Lake Superior & Ishpeming’s locomotives
The writing has been on the wall for years. Fifteen years ago, in Trains’ April 2008 issue, David Lustig warned of the demise of Lake Superior & Ishpeming’s venerable fleet of former Burlington Northern General Electric U30C and C30-7 locomotives. Now, that time appears to have arrived at the short line on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, with additional AC power arriving to push the last of the old GEs into backup status.
Two years after Lustig’s story, the company acquired a group of General Electric AC4400CWs that pushed most, but not all, of the former BN units aside. With the AC power wearing CEFX leasing blue, crews and fans typically call them “Blues” and the older BN power “Greens.” While the Blues see service across the railroad, the Greens are typically relegated to less-demanding service from Eagle Mills to Tilden Mine.
The railroad has recently acquired three additional CEFX AC4400CWs to supplement its existing fleet of six that arrived in 2010.
The railroad purchased its first Greens in the form of 16 former Burlington Northern U30Cs in 1989 and 1990. Four BN C30-7s arrived in 1999, replacing four U30Cs that were retired and used for parts. The active fleet of Greens dwindled to just four in the last several years: U30Cs Nos. 3000 and 3009, and C30-7s Nos. 3073 and 3074. Recent mechanical issues with No. 3074 and fire damage to No. 3000 have cut the active number in half.
With only six AC4400CWs on the roster prior to 2023, operating primarily in pairs, any shift that required four crews would typically see a pair of Greens pressed into service as the fourth consist. With three additional ACs, this will give LS&I four Blue consists and a spare. While the recent additions are on the property, none have been placed in service yet. One has major mechanical problems and is scheduled to be returned to the lessor and replaced with another AC4400CW, while the other two continue to be set up for service.
Locomotive parts and components can be hard to come by these days, so the chance always exists that a number of LS&I’s AC4400CWs will be out of service during a period of high traffic levels. When this happens, the Greens may see service for short periods of time, although with far less frequency than in the past.
