Timetable: C&NW - Ironwood Branch - Watersmeet to Ironwood

The C&NW Ironwood Branch was built in 1883 and 1884 by the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western railroad and sold to the C&NW in 1893. This line connected Ironwood, Bessemer and Wakefield with Milwaukee on the south and Ashland on the west. It was built to provide passenger, freight and ore service to these communities.

The line was abandoned and removed in 1981-1982. [MRL]

Key:  C=Coal | D=Open during the day | DN=Day and night | G=Gates | H=Half Interlocked | J=Junction | N=Open at night | OH - Overhead Crossing | P=Passing Track w/40' car capacity | S=Scales | T = Turntable | TC=Telegraph call | W=Water | X=Crossing | Y=Wye | Yard=Yard

Notes

Note 1: According to a 1898 Sanborn map, this was an overhead crossing with the Soo Line crossing the C&NW on an overhead bridge. [SBM-1898]

Time Line

1890. December. Numerous newspaper articles say that railroad service between Watersmeet and Ashland, WI has been discontinued. [DFP-1890-1225]

1896. James McConnell who was formerly the popular conductor on the C&NW short line here (at Bessemer) is now running a freight from Ashland to Watersmeet. Jim was in high favor with the travelling public and there are many who would be pleased to see him returned to his former position. [BHN-1896-0516]

1905. The C&NW is laying new 80-pound steel rails on their tracks between Ironwood and Wakefield. [BHN-1905-0422]

1916. March. The North-Western railroad is making great preparations for the handling of half million tons of ore from the Gogebic range, to begin about March 25th. In preparation for the work operators are being installed at every siding north (west) of Stager and a request has been made for 30 train crews, twenty from the Ashland division and 10 from the Peninsular division. At Basswood, Hazel and Chicagoan Lake junction there are operators being placed and they will be maintained there night and day. A train dispatcher will be stationed at Watersmeet.

The trains will be run to Escanaba in two relays, one crew taking a train of 20 cars from Ironwood to Stambaugh where they will be consolidated in the Palatka yards and then a crew will take 40 cars from that point to Escanaba. The small trains hauled from Ironwood is due to the condition of the track between Iron River and Ironwood. Even with that precaution the company will have to hurry and get the ore across before the frost commences to come out of the ground or they will not be able to haul twenty cars.

It is understood that the U.S. Steel company, which is the party in extreme need of the ore, has given orders to get the ore to the furnace regardless of the cost. [DD-1916-0318]

1926. The withdrawal of the "Scoot" run between Wakefield and Ironwood on the C&NW effective March 1 should come as no surprise to the people of the Gogebic range. Patronage on these trains was so small that the MPUC did not feel justified in requiring the railroad to continue the schedule. Motor buses are available on the same route. [IDG-1927-0221] Ed. Note: The "scoot" was some type of rail gasoline self propelled passenger car.

1930. A gasoline car may soon be placed in operation on the regular afternoon run from Watersmeet to Ironwood by the C&NW railroad. It has not been decided whether the gas car will run from Iron river to Ironwood, or from Watersmeet to this point, returning in the afternoon. [IDG-1930-0927]

1931. October. The North Western railroad will change its schedule for passenger trains operating between Hurley and Watersmeet. Trains No. 121 and 122 will be taken off the run and combination trains carrying way freight, passengers, express and mail will take their place. The combination train will leave Ironwood about 7:30 am eastbound in the morning and the other combination train will leave Watersmeet westbound about the same time. Division officials said the change was due to the heavy motor car and motor bus traffic which has so greatly reduced passenger traffic on the trains that it is considered inadvisable to operate the regular trains between Hurley and Watersmeet. No. 121 and 122 had been known as the "Cordwood Limited". [IDG-1931-0611]

Pre-1930's. Most of the ore from the Gogebic Range is shipped via the Port of Ashland. [IOR]

1934. May. The ICC has approved the plan of the C&NW and Soo Line railroads to pool ore traffic from the Gogebic range to the Ashland docks. The plan will mean considerable savings for the railroads and will cause a number of changes. The North Western will handle 69% of the ore and the Wisconsin Central (Soo Line) will handle 31% of the  tonnage shipped, based on two years of previous market share. All of the ore cars of the applicants would be pooled and there would be joint maintenance and switching on the range, and unnecessary spur tracks would be abandoned. All dock operations would be jointly handled. 

About $25,000 would be necessary for connecting tracks and a crossover at Ashland and about $13,900 for track connections on the range. The service of three car inspectors and a dock agent at Ashland and three car inspectors on the range would no longer be necessary. Considerable dead-heading of engines from Ashland to Ironwood for use in switching on the range would be eliminated. The North Western facilities are sufficient to take care of all engines operating on the range. The coaling stations of the WC at Ironwood and Bessemer would be abandoned. 27.67 miles of spur track on the range could be abandoned and pooling of cars would permit performance of adequate service with 500 less cars.

Under the pooling agreement, dock No. 1 (North Western) would be abandoned immediately and the North Western in consideration of yearly rentals of $4,000 for 1934, $10,000 for the years 1935 to 1938 inclusive, and $33,000 for the years 1939 to 1941 inclusive would use the WC dock for that part of its tonnage that could not be handled over its remaining docks. The rentals for the next three years are one half of the estimated annual cost of replacing dock No. 1 during the year 1939.

The North Western would also be required to build on or before January 1, 1942, a modern dock of the same capacity as that of the WC, to replace its wooden docks and when such dock is completed, to assume the cost of ownership of 38% of the WC dock, including the approach thereto and the land upon which such dock and approach are located. [BHN-1934-0511]

1936. The Hurley Commercial club has received an assurance that Hurley instead of Ironwood will be made the terminal point for the C&NW trains 122 and 123. Under the schedule that will become effective Monday, train No. 122 will leave Hurley at 1:38 for Bessemer, Wakefield, Watersmeet and other points and that train No. 121 will arrive at Hurley at 3:05 carrying Ironwood mail and parcel post transferred from the DSS&A. [IDG-1936-1020]

1937. SNAPSHOT. Ore shipments to the docks at Ashland from the Gogebic range have passed the million ton mark. Thirteen switch engine crews are working on the North Western today, and six on the Soo Line, a total of 19 crews on the range, while four crews are working on the "short runs" between Wakefield on the east and Orva and Hoyt on the west. Nine crews are hauling ore to Ashland. [IDG-1937-0525]

1946. Sleeper car service between Hurley and Ironwood resumes to Chicago after the end of the war. [IDG-1946-0207]

1950. Iron ore shipments from the Gogebic range are going to the Escanaba docks for transfer to the lower lake furnaces. Two trainloads left the Wakefield yards for Watersmeet where they were transferred to the Peninsula Division. Each trainload consisted of 55 cars. Two diesel engines, of two units each, are being used in the local haul to Watersmeet. Sunday Lake and Cary mine ore was included. This movement lasted only two weeks once the port of Ashland was rid of ice. [WAK-1950-0428]

1950. The Wakefield and Bessemer city council went on record urging better freight, passenger and telegraph service from the railroad company. It has been suggested by town officials that the passenger train could be brought west from Watersmeet through Wakefield and Bessemer but railroad officials have stated the road bed between here and Watersmeet was in poor condition and could not withstand the load. This excuse was blasted wide open this summer when long strings of heavy loaded ore cars were hauled over the road by new diesel engines. [BH-1950-0824]

1951. Ashland (WI) cries over the loss of ore business. Acute demand for iron ore at the smelters and a shortage of boats - not "subsidies" to the C&NW - is resulting in additional tonnage of Gogebic Range ore coming to Escanaba rather than Ashland, said Leonard Reynolds, the superintendent of the Peninsula Division of the C&NW. Gogebic ore to Escanaba is expected to continue so long as the need requires. The North Western hauls ore to Escanaba as directed by the mining companies he pointed out. In the 1950 season, the C&NW moved a total of 352,118 tons of Gogebic ore by rail to Escanaba. The figure this year will be much higher. [WAK-1951-0601]

1959. August. The ICC authorizes the C&NW railway to abandon a five-mile logging line in Gogebic County linking Stickley and Cisco Lake. The segment has been out of use for some time. [EDP-1959-0805]

Pre-1960's. The production of ore declined steadily from the 1920's. During those years, the amount of ore declined from 9 million to 3 million tons annually. [ION]

1960. Most F-7 diesel locomotives were sent to Chicago commuter service, and replaced on ore and freight trains by Fairbanks-Morse units. [IOR]

1960. C&NW Seeks To Route Ashland Ore to Escanaba. The ICC is expected to rule within weeks on a petition by the railroad to reduce its ore hauling rate from the Gogebic Range to Escanaba by 55¢ a ton. If approved, the Escanaba dock would be called upon to handle 3-4 millions more tons of ore each year which is now shipped out of Ashland on Lake Superior. The current dock at Ashland is owned by the Soo Line and used in a pool arrangement. Steel companies continue to clamor for reduced shipping rates.

Current shipping rates between the Gogebic Range to Ashland and then to Chicago is $3.25 per ton (including lake shipping of $2). Using the Gogebic Range to Escanaba route is $3.20 (including a lake rate of only $1.20). The C&NW is proposing to the ICC to reduce the rail portion of this move by 55¢ per ton. No reduction is proposed on its rate to Ashland.

The proposal is opposed by the Soo Line (partner in the pool), which plans to seek a rate reduction to Ashland of 38¢ per ton. They intend to "do everything possible" to keep the port of Ashland competitive with the port of Escanaba insofar as the shipment of iron ire is concerned. C&NW stated that the Escanaba dock is able to handle the entire Gogebic area output.

If Ashland loses its ore shipping industry, it would involve about 150 jobs, including dock workers, office staff and railroad crews. [EDP-1960-0317]

1965. The last iron mine on the Gogebic range closes. [IOR]