Incorporation to 1900
Early history
The W&M railway acquired six railroad corporations by purchasing their property, rights, and franchises. [2] The railway also purchased the railroad property of the Peshtigo Lumber Company of Peshtigo, Wi. [3] The W&M Railway was conceived in 1893 by John N Faithorn, a railroad tycoon from Chicago, Il. His idea was to build a railroad connect the iron-rich Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with the steel mills in cities using both railroads and lake ferries. [4]
First track is laid (1894)
This railroad began building from the Soo Line railroad at Faithorn Junction in Wisconsin south about five miles. Faithorn was named for J. Nathan Faithorn, an official of the railroad. [5] The initial ending point was the Ingalls, White Rapids & Northern Logging railway aka IWR&N. This location would later become known as Bagley_Junction. [6]
A five-mile section of the IWR&N was standard gauged from Ingalls, Michigan to the Menominee River, the state line. [7] A bridge was built in 1894 to cross the Menominee River at Koss, Michigan to Wagner, Wisconsin. [8]
On December 2, 1894, the Wisconsin & Michigan Railway began passenger service from Peshtigo, Wi to Faithorn Junction and two days later followed with freight trains. [9]
Line south to Peshtigo (1884)
The railway had been unable to get dock frontage in Marinette or Menominee for its planned ferry service so the W&M instead purchased a line south to the harbor at Petshigo, Wi. [10]
Ferry service begins (1895)
Begun in 1895 by a newly formed subsidiary of the Wisconsin and Michigan Railway: Lake Michigan Car Ferry Transportation Company (LMCFT Co.). [11] Begun with a pair of wooden barges from the Peshtigo Harbor the service was run from there to South Chicago. Each barge was capable of holding 28 cars on deck, but no propulsion engine. [12]
With a newly acquired tug the LMCFT Co. inaugurated service on August 31, 1895, delivering 26 cars of coal and merchandise from South Chicago to the Wisconsin and Michigan harbor slip in Peshtigo. [13]
New locomotives arrive and lumber business expands (1895–1897)
In 1895 the W&M received a new Baldwin 10 wheeler and gave it number 8. It was too heavy for their light rail and was returned to Baldwin. They bought a smaller 10 wheeler, but it too performed poorly on the track north of Fischer. They kept the new locomotive and improved that section of track.
Ferry traffic increases (1897)
Lumber subsidiary sold (1889)
Northward extension begins and misfortunes beset railway (1898)
From the cited references - "Wisconsin and Michigan Railway will Build Thirty Miles of New Road and Iron Mountain will be its Terminus. " [14] and "Railroad scene near Quinnesec, Mich". [15] Behind the train is C&NW RR line from Quinnesec to Iron Mountain, Mi.
Walsh orders improvements (1900)
Chicago capitalist John R. Walsh, owner of the Chicago Southern railroads, owner of the Chicago Terminal Transfer, founder of the Chicago National Bank and owner of the Southern Indiana purchased a controlling interest in the Railway in October 1900. Walsh ordered a rapid series of improvements. The W&M completely rebuilt the track between Faithorn Junction and Koss, improved the entire main line with new ballast, upgraded to 75 pound rail and constructed new stations to convert the ailing W&M into a major trunk line.
