Location: Stambaugh, MI - C&NW Terminal

Stambaugh was a significant northern terminal for the Chicago & North Western, where ore trains were assembled for transport to the port of Escanaba.

Photo Info: Top, locomotives are at the ready at the terminal. 2nd photo, C&NW 375 and crew poses at the Stambaugh engine facility. [Clint Jones collection]. 3rd photo, the concrete coaling tower at Stambaugh is in its last days as diesel locomotives take over duties on the iron range. Mid-1950's.  [C&NW Historical Society]. 4th image, a C&NW diesel locomotive sits near the Stambaugh depot in the 1950's.

Notes

Time Line

1948. Status Report. (AP) Stambaugh Yard is the busiest center of activity on the entire Peninsula division of the North Western railway where a fleet of 15 engines is concentrated for the ore hauling traffic. Four or five crews a day tie up here on lay-overs between arrival light with empties from Escanaba and departure located with ore trains for the boats at Escanaba docks.

The activity rate can be judged by the number of cabooses represents a crew preparing for departure with a pay load. The railroad men are accommodated at the North Western hotel, formerly the Selden mansion on Selden road.

In one day recently, 19 engines were recorded arriving or departing at Stambaugh. Most were hauling ore from west side mines but others were hauling wood products out of the Iron River sector of the Ottawa National forest and several were engaged in transporting gravel from Beechwood to the US-2 concrete construction project between Bessemer and Wakefield.

Seven switch engines in the yard were kept busy pushing empties into mine spurs and returning with strings of loaded ore cars.

One or more big J-4 main line freight locomotives can be seen in the Stambaugh yard or whistling down the valley line between Caspian and Stambaugh with ore cars. Other road engines pooled by the North Western and Milwaukee roads are engaged in the ore traffic too. [EDP-1948-0817]