While a fairly modern high power locomotive it was definitely built for the needs of European railroads with their very tight clearances, and as a result was quite a homely compact steamer by most traditional standards. I was, however, disapointed to find the steam locomotive running at the time of my visit was RR1702, a former military US Army Transportation Corps S160 class 2-8-0 "consolidation" built for operation in Europe during the Second World War. The 32 mile tourist/freight line included a several hour steam passenger run with a couple of old steel coaches painted green traveling throught the turpentine woods to the "picnic site" where the steam engine was turned on an armstrong turntable and then recoupled to run back the other direction. Ron portrayed the Reader as a hard scrabble southern steam operation run out of a couple of tin buildings by local steam mechanics who could and did keep a couple of old turn of the century steamers running in back woods fashion.Īt the time I visited the Reader RR, I didn't realize that this would be the last year of any major freight operation. Glad she's still running though and no you cannot take the C&O 2-6-6-2 and make it look Western Maryland - it just doesn't work!īack in 1970 traveling with my folks through the western USA, I had a copy of Ron Zeil's book Twilight of Steam he covered the Reader Railroad in Arkansas. You guys can't fool anyone with that "ersatz" styling job - come on! History is history! The massive 2-8-0 LS&I 28 is today still going masqurading on Western Maryland - and has sadly been disguised as a WM locomotive. I envied the folks who live there and could see the steam railroad operate day after day as if it was an ordinary part of American life today. It was a great 25 mile trip of the original locomotive on the original mainline. Yah you can bet I played that steam whistle before leaving back for my motel room. Just a padlock on the throttle and the fire banked. A trip to the rail yard found LS&I 28 hot and with no watchman. I remember arriving in Marquette in the 1970's and getting a motel room for the trip the next day. Closer geographically to Wisconson but in a political move given to Michigan it is a romantic place lost to the modern world - yah NO EXPRESSWAYS! The tourist line ran into the 1970's before abandonment.įor those of you who have never been to Michigan's upper peninsula it is a land that time forgot. The railroad hauled heavey iron ore loads and the railroad was built to stop and start these loads in a land of heavy winter railroading. Which was a fantastic historic trip of original engines running on original track. Three of these survived into the tourist business on the Marquette and Huron Mountain Railroad. This was some serious heavy trackage and real BULL 2-8-0 "consolidation" locomotives. Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad was a mining railroad in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The railroad pulled up roots and tracks and went out west to operate a section of the old Rock Island and then abandon that line also. Myself, raised on the NYC hudsons tearing through the northland and the Pennsy K4's running up the west side of the state the little logging mike lacked glory - but it was steam! Was kinda cute to see it run ahead on the morning trip through the woods. One or two coaches of questionable heritage pulled by the engine forward for 20 miles and then run around the train and pulling it backwards for the return trip. The little "mike" ran from around 1963 into the early 1970's and was the homeliest looking railroad I ever saw. The cute little line was a former Pennsylvania Railroad branch line into the forever lost woods of Michigan's central lower peninsula. The first was the Cadillac & Lake City which ran a small lumber railroad 2-8-2 from Poison River and Saginaw. Michigan had two small tourist lines that I watched fall.