Designing Ore Operations on the Layout

July 2, 2021 – Uncle Heavy’s Ore Lines is a model railroad located in Gary, Indiana.  It is set in 1963 (the year taconite pellets began shipping from the Groveland Mine) in Dickinson County, Michigan.  The model features ore and freight operations on the Chicago and North Western (CNW) and the Milwaukee Road (MILW).  Since I am learning more and more about the area as I build the layout, it is not strictly based on the prototype (maybe next time).  There are two major sources of information that have helped to organize the operational design of the model railroad.  Chicago & North Western Peninsula Division 1940-1996 Volume Two by James E. Lewnard is an invaluable guide to the railroad during this period.  I have also benefited from C&NW Freight Train Schedules by Joe Piersen and produced by the Archives Committee of the Chicago & North Western Historical Society.

The Peninsula Division was made up of several subdivisions and included the major cities of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Escanaba, Ishpeming, Gladstone, Iron River, and Iron Mountain, Michigan.

Ore Train Service

In the 1950s (Lewnard, p. 11) C&NW convinced mining companies on the Gogebic Range (Iron River) to ship the majority of ore from their mines through Escanaba instead of Ashland, Wisconsin.  These trains originated in Watersmeet and ran to Escanaba via Stambaugh.  On the layout, Watersmeet is represented by four tracks of staging (C&NW points west).

Prior to the construction of the new ore dock in Escanaba in 1968, ore was transported to the Escanaba dock from April through November.  Some ore was moved entirely by rail to the steel mills in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.  The all-rail movements were typically made during the winter when the Great Lakes were impassable.  In the 1960s, steel mills in southern Illinois, Alabama, Colorado, and Utah received train loads of ore bypassing the ore docks altogether. 

In the 1960s ore trains frequently ran as turns from Escanaba to Antoine (or Partridge) to avoid the cost of having crews overnight in a dormitory.  During this period, the C&NW transitioned from shipping a majority of natural iron ore to shipping taconite pellets.  Taconite is produced by adding bentonite clay to concentrated iron ore in a balling kiln.

Ore came to Escanaba over the C&NW from three major ranges.  The Menominee Range was centered around Iron Mountain, the Marquette Range included the mines and taconite plants around Ishpeming, and the Gogebic Range mentioned earlier included the mines in the western part of the Upper Peninsula.  Operations on the layout will include Gogebic ore from Watersmeet and taconite from the Groveland mine.  Marquette ore traffic is not modeled as Ishpeming is off the layout in staging.

The Antoine Turn took empties from Ore Dock No. 6 to the yard in Antoine and returned with a loaded train to Escanaba (Lewnard, p. 28).

A list of Menominee Range mines is included by Lewnard on page 29.  The table below is excerpted from this list and includes only those mines active in 1963.

Mine	Location	Railroad
Bristol-Youngstown	Crystal Falls	CNW-MILW
Tobin Mine	Crystal Falls	CNW-MILW
Cannon Mine	Stambaugh	CNW-MILW
Hiawatha #2	Stambaugh	CNW-MILW
Homer Mine	Iron River	CNW-MILW
Wauseca Mine	Iron River	CNW-MILW
Sherwood Mine	Iron River	CNW-MILW
Buck Mine	Caspian	CNW-MILW
Groveland Mine (on layout)	Randville	MILW

In 1937 the C&NW and the MILW entered into a pooling agreement owing to the downturn in business in the Menominee Range. Cars, locomotives, and crews were pooled through Escanaba.  Revenue and equipment were divided 34% MIL and 66% CNW.  The agreement was such that Milwaukee cars were not to be loaded on the Marquette or Gogebic Ranges, but in practice cars wandered outside of the pool areas.  The pooling agreement did not apply to ore destinations outside of Escanaba and did not apply to other commercial traffic.

The Antoine Turn frequently carried cars from pulp mills in Canada that were received from the Soo Line at Larch and were destined for the Niagara paper mill (Lewnard p. 30).  A special rate was paid to crews on the trains that included this commercial freight.

Gogebic ore was shipped after 1962 with one ore train per day.  These trains were not mixed with Menominee trains owing to the pooling agreement with MILW.  There was also a pooling agreement in place for ore bound for Ashland with the Soo Line.  The MILW agreement stated that non-pooled ore could not be moved on a train that included Milwaukee Road crewman (Lewnard, p. 35). Gogebic Range mines active in 1963 are listed on the following table.

Mine	Location	Railroad
Geneva-Newport	Siemans	CNW-SOO
Peterson Group	Siemans/Bessemer	CNW-SOO

The implications for operations on the layout are that ore trains will run from both Channing (MILW Points North) and Watersmeet (CNW Points West).  A typical day should see one train of Gogebic ore coming from CNW staging (Gogebic Ore Turn).  This train will turn at Antoine in order to take the ore line to the ore dock.  There will also be a daily Gogebic train hauling empties from the ore dock to CNW.  These cars will be waybilled to/from Geneva-Newport Mine and Peterson Group mine.  There will be one loaded ore train from Channing (MILW Points North) that will turn at Antoine and take the ore line to the ore dock (Channing Ore Turn).  A complementary train will run empties back to Channing every day. There will be a turn from the Groveland mine.  This train will start in staging with empties, exchange these for loads at Groveland and then follow the MILW pattern to and from the ore dock (Groveland Turn).  A fourth ore turn will begin at CNW Points West and follow the turn pattern through Antoine to the ore yard and return (Antoine Turn).

To do this correctly, empties should be directed through the staging loop on to the line through Powers into Antoine.  This settles the issue of whether a return loop is required.  After dropping off loads at the ore dock, all locomotives will then back empties through Felch Jct. and then proceed to Escanaba through the loop and then back onto the layout at Powers.

Gogebic Ore Turn

1. Acquire train from Watersmeet (CNW Points West).  This will require locating the train cards from the bill box and activating the track which the train is staged on.  Select the locomotive using the DCC system and proceed out of staging into the arrival track at Antoine.
2. Turn train at Antoine.  The switcher at Antoine will assist in removing the caboose and allowing the locomotive to run around the train.  The switcher will tack the caboose on the back of the train, and it will depart using the ore line for the ore yard.
3. Arrive at Ore Yard No. 6.  Run train onto arrival track at ore yard.  Switcher will remove caboose and tack it onto the back of empties in the departure yard.  Locomotive will attach to empties and back train out to Felch Jct.
4. Proceed to Escanaba.  Train will take turnout at Felch Jct. for Escanaba and proceed through the staging loop.
5. Return to Antoine.  Proceed through Powers to Antoine arrival track.  Switcher at Antoine will assist with caboose and runaround to allow train to proceed to back into Watersmeet
6. Restaging instructions – this train may be restaged by bringing the train into Antoine and replacing loads.  The train is then backed into staging and ready for the next session.
7. Additional notes – Gogebic trains are excluded from the pooling agreement.  Only CNW locomotives and cars should be used on Gogebic trains.

Channing Turn

1. Acquire train from Channing (MILW Points North).  This will require locating the train cards from the bill box and activating the track which the train is staged on.  Select the locomotive using the DCC system and proceed out of staging into the arrival track at Antoine.
2. Turn train at Antoine.  The switcher at Antoine will assist in removing the caboose and allowing the locomotive to run around the train.  The switcher will tack the caboose on the back of the train, and it will depart using the ore line for the ore yard.
3. Arrive at Ore Yard No. 6.  Run train onto arrival track at ore yard.  Switcher will remove caboose and tack it onto the back of empties in the departure yard.  Locomotive will attach to empties and back train out to Felch Jct.
4. Proceed to Escanaba.  Train will take turnout at Felch Jct. for Escanaba and proceed through the staging loop.
5. Return to Antoine.  Proceed through Powers to Antoine arrival track.  Switcher at Antoine will assist with caboose and runaround to allow train to proceed to back into Channing
6. Restaging instructions – this train may be restaged by bringing the train into Antoine and replacing loads.  The train is then backed into staging and ready for the next session.
7. Additional notes – Channing trains will often have MILW locomotives and mixed cars.

Groveland Turn

1. Acquire train from Channing (MILW Points North).  This will require locating the train cards from the bill box and activating the track which the train is staged on.  Select the locomotive using the DCC system and proceed out of staging to Groveland Mine.
2. Exchange empties for loads at Groveland Mine and proceed to the arrival track at Antoine.
3. Turn train at Antoine.  The switcher at Antoine will assist in removing the caboose and allowing the locomotive to run around the train.  The switcher will tack the caboose on the back of the train, and it will depart using the ore line for the ore yard.
4. Arrive at Ore Yard No. 6.  Run train onto arrival track at ore yard.  Switcher will remove caboose and tack it onto the back of empties in the departure yard.  Locomotive will attach to empties and back train out to Felch Jct.
5. Proceed to Escanaba.  Train will take turnout at Felch Jct. for Escanaba and proceed through the staging loop.
6. Return to Antoine.  Proceed through Powers to Antoine arrival track.  Switcher at Antoine will assist with caboose and runaround to allow train to proceed to back into Channing staging.
7. Restaging instructions – this train may be restaged by replacing loads into cars at Groveland Mine.
8. Additional notes – Channing trains will often have MILW locomotives and mixed cars.

Antoine Turn

1. Acquire train from Watersmeet (CNW Points West).  This will require locating the train cards from the bill box and activating the track which the train is staged on.  Select the locomotive using the DCC system and proceed out of staging to the arrival track at Antoine.
2. Turn train at Antoine.  The switcher at Antoine will assist in removing the caboose and allowing the locomotive to run around the train.  The switcher will tack the caboose on the back of the train, and it will depart using the ore line for the ore yard.
3. Arrive at Ore Yard No. 6.  Run train onto arrival track at ore yard.  Switcher will remove caboose and tack it onto the back of empties in the departure yard.  Locomotive will attach to empties and back train out to Felch Jct.
4. Proceed to Escanaba.  Train will take turnout at Felch Jct. for Escanaba and proceed through the staging loop.
5. Return to Antoine.  Proceed through Powers to Antoine arrival track.  Switcher at Antoine will assist with caboose and runaround to allow train to proceed to back into Watersmeet staging.
6. Restaging instructions – this train may be restaged by bringing the train into Antoine and replacing loads.  The train is then backed into staging and ready for the next session.
7. Additional notes – Watersmeet trains will often have CNW locomotives and mixed cars.

Since all ore trains on the layout are turns, they require no staging at Escanaba.  Ore trains will use two staging tracks at Watersmeet and two staging tracks at Channing.

I have one set of Minnesota ore cars.  They really don’t belong on the layout.  Now these cars will be used on the Gogebic runs to make it easier to distinguish which cars are meant to stay out of the pool.  I get to use those cars after all!