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Copyright © 1996-2006
Kevin E. Musser

 
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Copper Range Railroad 
History / Photos

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Copper Range #29, last of the last, parked at the Quincy Smelter


#29 in her better days (photo by Wally Weart)

List of Bridges and Buildings of the Copper Range RR (1899-1916)

Complete Equipment list for the Copper Range RR (1899-1972)

Steam Engine Roster of the Copper Range RR (With photos)
Diesel Engine Roster of the Copper Range RR (With Photos)

Milepost chart for the Copper Range

Color slides of the Copper Range, Part I
Color slides of the Copper Range, Part II
Color slides of the Copper Range, Part III

Copper Range system map, circa 1906, before the mainline change
Copper Range system map, circa 1920's after the mainline change


This was the Copper Range section house in Toivola, which has now been moved down the road towards Misery Bay.
(Photo by Kevin E. Musser) 

Mid-Continent Railway Museum Copper Range Railroad Coach No. 60
Copper Range Passes from 1914, 1915, 1917

Copper Range Documents
Copper Range Switchlist
Copper Range Empty Car Slip
Copper Range Telegram
Copper Range Cars on Hand (Front Side)
Copper Range Cars on Hand (Back Side)


Description of Copper Range Coach #60 (series 55-60)


A nice photo of Copper Range Combine #25 when it first arrived at North Freedom in 1963. Photo by Ray Buhrmaster. Check out the status of Copper Range #60 restoration at North Freedom

Winter Operations on the Copper Range Railroad
Copper Range Box Car #161 (of series #161-170)

Copper Range Steam Shovel X-2
Copper Range Refrigerator Car #953 (of series #950-953)
Copper Range Steel Box Car #4018 (of series #4010-4032)
Copper Range School Train
Copper Range Freda Park Train
A story about the phone system used on the Copper Range

Here is a photo of my motorcar, Copper Range Railroad Number 3.  Built by Fairmont Railway Motors, Fairmont, Minnesota on April 25, 1947.  Shipped to Houghton, MI, C/O H.W. Johnson, Gen. Mgr. on April 26, 1947.  One of six identical cars shipped to CR at that time.  This one was shipped to White Pine Mine upon closure of Copper Range RR. and operated at mine until mid-1980's, then retired.  I purchased it from the mine in 1992.  It still runs, but I have not operated it on any rails since acquiring.
Scott Janz
Rudolph, WI

Mill Mine Junction Today and Yesterday
Copper Range Station Project (Winona, South Range, Mill Mine Junction)
South Range Project (Trimountain Ave.)
 Michigan Smelter on Coles Creek
Copper Range ad used to create my homepage logo
Copper being shipped from the CRRR Houghton Docks
Another view of the Houghton Docks
Early view of Houghton Yard
Copper Range Roundhouse


Copper Range Roundhouse crew in the early 1930's. From the Gary Long Collection. Click here for a much larger view of this photo.

Other Railroads controlled or owned by the Copper Range RR

Keweenaw Central Railroad
Atlantic & Lake Superior Railroad (Coming soon)

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A rare photo of a Atlantic & Lake Superior RR rock train over the Redridge steel dam in the early 1900's.

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The top map is from a soil conservation map of Ontonagon from 1921. The bottom left shows a CM&St.P ticket stub used by a lucky passenger traveling down the Copper Range to Ontonagon in 1917, a joint operation of the CM&St.P and Copper Range. The bottom right photo is the busy town of Ontonagon around the same time. (Kevin Musser Collection).


Copper Range Consolidated Company History

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Copper Range Company Hospital in Trimountain (click here for the side view)

The Homes of "Snob Hill"
Copper Country Mining Company Homes
Some other photos of Copper Range Company Homes

Working at the Copper Range Company office in Painesdale

The Dally-Jane Murders in Painesdale during the Copper Strike of 1913-14

Copper Range News 
(Vintage articles from the Copper Range Company's Newsletter of the 60's and 70's)

South Range area Phonebook from 1962

A Baltic Mining Company Powder house
William Albert Paine, President of the Copper Range Consolidated Company
Champion Copper Company's Dry in Painesdale
The Trimountain Stamp mill in Beacon Hill
The Champion Stamp mill in Freda
A short history and photos of Redridge and the Atlantic / Baltic mills by Robert Goniea


The Atlantic Mining Company dam built in 1894 at Redridge (Photo taken in 1978)
 


Keweenaw Geology


Native Copper Mass located at: Henry Ford Community College, Dearborn, Mi. The plaque reads: Glacial Float NATIVE MASS COPPER 1850 lbs. 
(From Painesdale)

The "Natural Wall"
Keweenawan System 


Other Items of Interest

The History of the Houghton County Traction Company

Calumet & Hecla Railroad Engine Roster

Three Spans over the Portage
A story of the three bridges that link the Keweenaw Peninsula with the rest of the U.P.

6 or so miles, down the hill, 
through the woods.
The Condensed history of the Quincy & Torch Lake Railroad

The Lake Mine and Mass City Area
An area I like to photograph

A Cybertour of the Lake Superior & Ishpeming
30+ photos of the line from West Yard to Eagle Mills

A Cybertour of the Lake Superior & Ishpeming, Part II
Eagle Mills to Tilden and Empire Mines

The Quincy Dredge #1 and #2
From the Great Lakes Shipwreck Research and Diving Homepage

Photos of other Upper Peninsula Railroads
Photos of the DSS&A, LS&I, Milwaukee Road and Cliffs Dow Chemical by Kevin Musser

My selections from the American Memory Collection (75 photos of the U.P. from 1880-1920)

My favorite Copper Country photo Warning, this picture gives me the creeps. Look for the small elf dancing behind the tree! 

The History of Chassell

Detroit News Sites

When Michigan Rode the Rails
Detroit News Rear View Mirror History Site

Upper Peninsula Railroad webpages and other related research material

The Milwaukee Road
The Soo Line
Duluth South Shore & Atlantic
Chicago & Northwestern
Another Michigan Car Ferries page

John DuLong's list of Keweenaw railroads
The Page Collection
The Perron Collection

Two builders photos from the Mineral Range Railroad.

Mineral Range Steel Hopper #1585 (wt. 34400, length 28 feet) 50 ton capacity. Built by American Car & Foundry in a 100 car lot (#7089), ordered on 3/17/13. 

Mineral Range Box Car #2000 (wt. 34600, length 36 feet) 30 ton capacity. Built by American Car & Foundry in a 50 car lot (#2797), ordered on 3/14/03. 

 (Information and photos from George Anderson) 
 



A view of a Copper Range local crossing one of three Firesteel river bridges on my model of the CRRR. 
Photo By: Larry Wright