Lake Superior and Ishpeming 23

Lake Superior and Ishpeming 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. It was used for pulling carloads of iron ore, as well as some passenger trains on branch lines, until 1962. 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.

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. In 1998, ESRM announced that they would restore the locomotive to operating condition and they began the rebuilding process at the Catskill Mountain Railroad's (CMRR) Kingston yard facility. By the end of the 2010s, after the ESRM became isolated from the CMRR by a portion of the railroad's line being converted into a trail, attendance at the ESRM plummeted, and the project on No. 23 was relegated to a cosmetic restoration. As of 2026, No. 23's cosmetic restoration is still underway at the ESRM's location in Phoenicia.

In 1909, the Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (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 2-8-0s (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][5][a] The C-5s were initially designed with outside Pilliod valve gear, 48-inch (1,200 mm) diameter driving wheels, and 20-by-28-inch (510 mm × 710 mm) cylinders, and they were rated at around 34,000 pounds-force (150 kN) of tractive effort.^[3][5][6]

The C-5s 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-5s, expanding the class total to eight.^[7][8][9] With almost all locomotives on the LS&I's expanded roster being renumbered, the C-5s were renumbered as 18–25.^[4][8]

Between 1928 and 1934, almost all the C-5 class locomotives, with the sole exception of No. 25, were sent to the LS&I's Presque Isle locomotive shops to be extensively rebuilt and modified to improve their performance.^[5][8] 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][8] The rebuilt C-5s were reclassified as SC-4s, and their tractive effort was raised to around 42,000 pounds (19 tonnes).^[2][5] Their overall reliability was also significantly improved, and they became favored by LS&I crews.^[8]

No. 23 was the very first C-5 class locomotive to be built, and it was originally numbered 9.^[6][10] 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][6] 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][11] Following the LS&I's merger with the MM&SE in 1924, No. 9 was renumbered to 23.^[8][10]

In 1928, No. 23 became the first of seven C-5 locomotives to be rebuilt and modified as SC-4s at the LS&I's Presque Isle shops.^[5][8] Following its rebuild, the locomotive was primarily reassigned to switch hopper cars at iron ore mines and to pull freight and logging trains on branch lines.^[5][12] Throughout the 1950s, the LS&I gradually dieselized their roster, but all seven of the SC-4s, due to their reliability, remained on the roster after the railroad retired their other steam locomotive classes, being used as switchers and to thaw frozen iron ore.^[2][5][12] The aging SC-4s were retired in September 1962, when the railroad discontinued their commercial steam operations.^[5][12][13]

In December 1958, the LS&I petitioned to abandoned their 23.74-mile (38.21 km) Big Bay Branch between Marquette and Big Bay, since it had no customers left—having no trains run since November 1957—but a group lead by public accountant John A. Zerbal entered negotiations to purchase the line, and they desired to revitalize it for shortline logging and tourist passenger trains.^[2][14] Willing to utilize former LS&I equipment for the line, Zerbal purchased No. 23, along with fellow SC-4 No. 19 and some rolling stock, in early 1963.^[2][15][14] On July 2 of the same year, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the sale of the Big Bay Branch, and No. 23 subsequently pulled the first trains of the newly-formed Marquette and Huron Mountain Railroad (M&HM).^[15][14] By August, the railroad acquired the rest of the remaining steam locomotives the LS&I owned (SC-4s Nos. 18, 20, 21, and 22; SC-3 No. 29; and SC-1s Nos. 32, 33, 34, and 35) and No. 22 was subsequently placed into service on the M&HM alongside Nos. 19 and 23.^[15][14] Initially, the three SC-4s pulled freight and work trains to refurbish the line, which involved vegetation removal and tie replacements, and then tourist operations officially commenced in the summer of 1964.^[14][16][17]

The M&HM's goal was to operate all of their locomotives and to eventually construct a major complex of resort attractions in Big Bay that would consist of various outdoor activities.^[2][15] The M&HM never achieved their ambitious goal, due to overestimated returns from revenue freight runs and overestimated passenger ridership.^[14][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 locomotives.^[15][17][18] The M&HM subsequently went through a multi-year hiatus while Zerbal had the railroad's management issues reorganized,^[17] and almost all the SC-1s, which were too heavy for the line, were gradually sold off to help recoup lost revenue.^[19] 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.^[15][14][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.^[15][14] The M&HM also shortened their operations from 23 miles (37 kilometres) to 8 miles (13 kilometres), since Zerbal believed passengers would not enjoy traveling on a long-distance tourist train.^[15][14][17] On April 13, 1984, Zerbal died shortly before a tax deadline.^[15] 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.^[15][20] The M&HM's operations permanently closed down by December, all of the equipment was sold off at an auction on January 14, 1985, and the rails were subsequently ripped up.^[14][20]

During the auction, No. 23 was purchased by the Empire State Railway Museum (ESRM) at a bid of $10,000.^[20] The ESRM moved No. 23 to their location in Phoenicia, New York, where it received a partial cosmetic restoration and was put on static display near a Phoenicia depot that served the Catskill Mountain Railroad (CMRR), which leased the former New York Central (NYC) Ulster and Delaware line (U&D) from Ulster County to operate their own tourist trains.^[21] In February 1998, the ESRM announced that they would partner with the CMRR to restore No. 23 to operating condition for use as the centerpiece of their operations.^[22][23][24] The locomotive was moved to the CMRR's Cornell Street facility in Kingston for disassembly.^[21] Ultrasound testing was completed with good results, and repairs for the boiler and tubes began.^[25] The tender was also completely rebuilt.^[25] The project was estimated to be completed by 2010 for the 100th anniversary of No. 23's construction date, but as the CMRR had other priorities,^[21] the goal was never met.^[25]

In 2011, infrastructure for both the ESRM and the CMRR sustained damage by Hurricane Irene,^[26] and then in 2014, as the latter struggled to repair the right-of-way, Ulster County began attempts to terminate their lease, as they were dissatisfied with the railroad's tourism efforts.^[27][28][29] By early 2016, amidst a series of lease disputes with Ulster County, the CMRR was ordered to vacate their Cornell Street facility. No. 23 had to be moved back to the ESRM's location in Phoenicia, and it had to be transported in sections via truck, since the former U&D line was split in half by the hurricane.^[25][26] The museum subsequently constructed a two-stall car barn to store the locomotive indoors.^[25] The ESRM became isolated from the CMRR's operations, since Ulster County decided against renewing the railroad's lease of the middle portion of the U&D line and decided to convert it into a recreational trail, leading to the creation of the Ashokan Rail Trail.^[30][31] Despite some trackage out of Phoenicia being repaired, attendance at the ESRM consequently plummeted, and the project on No. 23 was relegated to a cosmetic restoration. As of 2026, the SC-4's restoration is still ongoing with limited volunteers.^[22]

• Arcade and Attica 18
• Copper Range 29
• Chicago and North Western 175
• Chicago and North Western 1385
• New Hope Railroad 40

• 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