Railroad: Marquette and Huron Mountain Railroad

The Marquette & Huron Mountain railroad was organized in 1963 to purchase the Big Bay branch line from the Lake Superior & Ishpeming railroad. The line started at LS&I's Presque Isle (Marquette) depot and went 24 miles northwest to Big Bay. A new connection at Presque Isle was installed to avoid using LS&I yard trackage. This was largely a tourist railroad. The line was cut back fifteen miles in 1967 to near Buckroe. It was abandoned completely in 1987.

Lake Superior & Ishpeming → Marquette & Huron Mountain railroad → Abandoned

Bought: 1963 - Big Bay branch from the Lake Superior & Ishpeming

Operated for: 24 Years

Closed - Around 1987,

Reference: [Holland Evening Sentinel 6-4-1963]

Time Line

1963. April. The Marquette & Huron Mountain purchases the former LS&I Big Bay branch from Presque Isle (north Marquette) northwest 24 miles to Big Bay.

1963. Commission Okays Sale. Washington (UPI) The Interstate Commerce Commission Monday approved the sale of 23.7 miles of track owned by the Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad to the Marquette & Huron Mountain Railroad for $90,000.

The sale price for the line is equivalent to its salvage value, the ICC said. The line runs from Marquette to Big Bay, Mich.

The ICC said the Lake Superior & Ishpeming planned to abandon the line if it had not received permission to sell it.

Marquette & Huron Mountain wants to rehabilitate the line to provide freight service to the area and to operate passenger service for tourists and charge passengers to Thunder Bay during the tourist season.

The ICC said the purchaser had arranged to buy two steam locomotives and two coaches to provide the service four tourists. [Holland Evening Sentinel 6-4-1963]

1967. The railroad abandons the line at milepost 8.2 (Buckroe) northwest to Big Bay. [MRL]

1987. The line is abandoned. [MRL]