Cadillac and Lake City Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Cadillac & Lake City Railway was a railroad which operated in the Midwestern United States. The operation was owned by Western States Properties, Inc. and several investors who operated lines in three states; Colorado
, Kansas
, and Michigan
during its time.
(PRR), ex:Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad
(GR&I) trackage between its namesake cities of Cadillac, Michigan
, and Lake City, Michigan
, 21 miles (33.8 km). The actual terminus for the Cadillac, Michigan
end of the operation was at Missaukee Junction, Michigan, 1 mile north of Haring, Michigan where Ephraim Shay
had a residence during the development of the Shay locomotive
and just over 2 miles north of Cadillac, Michigan
. It was here that all traffic was transferred to and from the Pennsylvania Railroad
(PRR); prior to the 1968 merger of the PRR with the New York Central (NYC); thence becoming the Penn Central (PC). All operations ceased in 1971, with the entire Michigan operation abandoned in September 1984 and all rail since removed.
between Simla
through Limon, Colorado
, to Colby, Kansas
, about 171 miles (275.2 km). The CLK also had trackage rights via the Union Pacific Railroad
from Limon to Denver
, 84 miles (135.2 km), but rarely exercised them.
Power for the CLK trains consisted of former Burlington Northern Railroad
EMD F units
, and Union Pacific Railroad
GP7s
, and former Colorado & Wyoming
switchers at Colorado Springs
and Denver.
. Operations of the CLK then consisted of Cimarron Hills in Colorado Springs to Limon, about 69 miles (111 km) of trackage. Power consisted of two Cleburne, Texas
, rebuilt CF7
s, one EMD SW1
, and an ex-CMStP&P GP20. All of the Cadillac & Lake City's rail operations have since ceased with most of the tracks between Powers Boulevard (in Colorado Springs) to the Wye in Limon, Colorado
being removed in the 1980s. There is still (2008) a lot of evidence of the former railroad simply left to rot away. Items such as an old box car just west of Marksheffel road in Colorado Springs, many telegraph poles, insulators strewn about near the old line, and the old raised grade are a common sight on the 70 miles (112.7 km) route. A depot remains in Calhan, CO in deteriorating but rather good shape. East of Matheson, CO, a long trestle remains, where the line crosses Big Sandy Creek
.
Originally Milwaukee road GP9 #2405, this unit rebuilt to GP20m and relettered for the C&LC is seen near Limon, CO in September 1984.
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
during its time.
Michigan Operations
The Cadillac & Lake City Railway began operations in 1964 over former Pennsylvania RailroadPennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
(PRR), ex:Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad
Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad
The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad at its height provided passenger and freight railroad services between Cincinnati, Ohio and the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan, USA...
(GR&I) trackage between its namesake cities of Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Wexford County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,000. The city is situated at the junction of US 131, M-55 and M-115...
, and Lake City, Michigan
Lake City, Michigan
Lake City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 836. Known as the "Christmas Tree Capital", it is the county seat of Missaukee County.-Geography:...
, 21 miles (33.8 km). The actual terminus for the Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Wexford County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,000. The city is situated at the junction of US 131, M-55 and M-115...
end of the operation was at Missaukee Junction, Michigan, 1 mile north of Haring, Michigan where Ephraim Shay
Ephraim Shay
Ephraim Shay designed the first Shay locomotive and patented the type.He was born on July 17, 1839, in Sherman Township, Huron County, Ohio. His parents were James and Phoebe Shay....
had a residence during the development of the Shay locomotive
Shay locomotive
The Shay locomotive was the most widely used geared steam locomotive. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a geared steam locomotive...
and just over 2 miles north of Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Wexford County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,000. The city is situated at the junction of US 131, M-55 and M-115...
. It was here that all traffic was transferred to and from the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
(PRR); prior to the 1968 merger of the PRR with the New York Central (NYC); thence becoming the Penn Central (PC). All operations ceased in 1971, with the entire Michigan operation abandoned in September 1984 and all rail since removed.
Kansas Operations
In July 1981, the Cadillac & Lake City Railway began operations over a former portion of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific RailroadChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
between Simla
Simla, Colorado
The Town of Simla is a Statutory Town in Elbert County, Colorado, United States. The population was estimated to be 728 in 2007.-History:Simla was founded in 1909, by a man with the name of Altman. Simla was named because the daughter of a railroad official was reading a book about India when she...
through Limon, Colorado
Limon, Colorado
Limon is a Statutory Town that is the most populous town in Lincoln County, Colorado, United States immediately east of Elbert County. The population was 2,071 at the 2000 census. Limon has been called the "Hub City" of Eastern Colorado because Interstate 70, U.S. Highways 24, 40, and 287, and...
, to Colby, Kansas
Colby, Kansas
Colby is a city in and the county seat of Thomas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,387.-History:...
, about 171 miles (275.2 km). The CLK also had trackage rights via the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
from Limon to Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, 84 miles (135.2 km), but rarely exercised them.
Power for the CLK trains consisted of former Burlington Northern Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
EMD F units
EMD F-unit
EMD F-units were a line of Diesel-electric locomotives produced between November 1939 and November 1960 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors-Diesel Division. Final assembly for all F-units was at the GM-EMD plant at La Grange, Illinois and the GMDD plant in London, Ontario...
, and Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
GP7s
EMD GP7
The EMD GP7 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel between October, 1949 and May, 1954. Power was provided by an EMD 567B 16-cylinder engine which generated . The GP7 was offered both with and without control cabs, and...
, and former Colorado & Wyoming
Colorado and Wyoming Railway
Originally founded in 1899, the Colorado and Wyoming Railway is a subsidiary of the Oregon Steel Mills. It hauls coal, ore and steel products on about five miles of track inside Oregon Steel's Rocky Mountain Steel Mills facility in Pueblo, Colorado, and connects to the Union Pacific Railroad and...
switchers at Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
and Denver.
Colorado Operations
In May 1984, the Limon to Colby operations were turned over to the Kyle RailroadKyle Railroad
The Kyle Railroad is a regional railroad line that runs from North Central Kansas into Eastern Colorado. It is based in Phillipsburg, Kansas and runs on track, mostly the former Rock Island Railroad Chicago to Denver main line. The Kyle has been owned by Rail America since 2002.-History:The...
. Operations of the CLK then consisted of Cimarron Hills in Colorado Springs to Limon, about 69 miles (111 km) of trackage. Power consisted of two Cleburne, Texas
Cleburne, Texas
Cleburne is a city in Johnson County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Fort Worth. According to 2007 United States Census Bureau estimates, the population is 29,050. It is the county seat of Johnson County. Cleburne is named for a Confederate General, Patrick Cleburne...
, rebuilt CF7
CF7
A CF7 is an EMD F-unit railroad locomotive that has had its streamlined carbody removed and replaced with a custom-made, "general purpose" body in order to adapt the unit for road switching duty. All of the conversions were performed by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in their Cleburne,...
s, one EMD SW1
EMD SW1
The EMD SW1 was a diesel-electric switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between December 1938 and November 1953. Final assembly was at EMD's plant at La Grange, Illinois. The SW1 was the second generation of 600 hp switcher from EMD, succeeding the SW and SC...
, and an ex-CMStP&P GP20. All of the Cadillac & Lake City's rail operations have since ceased with most of the tracks between Powers Boulevard (in Colorado Springs) to the Wye in Limon, Colorado
Limon, Colorado
Limon is a Statutory Town that is the most populous town in Lincoln County, Colorado, United States immediately east of Elbert County. The population was 2,071 at the 2000 census. Limon has been called the "Hub City" of Eastern Colorado because Interstate 70, U.S. Highways 24, 40, and 287, and...
being removed in the 1980s. There is still (2008) a lot of evidence of the former railroad simply left to rot away. Items such as an old box car just west of Marksheffel road in Colorado Springs, many telegraph poles, insulators strewn about near the old line, and the old raised grade are a common sight on the 70 miles (112.7 km) route. A depot remains in Calhan, CO in deteriorating but rather good shape. East of Matheson, CO, a long trestle remains, where the line crosses Big Sandy Creek
Big Sandy Creek (Colorado)
Big Sandy Creek is a tributary of the Arkansas River noted for being the location of the Sand Creek Massacre. Big Sandy Creek starts near Peyton in El Paso County, Colorado and flows through Elbert, Lincoln, Cheyenne and Kiowa counties before it joins with the Arkansas River in Prowers county...
.
Originally Milwaukee road GP9 #2405, this unit rebuilt to GP20m and relettered for the C&LC is seen near Limon, CO in September 1984.