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Re: 5th longest narrow gauge?

November 23, 2005 12:24PM
Mr's LeVay & Wright are spot-on. The Toonerville Trolley operates integrally with a tour boat to Tahquamenon Falls, Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The line has a legitimate claim to being the longest and oldest 2-footer in existance, but as Steve points out is practically off the railfan radar screen. The 2-ft gauge track was laid in 1927 on the right-of-way of an earlier standard-ga logging railroad. I believe it has been operated by the same family all that time. The TT has never run steam. Somewhere I have a picture from the 1930's of a 2-car train with a Fordson "critter" locomotive (probably a Brookeville conversion). The train in that picture is so full that people are hanging all over the locomotive and roofs of the cars. Their open observation cars are built up from WW 1-era trench railway equipment.
I ran across mention of the TT just recently while reading a feasability study for narrow-gauge people movers in Florida. Narrow-gauge data was so hard to come by that the study used the Toonerville Trolley's maintanence costs to make its economic estimates. The figure was around $200,000/year, but that may have included the tour boat services as well as the railroad.
An interesting little RR, it deserves a lot more attention than it gets.
J
Subject Author Posted

SVRy may get $500,000.00 *LINK* *PIC*

roger hogan November 22, 2005 10:46AM

Re: SVRy may get $500,000.00

dan November 22, 2005 03:02PM

5th longest narrow gauge?

El Coke November 22, 2005 05:58PM

Re: 5th longest narrow gauge?

Marty Knox November 22, 2005 06:12PM

I stand corrected!

El Coke November 22, 2005 06:40PM

Re: 5th longest narrow gauge?

JasonL November 22, 2005 09:46PM

Re: 5th longest narrow gauge? *PIC*

Steve Zuiderveen November 22, 2005 08:35PM

Mystery narrow gauge

Craig LeVay November 23, 2005 01:11AM

Is it in Canada? *NM*

El Coke November 23, 2005 10:52AM

It's in da U.P.! *LINK* *PIC*

Adam Wright November 23, 2005 12:00PM

Re: It's in da U.P.!

David Peterson November 23, 2005 07:37PM

Re: 5th longest narrow gauge?

Jeff A. November 23, 2005 12:24PM



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