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Chicago Lumber Company of Michigan owners of the
Manistique & Northwest Railway Company

1822 Abijah Weston - Father of the Chicago Lumber Company - born in Lucerne, Saratoga Co. New York.

7/1872 Weston and associates, known as the Chicago Lumber Company, acquire several thousand acres of timberlands in central Schoolcraft County.

1891 5/5/1891 - Manistique and Northwestern Railway Company incorporated by Weston and his associates.

• Original corporation Manistique & Northwestern Railway Company organized under "Act to revise the laws Eto" approved May 1st, 1873 - date of organization April 25, 1891 (Board of Directors notes 1902)

• The Manistique & Northwest Railway Company started out using ex-overhead trackage suburban passenger locomotives from New York city as the pictures below show, no other data is know about them.

9/1895 Construction of the Manistique and Northwestern Railway begins; northern terminus reported as Negaunee.

1897 Manistique & Northwestern Railway – 1897 Michigan Railroad Commissioner Reports

• Chartered April 25, 1891

• The Manistique & Northwestern Railway Company, was surveyed in 1892-93, Manistique, Michigan, to Negaunee, Michigan (about 90 miles). About 21 miles of grading was done in 1895 and 1896, 11 miles of rail has been laid and ballasting will be done the coming year. The stockholders have advanced the necessary funds for construction expense.

• Commenced to build road, Sept., 1895

  • South Manistique to Steuben 8-2-1897

  • Steuben to McNeils 12-16-1897

  • Scotts to Singleton 12-31-1898 11.5 miles (11/1/1898 completed to Shingleton)

• Rolling stock;

  • One locomotive, 20 to 30 tons

  • One locomotive, 10 to 20 tons

  • Thirty platform cars, thirty logging cars, and three boarding cars

6/2/1898 Abijah Weston dies

12/1901 Traverse City, Leelanau & Manistique Railroad incorporated by interests associated with the Grand Rapids and Indiana. The line is to run from Northport to Traverse City.

Manistique & Northwestern Railway – 1901 Michigan Railroad Commissioner Reports

This road was constructed for the purpose of handling forest products, but has added a passenger service between Manistique and Singleton, a junction with the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway. This passenger service consists of a mixed train run daily except Sundays, and is adequate for the traffic presented. The company has improved the line the past year by renewing 500 ties and laying 475 tons of new rail, 60 pounds per yard. This company has now 32 miles of 60 pound, 22 miles of 35-pound, and 8 miles of 40-pound rail. The surface and alignment of track is fair. Considering the schedule time of trains and the traffic, and the light equipment and the general necessities, the road is adequate for the requirements in point of safety. This company owns 199 freight cars, 173 of which are for logging purposes. Company reports that have couplers purchased for same, but cars are not equipped with couplers or air brakes. Their engines and coaches are equipped as required by law. The company has also constructed a new bridge across the Manistique river, 240 feet in length.

• January 1902 All of the stock in the Manistique and Northwestern Railway is acquired by interests associated with the Grand Rapids and Indiana, which is itself associated with the Pennsylvania Railroad.

The lead engine is 2-4-4 wheel arrangement with a tender attached, it has a link – pin coupling arrangement on the engine. The second locomotive is probably the same wheel arrangement. They are on the interchange track at Shingleton. The track leading to the the bottom of the picture goes to the D. S. S. & A. Railway, was the 'SOO' line now CN trackage.

This appears to be a 0-4-4 wheel arrangement, the the pilot wheel may be hidden in this photograph, which would make it a 2-4-4 wheel arrangement. This was in service long enough to receive safety coupler as the the Michigan Railroad Commission called them.