Private railroads in public view
Single industry servants that look like short lines
INTERMIXED WITH COMMON-CARRIER
RAILROADS in the United States are private railroads that provide transportation and switching services for their owners. Although capable of doing so, they rarely serve the public directly. To the untrained passerby, a train is a train, but to us, these are operations of another stripe; welcome diversions from an increasingly homogenized railroad scene.
Here, we focus on private railroads that venture near or outside the company gates to easily be seen from public property. Their operations can be unique, their locomotives ranging anywhere from first-generation antiques to units still in the manufacturers’ catalogs. They are modified according to need and they are given paint schemes ranging from sophisticated and unique to just blanking out the name of the original owner. For many, they can be sky-blue bright spots in an otherwise bland day.
And they are almost everywhere in the contiguous United States. They can be hard to find if you don’t know the geography, but if a train appears while you’re there, the wait is almost always worth it.
Here are a few examples to whet your appetite. —
MINNESOTA: NORTHSHORE MINING
Nearly hidden in the forests of northeastern Minnesota, Northshore Mining’s 47-mile industrial railroad is one of the nation’s longest private railroads. Now on its third owner, the railroad was opened in 1955 by Reserve Mining Co. to move raw taconite ore from its mining area at the new town of Babbitt to a processing plant at Silver Bay, built by the company on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
Reserve, the first successful large-scale taconite mining operation in Minnesota, hauled the ore in 30-foot-long, open-top ore cars. By 1957, the Silver Bay plant was producing 5 million tons of taconite pellets per year, which required the railroad to move 15 million tons of raw taconite ore. The operation was so successful that the single-track railroad was double tracked in 1961 and CTC installed. Trains Editor David P.
Morgan termed Reserve “The Pure Railroad” in the magazine’s January 1969 issue.
Reserve gained infamy in the 1970s when it was sued by the Environmental Protection Agency for dumping taconite tailings into Lake Superior. The trial began in 1972, and was an early test for the burgeoning environmental movement. The case dragged on with appeals until 1980, when Reserve agreed to dispose of the tailing on land. Today’s tailings trains, at least one per shift, operate out of Silver Bay to a
tailings disposal basin on a spur that leaves the main line at milepost 6. United States v. Reserve Mining Co. is now seen as a landmark decision that gave the EPA broader powers to regulate corporate pollution.
Reserve was owned by steel companies Republic and Armco. In the mid-1980s, it was purchased by LTV Steel, formed from Republic, Jones & Laughlin Steel, and several smaller steelmakers. LTV also acquired neighboring Erie Mining Co. (famed for F9s pulling ore trains), then entered bankruptcy and in July 1986 closed Reserve in favor of Erie. The operation was revived when Cyprus Minerals of Denver paid $52 million for Reserve’s assets in 1989, and the first ore train in nearly four years rolled out of Babbitt on Jan. 5, 1990, for the new Cyprus Northshore Mining Co. Cliffs Natural Resources acquired the operation in 1994 and renamed it Northshore Mining. With reduced operations, the double track was cut back; it is now single track from milepost 25 to Babbitt, but CTC remains in operation.
Motive power on Northshore includes five ex-CSX SD70ACes acquired in 2020, with two used on each road ore train. It also has eight rebuilt SD40-3s and two SD40-2s; two of the SD40-3s, one on each end, power the tailings trains.
Ore trains typically have 156 cars each, and crews can make two 6-hour round trips per shift (about 13 hours on duty; Federal Railroad Administration hours-of-service rules do not apply). The best train for summer photography is the eastbound that leaves Babbitt around 5 a.m. Loaded eastbounds face a 0.6% grade, but leaving Silver Bay westbound, empty trains and loaded tailings trains (typically 32-car trains of Difco side-dump cars) face a 1.5% ruling grade. Occasionally, tailings trains also make a run to Babbitt, and on cold winter days ore trains may be reduced in size, with SD40-3s and SD40-2s handling the job.
The most scenic part of the railroad, conveniently with roadside access, is just above Silver Bay, where it cuts through granite ledges and curves around hills with Airport Road paralleling the tracks. Other public access points include the Lake County Highway 2/Forest Road 15 overpass at milepost 23.5 west of Norshor Junction, the railroad’s connection to the outside world with CN, and a few forest road crossings. Northshore operates yearround, 24 hours a day, in an unusual operation that offers big-time railroading well within public view.
PENNSYLVANIA: ALLEGHENY LUDLUM STEEL
Pittsburgh has often been described as the world’s steelmaking center. At best, the description is historic, for only two blast furnaces remain serviceable. Still, railroad and industrial historians make pilgrimages to study or photograph remaining artifacts.
Northeast of Pittsburgh, nestled along the western banks of the Allegheny River, reside two plants (Brackenridge and Natrona Heights) of the former Allegheny Ludlum Steel Co., now known as Allegheny Technologies Incorporated or ATI.
ATI was formed from Allegheny Ludlum Steel Co., itself a 1938 combination of the Allegheny Steel Co. of Brackenridge, Pa., and Ludlum Steel of Watervliet, N.Y. In the 1970s, the name changed and the company sought diversification to offset the cyclical nature of the steel industry. In the 1980s, the company changed hands again. Its main revenue source, specialty alloy steel applications, were expanded and cost reduction procedures were implemented. In 1996, the surviving company, Allegheny Corp., was merged with Teledyne, a global consortium of electronics, aerospace, and industrial products, to form Allegheny Teledyne. From there, ATI was born. The international company has domestic operations in 12 states.
Near Natrona Heights, about 25 miles from Pittsburgh, the ATI plants are connected by a private railroad which, for those seeking unusual operations, offers remarkable access from public property. Norfolk Southern’s former Pennsylvania Railroad Conemaugh Division trackage runs alongside the ATI right-of-way.
In the mornings, which may provide the most frequent option for photography, both operations can be safely observed from the residential section of Natrona, along Blue Ridge Avenue between the two ATI plants. A lot across from a shuttered church on Pond Street provides ample parking. Two grade crossings provide access. In the afternoon, photography is possible from Vine Street on the opposite side of the tracks, though parking is a bit more problematic. The admonishment to stay off the tracks should not be necessary, but will be offered. Don’t ask for trouble.
Routine movements within each mill can provide photo opportunities as the locomotives take headroom during switching operations. Such moves can be easily accessed from public property, again along Blue Ridge Avenue or Vine Street, depending on the time of day.
Norfolk Southern traffic is primarily eastbound in direction, and can amount to more than 15 trains per day; morning provides the best opportunities for these unpredictable trains.
Allegheny Ludlum operated a fleet of mostly 50- and 80-ton General Electric center-cab locomotives. For the most part, those have been replaced with Republic Locomotive RX-500s, two-axle, A.C.powered machines with environmentally friendlier engines. These were manufactured in Greenville, S.C. Replacement has provided a reduction in fuel consumption; the locomotives utilize dynamic braking to assist in slowing and stopping. The locomotives are equipped for remote control, and since they are newer, heavy maintenance for the GE fleet has been reduced or eliminated. — Gordon Lloyd Jr.
ARIZONA: FMI
In the remote desert mountains surrounding Morenci, Ariz., is FreeportMcMoRan’s Morenci Mine, with one of the nation’s largest copper reserves. Originally underground, it transitioned to an open pit and has been operating continuously since 1939. To move copper products to the outside world, as well as bring in supplies and equipment, Freeport-McMoRan operates an industrial railroad from Morenci to Clifton, Ariz., where it interchanges with Genesee & Wyoming’s Arizona Eastern Railway.
Mining has been conducted in the Morenci/Clifton area since the 1870s. Phelps Dodge and Co. entered the area in 1881 when it advanced $50,000 to become part owners of the Detroit Copper Mining Co. It existed as an independent company until 1897, when a predecessor of Phelps Dodge purchased a controlling interest. It continued as a Phelps Dodge subsidiary until 1917, when all area operations were consolidated into the new Phelps Dodge Corp., Morenci Branch. Phelps Dodge Corp. was acquired in 2007 by FreeportMcMoRan, creating the world’s largest publicly traded copper company.
The modern-day Morenci Industrial Railway was created by Phelps Dodge in 1922, when 6 miles of the 19-mile Morenci Southern Railway and 4 miles of the Shannon-Arizona Railway, both 36-inch narrow gauge lines, were combined to form a 10-mile route from the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad yard in Clifton to the yard in Morenci (EP&SW was acquired by Southern Pacific in 1924). When the Great Depression wreaked havoc on copper mining, the mine was shut down for five years beginning in July 1932.
In 1937, Phelps Dodge reopened the mine as an open-pit operation, with the Morenci Industrial Railway rebuilt and converted to standard gauge. The line still included switchbacks and loops, but in 1965 a new route, still in use, eliminated these with fewer curves and a 3% maximum grade. The open pit was once served by an extensive rail operation including both electric and diesel locomotives, but has been a truck operation since 1986.
Freeport-McMoRan uses a fleet of EMD GP38s and GP38-2s, with some wearing Phelps Dodge blue-and-white colors and others painted for the railroad. Up to five can be found on trains, putting on an incredible show with dynamic braking howling and brakeshoes squealing as they come down the grade from Morenci to Clifton. The Geeps get a workout as they climb back upgrade to return to the mine. It’s all easily visible with U.S. Highway 191 and side roads paralleling the line south of the locomotive shop at Morenci.
The railroad heads south out of Morenci, then loops east at the Coral Road public crossing before turning north and heading downgrade toward Clifton before turning east again. The line crosses Copper Verde Road at grade as it approaches the outskirts of town. East of the crossing is the Shannon Road overpass, and beneath it is a switch to a runway track. Trains coming downgrade stop and throw the switch on their way into Clifton. The railroad then turns north again for the final mile or so into town and the Arizona Eastern yard. The yard is adjacent to the ex-Arizona & New Mexico/SP Clifton Depot, constructed in 1913. It’s now the town’s visitor’s center. Operations are easily seen from the depot parking lot.
Interchange between Arizona Eastern and Freeport-McMoRan is fast, with the mine’s locomotives quickly coupling to their cars and heading upgrade. Depending on traffic, Freeport-McMoRan may operate up to three trains each weekday, but visitors can count on at least one train per day.
Arizona Eastern provides its own show, with a fleet of standard-cab General Electric B40-8s. Like Freeport-McMoRan, the Arizona Eastern line was narrow gauge until A&NM standard-gauged it in 1901. There are two tunnels alongside Highway 191 outside Clifton, and a total of six tunnels in the 6.5 miles between Clifton and South Siding, where Clifton crews interchange with the train from Lordsburg, N.M. It’s a lot of railroading compacted into an area that features great scenery and fascinating rail action. — Steve Glischinski
(Historical data from Railroads of Arizona, Vol. III: Clifton, Morenci and Metcalf Rails and Copper Mines, by David F. Myrick.)
CALIFORNIA: WEST ISLE LINE
The West Isle Line is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nutrien (formerly Western Farm Service). The line — originally a Santa Fe branch built in the 1910s — began service Jan. 7, 1998, after being acquired from BNSF Railway, and runs from Alpaugh, Calif., to an interchange at Stoil (MP 936 on BNSF’s Bakersfield Subdivision). Nutrien Ag Solutions is its only customer. The company bought the line upon learning of BNSF’s abandonment intentions. Loads are mostly chemicals used for fertilizer. Power is former Southern Pacific GP9 No. 3399.
CALIFORNIA: UNITED STATES GYPSUM CORP.
Toiling away in California’s Imperial Valley, about 2 hours southeast of Palm Springs, is a narrow gauge railroad connecting gypsum mining operations in the Fish Creek Mountains and the aptly named, unincorporated Plaster City, 17
miles to the south. It is the ultimate steelrail conveyor belt, delivering raw product to a United States Gypsum Corp. processing plant. The end result is wallboard, used universally for building construction.
The 26-mile line uses Alco-designed Bombardier DL535 locomotives, a one-off order of four units originally destined for the White Pass & Yukon Railway — you’ll notice they arrived with snow plows. Of the 251-engined, 1,200-hp quartet, one made it to Alaska, with the other three ultimately finding work here. One was wrecked many years ago at Fish Creek.
Almost daily, a single DL535 will leave the Plaster City facility near El Centro, Calif., with a string of empty bottom-dump gondolas for the day’s first trip to the mine. Upon returning, the train takes a couple of hours to empty, after which the crew will usually make a second trip. During peak wallboard demand, the company has been known to run a third trip and on Saturdays.
Photographing the operation from public access is fairly easy; the plant sits adjacent to county route S80, also known as the Evan Hewes Highway. A medium telephoto lens will pull out images from the inside the plant. Stay off the property unless you have permission. There are plenty of good views from the street.
Following the train on its schlep to the mine area is a possibility, but be aware; the parallel road quickly becomes unpaved and more than one car has gotten stuck in the sand. Add to the fact that the east side of the line borders a military live-fire range, and you might get the once-over from the U.S. Border Patrol (I did). It’s best to observe the public boundaries and play it safe. Bring food and lots of water and a shovel, just in case. And don’t forget a hat. During certain times of the year the sun is intense enough to seemingly fry your brain. But the show will be well worth it.
As a side benefit, a single standard gauge EMD road-switcher is contracted out to switch cars from the plant’s Union Pacific connection.
Myriad accommodations and eateries are in nearby El Centro. Union Pacific utilizes El Centro as a hub of regional rail activity, running a number of locals from there. The line heads south from the Sunset Route at Niland to reach an interchange with Mexico at the border towns of Calexico and Mexicali. A stub of the former San Diego & Arizona Eastern is used to reach Plaster City. If you’re into exploring embargoed rail lines, the right-of-away from Plaster City west through the mountains and ultimately San Diego is an on-again, offagain proposition. One group or another is always proposing to revive the link to the
Pacific Ocean, but little has ever materialized.
FLORIDA: BONE VALLEY
About 60 miles from Orlando, Fla., the Bone Valley is the epicenter of the state’s phosphate region. CSX Transportation operations are centered in Mulberry, where a small yard and modest mechanical operations service the region. South of Mulberry, you can find interesting operations from both common carrier and private railroads.
The area around Bartow, east of Mulberry, is ripe with mining and railroad operations. To the south, check out the areas around Fort Green and Fort Green Springs. Those with a Florida Atlas & Gazetteer by DeLorme can scope out the area on pages 22-23. If you have not been to the Bone Valley for some time, the expansion of the mining operations will astound. Many of
these mines and load-outs were formerly located alongside the highways, offering easy access. Expansion has brought increased security and fences, and the main operations have moved away from the highways. Many of the operations have changed since they were featured in an October 1984 Trains article (“Wet Rock, Dry Rock, and the Seaboard”) by Jerry Pinkepank.
Phosphate mining is accomplished with draglines, not unlike surface coal mining. Technology has improved the mine output, enabling use of material which previously might have been lost or discarded. Improvements in washing and screening and the use of finer (more selective) screens have improved productivity.
A process called flotation, introduced in 1927, separates phosphate rock from sand. The processed phosphate products are shipped in covered hoppers.
Phosphate is a key component in the making of agricultural fertilizer, and lends itself to movement by rail. CSX operates a variety of trains, with varied motive power. Today, a wide assortment of six-motor A.C. GEs and upgraded SD40-3s are typical. The trains are heavy, and seldom move at a rapid clip. They can safely be photographed from public property along adjacent roads. A few overhead bridges can add variety.
Many operations have been consolidated in recent years. Fertilizer firm Mosaic Co. operates more than a half-dozen facilities. Locomotives and trains can be occasionally found outside the gate, so to speak, and like CSX trains, can be photographed with relative ease from public property.
After a day in the Bone Valley, be sure to keep an eye peeled south of Winter Haven for Florida Central’s terminal to the east of Highway 17. Its red-and-black Geeps can often be found parked in the industrial park. Fans should have no problem accessing these in late afternoon. Trains typically operate during daylight hours, moving slowly, but often impaired by trees and greenery. A transloading operation exists in the industrial park. — Gordon Lloyd, Jr.
MICHIGAN: CARMEUSE LIME & STONE
Tucked away in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, about 20 miles east of Manistique, is the 7-mile Carmeuse Lime & Stone railroad. The line was constructed in 1928 by the Inland Lime & Stone Co. to move limestone from quarries near Gulliver, Mich., to a crushing and screening plant opened in 1930 at Port Inland on Lake Michigan. It was built as an electric operation using 600-volt D.C. power, with electric locomotives that had dump boxes to haul limestone while pulling dump trailers. The railroad powered the locomotives with a side trolley system rather than overhead wire. Its only rail connection was an interchange with Soo Line 4.5 miles north of the port.
The electric operation shut down in 1989 but was reopened in 1991 by Oglebay Norton Co.’s Specialty Minerals Inc. (Oglebay Norton was acquired by Carmeuse Lime & Stone in 2008.) The new owners planned to use trucks, but Wisconsin
Central, which had taken over Soo’s Upper Michigan lines in 1987, persuaded the owners to reopen the railroad and let WC operate it instead.
WC used its unique former Milwaukee Road SDL39 diesels to pull trains with side-dump cars, with one-person crews using remote control. The remote-control equipment was installed on three bulkhead flatcars rebuilt at WC’s shops in North Fond du Lac, Wis.
After WC was sold to CN, Genesee & Wyoming gained the contract for the Port Inland line and brought in rebuilt ex-Illinois Central/Chicago & Illinois Midland SD20s. Around 2016, Carmeuse took over from G&W. In recent years, power has included three SD20s painted for Carmeuse Lime & Stone along with a leased SD45R; the railroad also has used at least one chopnosed GP9 from Lone Star Locomotive Leasing. Trains shuttle back and forth on the north/south line as needed. Locomotives lead south; side-dump cars with operator cabs lead north.
In 2007, Western Lime completed a new state-of-the-art lime plant at Port Inland. The plant produces high-calcium pebble lime used in applications such as drinking water treatment, iron ore mining, and by industrial customers such as steel and paper manufacturers. In 2012, Western Lime was acquired by Canadian-based lime and limestone producer Graymont. Lime from the plant is shipped by rail and truck throughout Canada and the U.S. under the brand name Western High Cal Pebble Lime.
Seasonal operations begin not long after the start of the Great Lakes shipping season and run into the fall. The quarry uses water for screening materials, so when the weather gets too cold it cannot operate. There is only one public grade crossing. From U.S. Highway 2 take County Road 433 east to Lasich Road and turn right to the tracks. It’s then a waiting game until a train appears, but it’s worth it to see this unique and remote operation.