Quincy & Torch Lake #1, #5 and #6 2020 July

There has been scattered discussion of the Quincy & Torch Lake over time, but since I have "fresh" photos from July I thought I'd share, including a link "to the rest of them". We happened to be in the Keenweenaw while the engine house was open, so we got a couple quick shots inside courtesy of the gracious volunteers and some awkward physical distancing dancing, and I spent a bit of time exploring the details of the wear and tear Quincy put on #1 and #5, plus the damage that outdoor living has caused over the last 80 years.

A bit of context on the Q&TL. It was never regulated as a railroad with the exception of some dubious legal shenanigans involved with gaining right-of-way over neighboring property, it was purely a mine shaft to mill operation. In 1888, Quincy built a new mill on Torch Lake, and built the railroad so they could control their transportation costs to the mill. The mill itself was connected to the DSS&A and the Mineral Range RR.

The Quincy mine (and railroad) operated until 1945 - a life for the railroad of 57 years. That's a particularly good number to keep in mind when looking at Q&TL #1, as it probably received little maintenance that wasn't absolutely needed during it's service life. Poking around under #1 and #5 as they sit out behind the #2 shaft hoist building, it's interesting to see the patches of original boiler plate among the vast fields of weld repair!

#1 is a 2-6-0, an 1889 Brooks product built for Quincy Mining. It was followed by three more nearly identical Brooks moguls.

#5 was purchased by Quincy second hand from the Hancock & Calumet, their 34 ne 7, and is an 1891 Baldwin 2-8-0.

#6 was puchased new by Quincy from Baldwin in 1912 during the last big expansion of the Quincy mine. While it's a 2-8-0, it has a certain mudhen look to it from the outside frame construction.



More photos at the link below. I'll try to add some titles.

[www.flickr.com]

#6 in the Q&TL engine house. Yes, that headlight was used. Car battery and a car headlight. Remember: Not a common carrier, and it's a bunch of miners....



#1 out back of the hoist building



#5 parked ahead of it. The cabs have been rebuilt at some point.