Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad

The Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad (reporting mark ELS) is a Class III shortline railroad that operates 347 miles (558 km) of track in Northeastern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.^[1] Its main line runs 208 miles (335 km) from Rockland, Michigan, to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and it also owns various branch lines and out-of-service track.^[1] In 1897, the Escanaba River Company built a seven-mile (11 km) railroad from Wells, Michigan to tap a large hardwood timber stand at LaFave’s Hill.^[2] In 1898, the company name was changed to the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railway (E&LS).

Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad

ELS 402 and 502 switching the Crivitz yard on June 27, 2022
Overview
Headquarters	Wells, Michigan
Reporting mark	ELS
Locale	Wisconsin, Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Dates of operation	1888–present
Predecessor	Escanaba River Company
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	347 miles (558 km)
Operating speed	25–35 mph (40–56 km/h)
Other
Website	www.elsrr.com

History

Founding to 1978

Isaac Stephenson, Jefferson Sinclair, Daniel Wells Jr., Harrison Ludington, and Nelson Ludington were the founders of the N. Ludington Company. It was again renamed to the I. Stephenson company when Isaac Stephenson became majority owner in the same year. The N. Ludington Company became part of this company, and along with being rebranded as the Escanaba River Company, became a subsidiary of this new company^[3] in 1888. The Escanaba River Co. constructed 7 miles (11 km) to connect the company to hardwood reserves west of Wells and Escanaba. Work began in 1898 to extend the track 31 miles (50 km) from Wells northwest to Watson^[4] and was completed in 1899.^[5]

 

An example of the Hardwood logging on the early components of the E&LS

A branch line referred to Ford River was constructed in 1899 from Watson for a distance of 8.7 miles (14.0 km). This branch was abandoned in 1910. In 1902, the E&LS built three miles (4.8 km) of track southeast out of Wells into the center of Escanaba.

From 1900 to 1903, the railroad extended the mainline track 31.8 miles (51.2 km) to Channing.^[6][7] This established a connection with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (component of the Milwaukee Road) and began their haulage rights agreement to their ore dock in Escanaba. At this time, the CMStP&P operated just north of 100 miles (160 km) in Michigan. As part of the agreement that allowed the CMStP&P access to its line, the E&LS was reincorporated as the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad for its agreement, which allowed it to reach Ontonagon on Lake Superior; it has used this name ever since. This agreement ran from February 12, 1900 to March 15, 1937.

At this point in the railroad's history, it had connections to both major Class 1 railroads that existed at the time in the UP: The Chicago and North Western and the Milwaukee Road, and was able to diversify its traffic base. This diversification included the Milwaukee Road ore trains mentioned above, bound for the now gone Milwaukee ore docks in Escanaba. The railroad also chartered a mixed passenger train that ran along the existing route up until the late 1950s. This service included run-through mail and express from the Milwaukee Road, and passengers bound north from the Chicago & North Western.

Starting in 1901 and continuing into 1902, a branch line was constructed from Northland for 10.9 miles (17.5 km) to the Escanaba River. Between 1902 and 1903, the Northland line was extended from the Escanaba River to Kates, a distance of 3.28 miles (5.28 km). The northernmost portion of this branch that extended 6.1 miles (9.8 km) from Gleason was abandoned June 7, 1922. This branch was abandoned in 1939.^[8][9]

Other branch lines were built by the E&LS to get out the remote timber stands: Ralph, Turner (1911–1912), Mashek, and Hendricks (1915). These branches totaled more than 100 miles (160 km) of combined branch trackage and sidings. The railroad peaked at 80.9 miles (130.2 km) of mainline and 70.8 miles (113.9 km) of yard and sidings on June 30, 1918.^[10]

In 1935, the Milwaukee Road moved its ore trains off the E&LS and entered into an agreement with the Chicago & North Western (C&NW) to jointly operate ore trains into Escanaba. Though the E&LS petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and later the U.S. Supreme Court to be allowed to join the joint operations, it was blocked from doing so in 1938 by the Supreme Court.

In the 1940s, two major sources of traffic were developed near Escanaba: The Harnischfeger Corporation, which built large cranes for mining operations, and the Escanaba Paper Company.^[11] The railroad's transportation of logs ended in 1943 with the closure of the Stephenson mill in Wells.^[12] In the early 1960s, the E&LS was purchased by the Hanna Mining Company.^[11]

In 1969, the E&LS stopped serving the Escanaba Paper Company during a strike (July 1, 1969) at the mill;^[13] in response, the mill's owners built a new connection to the C&NW and Soo Line and cut car movements on the E&LS more than five-fold in two years, from 2,200 carloads in 1968 to 449 in 1970.^[11] The E&LS continued skeleton service during the 1970s.^[11] In 1978, Hanna requested permission from the ICC to abandon the railroad.^[11]

 

A map of the original Wells–Channing line of the E&LSRR^[14]

1978 to 2009

On October 6, 1978, Hanna Mining Company sold the E&LS Railroad to John C. Larkin and his father Wade Larkin, businessmen from Minneapolis who had organized a National Railway Historical Society passenger excursion on the railroad earlier in the decade.^[15] He planned to return the railroad to profitability by reducing labor costs and entering the business of leasing boxcars to other railroads.^[15] Shortly thereafter, the boxcar leasing market collapsed.^[15] Additionally, with the Milwaukee Road going bankrupt in 1977, it planned to abandon its trackage in Michigan, consisting largely of a route between Ontonagon and Green Bay, Wisconsin.^[16] This plan would break the E&LS's connections at Channing, as well as end rail service to the shippers on the Milwaukee Road lines.^[16] One of these shippers, Champion Paper, which operated a mill in Ontonagon, approached the E&LS with a proposal for the railroad to buy the Milwaukee Road track to Ontonagon.^[16]

 

E&LS Baldwin at Channing

Purchasing ex-Milwaukee Road, C&NW, and Soo Line trackage

The E&LS was able to reach an agreement with Milwaukee Road's bankruptcy court to take control of the Ontonagon route, as well as additional trackage south. They were backed by many of the line's shippers and the states of Michigan and Wisconsin, but opposed by the C&NW, which wanted to retain iron ore transport from the Groveland Mine in Randville, Michigan, and Hanna Mining, the former owner of the E&LS and owner of the Groveland Mine.^[16] The C&NW and Milwaukee Road had previously shared service to the Groveland Mine under a decades-long agreement between the two, called the Menominee Range Iron Ore Pool.^[17][18] By 1979, the mine impacted 31,000 of the 50,000 cars moved over the Milwaukee Road's tracks in the area, a level of traffic so high that Larkin publicly stated that the E&LS would not make a profit without it.^[17] The ICC, and a US court, ruled in E&LS' favor.^[19][20]

On March 10, 1980, the E&LS formally bought the ex-Milwaukee Road between Ontonagon through Channing south to Iron Mountain.^[21] It also obtained a lease-to-own agreement of the tracks south from Iron Mountain to Green Bay; this section was purchased in 1982.^[21] Upon purchase, the E&LS immediately began rebuilding its new trackage, which had been neglected by the Milwaukee Road in the years leading up to its bankruptcy.^[21] Major funding came from the state of Michigan, which paid $1.6 million (equivalent to $4.48 million in 2021^[22]) to install new ties on the track to Ontonagon.^[21]

In November 1981, the E&LS bought additional trackage, this time a branch line from Channing north to Republic.^[21] In 1985, it bought a branch from Crivitz, Wisconsin, on the Green Bay line, east to Marinette, Wisconsin, and Menominee, Michigan.^[21] During 1987 and 1988, the line to Ontonagon had its lightweight rails replaced with new, heavier rails.^[21]

In 1986, the E&LS connection track to the C&NW RR was built from a switch just south of Lineville Road in Howard, Wisconsin, to the C&NW Railroad's Howard Industrial Park siding line. This ultimately allowed the E&LS to discontinue operations south of Bond Road in Green Bay in 1993.^[23] This connection was the result of a construction agreement Between the E&LS and the C&NW that was executed on November 27, 1985, which provided joint access to the Howard Industrial Park.^[24] Two of the contracts executed then allowed tenants of Howard Industrial Park a choice of competing railroads for shipping service. The E&LS mainline was stubbed off in September 2007, removing the track from Bond Street to the Oakland Avenue Yard in Green Bay, Wi.^{[citation needed]}

On June 24, 1991, E&LS bought a 23-mile (37 km) ex- Soo Line (ex-Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic) branch line from Sidnaw, on the Ontonagon line, east to Nestoria.^[21]

The following year (1992), the E&LS mainline from Channing to Wells was taken out of service, with access to Escanaba retained via a new trackage rights agreement with the Wisconsin Central Railroad (now Canadian National Railroad), under which the E&LS was granted access their main line from Pembine, Wisconsin, to North Escanaba.^[21]

On April 20, 1995, E&LS bought a short branch line between Stiles Junction, Wisconsin, just north of Green Bay, to Oconto Falls from the C&NW.^[25] In 2005, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation provided a $2.01 million (equivalent to $2.72 million in 2021^[22]) grant to rebuild E&LS trackage from Crivitz north to the Michigan state line.^[21] This was the last section of mainline track that had not seen a complete rebuild since it was bought in 1980.^[16]

These recent branch line acquisitions are used by the E&LS to store rolling stock for third parties.^[16]

Post-2009 and track closures

After the closure of the Smurfit-Stone Paper Mill in Ontonagon in 2009, the Escanaba and Lake Superior abandoned 15 miles (24 km) of track between Ontonagon and milepost 395 one mile east of Rockland in 2011,^[26] severing the railroad's closest trackage to Lake Superior. The remaining track between Rockland and Mass City is used for third-party long term car storage. The sidings between Escanaba & Channing are used for long term car storage. The E&LS and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources consummated a rail banking/interim trail use agreement on or about October 28, 2014, for the abandoned portion of the E&LS rail line between milepost 395 at Rockland and Ontonagon.^[27] The abandoned segment is now the Ontonagon to Rockland Trail.^[28]

The northernmost customer ships logs from an open air transload in the yard near the junction of East Branch Road and Depot Road in Mass City.^[29]

Rolling stock

 

ELS 402 and 501 pull a long cut of cars into CN's Green Bay yard on September 12, 2021

The E&LS has been running a private passenger excursion yearly for invited guests and online customers since exiting passenger service on December 12, 1956.^[11] Themes of trips run have been Shippers Special Train, American Honors Society, NRHS and Great Lakes Western^[30] passenger special. E&LS handed off the North Woods Explorer^[31] train to the Soo Line at Pembine, who then took it to Sault Ste. Marie and then the Algoma Central trip to the Agawa Canyon on May 24, 1992.^[32]

These specials necessitated two special runs between the engine shops at Wells and the E&LS mainline at Pembine over Canadian National Railroad trackage from North Escanaba to Powers to Hermansville and finally to Pembine.^[33]

Shippers Special

The Shippers Special Train usually runs late spring-early summer from Pembine south to Howard and then back north to Channing. There the train stops in Channing for a short crew change and then train goes as far as Mass City.^{[34][35][36][37]} The Shippers Special Train did not run in 2020.

American Honors Society Excellence In Education

The American Honors Society train ran on the LS&I with little known of its running from 2010 to 2014.^[38] The Honors Train departs Eagle Mills and runs to the ore dock and returns. Several cars were used from E&LS and Lake Superior Railroad Museum with diesels supplied by the LS&I railroad.^[39] A coach seen running in the train, marked Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Co. (ELS marks), #1001 and City of Horicon was also seen in several year's trains.^[40]

E&LS owned or leased passenger equipment

Below is the E&LS rolling stock, many of which are used for the recent trains run behind E&LS engines S-12 #300 and GP-38 #400.^[41]

Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad owned or leased Passenger Equipment^[42][43][44]

Number	Marked	Type	Prev owners	Other
100	ELS	Coach	Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. Built in 19??	Heavyweight 6 axle coach. Ex 'Trans Northern'.^[45]^[46]
254	ELS	HEP Generator/Baggage	Northern Pacific	Former NP traded to the E&LS by the Lake Superior Railway Museum for a VIA Rail Power Car.^[47]
758	ELS	Parlor-Observation	Soo Line	Platform observation. Originally café-parlor observation. 6 axle. Built by Barney & Smith in 1914.^[48]
1001	ELS	Coach	Wisconsin and Southern Railroad	Ex Amtrak, nee UP.
1082	ELS	Pullman-Observation	Reserve Mining railroad,^[49] ex GN 1082, nee "Dolly Madison".	Not marked 1082 externally.
1100	ELS	Parlor - Sleeper	VIA Rail	HEP equipped parlor sleeper car "Edith Cavelle".^[50]
1101	ELS	Sleeper	VIA Rail #1101. Built in 1954	HEP equipped sleeper car "Mount Robson".
1105^[51]	ELS	Sleeper	VIA Rail #1105. Built in 1954
1348	ELS	Diner-Lounge	VIA Rail	HEP equipped Diner Lounge car.
1237	ELS	Coach	Soo Line	Stenciled "Soo Line" 6 axle.
6700	CNW	Parlor	C&NW Twin Cities 400 parlor car "Deerpath"^[52]	Owned by Lake Superior Railway Museum and is stored on the E&LS.
7000	ELS	Flatcar	unknown	Open air flatcar patio bar car (band 2018).

Leased power

After acquiring the Milwaukee Road line from Green Bay to Ontonagon, the E&LS needed more power to run their trains. The railroads and leasers were: Conrail, Green Bay & Western,^[53] Lake Superior & Ishpeming,^[54] Milwaukee Road,^[55] Erie Mining^[56] and Soo Line.^[57][58]

Several of the Conrail units leased ended up being leased for several years and then purchased by E&LS.^[21]

Active motive power

 

ELS EMD F7 600 at Channing, Michigan on April 29, 2009

In 1985, the first EMD diesel, a GP-38 (E&LS 400) was purchased, followed shortly by additional GP-38s (ex-Conrail ELS 401 & 402) and 4 SD9s (1220-1224).^[59] In 2003, the railroad bought two SD-40-2s (ex-Electro-Motive Diesel Leasing E&LS 500 & 501), and, unusually, an FP7 (ELS 600) two years later. The FP7 was originally a Milwaukee Road FP7, then was bought by the Wisconsin Southern, and sold to the E&LS. The SD9s except for 1223 have been retired as of 2020. 1223 still operates in Wells and Escanaba, but it has been restricted from mainline service ever since an inspection found that the prime mover was failing. The engine can regularly be seen switching out E&LS customers in that area, and at the car maintenance facility in Escanaba, or at the E&LS engine shop at Wells, moving the stored engines and cars.

In early January 2020, the railroad bought the ILSX SD40-2 #1344 and later in the year re-numbered it 502. The trucks from the since decommissioned SD-40-2, E&LS 500, were replaced with the original worn-out trucks on E&LS 502. They were the original silver trucks from when the engine was a Union Pacific SD40-2. In May 2020, E&LS bought a former GTW/BNSF Railway EMD SD-40 and numbered it 503.^[60]

As of July 14, 2021, the following locomotives are currently owned or leased by the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad.^{[61][62][63][64]}

Number	Model	Status	Other
numberless	GE 45 Ton	Shop switcher	Built April 1953 as #31795. Ex White Pine Copper mine WPCR #1.
112	Russel Snow Plow	Active	Built in 1967 from a 40 foot boxcar by the E&LS shop men at Wells to replace wooden Russell plow, entered service in 1968, is painted in company colors, stored at Channing, Mi.^[65]
300	RS-12	Active	Built January 1953 as # BLW 75767. Ex SAL 1474, ex SCL 215. Sold as Michigan Northern 215 in 1976. It was sold as E&LS 215 in 1980 and rebuilt in 1982 as ELS 300. Painted in ELS scheme.
400	GP38	Active	Built May 1970 as # EMD 36459. Ex Conrail 7843, nee PC 7843. Sold as E&LS 401 in 1985 and renumbered 2nd 400 in 1986. Painted in ELS scheme.
402	GP38	Active	Built September 1969 as # EMD 35401. Ex Conrail 7772, nee Penn Central 7772. Sold to E&LS in 1985.
501	SD40-2	Active	Built July 1973 as #EMD 72641-2. Ex EMDX 6306, ex S00 RR 6306, nee Milwaukee Road 22.
502	SD40-2	Active	Built January 1980 as # 796297-35. Ex Union Pacific 3693, ex SLRG 202, ex ILSX 202, ex ILSX 1344. Trucks swapped With ELS 500.
503	SD40	Active	Built January 1970 as # 7221. Ex ILSX 1338, GTW 5915, ex BNSF 7303. Painted in patched out BNSF H1 paint scheme.
600	FP7	Active	Built January 1951 as # EMD 10361. Ex Wisconsin & Southern 71A, ex Wisconsin & Calumet 96A, ex Milwaukee Road 96A. Acquired June 2005. Returned to service in 2020.^[66]
1200	SW8	Active	Built June 1952 as #16925. Ex Reserve Mining 1200. It was sold as E&LS 1200 in 1992.
1201	SW8	Active	Built June 1952 as #6412. Ex Reserve Mining 1201. Based in Menominee, secondary locomotive.
1202	TR4A	Active	Built September 1950 as #4032. Ex Belt Railway of Chicago. TR4A is a cow-calf version of EMD SW7. Based in Menominee.
1223	SD9	Limited service	Built September 1956 as #21066. Ex Reserve Mining 1223. It was sold as E&LS 1223 in 1992. Assigned to Wells as backup switching power, restricted from interchange.
1371	EMD SW1	in service?	Built November 1950 # 11222. Ex Ex ILSX 1371, ex WPCR 1371, ex Amtrak 740, ex Amtrak 253:1, ex PC 8528, nee PRR 9428.

Gallery

•  

  E&LS 106 in Fox Lake, IL 1 July 1993

•  

  ELS #207 at Channing, MI on October 5, 1988

•  

  Escanaba & Lake Superior SD40-2 in Coleman, WI

•  

  E&LS 503 running on CN trackage rights in Green Bay, WI

•  

  ELS 600 & 402 in Pembine

•  

  E&LS SD9 and SW1200, both former Reserve Mining locomotives.^[67]

•  

  E&LS 503 (SD40-2^[68]) and 402 (GP38-2^[69]) pull a small road train through Beecher, Wis. This train originated in Crivitz, WI, and is bound for Channing, Mich.

•  

  Wells, Michigan

More   Media related to Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad at Wikimedia Commons

Inactive motive power

When it began operations, the E&LS used steam locomotives purchased second hand from other railroads in the Midwest.^[25] It bought a new Shay locomotive for logging service in 1904, followed by various locomotives from Baldwin.^[70] The E&LS first diesel locomotive, a Baldwin VO-1000, was purchased in 1946.^[70] The E&LS continued buying new and used Baldwins for the next several decades. Some notable mentions are the E&LS 300, the engine that can often be seen running the Shippers Special train. Other locomotives include the Baldwin RS-12s 207-217 series. 10 RS-12s have either been sold off or put in a deadline at the E&LS Wells Facility. Other engines are the E&LS Shark Nose Baldwin's, originally from the Delaware & Hudson RR (D&H). Numbered 1205 & 1216. Other notable mentions are engines 100 & 101, a pair of DS44-660s. The 101 can still be seen in Wells with its GN inspired paint scheme. The railroad also owns two Ex-Wisconsin & Calumet (WICT) F7As & F7Bs. There were several other engines, the 201, 202, & 204. These were the DS44-1000s.

All #'s below are out of service (OOS) as of July 14, 2021.^{[70][71][72][73]}

Number	Model	Status	Other
1	Plymouth 25 Ton	Inactive	Built April 1936. Ex B&D RR Co. Lettered for the fictitious Buckwheat & Durham Railroad (B&D). Originally used as the Crivitz yard switcher.^[74]
7	Shay	Sold	Built by Lima Locomotive Works in January 1904. Sold August 1920.
8	Baldwin 2-8-0	Sold	Built June 1904. Sold August 1929.
9	Baldwin 2-8-0	Sold	Built June 1904.
10	Baldwin 2-8-0	Sold	Built June 1907.
11	Baldwin 4-6-0	Sold	Built June 1909.
11	Whitcomb 80 tonner	?	^[75]
12	Baldwin 4-6-0	Sold	Built June 1911.
14	Baldwin 4-6-0	Sold	Built June 1917 s/n #4503. Sold to Arcade & Attica Railroad in 1963.^[76]^[77]
15	Baldwin 4-6-0	Sold	Built June 1909 as #29721. Bought used from Duluth & Northern Minnesota in 1922.^[70]
16	Baldwin 4-6-0	Sold	Built June 1909 as #29721. Bought used from Duluth & Northern Minnesota in 1922. Retired and sold to Nahma and Northern Railroad in 1937.^[78]^[70]
17	0-6-0	Sold	Bought used in 1929.
18	Alco 4-6-0	Sold	Built 1913 for GB&W. Purchased 1935^[79]
100	VO-1000	Scrapped 1974	Built June 1946 as # BLW 72227. Later Nahma & Northern No. 16.
101	DS-4-4-660	OOS	Built November 1947 as # BLW 73367. Painted in E&LS scheme.
102	Baldwin S-8	OOS	Built May 1952 as # BLW 75700.
102B	F7B	OOS	Built October 1951 as # EMD 15243. Ex Wisconsin & Calumet, ex Wisconsin & Southern 71A, ex Milwaukee Road 102B.
106	F7A	OOS	Built November 1951 as # EMD 15218. Ex Wisconsin & Calumet 106, ex Janesville & Eastern 106, ex Milwaukee Road 117C.
201	DS44-1000	OOS	Built July 1948 as # BLW 73956. Ex Calumet & Hecla 201. Sold to E&LS in 1971.^[80]
202	DS44-1000	OOS	Built August 1948 as # BLW 73957. Ex Calumet & Hecla 202.
204	DS44-1000	OOS	Built May 1950 as # BLW 74777. Ex Calumet & Hecla 204 nee US Corps of Engineers L4. To E&LS in 1971.
207	RS-12	OOS	Built May 1952 as BLW #75475. Ex Seaboard Air Line 207, ex Seaboard Coast Line 207, ex Oregon California & Eastern 7908, ex Oregon California & Eastern 207. To E&LS December 1984. Leased to Nicolet Badger Northern in the early 90s.
209	RS-12	OOS	Built May 1952 as #75477. Ex Seaboard Air Line RR 1468, ex Seaboard Coast Line 209, ex Oregon California & Eastern 7909. Acquired in May 1984.
210	RS-12	OOS	Built May 1952 as #75478. Ex Seaboard Air Line 1469, Ex Seaboard Coast Line 210, ex Oregon California & Eastern 7910. Sold to E&LS as #210 in May 1984.
211	RS-12	OOS	Built May 1952 as #75479. Ex Seaboard Air Line 1470, ex Seaboard Coast Line 211, ex Oregon California & Eastern 7911. Sold to E&LS as #211 in December 1985.
212	RS-12	OOS	Built May 1952 as # BLW 75480. Ex Michigan Northern 212, ex Seaboard Coast Line 212, nee Seaboard Air Line 1471. To E&LS 1980.
213	RS-12	OOS	Built January 1953 as # BLW 75765. Ex Michigan Northern 213, ex Seaboard Coast Line 213, nee Seaboard Air Line 1472. To E&LS 1980.
214	RS-12	OOS	Built January 1953 as #75766. Ex Seaboard Air Line 1473, ex Seaboard Coast Line 214, sold to Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co. It was sold as Neosha Construction Co. 6494 and sold as E&LS #210 in 1983. It was renumbered 214 in 1984. While in transit to E&LS it was numbered E&LS 711.^[81]
401	GP38	OOS	Used as a parts source at Escanaba shop. Built October 1969 as # EMD 35438, later Penn Central 7809 then Conrail 7809. Sold as E&LS 400 in 1985. It was renumbered to 401 in 1986 and retired by 1992.^[82]
500	SD40-2	OOS	Built June 1974 as # EMD 73687-1. Ex GATX 7349/9339/6349, ex S00 RR 6349, nee Milwaukee Road 182 2nd. OOS engine failure.
901	F7A	OOS	Built July 1949 as # EMD 8358. Ex Wisconsin & Calumet 109, ex Chicago Chemung Railroad^[83] CMN 562, ex ACLZ 64, ex Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad 5644, nee Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad 564D.
950	F7B	OOS	Built July 1950 as EMD # 3035. Ex Wisconsin & Calumet, Milwaukee Road #X1^[84]^[circular reference]^[85] a Rotary Snow Plow power car, nee Milwaukee Road 71B. Sold to E&LS by Lake Superior Railroad Museum
1205	Baldwin RF16A	OOS	Built December 1951. Ex Michigan Northern 1205, ex Delaware & Hudson RR 1205, ex Monongahela Railway 1205, nee NYC 3805. Baldwin "Shark Nose". Stored in warehouse. To E&LS in 1979.
1216	Baldwin RF16A	OOS	Built 1952. Ex Michigan Northern 1216, ex Delaware & Hudson RR 1216, ex Monongahela Railway 1216, ex NYC 1216, nee NYC 3816. Baldwin "Shark Nose". Stored in warehouse. To E&LS in 1979.
1220	SD9	OOS	Built June 1955 as #19989. Ex Reserve Mining 1220. It was sold as E&LS 1220 in 1992 and stored for parts.
1221	SD9	OOS	Built June 1955 as #19990. Ex Reserve Mining 1221. It was sold as EL&S 1221 in 1992.
1222	SD9	OOS	Built June 1955 as #19991. Ex Reserve Mining 1222. It was sold as E&LS 1222 in 1992.
1224	SD9	OOS	Built December 1956 as #5485. Ex Reserve Mining 1224. It was sold as E&LS 1224 in 1992.

Facilities, yards, and lines

Engine shops

• Wells
• Escanaba old Harnischfeger (P&H Crane) facility

Railroad yards

• Channing
• Crivitz repair-in-place (RIP) railcar facility^[86]
• Iron Mountain

Engine housing facilities

• Channing
• Crivitz
• Menominee
• Wells

Bulk transfer and wood yards

• Amasa
• Crivitz (2)
• Floodwood - bulk transfer
• Iron Mountain - bulk transfer
• Mass City
• McConnell Landing - station name
• Pembine (2)
• Randville
• Sidnaw, Mi - bulk transfer
• Sobieski

 

The old railway depot in Channing; the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad's EMD F7 #600 can be seen to the right.

 

E&LS 401 sits at the E&LS car shops in Escanaba; since 1991 the unit has been a parts source.

Interchange locations

The E&LS interchanges with the Canadian National Railroad in several different locations:

• North Escanaba, Michigan
• Howard, Wisconsin
• Pembine, Wisconsin
• Marinette, Wisconsin

Trackage rights

In late 2014, the E&LS and Canadian National Railway entered into a switching agreement to switch customers of CN in Marinette and Menominee. All traffic is given to the E&LS at Marinette; E&LS delivers loads or empties from both railroad's customers in those communities.^[87] This created a big costs and time savings for both railroads as it greatly simplified operations in these twin cities.

The E&LS RR has trackage rights on several parts of the Canadian National Railroad.

• Howard, to North Green Bay Yard in Green Bay, Wisconsin (These once extended to the Milwaukee's Oakland Avenue Yard, in downtown Green Bay via the WC, past the C&NW Green Bay station)
• Pembine to North Escanaba

Existing stations

As of January 2022:

• Crivitz - former Milwaukee and Northern Railway Company then Milwaukee Road depot built in 1883. Now owned by E&LS. This area was previously referred to as Ellis Junction.
• Iron Mountain - former Milwaukee and Northern Railway Company then Milwaukee Road depot built in 1914.^[88] Now owned by E&LS.
• Ontonagon - former Ontonagon and Brule River Railroad then Milwaukee Road depot built in ?. Now owned by ? .^{[citation needed]}

Section houses:

• Randville
• Sidnaw

•  

  Amberg, WI

•  

  Amasa, MI

•  

  Channing, MI

•  

  Frost, MI

•  

  Marinette, WI

•  

  Menominee, MI

•  

  Pembine, WI, burned 2019^[89]

•  

  Pori, MI

•  

  C&NW freight passing the MILW station at Stiles Junction, WI, in September 1964

See also

•   Railways portal

References

1. Glischinski, Steve (2007). Regional Railroads of the Midwest. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7603-2351-9.
2. Dunathan, Clint (March 1, 1963). The Century Book (PDF). The Escanaba Centennial Corporation. p. 30. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
3. "Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad: Map, Roster, History". American-Rails.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
4. "Watson". Remnanants:Ghost towns of the UP. Northern Michigan University. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
5. Duchaine, William (December 27, 1950). "History of the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad". Escanaba Daily Press.
6. "Escanaba & Lake Superior Road Extension Being Pushed From Channing Eastward" (PDF). The Current. Vol. 19, no. 2. February 14, 1903. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
7. "Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad" (PDF). LaBelle Woodworking. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
8. Johnson, F. H. (August 1939). First Construction in Michigan Peninsula by Other Railroad Companies (PDF) (1939 ed.). Milwaukee Road. p. 10. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
9. Glischinski (2007), p. 36.
10. "History of the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad". elsrr.com. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
11. Glischinski (2007), p. 38.
12. "Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad: Map, Roster, History". American-Rails.com. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
13. Staff Writer (July 25, 1969). "Strike Halts Paper Mill Project". Escanaba Daily Press. p. 1. Retrieved September 11, 2021. A state-wide strike of Boiler Makers Local 169 of Detroit today shutdown construction on the multi-million dollar expansion project at the Escanaba Paper Co.
14. "Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad: Map, Roster, History". American-Rails.com. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
15. Glischinski (2007), p. 40.
16. Glischinski (2007), p. 41.
17. Huntley, Craig (May 11, 1980). "E&LS faces ore hurdle". Upper Peninsula Sunday Times. Vol. 3, no. 11.
18. Conant, Michael. Railroad Mergers and Abandonments. University of California Press. pp. 95–96.
19. "Hanna Min. Co. v. Escanaba L. S. R. Co., 498 F. Supp. 1267 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
20. Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States, May 1981–October 1982. Interstate Commerce Commission Reports. Vol. 365. 1981. pp. 144–173.
21. Glischinski (2007), p. 42.
22. Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved January 1, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
23. Watson, Rip (August 30, 1993). "Wisconsin Central Closes Deal, Takes Over Fox Valley & Western". The Journal of Commerce Online. Retrieved November 26, 2021. A favorable Interstate Commerce Commission ruling and completion of arbitration covering employment terms cleared the way for Fox Valley to operate using the assets of Fox River Valley Railroad and Green Bay and Western Railroad, which were acquired for $62.2 million from Itel Corp.
24. "Fox River Valley Railroad Corp., Trackage Rights Exemption - Finance Docket No. 32247". Federal Register. 58 (37): 11625. February 26, 1993.
25. Glischinski (2007), p. 43.
26. "Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad Company - Abandonment Petition for Exemption - Line in Ontonagon and Houghton Counties, MI, STB Docket No. AB-415 (Sub-No. 2X)" (PDF). Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
27. "Trail Use Agreement Reached" (PDF). Filings Results. Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
28. "Ontonagon to Rockland Trail | Michigan Trails | TrailLink". www.traillink.com. Retrieved September 14, 2021. Trail end points: State Road 64 and River Road (Ontonagon) and South of Victoria Dam Road (Rockland)
29. Rail Series, Thornapple River. "TRRS 516: Escanaba & Lake Superior RR - Mass City to Sidnaw". YouTube. Alex Christmas. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
30. Young, David (May 30, 1993). "Vintage-Train Tour Company New Calling for Railroad Buffs". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
31. Forrest, Dick (June–July 1990). "Explorers IV Rail Trip - 1990 - North Woods Explorer" (video). YouTube.com. Brian Buchanan. Retrieved December 25, 2022. Come along on the 1990's High Iron "North Woods Explorer" trip that traversed the WC, NBNR, LSI, ACR, and ELS railroads with six private passenger cars. How they talked the LS&I into taking the occupied train on top of their active ore dock at Presque Isle (Marquette) I'll never know - but they did. Also memorable was the WC with the train pacing an LS&I ore train. Some of the track traversed is no longer in service today.
32. Buchanan, Brian. "Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad". Retrieved August 17, 2021 – via Facebook.
33. Crabb, Nathan. "Excursion Thursday on the E&LS - Wisconsin Rails Episode 11". Badger State Rails. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via YouTube.
34. "Riding the rails again". Daily News. Iron Mountain, Michigan. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
35. "A rare Baldwin RS-12 locomotive - Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad Shippers Special!". YouTube. Jason Asselin. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
36. Koprowicz, Michael. "The Baldwin Diesel Zone - E&LS". baldwindiesels.railfan.net. The Baldwin Diesel Zone. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
37. Glischinski, Steve (January 29, 1991). "ELS 400 Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad EMD GP38 at Merriman, Michigan by Steve Glischinski". www.railpictures.net. Merriman, Michigan, USA: RailPictures.Net. Retrieved December 12, 2021. E&LS GP38 400 and Baldwin RS12 300 in E&LS' Great Northern style paint scheme pull a special freight train put together for shippers. Passenger cars are on the rear of the train for invited guests.
38. Langsford, Steven (April 30, 2010). "Chicago And North Western Crossing M-35 South". www.rrpicturearchives.net. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
39. Welke, Bob (April 20, 2010). "AHS Train 4-30-10". Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Flickr.
40. Welke, Bob (April 30, 2010). "WSOR 1001 4-30-10". Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Flickr. Originally a UP coach, formerly an Amtrak Heritage Fleet car in the 4600 series.
41. Koprowicz, Michael. "The Baldwin Diesel Zone - E&LS". The Baldwin Diesel Zone. railfan.net. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
42. "Passenger Cars of the E&LS". trainweb.org. Matthew Moellendorf. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
43. "MUSEUM'S TRACK SEVEN AGAIN A BUSY PLACE DURING WINTER MONTHS" (PDF). The Laker: 4. Winter 1990. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
44. Moellendorf, Matthew J. (March 23, 2012). "Passenger Cars". els300. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
45. Moore, Jeff. "Algoma Railroad". www.mccloudriverrailroad.com. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
46. Welke, Bob (April 30, 2010). "ELS 100 4-30-10". Eagle Mills, Mi. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Flickr.
47. "Ladysmith crowd turns out to greet special excursion train" (PDF). The Laker: 7. Fall 1991. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
48. "The Baldwin Diesel Zone - E&LS". Baldwin Diesel Zone. railfan.net. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
49. Martin, Lawrence A. "Railroads in Minnesota, Part II". angelfire.com. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
50. "E&LS SLEEPER 1100 GETTING FINISHING TOUCHES ON ITS HEP". The Laker: 4. Spring 1991. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
51. Jason Asselin. "Almost 40 Years Being Hidden Away, This Rare Baldwin RF-16 "Sharknose" Appears! | Jason Asselin". YouTube. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
52. Norton, Richard; Testagrose, Joseph (October 1973). "C&NW 6700 at Chicago, IL 10-73 Richard Norton". abpr2.railfan.net. Chicago, IL: Railfan.net. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
53. White, Cody (January 4, 1984). "Green Bay and Western C424 312". www.rrpicturearchives.net. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
54. Cleary, Mike (March 15, 1980). "E&LS Mine Run Power at Channing, Michigan - March 15, 1980". Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Flickr.
55. Berry, Dale. "michiganrailroads.com - Channing, MI". www.michiganrailroads.com. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
56. Nut, F. M. (2003). "EMCO 4211 on the E&LS". fmnut. YouTube.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
57. Reese, Jeremy (May 13, 2003). "SOO 700 at Wells on E&LS". www.rrpicturearchives.net. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
58. Vermande, Tim (July 1, 1980). "SOO 212B". www.rrpicturearchives.net. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
59. Glischinski (2007), p. 45.
60. "Current Operational E&LS Locomotives". Railroadfan.com Wiki. Railroadfan.com Wiki. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
61. "Current Operational E&LS Locomotives". Escanaba & Lake Superior. Railroadfan.com Wiki. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
62. "Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad Comp Photographic Roster". Railroad Picture Archives. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
63. WG, Thompson. "Old Time Trains". Trainweb. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
64. "Escanaba & Lake Superior". thedieselshop.us. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
65. Schults, Bernard (January 15, 1968). "Here goes the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroads new snowplow". Escanaba Daily Press.
66. Mike, Yuhas. "E&LS 600 - Suamico, Wisconsin, 4/27/2008". www.mikeyuhas.org. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
67. "Escanaba & Lake Superior". thedieselshop.us. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
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70. Glischinski (2007), p. 44.
71. "Escanaba & Lake Superior". Don's Rail Photos. Don Ross Group. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
72. "Escanaba & Lake Superior". The Diesel Shop. R. Craig. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
73. Stoner, Claude Thomas. "Escanaba & Lake Superior No. 16 4-6-0, Baldwin #29721 1909". University of Michigan. Bently Historical Library. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
74. Potts, Andy (November 4, 2008). "ELS #1 Plymouth 25 ton switcher". www.rrpicturearchives.net. Crivitz, Wi: Railroad Picture Archives. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
75. Wigfield, Vern. "ELS 11 in 1980". www.rrpicturearchives.net. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
76. Vondrak, Otto. "Arcade & Attica 14 at Arcade, NY, August 1963". Escanaba & Lake Superior 2-6-0 14. Retrieved July 12, 2021 – via Flickr.
77. "Last Steamer Of E&LS Sold For Excursion Use". Escanaba Daily Press. April 4, 1963. p. 5.
78. Stoner, Claude Thomas (March 12, 2016). "ELS1: Escanaba & Lake Superior No. 16 4-6-0, Baldwin #29721 1909, Later Nahma & Northern No. 16". Bentley Historical Library: Bentley Image Bank. University of Michigan Library. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
79. "about-history". www.elsrr.com. E&LS Railroad. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
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81. "ELS 214 - Taken on July 5, 2011". MN Transfer. Retrieved July 12, 2021 – via Flickr.
82. Bunce, Greg. "Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad : ELS #401 in the deadline in Wells in the Winter of 1991-92 after being taken out of service". www.facebook.com. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
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External links

•   Media related to Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad at Wikimedia Commons
• Bridgehunter - E&LS topic
• Engine List - E&LS - RRpicturesarchive
• Escanaba & Lake Superior Customers
• Lautala, Pasi; Graman, Gregory; Pentti, Frank; Nelson, David; Rasul, Irfan; Tafesse, Akalu; Pengelly, Sean; Kalluri, Sumanth (2014). "Rural Freight Rail and Multimodal Transportation Improvements – the Upper Peninsula of Michigan" (PDF). Michigan Department of Transportation. Michigan Technological University.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
• B1G - The Big Train - railroadfan.com Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad (ELS)
• E&LS RR web site — official corporate site
• - Parlor Observation car
• Escanaba & Lake Superior - public facebook group, 3.1k members