Ep. 480: CN U745 to the Marquette Iron Range

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Ep. 480: CN U745 to the Marquette Iron Range

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Very excited to be publishing this one, my first video from dah UP!

Ep. 480: CN's Marquette Iron Range All-Rail Ore Train Chase

27 August 2016, McFarland, MICH -- Welcome to the 480th Edition of the Thornapple River Rail Series, a milestone event as we begin covering the rails of Michigan's Upper Peninsula!

Getting things started up in the "UP", we're in the "boonies" southeast of Marquette, near the hamlet of McFarland, on the CN Marquette Range Subdivision. Heading north, U745 has 45 empty hoppers for loading with iron ore pellets at the Tilden Mine near Marquette, on the LS&I.

This stretch of the former CNW is a longtime iron ore highway, transporting much of the ore consumed in the Chicago steelmaking industry to Escanaba for transloading onto lake freighters. This train, however, is part of an all-rail move between Marquette and Sault Ste Marie, Canada.

This is the end of the empty return leg of the circuit. As we'll see, U745 delivers these empties to the LS&I at their Eagle Mills Terminal, before collecting the loads from the LS&I at Partridge. U745 then returns to Escanaba, specifically the Gladstone Yard, where the loads are then added to the freight heading for Sault Ste Marie, or the "SOO", as it's known in the area. At Sault Ste Marie, the Algoma Steel Mill unloads the cars, releasing them for the return run to Escanaba, and back on U745 for more iron from the legendary Marquette Iron Range.

Our first location is the M-35 crossing in the woodlands near McFarland. M35 parallels the railroad for the most part, swinging wide for the crossing here.

Our next stop is a few minutes up the road in Little Lake, where U745 rumbles through town, passing the old MOW Base and siding.

Some time later, we're back on M35 just east of Partridge, where the train slows to enter the yard limits, and shortly, the LS&I main.

Next, we're near the old National Mine, on the LS&I main between the Empire and Tilden Mines, and the LS&I's main hub, Eagle Mills. They're entering the LS&I down there are Palmer Line Jct, and traversing the main north for Eagle Mills. Behind them, the overburden piles from the Empire Mine tower over the landscape.

Some time later, they're seen again rounding the wye between Palmer Line Jct and Partridge, heading back to collect their loaded train.

Finally, we're back at M35, as they take off for Escanaba with a several billion more iron ore pellets to fuel the steel mill at Sault Ste Marie.

Stay tuned to the Thornapple River Rail Series, for more coverage of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, in addition to everything else we're covering here, on Michigan's #1 Railroad Series.

Check this out! I've completed a Google Map covering the areas we're covering in the UP, to date. It'll allow you to explore the areas covered here, and keep up with the litany of names and towns in use around the UP's surprisingly interesting railroad scene.

Railroads of Michigan's Upper Peninsula: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GeSrF ... sp=sharing

CN U745 All-Rail Ore
NB Consist:
- CN 5367 [SD40-2]
- CN 2037 [C40-8]
- 2 CHs [For LS&I]
- 45 Hoppers [Tilden All-Rail Ore Empties]
SB Consist:
- CN 2037 [C40-8]
- CN 5367 [SD40-2]
- 45 hoppers [Tilden All-Rail Ore Loads]
Location/Time:
- CN Marquette Range Sub, McFarland, MI, M35 xing, on 8-27-16 at 17:10 EDT
- Little Lake, Co Rd 456 xing, at 17:21
- Partridge, M35 Overpass, at 17:50
- LS&I Ore Sub, National Mine, New Buffalo Rd xing, at 18:02
- Partridge, Miller Rd xing, at 18:50
- Partridge, M35 Overpass, at 19:31

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Videography Equipment:
-Primary: Sony PJ790 Camcorder
-Edited with: Cyberlink PowerDirector 13

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