Quincy & Torch Lake Railroad
Overview
HeadquartersHancock, Michigan
LocaleHancock, Michigan
Dates of operation1890–1945
SuccessorNone
Technical
Track gauge3 ft (914 mm)
Length15 miles

The Quincy & Torch Lake Railroad (Q&TL), an affiliate of the Quincy Mining Company, was a 3-foot-gauge shortline railroad located at Hancock in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,[1] not far from Torch Lake.[2] It was created to replace an existing tramway, and was designed to take copper-bearing rock from the Quincy Mine downhill to a mill, and return coal uphill to power mine operations.[1] The mainline was just six and a half miles in length, while sidings and extensions added about 8 miles, for total trackage under 15 miles.[1]

History

The line was chartered in July 1888, and construction started in April 1889.[1] The narrow gauge was chosen because railroads in the area, namely the Hancock and Calumet Railroad as well as the Mineral Range Railroad, were narrow gauge at that time.[1] The railway began operations in March of 1890.[1] Its first engine was the "Thomas F. Mason," a 32-ton 2-6-0 Mogul built by the Brooks Locomotive Works of Dunkirk, New York.[1]

In 1905 the Quincy Mining Company bought the locomotives and rolling stock from the Q&TL and began operating the line directly, although the Q&TL remained the nominal owner of the track.[1] This continued until the Q&TL was officially liquidated in 1927, although the rail operation continued until the mine was shut down in 1931.[1] The line was reactivated in 1937 as World War II-era demand for copper caused the mine to reopen.[1] The mine and the railway were shut down permanently in 1945.[1]

Legacy

The Quincy Mine area is preserved as a cooperating site of the Keweenaw National Historical Park.[3] Visitors are transported to and from the mine on the Quincy and Torch Lake Cog Railway.[4] While that tramway is recent in origin,[5] the tram bears the "Quincy and Torch Lake Railroad" name.[4]

Locomotive #1, the Thomas F. Mason, has ended up in preservation at the Quincy Mine.[1]

Locomotive #3, a 2-6-0 Mogul acquired from Brooks in 1892, is currently stored dismantled at the Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad attraction in Genesee County, near Flint, Michigan.[1][6][7]

Locomotive #6, the last engine purchased for the line, being a 2-8-0 Consolidation acquired in 1913,[1] was sent to Pine Creek Railroad at Allaire State Park in New Jersey in 1975 with the intent for it to be returned to operational condition.[8] This did not occur, and the locomotive was sent back to the Quincy Mine in 2009, where it is undergoing restoration work.[8][9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "The Condensed History of the Quincy & Torch Lake Railroad". Kevin E. Musser, CopperRange.org. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Quincy Mine". Google Maps. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Attractions". Quincy Mine Hoist Association. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Quincy Mine Cog Wheel Tram". Quincy Mine Hoist Association. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Hancock's Tramway is Back". James R. Marshall, Lake Superior Journal (accessed on the Wayback Machine). Archived from the original on 2010-11-26. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Huckleberry Railroad". American-Rails.com. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Crossroad Village & Huckleberry Railroad". Genesee County Parks. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Quincy & Torch Lake Railroad". Trains.com. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Volunteer group restores Copper Country locomotive". Jesse Wiederhold, TV6, May 18, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
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