Time Line - 1940's - Decade Overview

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• Early 40's: The PM depot at Trufant is torn down. [I&L]

• Early 40's: The E&LS shops at Wells rebuild thirteen locomotives, including four heavy saddle-tank locomotives, which are sold to the government for use at army cantonments, munitions plants and air bases. The shops also rebuilt seven locomotive cranes before the program ended in 1944. [EDP-12/27/1950]

• Mid-40's: The South Shore branch from Soo Jct. to Sault Ste. Marie is downgraded to "service temporarily on irregular schedule". [MRC-3/90]

• Mid-40's: Passengers going across the Straits of Mackinac board DSS&A coaches in Mackinaw City.  The coaches are pushed by a MC switcher into the ferry. Upon arrival at St. Ignace, the cars are pulled from the boat by the SDD&A's little "Atlantic" 4-4-2 steam engine and the cars are assembled for their westbound train. [MRC-3/90]

• Mid-40's: The State of Michigan requires that the PRR paint yellow and black stripes on the nose of its "doodlebug" rail passenger cars because of a disproportionate number of grade crossing accidents. [PRHTS-W/2000]

• SNAPSHOP: During the late 1940's and early 1950's, the Chicago & Northwestern transported ore trains between Ashland Ore yard and Ironwood, at the western tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Empty ore trains were made up in Ashland and the trip was made 40 miles to Ironwood. At Ironwood, loaded ore trains were made up by the mine run assignments. Upon arrival at Ironwood, road crews would set out their train, eat lunch, and then make the return run to Ashland Ore Yard. Power on the road jobs was 2-8-2's and 2-8-4's, and later three EMD F-7's.  Mine run assignments in the Ironwood area usually used Type R-1 4-6-0's, and 1,000 h.p. Alco switchers and EMD GP-7's. [LSIOR]

 Time line Key:

• Railroad event in Michigan
• Event relating to mining
• Event related to car ferries
• Event outside of Michigan
• Improvement in Technology
• Railroad built or extended
• Railroad abandoned and/or removed
• Economic panic or depression