (connection between the C&NW Loop Line and the Ore Line), was about ½ mile east of the tower.

Antoine was in section 30 or T40N-R30W.

The MILW main line north to Champion went over the C&NW main line on a bridge.

Time Line

1891. September 24. The turn-table to be used for the round house at Antoine arrived last week and will be placed in position very soon now as the work is progressing rapidly. [IRR]

1906. The ice house here (next to the depot and telegraph office) is the former Atkinson depot. [CNWV]