Timetable: Milwaukee Road - Iron River Sub - Kelso Junction to Iron River

This was the branch line to Crystal Falls and Iron River, leaving the Ontonagon Branch at Kelso Junction just west of Channing yard. Station hours and siding capacity is as of 1938. The line had a 3 mile branch to their passenger station in downtown Crystal Falls, as well as mine spurs to the Kimball Mine (1907), Lee Peck Mine (1900), McDonald Mine (1908), Crystal Falls Mine (1900), Great Western Mine (1900), Chicagon Mine (1909), Carpenter Mine (1900), Monongahela Mine (1914), Genesee Mine (1901), Bates Mine (1914), Spies Mine (1917), Virgil Mine (1914), Tully Mine (1914) and the Blue Bell Mine (1915). The branch operated until 1969 when it was abandoned.

Key: C=Coal | D=Open > Day | DN=Open Day and night | EH=Engine house | F=Diesel Fuel | HI=Half Interlocked Crossing | I=Interlocked Crossing | J=Junction | N=Open at night | P=Passing Track w/40' car capacity | Ph=Phone | Q=Quarry | RH=Roundhouse # stalls | S=Scales | T=Turntable | TC=Telegraph call | W=Water | X=Crossing | Y=Wye | Yard=Yard

Notes

Kelso Junction: This was originally a wye.

Crystal Falls Junction: This was on the north side of Crystal Falls. A short branch line left the MILW here to the depot downtown. This was also a connection with the C&NW and other mines in the area.

By 1917, most of the MILW and CNW trackage in Crystal Falls was shared with joint trackage rights. This includes the Shafer Branch, Dunn Mine branch south to Alpha area mines, and the MILW Carpenter Branch and mine leads. Switching of area mines were divided up with the MILW handling the area of the Tobin and Dunn mines and the CNW handling mines near Alpha. The railroads interchanged cars at the yard south of the Odger Mine. [MILV]

Carpenter Junction: (Note 1). The Carpenter branch was graded west to this junction but there is some indication that rail was not laid to the west end of it. 1918 valuation maps indicate that the west end of this branch had no rail.

Shafer Branch: (Note 2). Is was originally a C&NW branch. The MILW was given trackage rights at some point after 1900 when they arrived at Crystal Falls. After the pooling of ore in the 1930's, the MILW was given the primary job of serving Crystal Falls mines, and they purchased the Shafer Branch from the C&NW, which retained traffic rights on the line.

Bates. (Note 3). Upon arriving at Iron River, the MILW built their line north to the Bates Mine with a wye off the MILW main line. Within a few years, the MILW arranged trackage rights on the C&NW Rogers Mine spur to reach their Bates spur, and discontinued their own wye and short route to the Rogers and Bates mine branches. A new wye, facing south from Bates interchange, was built to turn locomotives. [MILV-1918]

Iron River: The MILW reached their depot via a tall viaduct going over the river valley and a C&NW on each side of the river..

The MILW had two bridges north of Stambaugh, crossing over the CNW main line at milepost 26.1 and 26.2. [MRL]

[REF] = MILW timetable, [MRL] and other sources.

On the Iron River Branch, the MILW had five interlocking towers at one time or another, at Balsam, Chicagoan, Bates, Berkshire and Tully mines.

Time Line

1900. Branch built from Kelso Jct. to Crystal Falls Junction and the city of Crystal Falls, 5.6 miles. [MRL]

1906. The survey for the St. Paul road west from (Crystal Falls) to Iron River and on to Star Lake will be commenced shortly. One of the head men of the survey corps was in the city last week and engaged a cook to take charge of the camp for the gang when it arrives here about January 7. The cutting of ore at the Baker property of the Corrigan-McKinney company makes it necessary that the St. Paul get a hustle on itself if it is to be in at the opening of this property. The Baker is a Corrigan-McKinney property and that concern is very friendly to the St. Paul, dividing its business here in the Falls between it and the C&NW. [DD-1906-1229]

1907. The country between Fortune and Chicagon Lake was found to be a very difficult one for the Milwaukee road and work on that piece was probably the hardest that will be encountered between Crystal Falls and Iron River. The country is badly broken and hills are very steep. It was found that the waters of Chicagon Lake are 60 feet higher than those of Fortune Lake and this rise is a distance of about 1¼ miles. [DD-1907-0302]

1909. Branch extended about 11 miles from Crystal Falls Junction to approximately Fortune Lake. [MRL]

1910. Surveying for the Iron River extension continues. The route surveyed about three years ago went south of Chicagon Lake and then parallel to the C&NW from Saunders to Iron River. With the development of the Chicagon mine and a new area in Bates Township, the railroad is now looking at building their line north of the lake. [DD-1910-0514]

1910. The city council has in mind the macadamizing of Superior avenue and a survey was ordered. Special attention was given to the grade of the Shafer spur of the C&NW railroad from a point where it crosses Crystal Avenue to the Parks warehouse. A profile of the grade was made and submitted showing the comparison between the street grade and the railroad grade. The railroad is about five feet too high at the Superior avenue crossing and seven feet too high at the Marquette avenue crossing. The Crystal Avenue crossing is below the street grade. The council wants the railroad to lower its grade before any permanent street work is done and, now that the officials know where they are at the matter it can be taken up with the railroad people. This was left to the city attorney, with a report to the council at its next meeting. [DDF-1910-0108]

1912. Surveyors are arriving daily for work upon the Iron River extension of the Milwaukee road. It is the intention to put three gangs of surveyors at work on the line, one gang working from Crystal Falls; one from Iron River, and the third in the middle of the line, working to meet the other two. The reason for this work is the desire to change the line from that established by the second survey. That survey established a line that is very crooked. A big reverse curve in the vicinity of Trout Lake is the worst feature of the entire survey and it is hoped that the bad feature may be eliminated.

In general the line will keep closer to the valley of Briar Hill creek as far as Fortune Lake when it will work along south of the old line to the Chicagon mine. The west end of the line needs to be changed also because of the establishment of the Northwestern line to the mines in the Bates district. The first line established by the Milwaukee road for the Iron River extension ran south of Chicagon Lake. The second line was established away to the north of Chicagon lake territory but it was necessary to get south far enough to tap the Chicagon mine. Since that time, considerable mineral development has been in evidence on the west side and it is necessary to change the west end of the line so as to run close to the iron formation.

All kinds of rumors are in circulation regarding the building of the extension. One is that an appropriation of a half million dollars has been made by the directors for the purpose of making the extension. At any rate, as if the building of the line is a sure go this time and it further looks as if the opening of the branch is to be times so as to get in on the big ore shipments when things take a turn in the iron business and from present appearances the Milwaukee will not be in position to haul much ore from Iron River until the season of 1913. [DD-1912-0302]

1912, The St. Paul is handling the output of all of the mines in the Crystal Falls region excepting the Mansfield at the present time. [DD-1912-0504]

1913. A.D. McRae, the Palatka contractor who had been grading the tacks that the St. Paul people recently put in at the Carpenter mine was in Crystal Falls last Monday. Mr. McRae has finished up his work at the Carpenter. [DD-1913-1119]

1914. March. The Milwaukee Road branch is completed from the Chicagon area west to Iron River. [MRL]

1914. The MILW completes a 4 mile spur from Bates Junction north to the Bates Mine. In 1947 the line is cut back to the C&NW crossing near Bates Mine, and then in 1956 the entire line is abandoned. [MRL]

1930's. Prior to the pooling agreement with C&NW, the MILW handled ore traffic between Champion and Channing, and from Iron River, Crystal Falls and Channing. They then used trackage rights on the E&LS to reach their two docks between Wells and Escanaba. [LSIOR]

1937. The MILW purchased the Shafer Branch from the C&NW. The C&NW maintains trackage rights on the branch. [MRL] Speculation in newspapers suggests that this may have been due to the C&NW not maintaining the branch to the level needed by the MILW for ore operations. By this time, the ore pooling agreement was in effect and the MILW may have been serving the bulk of the mines southwest of Crystal Falls on this branch.

1939. Workmen for the contracting firm of Morrison and Dougherty, of St. Paul, have begun building a new roadbed for the Milwaukee Road where it passes near the Bengal mine in Stambaugh city. The Vernona Mining Co., operators of the Bengal, has served notice that developments at the mine make it necessary for the tracks to be moved. The new line will turn south at a point east of the Bengal, make a sort of semi-circle near the Tully location and then connect with the present track near the overhead bridge just east of the St. Paul depot. It will require two or three weeks to builds the track, but there will be no interruption in service. [IDG-1939-0526]

1943. Only telegraph office open on this line was Iron River during the day. [ETT-1943] Trains 14 and 21 carried portable telephones on the train, located in the baggage car. In case of emergency, the conductor could attach the phone instrument to the line-side pole wires.

1943. SNAPSHOT. The Milwaukee Road provides one round trip mixed passenger and freight train daily between Channing (via Kelso Jct.), Crystal Falls, and Iron River. Fortune Lake was a flag stop. The trip took one hour and forty minutes each way. These were trains #709 and #714. At Crystal Falls Jct. #709 was instructed to leave the main track switch for the CF branch, with #714 restoring it to normal position upon return. These two scheduled trains appear to be the same train set, leaving Channing about 5:00 am, arriving at Iron River at 7:00 am, turning, and leaving back for Channing at 8:00 am. [ETT-1943]

1943. The MILW operates passenger and freight trains on the joint C&NW/MILK track from Bristol Mine connection with the MILW main line. This track went into the MILW passenger station via the Shafer Branch. MILW trains operate over this joint track from their main line at the Bristol Mine connection on the Shafer Branch to industries located in the vicinity of Odgers Mine for the purpose of handling their own commercial traffic to and fro such industries. When operating on the Shafer Branch beyond their station, they must receive permission from the C&NW train dispatcher. Trains are advised to operate on the joint track with extreme caution prepared to stop within their vision. On the Crystal Falls lead between the MILW main line and the Shafer branch, MILW passenger trains will secure a register from the C&NW agent or operator, or by telephone from the agent/operator at the MILW station to avoid a delay. [ETT-1943]

1943. The C&NW and MILW have a telephone system installed for use on the shared track at Crystal Falls with this operation: [C&NW ETT-1943]

• C&NW Crystal Falls Depot - one long ring
• MILW Crystal Falls Depot - three long rings
• Main Street Crossing by Shafer Branch - five long rings
• C&NW Crystal Falls Yard Switch leading to Shafer Branch - four long rings
• MILW Main Line Switch at Crystal Falls Junction (Bristol Mine) - two long rings.

1969. Entire branch abandoned from Kelso Junction to Iron River, including Crystal Falls. [MRL]