Timetable: Soo Line - Bessemer Branch - Mellen to Bessemer

This Soo Line subdivision extended from Mellon, WI through Hurley, WI and Ironwood, MI east to Bessemer and the Anvil Mine at Bessemer, MI. This line was built and operated by the Gogebic & Montreal River railroad and eventually became the Soo Line. Stations open as of 1961.

Key: BB=Bascule Bridge | C=Coal | CS=Car Shop | D=Open > Day | DN=Open Day and night | DS=Dispatcher | DT=Double Main Track | EH=Engine house | F=Diesel Fuel | HI=Half Interlocked Crossing | I=Interlocked Crossing | J=Junction | LB=Lift bridge | N=Open at night | P=Passing Track w/40' car capacity | Q=Quarry | RH=Roundhouse # stalls | RT=Railroad Resort | S=Scales | SB=Swing bridge | T=Turntable | TC=Telegraph call | W=Water | X=Crossing | Y=Wye | Yard=Yard

Notes

From Lake Street to Siemens, this was run as double track jointly with the C&NW.

Maximum speed 45 mph except for loaded ore trains between Hoyt and Ballou which were restricted to 35 mph and 25 mph between Ballou and Mellen.

In 1909 this was the Fourth District, Penokee Line. [ETT]

[REF] = Greg Bunce + [MRL] + additions.

Time Line

1887. Line was built by Gogebic & Montreal River railroad. [MRL]

1888. Line is leased by the Wisconsin Central railroad (original WC). [MRL]

1909. The Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie leases the line from the WC. [MRL]

1909. Two passenger trains each way on this branch, morning and evening. Bessemer, Ironwood and Upson were day staffed stations and Mellon was DN. 

1921. There is speculation that the Soo Line will extend east from Bessemer to Thomaston to open up travel from the Twin Cities directly to the Gogebic range. The article notes that the railroad extends more than a mile east of the Bessemer railroad station, while the road bed has been built to a point nearly south of the Anvil mine properties. About eight miles of construction work must be done to connect the Soo Line with the South Shore at Thomaston. [EDP-1921-08]. Ed. Note: At this time, the Soo and DSS&A were under common ownership by the Canadian Pacific but operated separately. This line was never extended and was part of many speculations of railroad expansion in the western upper peninsula which never materialized.

1928. The Wisconsin railroad commission announced a decision on the application of the Soo Line railroad for permission to discontinue the operation of passenger trains 311 and 312 between Mellen and Bessemer. The hearing was held at the Hurley court house. The Commission allows the company to operated a mixed train between Mellen, WI and Bessemer, MI from May 1 to November 1, and for the balance of the year the railroad company must maintain a passenger train daily each way under the schedule now in operation. [BHN-1928-0824]

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]

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]

1945. The Soo Line and C&NW operated a double track main line between Siemens and Lake Street (Ironwood). Both tracks were operated under C&NW dispatcher control. [SOO ETT-1945-12-01]

1958. No one was injured when a locomotive and caboose ran off the tracks at 9:30 Thursday morning in Hoyt Yard, between Montreal and Iron Belt, a Soo Line railroad company official reported today. The locomotive and caboose sped down a hill and went off the end of a dead end track because of lack of sufficient air to operate the brakes properly. Both the locomotive and caboose remained upright. Crews are now working to put the units back on the tracks. [IDG-1958-0912]

1961. The line becomes part of the Soo Line system. [MRL]

1963. April. The ICC authorizes the Soo Line railroad to abandon its operation over the interstate bridge between Duluth, MN and Superior, WI. It noted that service would be maintained over an alternate route. [IDG-1963-0409]

1987. The Wisconsin Central (second) purchases the Soo Line. [MRL]

1980s. The line is abandoned.