Thanks to CAT345C for helping to keep this post current!
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This thread is all about current operations around the Upper Peninsula. ELS is not included since they pretty much run as-needed.
To go with this, I've made this map which covers all of the UP. There are a lot of junctions, so it is probably a helpful reference:
https://www.google.com/maps/@46.6694441 ... SmcPRMInTY
Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad
Owned by: Cliffs Natural Resources
Main Yard: Eagle Mills - Dispatching, Engine/Car Maintenance, Switching
Trains:
The LS&I operates their trains in three daily shifts. Their trains are named according to their duties and the hour at which they were called. Jobs can start at 0700, 1500 and 2300, applied as "7", "3" and "11" in the train nomenclature. Job titles include Tilden, Yard-Hill, Dock, and Weigher. Thus a 0700 call for a Tilden Job would be referred to as "7 Tilden". A 1500 call for a Yard-Hill Job would be "3 Yard-Hill". These names are used in train-to-train and train-to-dispatcher conversations and are the official "symbols" if you will.
The calling of trains on the LS&I are entirely dependent on the boat schedule. Usually, you'll get at least a 7 Weigher to take care of the all-rail ore for the CN, taking the empties from Eagle Mills to Tilden, and then to Partridge when loaded. The rest are fairly regular, but if there aren't many boats, it isn't totally uncommon to have a dead shift on the LS&I, especially in winter, when the railroad pretty much hibernates except for the 7 Weigher.
Aside from the previously discussed Weigher Job, Tilden Jobs work between Eagle Mills and the Tilden Mine, moving ore jennies 60 at a time from the mine to Eagle Mills. Empties are hauled back to the mine in 120 car cuts. They don't run full trains from the mine due to the gradients present between Empire and Eagle Mills Junction. This is the most common job on the railroad.
The Hill Job works the hill run from Eagle Mills to Marquette and return. They run 120-car trains in both directions, usually two complete turns. Some shifts they run a Yard-Hill job instead, which typically includes a run to Tilden to pickup a set of loads, or bring in a set of empties, as needed.
The Dock Jobs work the dock - shocker I know. These are most common just before and just after boats arrive and depart, and their job is simply to keep loaded cars on the dock, and shift them around as necessary. OOS pockets on the dock often make their job a bit more interesting. Sometimes they will run a Dock-Hill job which will add a turn up to Eagle Mills and back to the dock shifting duties.
Dispatcher Control
The LS&I Dispatcher at Eagle Mills is known as the "Control Operator" and controls the entire railroad with the exception of the mines and dock. They also preside over the CN "yard" at Partridge, all of the joint CN/LS&I trackage between Palmer Line Jct and Eagle Mills Jct, LS&I Jct and Landing Jct, plus all of the CN trackage between Diamond Jct and West Wye, along with Eagle Mills Jct and West Wye.
Basically, the LS&I Operator directs all movements between Landing Junction (west end of Ishpeming) and the Yard Limit Boards on the CN at Partridge. This consolidation is purely functional, as it is highly practical to have one person controlling everything in the Iron Range, despite the spaghetti bowl of ownership.
Speeds:
The LS&I varies, generally living up to the nickname of "Lazy, Slow and Independent", at least when it comes to train speeds. Typically less than 25 mph, depends on the spot and slow orders.
Canadian National Railroad
Main Yards: Wells Ore Yard & Gladstone [Escanaba], Partridge, Trout Lake and Elucid Yard [Joint with LS&I]
The CN holdings northwest of Escanaba are former Wisconsin Central territories. The line from Escanaba to Partridge, and Ishpeming to Baraga is known as the Marquette Range Subdivision. The line from Green Bay to Sault Ste Marie is the Manistique Subdivision. From Powers to Quinnesec is the Iron Mountain Sub and from Trout Lake to Munising is the Newberry Sub.
Everything they control in the UP is dispatched out of Homewood (except what is controlled by the LS&I operator), and they use Central Time.
Trains:
U741 (Now cancelled): Iron Ore Jennies, run as an Escanaba-LS&I-Escanaba Turn with one crew. Typically two units and 100-120 DM&IR ore jennies, called in the wee hours of the morning. While this train is not currently running, they previously would operate up to the Empire Mine via Partridge and Empire Junctions, over the LS&I to Empire Mine. Symbol also used in winter to run Tilden trains when Marquette is closed due to the SOO Locks. Typically 2500 tons empty, 9900 tons loaded, when running in 100-car configuration, with a length of 2550'.
U743 (Now cancelled): Same concept as U743, but is the second train of the day, typically called around 1500 CT. Typically followed U745 from Escanaba to the Iron Range using radio blocking, operating only 10-20 minutes behind U745. Also currently not running, with the closure of the Empire Mine.
U745: One half of the Iron Ore All-Rail movement between Sault Ste Marie [Algoma Iron Works] and the Tilden Mine. Typically on duty at 15:00 ET, daily at Gladstone. While the cars move on the main mixed freight between Gladstone and the SOO, they run as this dedicated Gladstone-Eagle Mills-Partridge-Gladstone Turn daily, with one crew.
They assemble their train in Galdstone, take the long way around Escanaba on the Manistique Sub, turning east at Algoma Jct and then north at Wells, entering the Marquette Range Sub.
When they arrive in the Iron Range, they go directly to Eagle Mills on the LS&I, where they drop the empties, and any freight for the LS&I that they brought with them - they bring in Sodium Hydroxide and Bentonite Clay for the Pellet Plants. They then run lite power back to Partridge. Enroute, they will pickup any LS&I freight empties at Queens. At Partridge, they grab their outbound train, as setout by the LS&I's 7 Weigher earlier in the day.
They then take off for Gladstone. Typically 45 ore cars plus whatever CHs or Tanks for/from the LS&I. Generally about 1800 tons empty, 6300 tons loaded, taping out to 2400'. In the winter, the train will often run with 70 cars each way, while the boats are laid up for the season. From time to time, the train may be cancelled if the blast furnace is down at Sault Ste Marie. On rare occasions, if there is no ore traffic but a lot of stuff for Ishpeming, they may run as essentially a second section of the L549 to make a pickup and setout at Euclid Yard in Ishpeming.
L539 & L540: L540 is the Nestroia to Partridge symbol. On Monday the crew comes on at 06:00 ET in Ishpeming does any work in the yard including interchange with the MR, heads to Partridge to meet the L549 from Gladstone. They will swap trains and head as far west towards L'Anse as they can. Usually they park near Nestroia.
On Tuesday they become L539 and proceed to L'Anse and then return south usually to the Humbolt area since the Mineral Range is usually out running and in the way. Typical holding point is the Peshekee Wood Yard.
On Wednesday they become the L540 again and continue to Ishpeming, work the yard grab interchange from the Mineral Range and head back to meet the L549. And then the whole process starts over again. They do not work weekends, typically. On days where they do not meet L549 at Partridge and the L549 has a lot of cars, the L549 all the way to Ishpeming to keep Partridge clear and cars on the move.
L541: Newberry-Munising Road Switcher. Typical on duty time of 10:00 ET out of Newberry, working west to Munising, switching customers enroute. Note: L541, L542 and L545 work a 6-day-on, 2-day-off schedule. Days 1 & 4 as L541, Day 2 & 5 as L542, Day 3 & 6 as L545. Crew then receives days 7 & 8 as rest. L541 and L545 both called at 09:00. L542 is called once the L541 crew has reached their rest time.
L542: Munising-Newberry Road Switcher. Crew called based on crew rest at Munising, working east to Newberry, switching customers enroute. Note: L541, L542 and L545 work a 6-day-on, 2-day-off schedule. Days 1 & 4 as L541, Day 2 & 5 as L542, Day 3 & 6 as L545. L541 and L545 both called at 09:00. Crew then receives days 7 & 8 as rest. L542 is called once the L541 crew has reached their rest time.
L543: Gladstone-Sault Ste Marie Road Switcher. Typically on duty for 00:59 ET, daily. Handles all online switching duties between their origin and termination, which includes a few pulpwood loadouts, the Gas Facility at Gulliver, and the Port Inland Railroad interchange. Departs Gladstone in the early morning, generally meeting L550 somewhere on the west end of their run.
L544: Sault Ste Marie-Gladstone Road Switcher. Typically on duty for 12:00 ET, daily. Same idea as L543, but in the opposite direction. They typically depart Trout Lake around 3-5pm and meet the L551 either at Trout Lake or Gilchrist.
L545: Newberry-Trout Lake Road Switcher Turn. Typically on duty for 10:00 ET. Works east to Trout Lake to drop off cars from the west end of the subdivision and return. Note: L541, L542 and L545 work a 6-day-on, 2-day-off schedule. Days 1 & 4 as L541, Day 2 & 5 as L542, Day 3 & 6 as L545. Crew then receives days 7 & 8 as rest. L541 and L545 both called at 09:00. L542 is called once the L541 crew has reached their rest time.
L546: Powers-Green Bay Turn. Typically on duty for 19:05 ET, daily. Works to Green Bay and return, working online customers and picking up traffic for Powers in Green Bay. Shares power with the L547.
L547: Powers-Goodman Turn. Typically on duty for 07:05 ET, Sunday-Friday. Works westward from Powers to Hermansville, and then down the Pembine Sub to Goodman, where the track is thence out-of-service to Rhinelander. Shares power with the L546.
L549: Gladstone-Partridge/Ishpeming-Gladstone Local freight, operated as a turn on one crew. Typically on duty in Gladstone at 04:00 ET, and arrives at Partridge around 0800-1000 ET, departs an hour or two later. They utilize the same power as U745, as they both operate out of Gladstone on opposite shifts. When they arrive at Partridge, they setout cars for the locals further north, then collect whatever southbound traffic is there, then takes off for Gladstone. Length varies, usually a dozen or two worth of cars. Some days, they may run beyond Partridge to swap cars at Ishpeming, especially on the weekends.
A450: (formerly L550) Sault Ste Marie-Green Bay Road Freight. Typically on duty at 23:00 ET at SSM and later recrewed in Gladstone at 07:00 ET. Handles all overhead traffic between the SOO and Gladstone and then Gladstone and Green Bay, making no intermediate stops except for meeting L543 as needed and the recrew and block swap at Gladstone. Their consist is loaded down with steel from the mill at the Sault, empty ore hoppers from the mill for the Tilden Mine (via U745), empty covered gons for the Mineral Range (via L549 and L540), and other miscellaneous traffic from the old Algoma Central, and west of Gladstone, other local traffic. Typically run with a DPU east of Gladstone, since the bridge at Sault Ste Marie has a tonnage limitation which precludes running two locomotives next to each other. Typically meets L543 somewhere. Departs SSM around 9pm-12am ET.
A451: (formerly L551) Green Bay-Sault Ste Marie Road Freight. Same idea as A450 but in the opposite direction. On duty at Green Bay at 02:00 CT and later recrewed around 12:00 ET in Gladstone. Generally meets L544 at Trout Lake or Gilchrist.
L552: Gladstone-Quinnesec-Gladstone Road Switcher Turn. Typically on duty at Gladstone at 12:00 ET. Runs to Powers via the Manistique Sub, where they work the yard in Powers before continuing on to the mill at Quinnesec via the Iron Mountain Sub. They work the reverse on the way back, including a setoff at Powers, before returning to Gladstone. Typically loaded down with boxes and tanks for the mill, and plenty of pulpwood to go along with it.
Subdivisions
Iron Mountain: Powers to Iron Mountain, via Hermansville.
Manistique: Green Bay, WI to Sault Ste Marie, via Powers, Algoma Jct and Trout Lake.
Marquette Range: Algoma Jct (Escanaba) to End-of-Track (Baraga). Does not include the LS&I Joint Trackage from WE Partridge to Landing Jct (Ishpeming) and trackage rights over the Mineral Range, from Landing Jct to Humboldt Jct.
Newberry: Trout Lake to End-of-Track in Munising, running via Munising Jct.
Pembine: Hermansville to Goodman, WI. Track still in place but out of service to Rhinelander.
Dispatcher Control
All the CN dispatching in the region is handled by a desk in Homewood. It's all track warrants. In the greater Marquette Region, they're under the command of the LS&I Operator, as described in the LS&I section above.
Speeds:
In general, the Marquette Range Sub is 40 mph from Escanaba to Gladstone, and 10 mph from Humboldt Jct to Baraga. The Manistique Sub is 40 mph west of Escanaba at least as far as Powers, 25 mph dominates from Gladstone to SSM with a few faster places. The line from Powers to Quinnesec is 10-25mph, as is the Munising Branch.
Mineral Range Railroad
Owner: Independent Shortline, Private Ownership
Main Yard: Owns two tracks in Ishpeming's Euclid Yard for interchange with the CN.
Trains:
The MRA's primary train is the Humboldt Turn (official name or not, I don't know), running from Ishpeming to Humboldt to service the Nickel and Copper Mill there. They typically get an early start around 0700 from their engine house southeast of Landing Junction, grab their train from the yard in Ishpeming, and take off for Humboldt. The cars for the mill are gons covered in white lids, as the ore concentrates are mild hazmats for heavy metals. Generally, the trains are 12-24 cars. Their power is a GP9 and a GP7, one high nose, one chopped, one in a fashionable Maroon scheme, the other in BN-style Green and White. After exchanging cuts in the Humboldt Mill, they make the return run in the opposite fashion. They run 3-4 weekdays each week, sometimes more, all depending on the mill.
They also operate the branch from Winthrop Jct to Pluto south of Ishpeming, where they service the explosives transload that supplies the explosives for the Tilden (and formally Empire) mines. They run with their SW unit from Pluto to Winthrop (maybe all the way to Ishpeming now, the arrangement may have changed) and return as needed.
Speeds:
All of the Mineral Range is 10 mph.