Timetable: Copper Range Railroad - Main Line - Mass to Calumet

This is the main line of the Copper Range Railroad (COPR) owned by the Copper Range Company, owner of many copper mines in Ontonagon, Houghton and Keweenaw counties. The primary purpose of this route was to haul copper ore from area mines to smelters along Lake Superior, as well as bring finished copper products to the docks at Houghton. The railroad also offered daily passenger service (including a train to bring children to Painesdale for school and back home).

The original line from Houghton to Mass City was built in the summer and fall of 1899. The line was extended across Portage canal to Calumet in 1903. A main line cut off from Mill Mine (Painesdale) Junction to Ricedale using the Painesdale branch was built in 1913 and the old main line north of Ricedale was pulled up. The Freda branch to the smelters on Lake Superior was built in 1901, and the line to Laurium in 1903 after the Portage bridge was opened. A line owned by the Mohawk Mining Company from the Mohawk mine area to the smelters at Gay was leased to the COPR in 1917. (It had been operated earlier by the Mineral Range railroad). 

The line from Lake Linden to Calumet was abandoned in 1964, and the entire line from McKeever to Lake Linden was abandoned and removed in 1973. The Dispatchers office was at the Houghton depot/office. [ETT-1930]

Note Key: C=Coal | CS=Car Shop | D=Open > Day | DN=Open Day and night | DS=Dispatcher | DT=Double Main Track | EH=Enginehouse | HI=Half Interlocker | I=Interlocker | J=Junction | LB=Liftbridge | N=Open at night | P=Passing Track w/40' car capacity | RH=Roundhouse # stalls | S=Scales | SB=Swingbridge | T=Turntable | TC=Telegraph call | W=Water | X=Crossing | Y=Wye | Yard=Yard

[REF] = COPR timetable plus additions.

Notes

Trains will not exceed eight mph on Firesteel bridges 2, 3 and 4, two miles north of Lake Mine, at Mill Mine Junction, while passing Lake Superior Smelter and Hodge Iron Co. foundry at Hancock, and within yard limits at Mohawk and Gay.

The Water Works Spur crossing in Calumet is stop and proceed when known to be clear of H&TL trains. [ETT-1930]

Signals govern of the C&H railroad on the Lake Linden freight house spur. Signal is operated by the C&H signal tower, normal position clear for C&H. Call for signals by one long blast of whistle.

C&H crossing at Centennial is stop and proceed if observed to be clear.

The interlocking plant at Point Mills Jct. (Atlas) is to govern the movement of trains crossing the Mineral Range track for Senter. It does not govern the movement of trains on the COPR main line. The branch line switch on the COPR is lined by hand, trains will then proceed as far as the derail, its location is indicated by the standard switch target and will serve as a signal governing the movement of trains across the MR. A similar derail and target is located on the Senter branch for trains leaving the branch. It serves as a signal for trains wishing to cross the MR track. [ETT-1930] Note: This would indicate that Point Mills was a class II interlocking with signals on the MR and derails on the COPR Senter branch.

There were at least seven water stations on the COPR main line. Tanks at Calumet Jct. (1903), Houghton (1899), Stonington (1899) and Lake Mine (1905) were steam operated. Stations at Point MIlls Jct. and Mill Mine Junction (2) (1901 and 1905) were gravity fed.

COPR Bridge #14 was a 156' steel ballasted trestle which was built over the Trap Rock Valley. The road also had a thru-girder steel bridge over Old Mill Road, built in 1908. COPR also had a 337' steel and concrete girder bridge near the Douglass Houghton Falls.

Time Line

1899. The main line is built from Houghton south to Mass City by way of Mill Mine Junction and Winona. [MRL]

1901. A branch is built from Mill Mine Junction to Painesdale to reach the mining district there. [MRL] This was converted to their main line in 1913.

1901. Branches to Greenland Mine, Adventure Mine, Freda and Edgemere are added. [MRL]

1902. Branches to Winona Mine, Baltic Mine and Redridge are built. [MRL]

1902. SNAPSHOT. The Copper Range railroad operated a round trip passenger train from Houghton south to Mass City. This is a daily southbound train (#4) and is a mixed train with freight. Northbound, as #3, it is daily except Sunday with only passenger cars. Travel time between end points is about 1 and 1/2 hours. The railroad also operated a daily train between Houghton and the Baltic and Trimountain mines. #1 and #2 make the trip in 35 minutes. [DD-1902-0201]

1902. COPR purchases six passenger coaches, 30 40-ton ore cars, 10 boxcars, 20 flat cars, five gondolas, one 40-ton wrecking crane and three locomotives to serve the extension of their main line from Houghton north to Calumet (via Hancock). An agreement was reached to use the Portage canal bridge, with the railroad reimbursing the Mineral Range railroad for ½ of their costs. This required the approval of the federal government. [CRR]

1903. The main line is extended across Portage Lake and on to Calumet. A 1.9 mile branch from Calumet Junction and Laurium is built. [MRL]

1908. July 31. A serious wreck was narrowly averted on the Copper Range railroad when the engine and tender of the through Ontonagon flyer left the track and turned over in a ditch. Excessively heavy rains were responsible. The escape of the engineer and fireman was miraculous and fortunately the passenger coaches remained on the track. The exact location was not identified. [UVC-1908-0731]

1909. The line from McKeever to Mass City is removed. [MRL] McKeever remains as the junction with the CMSt&P.

1909. Two mile branch from Houghton Yard to Cole's Creek is built to serve the new Michigan Smelter along Portage canal. [MRL]

1911. January 31. Six persons were injured, one fatally, in a head on collision between freight train No. 59 and ore train No. 26 on the Copper Range railroad at the dangerous curve at the Michigan smelters. Henry Mero, brakeman, was hurt so badly that his life is despaired-of. The others injured were the engineer, fireman, conductor, brakeman and another conductor. [DET-1911-0131]

1911. March 1. Telephonic train dispatching on the Copper Range will be begun within a few days. Chief Electrician Rankin has completed the installation of the phone system and all that remains to be done is the printing of the instructions to dispatchers and station agents. [CN-1911-0101]

1911. All 15 bridges between Houghton and McKeever were replaced with steel structures on concrete piers of filled-over concrete culverts. [CRR]

1913. The Painsdale branch is continued to a connection with the main line at Ricedale. This becomes the new main line and the old main line from Mill Mine Junction is removed. [MRL]

1913. A 3.2 mile branch from Atlas to Senter is built. [MRL]

1913. April. Construction is started on the 3.4 mile Painesdale extension, from Painesdale (Champion Mine area) to Ricedale on the original main line. The line was put into operation in December. Maximum grades were 1.2 percent.[CRR]

1917. Copper Range railroad takes over (via lease) the Mohawk Mining Co. branch from near Mohawk to Gay on Keweenaw Bay. This had formerly been leased to the Mineral Range. [MRL]

1917. A connection is built between Nichols and Fulton, a distance of 0.6 miles. [MRL]

1928. The Ellis Spur, to the Ellis Lumber Company, branched north off the COPR main line at Lake Mine for three miles. The local train would push empty flat cars from McKeever to the siding, and then return to McKeever. North of M-26 on this branch was an engine house and mill yard. The branch existed between 1928 and 1936, and was scrapped in 1938. [MIS-2022-W]

1928. The branch from Freda to Freda Park is removed. [MRL]

1930. The branch to Winona Mine is removed. [MRL]

1930. Extra trains are generally allowed to run without orders, clearing for scheduled trains.

1930. SNAPSHOT. The Copper Range operates two daily except Saturday and Sunday passenger trains. #6 operates from Houghton to Atlantic and Mill Mine Junction, leaving at 5:30 am. #7 returns from Mill Mine to Atlantic at 6:57 pm, and then likely deadheads back to Houghton.  #8 leaves Atlantic southbound at 7:01, stopping at Mill Mine Jct., South Range, Baltic, Trimountain and Painesdale. #11 returns northbound leaving Painesdale at 2:30 pm and picking up at these same stations arriving back in Atlantic at 2:44 pm. These trains transport students along the range to Painesdale for school. The railroad also operated 14 second class (mixed) trains on various routes.

1930. SNAPSHOT: Various branch lines (Gay, Mohawk Branch and Senter branches) operate second class scheduled trains which appear to be mixed trains which allowed passengers. The Gay branch had round trips on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, leaving Calumet Jct. for Gay at 9:45 am and returning at 2:15 pm. The Mohawk branch had two round trips on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, leaving Mohawk at 10:35 and 1:50 pm, returning at 10:07 am and 1:40 pm. These were short, five minute trips. The Senter branch operated two round trips Monday-Friday, leaving Atlas at 6:15 am and 3:00 pm, returning at 7:00 am and 3:57 pm, 15 minute trips.

1939. The branches to Greenland and Adventure Mines are removed. [MRL]

1964. The branch from south of Lake Linden to Calumet is abandoned. The Senter branch, Laurium branch, Gay Branch, and Fulton extension are removed. [MRL]

1964. June 30. The ICC authorizes abandonment of 33% of the Copper Range railroad system, including Atlas Junction to Senter, Lake Linden Junction to Calumet, Calumet Junction to Laurium, Calumet Junction to Nichols, Mohawk to Gay, and discontinuance of operation of the leased Keweenaw Central from Nichols to Fulton. [CRR]

1971. The branches from Mill Mine Jct. to Freda, the Edgemere Branch, and the Redridge Branch are abandoned. [MRL]

1972. October 26. The last train is operated between Houghton to Lake Linden. The last train was operated from Houghton to McKeever the next day.

1973. The remainder of the line, from McKeever to Lake Linden is removed, along with the Baltic Mine and Cole Creek branches, and the Houghton Yard. [MRL] Much of the line was sold to the State of Michigan for use as snowmobile trails. [CRR]