New railroad in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula NEWSWIRE

ISHPEMING, Mich. – For years, the railroad news out of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has been one of contraction and abandonment, as mines and paper mills closed. Now there is a positive story: the new Mineral Range Railroad. Owned by Mineral Range, Inc., a privately held corporation, the company purchased 12 miles of line from the Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad on Jan. 1, 2013, and became a common carrier. It also bought 1.9 miles of ex-LS&I right-of-way – the tracks had been pulled up in 2005 and the route rail banked, but now Mineral Range is rebuilding the line.

The motivation behind this railroad revival is Lundin Mining, which is opening the Eagle Mine, a copper and nickel mine, and is trucking the material to a mill processing facility near Champion, approximately 25 miles south of the mine. The new Humboldt Mill is being built on the site of the former Humboldt Mine, once served by LS&I ore trains. The mill will crush and process copper and nickel ore into concentrates and ship it over the short line. Mineral Range will interchange the cars to Canadian National at Ishpeming.

Mineral Range got its start in 2002, when it began switching a 3-mile industrial track near Ishpeming. It was not a common carrier, but was an attraction for fans with its ex-Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal SW1. Mineral Range gave up the operation in 2003, and another company handled switching for a decade, but on June 1, 2013, Mineral Range resumed switching operations. This time the company acquired some of the industry track and began operating it as its Pluto Subdivision. Mineral Range uses an NW2 to switch the line about three days per week.

Later this year, “main line” operations will begin, when the Humboldt Mill opens. At present, only Canadian National’s L’Anse Local uses the 12 miles of line, which Mineral Range calls its Blueberry Subdivision, between Landing Junction near Ishpeming and Humboldt Junction, where the rebuilt track will connect. About half the track from Humboldt Junction to the mill has been laid, with the remainder to come this spring.

Shipments will primarily be outbound copper and nickel concentrates moving in covered gondolas. Mineral Range officials tell Trains News Wire they expect to switch the plant five or six times a week, and approximately three days a week run 15 to 20 car trains to Ishpeming. The company acquired former Erie Mining/LTV Steel Alco C420 No. 7222 for its operations, and plans to obtain more locomotives to back up the Alco. Officials said an engine house will be built this summer, but the location has yet to be chosen.

Shipments are to begin in the fourth quarter of this year.