In perusing old issues of periodicals, i've now come across one intriguing "mystery" operation: the Algoma Railroad. Here's what I've managed to uncover so far:

Apparently started by Clint Jones & others, this railroad started up on the former Ahnapee & Western between Algoma and Casco Jct., Wisconsin (on the Door County peninsula, or "thumb" of Wisconsin), only 30 rail miles or so from Green Bay and the National Railroad Museum. Operations began in 1976 or 1977 with #105, a 60-ton GE-Ingersoll Rand switcher built in 1937 and ex-Milwaukee Coke & Gas (see page 186, Second Diesel Spotter's Guide, top photo), and a former Milwaukee Alco S4, with Soo Line and CB&Q coaches/combine. Advertised round trip was 2 hours, 28 miles, meaning to Casco Junction and back.

By 1988, a former Milwaukee RSC2, #988, was in service, and steam power (allegedly in the form of Clint Jones' ex-C&NW 4-6-0 175) was being promised "in the near future". The last listing in the Steam Passenger Service Directory was in 1979. A later listing in the American Short Line RR Guide said that the Ahnapee & Western suffered a bridge failure ca. 1987 and that the line discontinued common-carrier status by 1990.

What's most aggravating to me was that the day before my wedding in 2004 I spent almost the entire day trolling the Door County Peninsula for rail remnants, and I hit almost everything except this segment! (Good Belgian cuisine, though.....)

So what happened? Where are the 105 and 998 today? Did the cars end up at the NRM or somewhere else? Or are these now part of the "big mystery stash" of the Upper Peninsula along with Sharks, doodlebugs, steamers, and the New York Central Hudson? <:-)

#988 is at the Mid-Continent Railroad Museum at North Freedom, WI, or so their webpage says. I believe that the I-R unit was scrapped. I visited the Algoma in the late '70's and rode around in the Milwaukee Road ALCO S-series switcher as it worked the local steel fabricator.

Don C.

The 988 is indeed at Mid-Continent. It's privately owned, and undergoing repairs for operation again.
http://www.mcrwy.com/collectn/DIESEL/milw988.html

The I-R unit is at MTM.

See: http://home.att.net/~berliner-Ultrasonics/boxcab71.html.



The GE with the I-R engine was cut up for scrap.

See: http://www.greenbayroute.com/tn105.htm

Photo of sister 104:




This was it's replacement.

More info at:
http://www.greenbayroute.com/1976excursion.htm and
http://www.greenbayroute.com/awexcursion.htm

Just to be clear to everyone, as far as I can tell the I-R unit in question on THIS page had nothing to do with the Algoma RR--it's Armco B-71, a Westinghouse design (see Second Diesel Spotters Guide, pg. 410) that may have been refitted with an I-R engine. A sister to this loco is at the Penna. Trolley Museum at Arden.

The Green Bay Route website (fascinating, BTW: www.greenbayroute.com ) does give further detail on the real I-R 105; apparently it was acquired by the Algoma in July 1976 and sold (for scrap?) in October 1977 after a terminal engine failure. Although, given the fact that vintage rail stuff in that region of Wisconsin/UP Michigan gets a reputation for being hidden in a certain location, until we hear from an eyewitness to the scrapping, never say never....... <;-)

Ok, I'm confused, this photo from that page clearly shows the unit lettered as TN (TransNorthern) 71. Clint's unit that was there on the Algoma RR is documented as the TN 71. Or are we just saying there was an I-R unit in addition to the other units mentioned?

What I've been able to find so far indicates that there may be confusion going on as to which loco is which and was where.

From the Green Bay Route site:
"This GE 60 ton locomotive was built in October 1937 (GE builders number 12237) as #105 for the Milwaukee Solvay Coke Company. #105 was the last diesel-electric that GE built using an Ingersoll-Rand power engine and the only existing transition design between the original boxcab car bodies and the more commonly known "GE 44-Ton" locos.
It was sold to Miller Compressing Company in Milwaukee in February 1970 and operated by them as #105. The Algoma RR acquired it in July 1976 and planned to operate it as Algoma RR #105 on their excursion trips over the Ahnapee & Western.
With a simple hand painted "TN" on the cab sides it was used to switch US Plywood in Algoma while the Algoma Railroad operation was being put together."

I have so far come up with two photos of this loco in service on the Algoma RR--one is on page 134 of the 1977 Steam Passenger Service Directory.

The Berliner page on the Armco B-71 includes the following:
"John Campbell reacted to this news with this, "In 1978 Trans-Northern (Clint Jones) had acquired this unit and it was on his tourist/shortline Algoma Railroad in Algoma, Wisconsin in 1978""
It also says it was on the Cadillac & Lake City (presumably its Michigan operation) in 1968, along with photo taken of it in the engine house there.

So, to wit: We think B-71 was on the Algoma in the late 1970's before going to MTM; we know Milwaukee Coke & Gas 105 was there, but no one's seen it since. Was 105 definitely scrapped?

Clint Jones told me several years ago that the locomotive was scrapped. The B-71 is now the property of Ed Bowers. It is my understanding that MTM will let it stay at the museum if Ed paints it so it is presentable.

Just learned that Clint had an operation called the Brillion and Forest Junction Railroad at the same time as the Algoma Railroad. I can't find any info on the Brillion and Forest Junction Railroad, may be some of the discussed motive power was used there?

The B&FJ operated between the namesake towns. It connected at Forest Junction with the Milwaukee Road line that ran between Milwaukee and Green Bay. I rode the line in the late of winter in 1978 with a friend who was a partner with Clint in the Trans-Northern company. The operation had a chopnosed former Milwaukee Road RSC that had been upgraded with a 251 engine. I'll have to look at my slides when I get home tonight for the actual number but I want to say it was the 974 or 976.

Don C.

Don, I think you're confusing locos. 974 and 975 were Detroit & Mackinac re-engined (Alco 251 re-engined by Morrison-Knudsen) RS3's, which as far as I know never left the D&M before Lake States took over the D&M. Green Bay & Western had four similar M-K rebuilds, but the Green Bay Route website's extensively detailed roster makes no indication of any of them serving the B&FJ.

Wait a minute. How the h*** am I becoming the Lake Michigan region rail historian?

Might this be the loco?
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=104360&PHPSESSID=37391878e0de6b416bde61af859721eb

Boyd,
Yep, that's the unit! I was off by a year, having ridden the line on March 26, 1979. My slide file indicates that she might have been Milwaukee Road 578. Does anyone know for sure?

Don C.

Perhaps it has something to do with your choice of activities on the day before your wedding in 2004. as quoted from the initial post of this thread. :-)
"What's most aggravating to me was that the day before my wedding in 2004 I spent almost the entire day trolling the Door County Peninsula for rail remnants, and I hit almost everything except this segment! (Good Belgian cuisine, though.....) "

Ed Selinsky