Lake Superior and Ishpeming 23

Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad 23 is a SC-4 class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive, built by the American Locomotive Company's (ALCO) Pittsburg Works in January 1910 for the Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (LS&I) in Upper Michigan. The locomotive was originally numbered as No. 9, but it was renumbered to No. 23 in 1924.^[2][3][4] It was used for pulling carloads of iron ore, as well as some passenger trains on branch lines, until 1962.^[2][3][4] In 1963, it was purchased by the Marquette and Huron Mountain tourist railroad, who used it to pull their excursion trains between Marquette and Big Bay.^[2][3][4]

After the M&HM was shut down in 1984, No. 23 was sold to the Empire State Railway Museum in Phoenicia, New York, where it was put on static display.^[2][3][4] In 2002, ESRM announced that they would restore the locomotive to operating condition, and they began the rebuilding process at the Catskill Mountain Railroad's Kingston yard site.^[5] As of 2025, No. 23 is still undergoing a cosmetic restoration at the ESRM's location in Phoenicia.

In 1909, the Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railway (LS&I) authorized to sell off four of their older steam locomotives and replace them with new 2-8-0 locomotives.^[3][2] The following year, five new C-5 class 2-8-0's (Nos. 9–13) were constructed for the LS&I by the American Locomotive Company's (ALCO) Pittsburg Works, at a cost of $14,335 each.^[3][4][6][a] The C-5's were initially designed with outside Pilliod valve gear, 48-inch (1,219 mm) diameter driving wheels, and 20-by-28-inch (508 mm × 711 mm) cylinders, and they were rated at 34,000 pounds (15 tonnes) of tractive effort.^[3][6][7]

The C-5's were also built with saturated keyhole fireboxes that were placed in between their rear sets of driving wheels, resulting in their poor abilities to produce steam.^[3] In 1924, the LS&I was reincorporated after merging with the Munising, Marquette and Southeastern Railway (MM&SE), and the former retainted the latter's fleet of three C-5's, expanding the class total to eight.^[8][9][10] With almost all locomotives on the LS&I's expanded roster being renumbered, the C-5's were renumbered as 18–25.^[4][9]

Between 1928 and 1934, almost all the C-5 class locomotives (Nos. 18–24) were sent to the LS&I's Presque Isle locomotive shops to be extensively rebuilt and modified to improve their performance.^[6][9] Their cylinder saddles were replaced by ones with superheated cylinders and piston valves; their boilers received superheaters and were raised higher above the frame; their fireboxes were widened and received Nicholson thermic siphons; and feedwater heaters were installed.^[2][9] The upgrades raised the C-5s' tractive effort to 42,000 pounds (19 tonnes), and the rebuilt locomotives were reclassified as SC-4's.^[2][6]

No. 23 was the very first C-5 class locomotive to be built, and it was originally numbered 9.^[7][11] No. 9 was primarily assigned in its early years to pull the LS&I's mixed freight trains, and it was occasionally used to pull iron ore trains.^[3] As a saturated locomotive, No. 9 was prone to stalling whenever the locomotive would climb a grade, or when the weight of its train exceeded its pulling power.^[3][7] On one occasion, the C-5 participated in a locomotive "tug of war" publicity session, but it lost to B-4 class 2-8-0 No. 8.^[3][12] Following the LS&I's merger with the MM&SE in 1924, No. 9 was renumbered to 23.^[9][11]

In 1928, No. 23 became the first of seven C-5 locomotives to be rebuilt and modified as SC-4's at the LS&I's Presque Isle shops.^[6][9] Following its rebuild, the locomotive was primarily reassigned to switch hopper cars at iron ore mines and to pull logging trains on branch lines.^[6][13] By 1958, No. 23 was put into storage in Marquette alongside fellow SC-4 No. 22, as the LS&I slowly retired their steam fleet and replaced them with diesel locomotives.^[13][2] The railroad discontinued commercial steam operations in 1962.^[6][13]

In early 1963, No. 23 and fellow SC-4 No. 19 were purchased by the newly-formed Marquette and Huron Mountain (M&HM) Railroad.^[2][14][15] Public accountant John A. Zerbal owned the M&HM, and he sought to make revenue off of operating shortline logging and tourist trains between Marquette and Big Bay, primarily using former LS&I equipment.^[2][15] The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the sale of the LS&I's Lake Independence Branch to the M&HM on July 2, 1963, and No. 23 subsequently pulled the railroad's first trains.^[14][15] By August, the railroad had acquired nine more 2-8-0 locomotives from the LS&I, including No. 22, which was placed into service on the line alongside Nos. 19 and 23.^[14][15] The three SC-4's initially pulled freight trains to refurbish the right-of-way before regular passenger operations commenced in the summer of 1964.^[15][16][17]

The M&HM's goal was to operate all their locomotives and to eventually construct a major complex of resort attractions in Big Bay that would consist of various outdoor activities.^[2][14] The M&HM never achieved their ambitious goal, because of underestimated returns from revenue freight runs and underestimated passenger ridership.^[15][18] In August 1966, the M&HM only ran one excursion before they suspended operations, and Nos. 23, 22, and 19 were moved to a field with the rest of the railroad's 2-8-0's.^[14][17][18] The M&HM subsequently went through a multi-year hiatus while Zerbal had the railroad's management issues reorganized.^[17] In 1972, the M&HM resumed their operations with shortened running dates and diesel power, and the following year, No. 23 was restored to operating condition.^[14][15][18]

The M&HM attracted some certified steam locomotive mechanics from the LS&I, the Soo Line, and the Chicago and North Western (C&NW) to work for the tourist line, and they were allowed to maintain No. 23 inside a Soo Line roundhouse during winter months.^[14][15] The M&HM also shortened their operations from 23 miles (37 kilometres) to 8 miles (13 kilometres), since John Zerbal believed passengers would not enjoy traveling on a long-distance tourist train.^[14][15][17] On April 13, 1984, Zerbal died shortly before a tax deadline.^[14] Many of the M&HM's workforces, including chief mechanical officer Art Anderson, tried to save the railroad, but the property was too remote and not profitable enough.^[14][5] The M&HM's operations permanently closed down by December, and all the equipment was sold off at an auction, on January 14, 1985.^[15][5] During the auction, No. 23 was purchased by the Empire State Railway Museum (ESRM) at a bid of $10,000.^[5] As of 2025, No. 23 is undergoing a cosmetic restoration at the ESRM's location in Phoenicia, New York.

• Lake Superior and Ishpeming 18
• Arcade and Attica 18
• New Hope Railroad 40
• Chicago and North Western 175

• Durocher, Aurele (April 1958). "The Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad Company". The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin (98): 13–31. JSTOR 43520202.
• Schauer, David (2015). Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad In Color. Vol. 1. Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Morning Sun Books, Inc. ISBN 978-1-58248-494-5.
• Zahrt, Chris (May 2009). "Wandering No. 18's many lives". Trains. Vol. 69, no. 5. Kalmbach Media. pp. 45–51. Retrieved September 1, 2023.

• Empire State Railway Museum Official Website