Derailed and Derelict
Riding along the ridgeline overlooking the Portage valley, the engineers of the Quincy and Torch Lake Railroad must have had quite the view from the cab of the engine. At the turn of the century this entire hillside was cleared completely from any tree that could block the view. A panoramic vista across the heart of the industrialized Keweenaw awaited those on this ridge back in 1900 but now, a hundred years later, a dark and tangled forest block any views.
Nature is slowly reclaiming this ridge, and the narrow trail that once was the Quincy and Torch Lake Railroad is being encroached on both sides by its menacing threat. The forest had already made good progress, overrunning a second parallel track along the one we were walking. Unlike the trail we walked, this parallel track still held it’s wooden ties – though twisted and broken by the ravages of time. It was when we were documenting this second track that we came across an even greater find.
Sitting just off the track in the woods were the remains of what appeared to be a train wreck. That view from a hundred years ago must have been better then we had thought. As we hopped down a short wall and into the woods we could see two rail cars. The first was basically a steel box with a notch on the far side. It appeared to be upside down, lying on its top. A tender perhaps? A short distance back up the line was a second car. This one was upright, and made of wood. We were sure this was a rock car, used to haul the copper rock down to the mill. Both cars were only about 15 feet off the track, and appeared to have been sitting there for some time.
Derailments were quite common on any rail line in the Keweenaw. The steep grades, strong winds, and extreme amounts of snow all make running cars up and down this line treacherous at times. If this was a derailment, however, where were the rest of the cars? And if the rest were salvaged, why not these two? Finding no other remains or clues in the woods, we moved back onto the trail and continued on.
There was a dreailment, I know there is a good account of what happend, I have read it before. There is a brief mention of it here http://www.quincymine.com/newsletter.html
Joe Dase | January 22, 2007
Thanks Joe for the great link. Although I’m not sure these are the same two derailments. The article stated that artifacts were found in a “remote ravine”. The area where we found our upturned cars was neither remote or a ravine. Its only a few hundred feet up the line from the roundhouse actually. But now that I know there was another derailment, I’ll have to get back out there and take a look.
explorer | January 22, 2007