Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad

Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad

Company type	Independent railroad company
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1893
Founder	Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company (subsidiary)
Headquarters	Marquette , United States
Area served	Upper Peninsula, Michigan
Products	Iron ore transportation, freight services
Owner	Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.
Number of employees	121 (in 1904) (1904)
Parent	Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company (subsidiary at founding)

The Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad is classified as a Class III railroad operating out of Marquette, Michigan, primarily serving the Upper Peninsula region of Michigan. Established in 1896, the LS&I continues to function as an independent railroad company with its headquarters located in Marquette.

By the year 1970, the LS&I managed 117 miles of mainline track spanning a total of 241 miles of rail, handling substantial freight volumes. However, by 2011, the extent of its trackage had decreased considerably.

History

The LS&I was incorporated in 1893 as a subsidiary of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company (currently known as Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.). Its principal role was hauling iron ore extracted from the Marquette Iron Range to shipping docks on Lake Superior, facilitating transport to steel manufacturing centers along the lower Great Lakes. Important communities served along its route included Ishpeming and Negaunee, Michigan.

In 1904, the railroad transported over of freight—mainly iron ore—utilizing a fleet comprising 489 ore cars, 14 locomotives, and a workforce of 121 employees.

The 1923 acquisition of the Munising, Marquette and Southeastern Railway (MM&SE) extended LS&I’s lines eastward toward Munising and northwest to Big Bay. This expansion introduced pulpwood transportation into its service offerings, broadening its market presence within Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Passenger operations were limited and experienced a steady decline until all such services ended by 1960. The transition from steam to diesel locomotives was completed by 1962.

During the 1960s, the Big Bay branch was sold off, and operations around Munising concluded during the 1980s. A segment between Humboldt Township and Republic Mine was abandoned in 2004 but saw partial reactivation in 2012 when the Mineral Range Railroad resumed service for mining activities.

As of 2016, LS&I’s main focus remained transporting iron ore along a short line running from Cleveland-Cliffs’ Tilden Mine to Lake Superior. Nevertheless, tonnage volumes dropped sharply after the nearby Empire Mine ceased operations, affecting both revenue streams and operational scale.

Engineering

The primary route of the Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad features a challenging incline known locally as "The Hill," extending from Marquette to the iron mining areas. The steepest section presents a gradient of 1.63%. Due to the positioning of LS&I’s docks in Marquette, the line crosses the Dead River via a trestle bridge measuring 565 feet in length and standing 104 feet above the water.

Nicknames

LS&I has been informally referred to by several nicknames over time including "Hayden's Scheme," "The Hook and Eye," "Little Sally and Imogene"—named after daughters of its first general manager H. R. Harris—and "Lazy, Slow, and Independent."

Preservation

A majority of preserved LS&I steam locomotives were initially rescued by the Marquette and Huron Mountain tourist railroad based in Marquette before being sold to various preservation organizations by 2002.

• The sole surviving LS&I 2-8-2 locomotive is MK-1 No. 14, constructed by Baldwin in 1913. Originally belonging to the Duluth and Northern Minnesota Railroad, it joined LS&I’s roster in 1919 and was later donated to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, Minnesota. It operated there until 1998 and now remains on static display.
• LS&I #18, a 2-8-0 Consolidation type built by Alco in 1910, was once owned by the Grand Canyon Railway before changing hands to Brian Fleming and subsequently Iowa Pacific Holdings. In 2021, it was acquired by the Maguire Foundation and gifted to Pennsylvania’s Colebrookdale Railroad for restoration work.
• Since 2004, LS&I #19 has been exhibited statically in Frisco, Texas under Frisco No. 19 markings. Previously part of both the Grand Canyon Railway and MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park collections, it was obtained by Frisco city officials to represent typical locomotives from that railroad.
• LS&I #20 also originated from Grand Canyon Railway ownership before being traded to Brian Fleming; it is now displayed at Texas’ Allen Heritage Center.
• The last locomotive from the tourist railroad era in 2002 was LS&I #21; currently it is dismantled in Wisconsin undergoing gradual reconstruction by BMG Railroad Contractors.
• Locomotive #22, a 2-8-0 built in 1910 and acquired by LS&I in 1924, is preserved alongside coaches at Wisconsin’s Mid-Continent Railway Museum located in North Freedom.
• Another Alco-built Consolidation from 1910, LS&I #23 is receiving cosmetic restoration at New York’s Empire State Railway Museum situated in Phoenicia.
• Displayed statically at Green Bay’s National Railroad Museum are LS&I #24 along with passenger cars numbered #62 and #63.
• Owned by Grand Canyon Railway but inactive since 2019 pending FRA inspection is LS&I #29; its future operational status remains uncertain.
• Former locomotive #33 has been restored to working condition under ownership of Ohio’s Age of Steam Roundhouse based in Sugarcreek.
• The Illinois Railway Museum previously held LS&I #34 and #35; while #35 remains on static exhibit there, #34 was sold to Western Maryland Scenic Railroad as #734 but currently awaits boiler inspection before returning to service.

External links

• Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad Network Map (PDF, 2017)
  • Official Michigan Rail Map, PDF, 2006